PEKIN - Anglers should have the freedom to enjoy good fishing for the Independence Day holidays thanks to cooler than normal water temperatures for this time of year.

As a result, bait shops are looking forward to what should be a brisk business.

"It should be a good fishing Fourth of July. We haven't had one of those for a while," said Tom Grider, owner of Riverside Bait & Tackle in Pekin.n;

Several lakes are producing great prospects for bass. Snake Den Hollow is among them, said Grider, who caught 50 bass up to 4.5 pounds in three days there last weekend.

He said the surprise was cool nights had kept water temperatures low enough that bass were still lurking in shallow vegetation. He clobbered them using Bobby's Perfect Frog, small poppers and a Black Zoom lizard, which he swam behind a one-eighth-ounce weight.

Well-known Bloomington bass angler Jerry Martoglio said other hot bass spots are Shelbyville, where winners in a tournament last weekend had five bass that weighed nearly 20 pounds, and Mississippi River Pool 19.n;

"If you're not catching a limit (on the river), you're broken down," he joked.

Nearer to home, Evergreen Lake continues to be a hot spot for bass both in shallow weeds on windy banks on tube baits or on deeper breaks using Carolina rigs, he said.

Catfish also are biting well at several lakes, including Clinton Lake, Dawson Lake, Sangchris, Powerton and Shelbyville, and on the Illinois River from Peoria to Marseilles. Use stink baits and cut shad.n;

For the kid in all of us, try bluegills wherever you have that family picnic. Waxworms on ice jigs and slip bobber rigs are working best.

What's biting

Crappie " Good at Dawson, Shabbona, Sangchris. Fair at Clinton, Lake Bloomington,. Evergreen. Slow at Shelbyville.

Saugeye " Good at Evergreen.

Sauger " Good on the Illinois River trolling Shad Raps on leadcore downstream from Spring Valley.

Walleye " Good at Dawson, Shelbyville. Fair at Clinton.n;

Largemouth bass " Very good at Sangchris, Shabbona, Dawson, Weldon Springs, Spring Lake, Shelbyville, Banner Marsh, Clinton, Evergreen. Still tough at Lake Bloomington.

Smallmouth bass " Good at Powerton.n;

Striped bass " Good in spillways at Clinton and Decatur.

White bass " Good at Shelbyville, Decatur. Some still being caught on the Illinois River early and late in the day at the mouth of the Mackinaw River, the Peoria dam and upstream near Starved Rock.n;

Catfish " Good at Clinton, LaSalle, Sangchris. Shabbona, Powerton, Evergreen, Illinois River, Lake Bloomington, Weldon Springs.

Muskies " Good at Shelbyville. Fair at Evergreen. Slow at Shabbona.

Bluegills " Very good at Sangchris, LaSalle, Spring Lake, Banner Marsh. Good elsewhere.

Got a fish story, a hot spot, big fish or lots of them? Something funny happen? Phone Pantagraph outdoor editor Scott Richardson at (309) 820-3227 or e-mail srichardson@pantagraph.com . Read past fishing reports and outdoor columns and take part in online discussions at www.pantagraph.com /blogs.