Wheelchair-accessible car park
Yes
Banner Marsh State Fish and Wildlife Area in Canton
Categories
Location on the map
Canton, Fulton County, Illinois, US
Accessibility
Wheelchair-accessible entrance
Yes
Amenities
Good for kids
Yes
Phone: +1 309-647-9184
Site: https://www2.illinois.gov/dnr/Pa...
Site: https://www2.illinois.gov/dnr/Pa...
Opening hours
- Monday:Open 24 hours
- Tuesday:Open 24 hours
- Wednesday:Open 24 hours
- Thursday:Open 24 hours
- Friday:Open 24 hours
- Saturday:Open 24 hours
- Sunday:Open 24 hours
Banner Marsh State Fish and Wildlife Area in other cities:
Comments (199)
Poor up keep. Never clear dead bush and trees. So no paths to walk just . Up keep of the place sucks. Seems to be normal in Illinois
Good fishing reputation, went at a bad time of year and didnt catch anything. Noticed a small amount of hiking here as well around the lakes. Only ventured around east point.
Love this place. Took the kids to the shotgun range and they had a blast. I thought this was strictly a shotgun range but we found spent rounds from .22 .223 and .40... Id love to know if these are allowed because I would like to take mine out here to practice a bit...
Beautiful lake and boat ramp makes easy access.Will be back sooner with a little more knowledge of how to fish it.There were whitetail deer close by and beautifu swans on the lake. Enjoyed very much.
A beautiful and peaceful place to visit to observe nature. When I visited in December there were about 100 swans who over-winter at the marsh. The roads are a bit rough so bring an appropriate vehicle.
Oh beautiful many diff. Great lakes to fish always enjoy the nature of banner March an the kayak trails.
Great place to fish, hiking trails, just getting outdoors. Beautiful lakes. Great fishing, off the dock or boat. The family loves going to banner marsh for a day away from the hustle of being on the city.
Very nice area new to us. Good birding spot after a pleasant Spoon River drive. Saw 10 Mute swans with 4 young. And 2 Trumpeter swans which are rare for this area.
Ive fished here several times as well as taken wildlife photos, mainly birds. Have pretty much just gone to the Bells Landing entrance. Can get hot with no shade in the summer and be aware of ticks if you venture into the grass. But overall this is a really nice place to just get away and enjoy nature, and its only about a half hour from Peoria.
Beautiful and clean areas for fishing. We always enjoy ourselves there.
Great place to enjoy nature and the fishing is pretty good too. Took my daughter here to learn to kayak.
Its a very beautiful place and a nice place to fish not a good place to go kayaking had my seven-year-old out on kayaks when an older gentleman in a boat cut him off as he was about to dock the older gentleman seem to not pay no attention to the fact that there were other people in the water also took notice that the people that were on boats had no respect for the people on kayaks this is not a good place to go kayaking theres no place to sit in the shade you have to get out of the way of the people on the boats or they will basically run you over you definitely have to be careful while paddling or your paddle will get tangled up in all the seaweed just not a good place to go kayaking very beautiful though too bad the people on boats made the experience not so fun for me and my children
Did catch a single fish lots of strikes.
Nice place for boat fishing
Been fishing here since it opened. Great fishing if you spend the time on the lake. The bass are very healthy. Have caught one over 8 pounds and dozens over 7 pounds. I know this lake very well and there is a lot of great structure. My best advice is to look for the murkier water to find the big ones. Pictures below are ones me and my daughter caught this year.Some great lures are:Plastic Worm, crankbaits, spinner bait, chatter bait and swim baits.
The size limit on bass is to all large but I did catch 3 good channel cats.
AMAZING! I have lived here a few years now and never even knew this place existed. For anyone that is looking for a quiet place to fish, or even a light off the road drive. This is it! There are many trails to walk & hike and the fish are huge. I will warn against going down some of the roads if you have a low sitting car.
I like going here, even if I dont fish. I used to have a Lab/Dalmatian mix, and he thought this was the greatest place in the world. We used to call it Doggy Disneyland.
My favorite place to fish.
Beautiful right now with all the water lilies blooming. The fishing is so so but know for a fact there are big ones there you just gotta chase them. Kayaks are the best way I have found to get at them.
Its a nice place a lot of different areas to fish i just cant seem to get a bite here?
Great place to fish. You hear big splashes all night. They are open 24 hours so you dont have to leave at a certain time. Boat dock and loading and unloading zone. A nice fishing dock unfortunately with a broken light but you can stick catch tons of like blue gail there all day and night. Portapottys for bathrooms. Overall really fun place to spend your weekends.
Deep Clear Water Channels Are Perfect For Largemouth Bass Fishing. Many 4-5lb Bass and Some Bigger Than That...
Looks like lots of fish are there, well maintained and one of the nicer wildlife spots ive seen around Peoria area
Not stocked as good as it used to be. I use to catch a lot of different species of fish but now I might get luck to catch a muskie that is to small to keep because of over size limit or a bass in the slot limit. Crappie fishing was good from the dock but cant seem to catch any of them either.
Good place,, you just have to know how to fish it,, it can be tough
Simply beautiful nature. A great place to fish & kayak.
The water here is clear and the wildlife is abundant. Fishing is usually pretty good also. If the river level is up or there has been alot of rain, access is limited.
Was out there 20 min and caught a 2 pounder. Loads of cover to pitch into if it were not so windy probably a good place to do some frogging too. Definitely like it out there though
Drive by it daily on my way to work. It is a pretty little nature preserve. If you look in the trees around the Preserve, sometimes you can catch a glimpse of birds of prey, including eagles!
Mushrooms, fish, deer!!! All you can eat!!!
A great place for birding- we saw many ducks, and perhaps 50-60 Mute Swans, and many other species. We did see boat docks and several fisherman, and apparently many people duck hunt here through the fall season.
Awesome place to go!
Boating on the Illinois river is a great place. We go every Saturday travel over 100 miles to get there.we love boating....
Great place to fish when its not raining,bummer.
Good bass fishing.
Banner Marsh state fish and wildlife area is primitive, but serene and beautiful. Great place to commune with nature
I would definitely return. Not the best for shore fishing but there are clear spots. Would like to try with a kayak
Beautiful place to hunt and fish
No fish landed today but the water temperature is still in the mid to upper 30s. Another week or two of warmer weather and the bass will turn on.
Really nice place, clean, well kept,good fishing. Met D.N.R. officer, super nice and very informative. Lots of good information.
Some good sized Bass and dont forget to bring a couple Musky lures.
Good fishing, but bank fishing is overcrowded during the spring and all trails are off limits. When I was a kid it was not like that.
Best fishing place around this area. No camping and sun up till sun down open time is the only down side
Great place to fish. Well maintained and kept up with the exception of the pot holes
Decent local water but gets a lot of pressure. Tough fishing when the weather gets hot.Good ramps and 25hp limit
Beautiful views, good fishing, but a little mossy- some entry points closed right now due to flooding
My new favorite place to kayak fish.
Banner is awesome. The people who choose to do the canoe classes on the boat ramp at the main entrance.. .....not so much
Great place to fish. Ive been fishing it over 30 years.
Love to fish here but they need more spots for anglers on the smaller ponds.
Clean quiet easy walking didnt catch any fish but would love to go back
Beautiful natural beauty. I dont think its ever closed. Alot of snags if fishing.
Been fishing there on n off for many years.....always enjoyed it
Beautiful land lots of wildlife and good fishing great place for the family
Bass and Musky fishermans place. Bring your Frogs,Senkos,and heavy jigs...Really nice place to go and chill for a day on the water
Over pressured so the fishing is okay but not great. Could use a better dock at the boat ramp.
Spent more time catching limbs under the water. Every time a fish got on the hook. Went down in those limbs under the water and got away.
Want to check it out again when we have fishing poles and a cooler packed
Always a good time out at banner marsh
Peaceful and quiet good fishing clean restrooms
I fish here almost every weekend. Has good size catfish, crappie, muskie, pike.
Had a great time fishing here, lots of bass, channel cats, bullheads, and bluegill.
Total reviews rating 4.4
199 Reviews for Banner Marsh State Fish and Wildlife Area 2023:
Review №1
2022-05-22I drove here from the Quad Cities to check out this place and had a great day of kayak fishing. Only complaint is boaters not obeying the no wake rule. Other than that I found this place beautiful and had some nice fish.
Review №2
2022-06-28Such a fun place, fishing, wildlife watching, kayaking are just some of the fun activities
Review №3
2022-04-22We are so lucky to have this sporting spot with easy access and good investment with facilities and upkeep too. of course its the nature that matters most and its simply a beautiful spot and youll love it.
Review №4
2022-02-02Banner Marsh is the close to home fishing spot for many people in the area. The boat ramps are I good shape and plenty of parking.
Review №5
2022-05-13Beautiful setting. Wish there were a few picnic tables. Fun time
Review №6
2018-08-20Its very pretty. Lots of birds & wildlife around. It would be amazing if I had a boat, but I dont so Im stuck on the shore. Most lakes are unfishable from the shore. The weeds & lilly pads are invasive & ridiculous. The fishing is horrible from shore, but good from a boat if youre bass fishing. I loved banner before the state flooded it & ruined it. Im done wasting my time here. I miss the old banner. We did however rescue a baby bird learning to fly that fell in the lake. I casted my rain poncho into the lake so the baby bird could climb onto it, & we dried it off & warmed it up. Its birdy parents was hanging around, so Im sure the little bird made it.
Review №7
2017-07-24As an experienced angler, nothing is better than finding a hog on this lake. Its a beautiful wetland that is open to bank and boat fisherman alike. You will enjoy yourself.
Review №8
2022-06-07Havent caught anything big from the dock main entrance. To much boat traffic.
Review №9
2019-10-23Very beautiful place to fish or just take a day to relax and observe wildlife. Big bass and plenty of blue gill.
Review №10
2018-04-20Very nice scenery for some nice photos, decent walking trails if you like getting off the beaten path, many good fishing spots, calm water for kayaking, lots of nature, peaceful, long trails, could use some trash pick up, has porta potties. All in all a nice place to relax and enjoy nature.