Many species of fish lived in the Illinois River, but five species were important to the economic life of the central Illinois River communities. They are the native species of channel catfish, largemouth bass, smallmouth buffalo, and gizzard shad, and the introduced species, the common carp. These are the species of which local fisherman talk, and which feature prominently in period photographs and films. A fish survey of 1915 offers a more complete species list for Illinois waters.
