Bass,
I have not ventured out in the area yet, but I am planning to fish Beaver Dam State Park on Sunday if the predicted freezing rain threat is reduced. I am expecting to see around 4" of clear ice, if not more. The lake is about 35 mins from Alton (headed NE), is about 50 acres in size, has a decent panfish population (according to IDNR 2013 report), and also has stocked trout. That would be my recommendation if you did not want to travel very far.
tight lines,
Jeff