Using reverse-time egg transport analysis for predicting Asian Carp spawning grounds in the Illinois River

•An algorithm that back-casts spawning locations of Asian carp eggs was develop.•The algorithm was implemented into Fluvial Egg Drift Simulator program (FluEgg).•A case study was conducted using egg data collected from the Illinois River in 2015.•Tailwater section below the Locks and Dams appear to be preferred spawning locations.•The most upstream spawning location was in the upper Marseilles navigation pool.