 "From veteran anglers to children getting a first taste of fishing,
the spring trout season is always a popular family activity in
Illinois," Miller said. "The spring trout opener is always a big day
in Illinois, and it's a great way to begin our new fishing season."
The Department of Natural Resources stocks more than 60,000 rainbow
trout each spring in bodies of water where trout fishing is
permitted during the spring season. The Illinois catchable trout
program is funded entirely through the sale of inland trout stamps
to those who use the program.
Illinois fishing licenses and inland trout stamps are available
at DNR Direct license and permit locations, including many bait
shops, sporting goods stores and other retail outlets. For a
location near you, check the IDNR website at this link:
http://dnr.illinois.gov/DNRDirectMonitor/
VendorListing.aspx.
Fishing licenses and trout stamps can also be purchased by using
a credit card through DNR Direct at
www.dnr.illinois.gov or
by calling DNR Direct toll-free at 1-888-6PERMIT (1-888-673-7648).
To legally participate in the trout fishing program, anglers must
have a valid Illinois fishing license and an inland trout stamp. The
annual fishing licenses for the 2012 season are valid through March
31, 2013. Anglers may also purchase a 24-hour Illinois fishing
license, which includes trout fishing privileges for the 24-hour
period the license is valid. A license is required for fishing in
Illinois unless the angler is otherwise exempt -- under age 16,
blind or disabled, or is an Illinois resident on active military
service who is home on leave.
Anglers may not take trout from any of the stocked sites until
the opening of the season on April 7 at 5 a.m. Anyone attempting to
take trout before the legal opening will be issued citations. During
the spring trout season, the daily possession limit for trout is
five fish.
While the statewide spring trout season opens at 5 a.m. on April
7, anglers are reminded to check in advance for any site-specific
regulations and the opening time of their favorite trout fishing
location.
For more information about the trout stocking program, contact
the IDNR Division of Fisheries at 217-782-6424 or check
www.ifishillinois.org.
Anglers in central Illinois are advised that the catchable trout
program that previously operated at the IDOT Lake in Springfield has
been relocated to the Southwind Park Pond in Springfield. The pond
at Southwind Park offers enhanced public amenities and shoreline
access.
In addition, anglers in central Illinois will find that the
spring catchable trout program in Bloomington has been temporarily
relocated from Miller Park Lake to White Oaks Park Lake. The
location was changed because the water level in Miller Park Lake has
been lowered by the Bloomington Park District to repair the dam,
making shoreline access difficult at Miller Park.
Anglers in northwest Illinois are advised that the catchable
trout program previously operated at the Coleta Trout Ponds has been
relocated to Centennial Park Lake in Rock Falls.
Stocked sites (by county) for the spring catchable trout program:
-
Adams County:
Siloam Springs State Park Lake
-
Boone County: Mill
Race Ponds in Belvidere
-
Bureau County:
Hennepin Canal Parkway
-
Cass County: Gurney
Road Pond at Jim Edgar Panther Creek State Fish and Wildlife
Area
-
Champaign County:
Lake of the Woods
-
Christian County:
Manners Park Pond, Taylorville Park District
[to top of second column] |
-
Cook County:
Axehead Lake, Cook County Forest Preserve District
-
Cook County:
Belleau Lake, Cook County Forest Preserve District
-
Cook County: Sag
Quarry East, Cook County Forest Preserve District
-
Coles County:
Eastern Illinois University Campus Pond in Charleston
-
DuPage County:
Silver Lake, DuPage County Forest Preserve District
-
Grundy County:
Gebhard Woods State Park Pond
-
Jefferson County:
Mount Vernon Game Farm Pond
-
Jo Daviess County:
Apple River and tributaries
-
Johnson County:
Ferne Clyffe State Park Lake
-
Kankakee County:
Bird Park Quarry in Kankakee
-
Kankakee County:
Rock Creek at Kankakee River State Park
-
Kendall County: Big
Lake at Silver Springs State Park
-
Lake County: Banana
Lake, Lake County Forest Preserve District
-
Lake County: Sand
Lake at Illinois Beach State Park
-
LaSalle County:
Illinois and Michigan Canal at Utica
-
Macon County:
Sportsman's Club Pond, Macon County Conservation District
-
Marion County:
Boston Pond at Stephen A. Forbes State Park
-
Massac County:
Fairgrounds Pond in Fort Massac State Park, Metropolis
-
McLean County:
White Oaks Park Lake, Bloomington Park District (temporary
location for spring 2012)
-
McHenry County:
Lake Atwood, Hollows Conservation Area, McHenry County
Conservation District
-
McHenry County:
Piscasaw Creek
-
Moultrie County:
Wyman Lake in Sullivan
-
Ogle County: Pine
Creek in White Pines State Forest
-
Randolph County:
Derby Lake at World Shooting and Recreational Complex, Sparta
-
St. Clair County:
Frank Holten State Park main lake
-
St. Clair County:
Jones Park Lake in East St. Louis
-
Sangamon County:
Southwind Park Pond in Springfield (new location for spring
2012)
-
Sangamon County:
Washington Park Pond in Springfield
-
Shelby County:
Forest Park Lagoon in Shelbyville
-
Stephenson County:
Waddams Creek (Lake Le-Aqua-Na State Park)
-
Stephenson County:
Yellow Creek in Krape Park, Freeport
-
Vermilion County:
Clear Lake at Kickapoo State Park
-
Wabash County:
Beall Woods Lake, Beall Woods State Park
-
Wayne County: Sam
Dale Conservation Area Trout Pond
-
Whiteside County:
Centennial Park Lake in Rock Falls, Coloma Park District (new
location for spring 2012)
-
Will County: Lake
Milliken at Des Plaines Conservation Area
-
Winnebago County: Four Lakes Forest
Preserve, Winnebago County Forest Preserve District
[Text from
Illinois
Department of Natural Resources file received from the
Illinois Office of Communication and Information]
 |
