Illinois Fall Trout Season Opens October 17th
 

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[October 07, 2020]    The 2020 Illinois Fall Trout Fishing Season opens Saturday, Oct. 17 at more than 50 ponds, lakes, and streams throughout the state.

An early opportunity at select trout sites – the Fall Catch-and-Release Fishing Season – will open Oct. 3 at locations marked with an asterisk (*) in the list below. No trout may be kept during the catch and release fishing period, but anglers can keep trout after the opening of the regular season beginning Oct. 17.

The Illinois catchable trout program is funded by those who use the program through the sale of Inland Trout Stamps and the Illinois Fish Management Fund.

No trout may be taken from any of the stocked sites from Oct. 1 until the fall trout season opens Oct. 17. Anyone attempting to take (harvest) trout before the legal harvest season opening will be issued citations.

All anglers — including those who intend to release fish caught before Oct. 17 — must have a valid fishing license and an Inland Trout Stamp, unless they are under the age of 16, blind or disabled, or are an Illinois resident on leave from active duty in the Armed Forces. The daily catch limit for each angler is five (5) trout.
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. Check the IDNR website at: https://www2.illinois.gov/dnr/
LPR/Pages/LicensePermitVendors.aspx

Fishing licenses and trout stamps also can be purchased by using a credit card through DNR Direct online via the IDNR website at https://www2.illinois.gov/dnr
Not all of the fall trout sites listed below open at 5:00 a.m. on opening day. Anglers are reminded to check the opening time of their favorite trout fishing location prior to the season. For more information about all site regulations, anglers should contact individual sites that will be stocked with catchable-size trout.

Participants in Fall Trout Fishing Season are reminded to follow current public health directives, including maintaining social distancing guidelines, bringing with them masks in case social distancing cannot be maintained and hand sanitizer containing at least 60 percent alcohol.

The Forest Preserves of Cook County has not made a final decision on opening for trout season, due to conditions related to COVID-19. Please check the FPCC website at fpdcc.com for updates closer to Oct. 17, 2020.

The locations that will be open for Fall Trout Fishing Season are listed below:
2020 Illinois Fall Trout Locations

(* Denotes Sites Open for Catch-and-Release Fishing Early Season)

North Region

Bureau County:
Hennepin Canal Parkway

Cook County:
Wolf Lake, William W. Powers State Recreation Area

Jo Daviess County:
Apple River, Apple River State Park *

Kankakee County:
Bird Park Quarry, Kankakee

Kankakee County:
Rock Creek, Kankakee River State Park *

Kendall County:
Big Lake at Silver Springs State Fish and Wildlife Area

Lake County:
Sand Lake, Illinois Beach State Park


LaSalle County:
Illinois and Michigan Canal, Lock 14, La Salle-Peru

McHenry County:
Spring Grove Hatchery Pond

Ogle County:
Pine Creek, White Pines Forest State Park *

Rock Island County:
Prospect Park

Warren County:
Citizen’s Lake, Monmouth

Whiteside County:
Centennial Park Pond, Rock Falls

Will County:
Lake Strini, Romeoville

Will County:
Van Horn Woods, Plainfield

Winnebago County:
Bauman Lake, Cherry Valley

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Central Region

Adams County:
Siloam Springs State Park Lake *

Cass County:
Gridley Lake at Jim Edgar Panther Creek SFWA *

Champaign County:
Kaufman Lake, Champaign Park District

Christian County:
Manners Park Pond, Taylorville Park District

Clark County:
Casey Park Pond, Casey Park District

Coles County:
Eastern Illinois University Campus Pond, Charleston

DeWitt County:
Weldon Springs State Park Lake

Douglas County:
Villa Grove West Lake

Hancock County:
Horton Lake, Nauvoo State Park *

Macoupin County:
Beaver Dam State Park Lake

McDonough County:
Argyle Lake, Argyle Lake State Park

Morgan County:
Morgan Lake, Nichols Park, Jacksonville *

Sangamon County:
IDOT Lake, Springfield *

Sangamon County:
Southwind Park Pond, Springfield

Sangamon County:
Washington Park Pond, Springfield

Shelby County:
Forest Park Lagoon, Shelbyville

Tazewell County:
Mineral Springs Park Lagoon, Pekin

Vermilion County:
Clear Lake, Kickapoo State Recreation Area

South Region

Bond County:
Greenville Old City Lake

Crawford County:
Crawford County Conservation Area Pond #6

Jefferson County:
Mount Vernon Game Farm Pond

Johnson County:
Ferne Clyffe State Park Lake

Madison County:
Belk Park Pond, Wood River

Madison County:
Highland Old City Lake

Marion County:
Boston Pond, Stephen A. Forbes State Park

Massac County:
Fairgrounds Pond, Fort Massac State Park, Metropolis

Randolph County:
Derby Lake, World Shooting and Recreational Complex, Sparta

Randolph County:
Randolph County Lake

Saline County:
Jones State Lake Pond

St. Clair County:
Frank Holten State Recreation Area main lake

St. Clair County:
Jones Park Lake, East St. Louis

St. Clair County:
Willow Lake, Peabody River King State Fish and Wildlife Area *

Wabash County:
Beall Woods Lake, Beall Woods State Park

Wayne County:
Sam Dale State Fish and Wildlife Area Trout Pond

Williamson County:
Devil’s Kitchen Lake

[Illinois Office of Communication and Information]

 

 

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