SPRINGFIELD – The 2023 Illinois spring trout fishing season will open Saturday, April 1, at 58 ponds, lakes, and streams throughout the state.

An early opportunity at selected trout sites – the spring catch-and-release fishing season – will open March 18. 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 April 1.

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) stocks more than 80,000 rainbow trout each year in bodies of water where trout fishing is permitted during the spring season. An additional 80,000 trout will be stocked for the fall trout fishing season, which begins in October.

The Illinois Catchable Trout Program receives funding support from those who use the program through the sale of Inland Trout Stamps.

For the 2023 spring trout season, no trout may be taken from any of the stocked sites from March 13 until the season opens at 5 a.m. April 1. Anyone attempting to harvest trout before the legal harvest season opening will be issued citations.

All anglers, including those who intend to release fish caught before April 1, must have a 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 harvest limit for each angler is five trout.

For more information on trout seasons and other Illinois fishing opportunities, check the website at www.ifishillinois.org.

Illinois 2023 fishing licenses and Inland Trout Stamps are available now at IDNR license and permit locations, including many bait shops, sporting goods stores, and other retail outlets. For a list of locations, visit https://www.exploremoreil.com/agentlocator.

Fishing licenses and trout stamps also can be purchased online at https://www.exploremoreil.com.

For information about all site regulations, anglers should contact individual sites that will be stocked with catchable-size trout. Not all sites open at 5 a.m. on opening day. Anglers are reminded to check the opening time of their favorite sites prior to the open date.

The 58 locations that will be open for the 2023 spring trout season are:

 

2023 Illinois Spring Trout Locations

**Denotes sites open for catch-and-release early spring season fishing

 

NORTHERN ILLINOIS

 

Boone County

Mill Race Ponds, Belvidere

 

Bureau County

Hennepin Canal Parkway

 

Cook County

Axehead Lake, Cook County Forest Preserve District

Belleau Lake, Cook County Forest Preserve District

Green Lake in Calumet City, Cook County Forest Preserve District

Horsetail Lake, Cook County Forest Preserve District

Sag Quarry East, Cook County Forest Preserve District

Wolf Lake at William W. Powers State Recreation Area, Chicago

 

DuPage County

Grove Lake, DuPage County Forest Preserve District

Pickerel Lake, DuPage County Forest Preserve District

Silver Lake, DuPage County Forest Preserve District

 

Jo Daviess County

Apple River, Apple River Canyon State Park**

 

Kankakee County

Bird Park Quarry, Kankakee

Rock Creek, Kankakee River State Park**

 

Kendall County

Big Lake, Silver Springs State Fish and Wildlife Area

 

Lake County

Sand Lake, Illinois Beach State Park

 

LaSalle County

Illinois and Michigan Canal Lock 14, LaSalle

Lake Mendota, Village of Mendota

 

McHenry County

Lake Atwood, McHenry County Conservation District

Piscasaw Creek, McHenry County Conservation District

 

Ogle County

Pine Creek, White Pines Forest State Park**

 

Rock Island County

Prospect Park, Moline

 

Stephenson County

Waddams Creek, Lake Le-Aqua-Na State Park

Yellow Creek in Krape Park, Freeport

 

Whiteside County

Centennial Park Pond, Rock Falls

 

Will County

Lake Milliken, Des Plaines State Fish and Wildlife Area

 

Winnebago County

Baumann Lake, Cherry Valley

Four Lakes, Winnebago County Forest Preserve District

 

 

CENTRAL ILLINOIS

 

Adams County

Siloam Springs State Park Lake**

 

Cass County

Gridley Lake, Jim Edgar Panther Creek State Fish and Wildlife Area**

 

Champaign County

Kaufman Lake, Champaign Park District

Lake of the Woods, Champaign County Forest Preserve District

 

Christian County

Manners Park, Taylorville Park District

 

Clark County

Casey Park Pond, Casey

 

Coles County

Eastern Illinois University Campus Pond, Charleston

 

DeWitt County

Weldon Springs, Weldon Springs State Park

 

Hancock County

Horton Lake, Nauvoo State Park**

 

Macon County

Sportsman's Club Pond, Macon County Conservation District

 

McLean County

Miller Park Lake, Bloomington

 

Morgan County

Morgan Lake at Nichols Park, Jacksonville**

 

Moultrie County

Wyman Lake, Sullivan

 

Pike County

King Park Pond

 

Sangamon County

Illinois Department of Transportation Lake, Springfield**

Southwind Park, Springfield

Washington Park Pond, Springfield

 

Shelby County

Forest Park Lagoon, Shelbyville

 

Vermilion County

Clear Lake, Kickapoo State Recreation Area

 

 

SOUTHERN ILLINOIS

 

Jefferson County

Mount Vernon Game Farm Pond

 

Johnson County

Ferne Clyffe State Park Lake

 

Madison County

Belk Park Pond, Wood River

 

Marion County

Boston Pond, Stephen A. Forbes State Recreation Area

 

Massac County

Fairgrounds Pond, Fort Massac State Park

 

Randolph County

Derby Lake, World Shooting and Recreational Complex, Sparta

 

St. Clair County

Frank Holten State Park Main Lake

Jones Park Lake, East St. Louis

Willow Lake at Peabody River King State Fish and Wildlife Area**

 

Wabash County

Beall Woods Lake, Beall Woods State Park

 

Wayne County

Sam Dale Conservation Area Trout Pond