2016 Spring Inland Trout Season Dates and Locations

2016 Spring Inland Trout Season Dates and Locations

The I Fish Illinois staff wants you to start thinking about Trout Fishing.  Yep, it's that time of year again to start thinking about fishing in general.  Inland Trout Fishing is a great way to introduce someone to fishing.  Never been?  Read our post about what we use to catch inland trout.  Make sure to check out Illinois Fishing Information booklet 2016 for rules and regulations.

The following information can also be found on the I Fish Illinois facebook page.

The Catch-and-Release Fly Fishing Trout Opener at 9 sites in Illinois is on March 19th. The regular trout season opener is April 2nd.

The Illinois catchable trout program is funded entirely by those who use the program through the sale of Inland Trout Stamps. The IDNR stocks more than 80,000 rainbow trout each year in bodies of water where trout fishing is permitted during the spring season.

No trout may be taken from any of the stocked sites from March 11 until the spring trout season opens at 5 a.m. on April 2. Anyone attempting to take (harvest) trout before the legal harvest season opening will be issued citations.

All anglers – including those using fly-fishing gear who intend to release fish caught before April 2 – 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 catch limit for each angler is five trout.

For more information about all site regulations, anglers should contact individual sites that will be stocked with catchable-size trout. The 50 locations that will be open for spring trout season are listed below:

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

North:
Boone County — Mill Race Ponds, Belvidere
Bureau County — Hennepin Canal Parkway
Cook County — Wolf Lake at William W. Powers State Recreation Area, Chicago
Cook County — Green Lake in Calumet City, Cook County Forest Preserve District
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
DuPage County — Silver Lake, DuPage County Forest Preserve District
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, Silver Springs State Fish and Wildlife Area
LaSalle County — Illinois and Michigan Canal, Utica
LaSalle County — Lake Mendota, Village of Mendota
Lake County — Sand Lake, Illinois Beach State Park
McHenry County — Lake Atwood, McHenry County Conservation District
McHenry County — Piscasaw Creek, McHenry County Conservation District
Ogle County — Pine Creek, White Pines Forest State Park **
Rock Island County — Prospect Park, Moline
Stephenson — Waddams Creek, Lake Le-Aqua-Na State Recreation Area
Stephenson — Yellow Creek in Krape Park, Freeport
Whiteside County — Centennial Park Pond, Rock Falls
Will County — Lake Milliken, Des Plaines Conservation Area
Winnebago County — Four Lakes, Winnebago County Forest Preserve District

Central:
Adams County — Siloam Springs State Park Lake **
Cass County — Gridley Lake, Jim Edgar Panther Creek SFWA **
Champaign County — Lake of the Woods, Champaign Co. Forest Preserve Dist.
Christian County — Manners Park Pond, Taylorville Park District
Coles County — Eastern Illinois University Campus Pond, Charleston
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 — Kings Park Pond, Pittsfield
Sangamon County — Southwind Park, Springfield
Sangamon County — IDOT Lake, Springfield **
Sangamon County — Washington Park Pond, Springfield
Shelby County — Forest Park Lagoon, Shelbyville
Vermilion County — Clear Lake, Kickapoo State Recreation Area

South:
Jefferson County — Mount Vernon Game Farm Pond
Johnson County — Ferne Clyffe State Park Lake
Marion County — Boston Pond, Stephen A. Forbes State Recreation Area
Massac County — Fairgrounds Pond, Fort Massac State Park
Randolph County — Derby Lake, Sparta (World Shooting and Recreational Complex)
St. Clair County — Frank Holten State Park Main Lake
St. Clair County — 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 Trout Pond, Sam Dale Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area