Trout season is less than a month away! The 2022 fall trout fishing season starts on Saturday, October 15, at 59 ponds, lakes and streams throughout Illinois.
The fall catch-and-release fishing season will open on October 1 at select trout sites. No trout may be kept during the catch-and-release period, but anglers can keep trout after the opening of the regular season on October 15. All anglers, including those who intend to release fish caught before October 15, must have an Illinois fishing license and Inland Trout Stamp, which are available at IDNR license and permit locations, including many bait shops, sporting goods stores and other retail outlets. Check the IDNR website for locations by clicking here. Fishing licenses and trout stamps also can be purchased with a credit card online here.
For the 2022 fall trout season, no trout may be taken from any of the stocked sites until the season opens at 5 a.m. on October 15. Not all sites open at 5 a.m. on opening day. Anglers should confirm the opening time of their favorite sites prior to the open date. During the season, the daily catch limit is five trout. For more information, click here. For information about site regulations, anglers should contact individual sites that will be stocked with catchable-size trout.
The Illinois Catchable Trout Program is funded by those who use the program through the sale of Inland Trout Stamps. 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 fall season. An additional 80,000 trout are stocked for the spring season, which begins each April.
The fall trout season is a great opportunity for families to get outdoors and enjoy fishing. For more information on helping kids have a positive fishing experience, click here.
The following is a list of 2022 Illinois fall trout season locations. An asterisk indicates sites that are open for catch-and-release early fall season fishing.
NORTH REGION
Bureau County
Hennepin Canal Parkway
Cook County
Axehead Lake, Cook County Forest Preserve District
Belleau Lake, Cook County Forest Preserve District
Busse Woods North 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 (SFWA)
Lake County
Sand Lake, Illinois Beach State Park
LaSalle County
Illinois and Michigan Canal Lock 14, LaSalle
McHenry County
Spring Grove Hatchery Pond, Spring Grove
Ogle County
Pine Creek, White Pines Forest State Park **
Rock Island County
Prospect Park Lake, Moline
Warren County
Citizen’s Lake, Monmouth
Whiteside County
Centennial Park Pond, Rock Falls, Coloma Park District
Will County
Lake Strini, Romeoville
Van Horn Woods, Plainfield
Winnebago County
Baumann Lake, Cherry Valley
CENTRAL REGION
Adams County
Siloam Springs State Park Lake **
Cass County
Gridley Lake, 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
Coles County
Eastern Illinois University Campus Pond, Charleston
De Witt County
Weldon Springs, Weldon Springs State Park
Douglas County
Villa Grove West Lake
Hancock County
Horton Lake, Nauvoo State Park **
Macon County
Rock Springs Pond, Macon County Conservation District
Macoupin County
Beaver Dam Lake, Beaver Dam Lake State Park
McDonough County
Argyle Lake, Argyle Lake State Park
Morgan County
Morgan Lake at Nichols Park, Jacksonville **
Sangamon County
IDOT Lake, Springfield **
Southwind Park, Springfield
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
Patriot’s Park Lake (Greenville Old City Lake)
Jefferson County
Mount Vernon Game Farm Pond
Johnson County
Ferne Clyffe State Park Lake
Madison County
Belk Park Pond, Wood River
Highland Old City 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)
Randolph County State Fish and Wildlife Area Lake
Saline County
Jones Lake Trout Pond, Saline County State Fish and Wildlife Area
St. Clair County
Frank Holten State Park Main Lake
Jones Park Lake, East St. Louis
Willow Lake at Peabody River King SFWA**
Wabash County
Beall Woods Lake, Beall Woods State Park
Wayne County
Sam Dale Conservation Area Trout Pond
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