Welcome to I Fish Illinois—Illinois DNR Division of Fisheries

Illinois Spring Trout Season

The 2025 Illinois spring trout fishing season opened April 5th at 58 ponds, lakes, and streams throughout the state. The daily harvest limit for each angler is five trout.

For information about all site regulations, anglers should contact individual sites that will be stocked with catchable-size trout. Not all sites are open for trout catch-and-release season and not all sites open at 5 a.m. opening day.

Fishing licenses and trout stamps can be purchased by using a credit card online.

You can find more information, including the updated stocking site list due to flooding concerns in the Metro East area, on our Spring Trout page here.

2025 Fishing Digest Available for Download Now

The 2025 Fishing Regulation Information Guide is now available for download. Going into effect April 1, 2025, here are a few things that are new for 2025:

  • Family Friendly Places to Fish section (pages 64–66), which highlights 12 family-friendly fishing locations throughout the state.
  • Regulation changes that are in green and highlighted for your favorite waterbodies.
  • Clarified bowfishing regulations.

Dowload your guide today, available in both English and Spanish. These guides will be distributed to retail stores soon.

2025 Fishing Licenses Available Now

Illinois fishing licenses for the 2025 season are available now. Purchasing an Illinois fishing license, among the most affordable in the nation, enhances the outdoor experience for all and ensures generations can enjoy Illinois' vast aquatic resources.

"The successful management of quality fishing opportunities relies on the commitment and support of anglers, and that starts with buying a fishing license," said IDNR Chief of Fisheries Mike McClelland. "By purchasing a fishing license, anglers are ensuring sport fishing, hatchery production, and habitat enhancements are here for current and future generations to enjoy in communities throughout Illinois."

Purchase your license online here. To locate a nearby vendor for purchasing your license or to see the different licensing options, see the IDNR website here.

Illinois Lake Sturgeon Recovery Program

Lake Sturgeon are a state-endangered species and may not be harvested by any means in the State of Illinois. Due to the decline in Lake Sturgeon populations in most of its native range within the Mississippi River Basin (MRB) over the last century, several MRB states, including Illinois, have implementated recovery and management programs.

The IDNR Division of Fisheries acquired 11,000 Mississippi-strain juvenile Lake Sturgeon with the purpose of stocking Lake Sturgeon in the Illinois portions of the Mississippi River and its tributaries in 2023. The mission of the Illinois Lake Sturgeon Recovery Program is to re-establish a sustainable population of a state-endangered species in suitable waters within the State of Illinois. If this plan is successful, it could provide a new sport fishing opportunity to Illinois anglers in the future. Read more about this program here: Lake Sturgeon Recovery Program.

Frequently Asked Questions

We are here to answer any fishing-related questions you may have. Simply send us an email through our "contact us" and we are happy to provide you with the information you're seeking. We also have a Frequently Asked Question page that you may find helpful. We've compiled a list of some of our most frequently asked questions via email and provided that information for you here. Check it out — you may learn something new about fishing in Illinois!

Stop the Spread of Invasive Species

Remove, Drain, Dry: As the boats come out of storage, we'd like to remind you to be aware of invasive species that pose a threat to our lands and waterways. To fight the spread of aquatic invaders, the IDNR is asking residents to "be a hero transport zero." The best way to stop the spread of invasive species is to remove, drain, and dry your boats after use in any Illinois waterway. Learn more here.