Catchable Trout

Illinois Spring Trout Fishing Season Opens Saturday, April 4th

Select sites opened March 21st for spring catch-and-release season

The 2026 Illinois spring trout fishing season will open Saturday, April 4 at 59 ponds, lakes, and streams throughout the state.

An early opportunity at select trout sites – the spring catch-and-release fishing season – opened Saturday, March 21. No trout may be kept during the catch-and-release period, but anglers can keep trout after the opening of the regular season beginning April 4. The daily harvest limit for each angler is five trout.

The Illinois Catchable Trout Program receives funding support by those who use the program through the sale of inland trout stamps. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources 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 season, which begins in October.

New for 2026:

In McHenry County, spring trout stocking will be returned to Lake Atwood.
In Macon County, spring trout will be stocked in Cattail Pond, Rock Springs Conservation Area.
In Wayne County, spring trout will be stocked at Turkey Run Shelter Pond at Sam Dale Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area as the trout pond continues to undergo rehabilitation. Signs directing anglers to the temporary site will be posted.
In Adams County, trout will be stocked in the Moorman Park pond for the spring and fall seasons.

For the 2026 spring trout season, no trout may be taken from any stocked sites between March 14 and the season opening at 5 a.m. April 4. Anyone attempting to harvest trout before the legal harvest season opening will be issued citations.

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.

The spring trout season offers opportunities for families to get outdoors and enjoy fishing. Resources for taking youth fishing are available on our site here. All anglers, including those who intend to release fish caught before April 4, must have a fishing license and an inland trout stamp unless they are younger than 16, blind or disabled, or are an Illinois resident on leave from active duty in the Armed Forces.

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

2026 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 Lake, Moline

Stephenson County

Waddams Creek, Lake Le-Aqua-Na State Park
Yellow Creek in Krape Park, Freeport

Whiteside County

Centennial Park Pond, Rock Falls, Coloma Park District

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**
Moorman Park Pond

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 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

Hancock County

Horton Lake, Nauvoo State Park**

Macon County

Cattail Pond, Rock Springs Conservation Area

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

Veterans Memorial Park, Mount Vernon

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

Main Lake, Frank Holten State Park
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

Turkey Run Shelter Pond, Sam Dale State Fish and Wildlife Area