Rules for Hook-and-Line Fishing Awards

These rules apply to STATE RECORD, GRAND SLAM, MASTER ANGLER, BIG FISH, CATCH AND RELEASE, AND JUNIOR ANGLER award entries:

  1. Fish must be caught legally by pole and line from Illinois waters. Fish caught by trot line, jugs, bank poles, gigs, spears, bow and arrow, nets, seines, and snagging are not eligible.

  2. Fish caught from Licensed Daily Fee Fishing Areas are not eligible.

  3. Total length is to be measured from the tip of the snout, with mouth closed to the tip of the tail to the nearest 1/8 inch. Girth is measured at the greatest distance around the fish circumference).

  4. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources reserves the right to reject an entry based upon its investigation on the identification, methods used in catching, and the accuracy of measurement and weighing.

  5. Fish eligible for all SPORT FISHING AWARDS (excluding the GRAND SLAM AWARD) are listed in the "Eligible Fish Species Table" along with qualifying minimum lengths and weights.

  6. Fish species eligible for the GRAND SLAM AWARD by family category include:

    7. Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . Blue Catfish, Channel Catfish, and Flathead Catfish

    Black Bass . . . . . . . . . Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, and Kentucky Spotted Bass

    Temperate Bass. . . . . Striped Bass, Hybrid Striped Bass, and White Bass

    Esocid . . . . . . . . . . . . Muskie and Northern Pike

    Salmonid . . . . . . . . . . Coho Salmon, Chinook Salmon, and Rainbow Trout (Steelhead)

    Perch . . . . . . . . . . . . . Walleye and Sauger

    Anglers catching at least one eligible fish species from five (5) of the six (6) above family categories meeting or exceeding the qualifying minimum lengths or weights must complete an application (along with a photo documenting the catch) and mail the entry to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, no later than January 30 to cover the previous calendar year’s fishing activities.

  7. Fish species eligible for the MASTER ANGLER AWARD include all listed fish species (see the "Eligible Fish Species Table") which meet or exceed the qualifying minimum lengths or weights. Successful anglers must complete an application (along with a photo documenting the catch) and mail the entry to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, no later than January 30 to cover the previous calendar year's fishing activities.

  8. Each STATE RECORD, GRAND SLAM, AND MASTER ANGLER award application must be accompanied by a clear, side-view photograph for each of the fish caught, preferably of the angler with the fish. The entry and photograph become property of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Photos cannot be returned.

  9. Fish entered for a STATE RECORD award must be weighed on a scale certified legal for trade in front of two witnesses.

  10. A fish entered for STATE RECORD fish must be kept intact until it has been certified, and when necessary, genetically confirmed by an Illinois Department of Natural Resources Fishery Biologist.

  11. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources reserves the right to reproduce, duplicate, or otherwise copy, via a body cast, any certified STATE RECORD fish. Duplicate mounts will be used solely by the Department for display purposes and will acknowledge the record holder. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources is requesting this information as outlined under the Fish Code, Chapter 515. This information is required in order for you to qualify for a STATE RECORD, GRAND SLAM, OR MASTER ANGLER award.

Think you caught a State Record fish? Click here for guidelines.

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