Welcome to I Fish Illinois—Illinois DNR Division of Fisheries

Fall Trout Season Coming Soon

The Fall Trout Season is coming soon! The trout season opener for fall is always the third Saturday of October, which is October 18th this year. The Catch-and-Release opportunity opens at select locations two weeks prior to the season opener, October 4th. Fall sites will be listed soon, so be sure to check back.

Note: It is illegal to possess trout from October 1st until 5:00am on opening day, October 18th.

Site Note: The trout pond at the Mount Vernon Game Farm has been drained as part of a renovation project to remove the build up of naturally occurring silt and vegetation that can degrade fish habitat and communities. The 2025 fall trout stocking will be moved to the Veteran's Memorial Park pond in Mount Vernon as a result and will follow normal catchable trout regulations.

Mississippi River Announcement

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Rock Island District, announces the closure of the Park-N-Fish Recreation Area, located near Hull, Illinois, off Highway 106, starting July 7. The closure is anticipated to last through 2026.

This temporary closure is necessary to facilitate construction of a Fish Passage Improvement Project at Lock and Dam 22, which will improve fish migration and support a healthier river ecosystem.

During the closure, the recreation area and access to the spillway will be unavailable to the public. For more information, contact the Muscatine Ranger Station at 563-263-7913.

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.