Illinois spring trout fishing season opens April 2

SPRINGFIELD - The 2022 Illinois spring trout fishing season will open April 2 at 57 ponds, lakes and streams throughout the state.

An early opportunity at select trout sites - the spring catch-and-release fishing season - will open March 19. No trout may be kept during the catch-and-release fishing period, but anglers can keep trout after the opening of the regular season beginning April 2.
 
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 spring season. An additional 80,000 trout will be stocked for the fall trout fishing season, which begins in October.

For the 2022 spring trout season, no trout may be taken from any of the stocked sites from March 14 until the season opens at 5 a.m. April 2. Anyone attempting to harvest trout before the legal harvest season opening will be issued citations.

All anglers, including those who intend to release fish caught before April 2, must have a fishing license and an inland trout stamp unless they are younger than 16, blind or disabled, or an Illinois resident on leave from active duty in the Armed Forces. The daily catch limit for each angler is five trout.

Please note: For site maintenance reasons, there will not be a 2022 spring trout season in King Park Pond at Pittsfield in Pike County.

For more information about trout seasons and other Illinois fishing opportunities, visit https://www.ifishillinois.org.

Illinois 2022 fishing licenses and inland trout stamps are available now at IDNR license and permit locations, including many bait shops, sporting goods stores and other retail outlets. For a list of locations, check the IDNR website at https://www.dnr.illinois.gov. Fishing licenses and trout stamps also can be purchased online. Find the link on the IDNR website at www.dnr.illinois.gov.

For information about all site regulations, anglers should contact individual sites that will be stocked with catchable-size trout. Not all sites open at 5 a.m. on opening day. Anglers are reminded to check the opening time of their favorite sites prior to the open date.

The 57 locations that will be open for the spring trout season are listed below.

2022 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
Silver Lake, DuPage County Forest Preserve District
Pickerel Lake, DuPage County Forest Preserve District
Grove 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, Moline

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

Whiteside County
Centennial Park Pond, Rock Falls

Will County
Lake Milliken, Des Plaines State Fish and Wildlife Area

Winnebago County
Four Lakes, Winnebago County Forest Preserve District
Baumann Lake, Cherry Valley

Central Illinois

Adams County
Siloam Springs State Park Lake **

Cass County
Gridley Lake, Jim Edgar Panther Creek State Fish and Wildlife Area **

Champaign County
Lake of the Woods, Champaign Co. Forest Preserve Dist.
Kaufman Lake, Champaign Park District

Christian County
Manners Park, Taylorville Park District

Clark County
Casey Park Pond, Casey

Coles County
Eastern Illinois University Campus Pond, Charleston

DeWitt County
Weldon Springs, Weldon Springs State Park

Hancock County
Horton Lake, Nauvoo State Park **

Macon County
Sportsman's Club Pond, Macon County Conservation District

McLean County
Miller Park Lake, Bloomington

Morgan County
Morgan Lake at Nichols Park, Jacksonville **

Moultrie County
Wyman Lake, Sullivan

Sangamon County
Southwind Park, Springfield
Illinois Department of Transportation Lake, Springfield **
Washington Park Pond, Springfield

Shelby County
Forest Park Lagoon, Shelbyville

Vermilion County
Clear Lake, Kickapoo State Recreation Area

Southern Illinois

Jefferson County
Mount Vernon Game Farm Pond

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
Frank Holten State Park Main Lake
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
Sam Dale Conservation Area Trout Pond