Illinois

2020 REGULATION INFORMATION

Effective: April 1, 2020 through March 31, 2021

Inside:
• Current fishing regulations • Aquatic nuisance species
• Places to fish • Illinois fish and your health
• Current state records • Catchable trout program
• What does your license pay for? • Free Fishing Days
Division of Fisheries www.dnr.illinois.gov
FC1 www.ifishillinois.org
Message from the Director
Thank you for your interest in fishing in Illinois – and for picking up a copy of the 2020 Illinois
Fishing Information guide.This booklet includes lots of information on places to fish in the
Land of Lincoln, and the rules you should follow when fishing here in Illinois.

In the pages that follow, you will find an updated summary of statewide fishing regulations in
Illinois, as well as details on important site-specific regulations that are organized by the body
of water or water area at which those regulations apply.

Our IDNR Division of Fisheries staff updates the Illinois Fishing Information guide each
year, but on occasion some site-specific regulations may be changed in emergency situations
through the administrative rule process. In those cases, the emergency changes to regulations
will be posted at the location where the rules apply, and we’ll also post changes at www.ifishillinois.org.

Be sure to include on your 2020 calendars Friday, June 19 through Monday, June 22. Those are Illinois Free Fishing
Days, which we observe each year as part of the Father’s Day weekend. Free Fishing Days provide an opportunity
for families and individuals to go fishing even if they have not yet purchased an Illinois fishing license.

All of us who fish in Illinois have a responsibility to protect our state’s aquatic resources. The money we spend on
fishing licenses and equipment helps fund our fisheries programs and helps ensure the future of fishing in Illinois.

Thanks for reviewing the Illinois Fishing Information guide, and best wishes to you on what we hope will be many
successful days fishing in Illinois.

Colleen Callahan
Director
Illinois Department of Natural Resources

IDNR OFFICES AND CONTACT INFORMATION

Springfield Offices
Department of Natural Resources
One Natural Resources Way
Springfield, IL 62702-1271

Division of Fisheries Division of Law Enforcement License Replacement

(217) 782-6424 (217) 782-6431 (217) 782-2965

Telecommunications Device for the Deaf and Hearing Impaired (TTY) (217) 782-9175

T.I.P. Target Illinois Poachers Report Violations to: 1-877-2DNRLAW(236-7529) 24 hours/day, 7 days/week
 WHAT DOES YOUR ILLINOIS FISHING LICENSE PAY FOR?

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources receives Federal financial assistance from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Under Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title II of
the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, and Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972, and the U.S. Department of the Interior prohibits discrimination on the basis of race,
color, national origin, age, sex, or disability. If you believe that you have been discriminated against in any program, activity, or facility, or if you need more information, please write to: Chief, Public Civil Rights Office of Civil
Rights U.S. Department of the Interior 1849 C Street, NW Washington, D.C. 20240. This information may be provided in an alternative format if required. Contact the DNR Clearinghouse at 217/782 7498 for assistance.
Printed on Recycled Paper Printed by the Authority of the State of Illinois • DNR-ORC -20-0052 • 300M • 02/20 • IOCI 20-0254

1
 TABLE OF CONTENTS
2020 ILLINOIS FISHING INFORMATION
Effective April 1, 2020 through March 31, 2021
IDNR OFFICES AND CONTACT INFORMATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Inside Front Cover
FISH BIOLOGISTS BY COUNTY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
SPORT FISHING LICENSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
WATERCRAFT REGISTRATION AND SAFETY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Watercraft Registration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
How to Register or Renew Your Boat in Illinois . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Boating Safety Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
River Closures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
SUMMARY OF FISHING REGULATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Administrative Rules. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Aquatic Life. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Aquatic Life Approved Species List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Bait Fishing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Bowfishing (Archery/Spear Methods). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Catch and Release Fishing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Cleaning Fish on Waters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Commercial Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Commercial Licenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Crayfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Culling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Daily Harvest and Length Limits (Statewide) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Daily Fee Fishing Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Dip Nets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Disabled Outdoor Opportunities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Endangered and Threatened Species of Aquatic Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Fishing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Fish Attractors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Fish Disposal / Wanton Waste – Aquatic Life Abandonment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Fish Preserves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Fishing Guides . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Free Fishing Days . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Free Group Fishing Permits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Frogs (Bullfrogs Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Harvest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Harvesting Fish on Private Property. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Ice Fishing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Illegal Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Injurious Species . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Inland Trout Stamp – All Waters (except Lake Michigan). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Minnows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Mussels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Pollution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Property . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Purple Paint Law . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Relic Mussel Shell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Sale of Aquatic Life. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Salmon Stamp – Lake Michigan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Seasons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Smelt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Snagging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Sportfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Sportfishing (Hook and Line Under a Sportfishing License) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Sportfishing License . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Stocking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Sunfish as Bait . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Tagged Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Take . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Transporting Water, Fish, or Other Aquatic Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Trolling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Trot and Trolley Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Turtles (Common Snapping Turtle only) and Amphibians (Bullfrogs only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Two Pole and Line Fishing Only. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Unattended Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Water of the State . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Waterfowl Blinds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
STATEWIDE SPORTFISHING REGULATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
SITE SPECIFIC SPORTFISHING REGULATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
SITE SPECIFIC SPORTFISHING REGULATIONS DEFINITIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
COUNTY LISTING OF ILLINOIS WATERS: LOCATIONS BY COUNTY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
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 TABLE OF CONTENTS
SITE SPECIFIC SPORTFISHING REGULATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
COMMON ILLINOIS SPORT FISH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
PLACES TO FISH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
TOURNAMENT FISHING PERMIT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
ILLINOIS SPORT FISHING AWARDS PROGRAMS (Hook and Line or Bowfishing) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
CURRENT STATE RECORD SPEAR/BOW FISH SPECIES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
ILLINOIS AND NORTH AMERICAN HOOK AND LINE RECORD FISH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
FISH KILLS IN ILLINOIS LAKES AND PONDS / IDNR Fish Species Management Plan for Alligator Gar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
CATCHABLE TROUT PROGRAM / FEDERAL AID IN SPORT FISH RESTORATION ACT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
AQUATIC NUISANCE SPECIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
COMMUNITY OUTREACH AND RESOURCES ENHANCEMENT URBAN FISHING PROGRAM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
ILLINOIS FISH AND YOUR HEALTH. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
POINT SYSTEM FOR REVOCATIONS/SUSPENSIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
BOUNDARY RIVERS SPORT FISHING / I FISH ILLINOIS WEBSITE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
ILLINOIS PUBLIC WATERS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
VHS REGULATIONS / LEAD TACKLE ADVISORY / MONOFILAMENT ADVISORY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

Fish Biologists by County

Adams Alexander Bond Boone Brown Bureau Calhoun
Blake Ruebush Nick Abell Fred Cronin Brennan Caputo Blake Ruebush David Wyffels Blake Ruebush
(217) 622-7219 (618) 967-0952 (618) 931-4217 (630) 360-4181 (217) 622-7219 (630) 360-4185 (217) 622-7219
Carroll Cass Champaign Christian Clark Clay Clinton
Brennan Caputo Tad Locher Mike Garthaus Tad Locher Jim Garavaglia Boone LaHood Fred Cronin
(630) 360-4181 (217) 720-0235 (217) 784-4730 (217) 720-0235 (217) 345-2420 (618) 393-6732 (618) 931-4217
Coles Cook Crawford Cumberland DeKalb DeWitt Douglas
Jim Garavaglia Frank Jakubicek Boone LaHood Jim Garavaglia David Wyffels Mike Garthaus Jim Garavaglia
(217) 345-2420 (815) 675-2319 (618) 393-6732 (217) 345-2420 (630) 360-4185 (217) 784-4730 (217) 345-2420
DuPage Edgar Edwards Effingham Fayette Ford Franklin
Andy Plauck Jim Garavaglia Kurt Daine Boone LaHood Boone LaHood Mike Garthaus Luke Nelson
(815) 675-2386 ext. 214 (217) 345-2420 (618) 949-3432 (618) 393-6732 (618) 393-6732 (217) 784-4730 (618) 985-1112
Fulton Gallatin Greene Grundy Hamilton Hancock Hardin
Rob Hilsabeck Kurt Daine Blake Ruebush Seth Love Kurt Daine Blake Ruebush Kurt Daine
(309) 446-9143 (618) 949-3432 (217) 622-7219 (630) 553-6680 (618) 949-3432 (217) 622-7219 (618) 949-3432
Henderson Henry Iroquois Jackson Jasper Jefferson Jersey
Rob Hilsabeck David Wyffels Mike Garthaus Shawn Hirst Boone LaHood Luke Nelson Blake Ruebush
(309) 446-9143 (630) 360-4185 (217) 784-4730 618-559-5009 (618) 393-6732 (618) 985-1112 (217) 622-7219
JoDaviess Johnson Kane Kankakee Kendall Knox Lake
Brennan Caputo Luke Nelson Andy Plauck Seth Love Seth Love Rob Hilsabeck Frank Jakubicek
(630) 360-4181 (618) 985-1112 (815) 675-2386 ext. 214 (630) 553-6680 (630) 553-6680 (309) 446-9143 (815) 675-2319
LaSalle Lawrence Lee Livingston Logan Macon Macoupin
David Wyffels Boone LaHood David Wyffels Mike Garthaus Tad Locher Jim Garavaglia Eric Ratcliff
(630) 360-4185 (618) 393-6732 (630) 360-4185 (217) 784-4730 (217) 720-0235 (217) 345-2420 (618) 931-4217
Madison Marion Marshall Mason Massac McDonough McHenry
Fred Cronin Boone LaHood Blake Bushman Tad Locher Luke Nelson Rob Hilsabeck Andy Plauck
(618) 931-4217 (618) 393-6732 (309)435-1010 (217) 720-0235 (618) 985-1112 (309) 446-9143 (815) 675-2386 ext. 214
McLean Menard Mercer Monroe Montgomery Morgan Moultrie
Mike Garthaus Tad Locher Rob Hilsabeck Eric Ratcliff Tad Locher Blake Ruebush Mike Mounce
(217) 784-4730 (217) 720-0235 (309) 446-9143 (618) 931-4217 (217) 720-0235 (217) 622-7219 (217) 345-2420
Ogle Peoria Perry Piatt Pike Pope Pulaski
Brennan Caputo Rob Hilsabeck Nick Abell Mike Garthaus Blake Ruebush Kurt Daine Nick Abell
(630) 360-4181 (309) 446-9143 (618) 967-0952 (217) 784-4730 (217) 622-7219 (618) 949-3432 (618) 967-0952
Putnam Randolph Richland Rock Island Saline Sangamon Schuyler
Blake Bushman Eric Ratcliff Boone LaHood David Wyffels Kurt Daine Tad Locher Blake Ruebush
(309) 435-1010 (618) 931-4217 (618) 393-6732 (630) 360-4185 (618) 949-3432 (217) 720-0235 (217) 622-7219
Scott Shelby St. Clair Stark Stephenson Tazewell Union
Blake Ruebush Mike Mounce Eric Ratcliff Rob Hilsabeck Brennan Caputo Blake Bushman Nick Abell
(217) 622-7219 (217) 345-2420 (618) 931-4217 (309) 446-9143 (630) 360-4181 (309) 435-1010 (618) 967-0952
Vermilion Wabash Warren Washington Wayne White Whiteside
Mike Garthaus Kurt Daine Rob Hilsabeck Eric Ratcliff Luke Nelson Kurt Daine David Wyffels
(217) 784-4730 (618) 949-3432 (309) 446-9143 (618) 931-4217 (618) 985-1112 (618) 949-3432 (815) 454-2759
Will Williamson Winnebago Woodford Shelbyville Lake Carlyle Lake Rend Lake
Seth Love Luke Nelson Brennan Caputo Blake Bushman Mike Mounce Fred Cronin Shawn Hirst
(630) 553-6680 (618) 985-1112 (630) 360-4181 (309) 435-1010 (217) 345-2420 (618) 931-4217 (618) 559-5009
Ohio-Wabash Mississippi Pool 24-Open River Pools 18-22 Pools 12-17 Illinois River Lake Michigan
Jana Hirst Butch Atwood Matt O’Hara Rebekah Anderson Nerissa McClelland Vic Santucci
(618) 985-1112 River (618) 462-0362 (309) 543-3316 x229 (630) 538-5624 (309) 543-3316 ext. 226 (847) 294-4134
Lake Michigan Lake Michigan Lake Michigan NW IL Rivers NE IL Rivers East Central IL Rivers West Central IL Rivers
Dan Makauskas Rebecca Redman Steve Robillard Tristan Widloe Trent Thomas Ben J. Lubinski
(847) 294-4134 (847) 294-4134 (847) 294-4134 (630) 538-5624 (630) 360-4184 (217) 784-4730 ext. 230 (618) 462-0362
SW IL Rivers SE IL Rivers FEDERAL WATERS ONLY Shawnee National Forest Kurt Daine (618) 949-3432
Ben J. Lubinski Jana Hirst County Biologist assignments may change as necessary throughout the year. For more up-to-date information,
(618) 462-0362 (618) 985-1112 contact IDNR Fisheriesin Springfield at 217-782-6424 or visit www.ifishillinois.org.

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 SPORT FISHING LICENSE
ILLINOIS RESIDENTS: Sport fishermen should have their license in pos- illinois.gov/LPR. Vendor transactions will incur
A resident sport fishing license may be obtained session at all times while fishing. Licenses expire a fee.
by anyone who has been a resident of Illinois 30 on March 31 each year. 2. Replacement licenses, permits and stamps
days prior to purchase. Sport fishermen under 16 are available for $3 from the Chicago office and
years of age, and persons declared legally dis- CURRENT FEES (Fees subject to change) the Springfield Public Service area.
abled or blind, may fish without a license. Owners (INCLUDES AGENT’S FEES): 3. Vendors can issue replacement licenses with a
or tenants (if they reside on the land) may fish in Resident sport fishing; annual . . . . . . . . . . $15.00* DNR Direct terminal. There is a $3 replacement
waters on or flowing over their lands without a li- Resident sport fishing; fee per item plus a small transaction fee.
cense. This exemption does not apply to club and 65 years old and over . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $7.75
organizational lakes or lake developments. 75 years old and over . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $1.50 DISABLED OR BLIND PERSONS:
Resident and non-resident sport fishing; In order for disabled or blind persons who are
Persons on active duty in the Armed Forces are under 16 years of age . . . . . . . NONE NEEDED Illinois residents to fish without a license, the
considered residents. A person on active duty in Resident sport fishing; person must be able to show proof of disability
the Armed Forces, who entered the service from disabled, blind . . . . . . . . . . . . . NONE NEEDED in the form of one of the following:
Illinois and is an Illinois resident, may fish without Resident sport fishing 24-hour license . . . . $5.50 1. A State disabled person I.D. card (available
a license while on leave. (does not include salmon or trout fishing privileges) from the Secretary of State through the driver’s
Non-resident sport fishing 24-hour license . . $10.50 license examining station) showing a Class 2
** Half-priced sport fishing and sportsman’s li- (does not include salmon or trout fishing privileges) or Class 2A disability. Applies to Illinois
censes will be available to resident veterans of Non-resident sport fishing (3 days) . . . . . . $15.50 residents only.
the U.S. Armed Forces after returning from serv- Non-resident sport fishing (annual) . . . . . . $31.50 2. Veterans disability card - (available from the
ice abroad, or mobilization by the President of the Resident Sportsmen’s License Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs Office)
United States. Veterans must contact the Spring- (combined hunting and fishing licenses). . . $26.25* Veterans who are at least 10% disabled with
field office to obtain a half-priced license. Please Resident Senior Sportsmen’s License service-related disabilities or in receipt of total
call 217-782-6302. (combined hunting and fishing licenses; disability pensions may fish with sport fishing
NON-RESIDENTS: 65 years old and over). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $13.50 devices during any open season without being
Non-residents of Illinois may purchase sport fish- Lake Michigan Salmon Stamp required to have a license, on the condition that
ing licenses to fish waters of the state. Non-resi- (Licensed sport fishermen only) . . . . . . . . $6.50 their respective disabilities do not prevent them
dent sport fishermen under 16 years of age may Resident; 75 years and over . . . . . . . . . . . . $0.50 from fishing in a manner which is safe to
fish without a license. All other non-resident sport Inland Trout Stamp (all waters except Lake Michigan) themselves and others. Applies to both Illinois
fishermen must purchase sport fishing licenses (Licensed sport fishermen only) . . . . . . . . $6.50 residents and non-residents.
before fishing in Illinois (except in licensed fee Resident; 75 years and over . . . . . . . . . . . . $0.50
Resident lifetime sport fishing . . . . . . . . . $435.00 INTERNET PURCHASES AND CURRENT FEES:
fishing areas or on boundary rivers). To purchase fishing and hunting licenses and
Resident lifetime combined
Resident or non-resident sport fishermen who fish at (hunting and fishing) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $765.00 stamps over the Internet, please visit the
fee fishing areas licensed by the Department of Nat- Department’s Home Page at:
*Half-priced license for qualifying resident veterans.
ural Resources are not required to have a license. http://www.dnr.illinois.gov
Boat renewals may also be done at this site.
Non-residents holding licenses from states bordering LOST, STOLEN, DESTROYED LICENSE
REPLACEMENT: License sales for the year begin on March 1
Illinois are not required to have an Illinois license to
1. Licenses purchased via the Internet can be and expire on March 31 of the following year.
fish on the Illinois side of rivers adjoining the licens-
reprinted at no charge by visiting www.dnr. (e.g. Licenses bought on or after March 1,
ing state (see page 75 BOUNDARY RIVERS).
2020 expire on March 31, 2021).

WATERCRAFT REGISTRATION AND SAFETY

WATERCRAFT REGISTRATION illinois.gov. If you have any questions regarding RIVER CLOSURES
All watercraft operated on the waters within the registration and titling please call 217-557-0180 or Illinois Department of Natural Resources routinely
jurisdiction of this State shall be registered and titled 1-800-382-1696. To renew your registration by monitors river conditions throughout the state to
except for unpowered vessels, including canoes, phone please call 1-866-867-3542. ensure that river conditions are safe for recreational
kayaks and paddleboards. Illinois Boat Registration and commercial boat traffic. For information on
and Safety Act Information can be found at: http:// BOATING SAFETY EDUCATION river closures in Illinois please visit the following
www.dnr.illinois.gov/boating/ Documents/BoatDi- Boat safety education is a positive move toward a websites:
gest.pdf. safe and enjoyable boating future. Beginning on
January 1, 2016, no person born on or after January Illinois Department of Natural Resources:
HOW TO REGISTER OR RENEW YOUR BOAT 1, 1998 shall operate a motorboat with over 10 horse http://www.dnr.illinois.gov/closures/Pages/River
IN ILLINOIS power unless that person has a valid Boating Safety Closures.aspx
To register your boat, you must submit a boat appli- Certificate issued by the Department of Natural
cation; required documents; and the appropriate fee Resources or an entity or organization recognized United States Coast Guard:
(see registration application requirements). Applications and approved by the Department. Enroll in a Boat https://homeport.uscg.mil/mycg/portal/ep/port
are available from Department of Natural Resources Safety Course now. For information on class Directory.do?tabId=1&cotpId=1000000
offices, boat dealers, or on-line at http://www.dnr. locations call: 1-800-832-2599, or visit: http://www.
dnr.illinois.gov/safety/Pages/BoatingSafety.aspx.

SUMMARY OF FISHING REGULATIONS

ADMINISTRATIVE RULES AQUATIC LIFE be found at: https: //www.ifishillinois.org/programs/
The fisheries of Illinois are administered to assure Aquatic life is statutorily defined as all fish, reptiles, aquaculture/aquatic_approved_species.pdf.
conservation and enhancement of the fishery re- amphibians, mollusks, crustaceans, algae, aquatic
source and the equity of the fishing public, while plants, aquatic invertebrates, and any other aquatic BAIT FISHING
providing for maximum enjoyment. Statutes provide animals or plants that the Department identifies in The following fish species may be taken by anglers
the framework by which fishing opportunities are Administrative Rules. with a valid sportfishing license with a legal size
administered. These opportunities, however, are cast net or shad scoop and used for live or dead
sometimes subject to a variety of regulations, de- AQUATIC LIFE APPROVED SPECIES LIST bait on the body of water where they are collected:
pending on local site conditions and situations The Aquatic Life Approved Species List is created mooneye (Hiodon tergisus), goldeye (Hiodon
unique to a particular fishery. These detailed regu- and maintained by the Department and is com- alosoides), skipjack herring (Alosa chrysochloris),
lations are set forth in administrative rules. Such prised of specific species of aquatic life, within carp (other than bighead carp (Hypophthalmichthys
administrative rules are enforced in the same man- the categories of fish, crustaceans, gastropods, nobilis), black carp (Mylopharyngodon piceus),
ner as are provisions of the statutes, and are sub- mollusks, and plants. The following aquatic life grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon Idella), and silver
ject to the same penalties. See TITLE 17: categories will be considered approved for carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix)). The following
CONSERVATION for more details: aquaculture, transportation, stocking, importation fish species may be taken by anglers with a valid
http://www.ilga.gov/commission/jcar/admincode/01 and/or possession in the State of Illinois. A com- sportfishing license with a cast net or shad scoop
7/017parts.html. plete list of Aquatic Life Approved Species can and used for dead bait on the body of water where

4
they are collected: bighead carp (Hypoph- Gizzard shad – Dorosoma cepedianum d) Waters Open to Bowfishing and Other Legal
thalmichthys nobilis), black carp (Mylopharyngodon (Lesueur) native Archery and Spear Fishing Methods (see Illinois
piceus), grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella), and 5) Order Cypriniformes Public Waters map on Pg. 75)
silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix). Family Cyprinidae:
Grass carp – Ctenopharyngodon idella 1) Illinois waters open to bowfishing and other legal
All cast nets shall be not larger than 24 feet in diam- (Valenciennes) non-native methods include all public rivers and streams as
eter or of a mesh size not larger than 1 inch bar Common carp – Cyprinus carpio (Linnaeus) noted in 17 Ill. Adm. Code 3704. Appendix A, as
measurement. All shad scoops shall be not larger non-native noted in subsections (d)(3) through (15).
than 30 inches in diameter or of a mesh size not Silver carp – Hypophthalmichthys molitrix 2) All public site specific waters as noted in this
larger than 1/2 inch bar measurement or longer than (Valenciennes) non-native digest.
4 feet in length. Bighead carp – Hypophthalmichthys nobilis
(Richardson) non-native 3) Catfish species may only be taken in rivers
Minnows (any fish in the family Cyprinidae exept Black carp - Mylopharyngodon piceus and connected public (wholly accessible by
common carp (Cyprinus carpio), goldfish (Carassius (Richardson) non-native boat) backwaters as listed in 810.15 as noted
auratus), and Asian carp ((bighead carp (Hypoph- Goldfish – Carassius auratus (Linnaeus) in subsections (d)(4) through (15).
thalmichthys nobilis), black carp (Mylopharyngodon non-native
piceus), grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon Idella), and Family Cobitidae: 4) Mississippi River and connected public (wholly
silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix)) and cray- Oriental weatherfish – Misgurnus accessible by boat) backwaters, including that
fish may may be taken by anglers with a valid sport- anguillicaudatus (Cantor) non-native portion of the Kaskaskia River below the navi-
fishing license and used as live or dead bait on the Family Catostomidae: gation lock and dam, except:
body of water where they are collected using traps River carpsucker – Carpiodes carpio A) Quincy Bay, including Quincy Bay Water-
of metal screen or hardware cloth, plastic, or nylon (Rafinesque) native fowl Management Area
mesh or netting or minnow seines. Such traps may Quillback carpsucker – Carpiodes cyprinus B) Spring Lake in the Upper Mississippi River
not be more than 24 inches in width or diameter or (Lesueur) native Wildlife and Fish Refuge
more than 36 inches in length nor use a mesh of Highfin carpsucker – Carpiodes velifer C) Mark Twain U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
more than 1/2 inch bar measurement. Each en- (Rafinesque) native National Wildlife Refuge Waters (except by
trance aperture may not exceed 1.5 inches in diam- White sucker – Catostomus commersoni special permit).
eter. If unattended, such devices must be tagged (Lacepede) native 5) Illinois River and connected public (wholly ac-
with the name, mailing address and phone number Blue sucker – Cycleptus elongates cessible by boat) backwaters except for:
of the person operating the device. Minnow seines (Lesueur) native A) U.S. Fish and Wildlife National Wildlife
shall not be longer than 20 feet, deeper than 6 feet Smallmouth buffalo – Ictiobus bubalus Refuge Waters
or contain mesh size larger than 1/2 inch bar meas- (Rafinesque) native B) Meredosia Lake in Cass and Morgan Coun-
urement. Minnows and crayfish collected in such Bigmouth buffalo – Ictiobus cyprinellus ties during the central zone duck season
devices may only be used on the waters where col- (Valenciennes) native C) Clear Lake in Mason County 7 days prior to
lected, may only be taken for personal use, and Black buffalo – Ictiobus niger (Rafinesque) and during the central zone duck season
may not be sold or bartered. native
Spotted sucker – Minytrema melanops 6) Wabash River
Aquatic life protected under 17 Ill. Adm. Code 1010 (Rafinesque) native
- Illinois List of Endangered and Threatened Fauna Silver redhorse – Moxostoma anisurum 7) Embarras River
may not be taken for any purpose including bait fishing. (Rafinesque) native 8) Sangamon River, downstream of Belt Route 48
Black redhorse – Moxostoma duquesnei southwest of Decatur to mouth in Cass County
Injurious Species: The use of live injurious species (Lesueur) native
(as described in 17 Ill. Adm. Code 805) as bait is Golden redhorse – Moxostoma erythrurum 9) Kaskaskia River south of Route U.S. 50
prohibited. Possession of live specimens, progeny (Rafinesque) native Bridge to mouth in Randolph County
thereof, viable eggs, or gametes is prohibited. Shorthead redhorse – Moxostoma
macrolepidotum (Lesueur) native 10) Little Wabash River
Collected bait fish may NOT be transported 6) Order Characiformes 11) Big Muddy River
between water bodies LIVE or DEAD. Family Serrasalmidae:
Pacu – Callisoma spp. (Eigenmann and 12) Skillet Fork
BOWFISHING (ARCHERY/SPEAR METHODS) Kennedy) non-native
7) Order Siluriformes 13) Cache River from Route 51 downstream to the
a) Legal Methods of Taking Mississippi River via Cache Diversion Chan-
Aquatic life as listed by species in part b below Family Ictaluridae:
Channel catfish – Ictalurus punctatus nel, but not including that portion of the Cache
may be taken by means of a pitchfork, underwa- River between the Cache Diversion Channel
ter spear gun, bow and arrow or bow and arrow (Rafinesque) native
Blue catfish – Ictalurus furcatus (Lesueur) Levee and the Ohio River
device, spear or gig. A valid sport fishing license
is required for taking aquatic life under this rule. native 14) Saline River in Gallatin and Saline Counties
Aquatic life taken by these means shall not be Flathead catfish – Pylodictis olivaris
sold or bartered. No other aquatic life (e.g. fish, (Rafinesque) native 15) Ohio River, except for:
amphibian, or reptile species) may be taken in Yellow bullhead – Ameiurus natalis A) Lock and Dam 52 downstream to a line
this State by these means. It is unlawful to dis- (Lesueur) native perpendicular with the end of the longest
charge any gun or bow and arrow device along, Brown bullhead – Ameiurus nebulosus lock wall, including the circular cell portion
upon, across or from any public right-of-way or (Lesueur) native B) Lock and Dam 53 downstream to a line
highway in this State. [520 ILCS 5/2.33(r)] Black Bullhead – Ameiurus melas perpendicular with the end of the longest
(Rafinesque) native lock wall, including the circular cell portion
b) Species White catfish – Ameiurus catus (Linnaeus) C) Smithland Dam downstream to a line per-
Only fish, amphibian, and reptile species listed non-native pendicular to the end of the outer lock wall
may be taken by bowfishing and other legal 8) Order Perciformes D) Within 50 yards of the mouth of any tribu-
methods and in accordance with harvest limits Family Sciaenidae: tary or stream
identified for each. Fish, amphibian, and reptile Freshwater drum – Aplodinotus grunniens
species permitted to be taken by bowfishing and (Rafinesque) native CATCH AND RELEASE FISHING
other archery/spear fishing legal methods in Illi- 9) Order Cichliformes Fishing with no harvest of target fish species
nois waters include: Family Cichlidae: permitted. Caught fish must be returned to the
Tilapia – Tilapia spp. (Smith) non-native same water immediately.
1) Order Petromyzontiformes 10) Order Gobiiformes
Family Petromyzontidae: Family Gobiidae: CLEANING FISH ON WATERS
Sea lamprey – Petromyzon marinus Round goby – Neogobius malanistomus No fish entrails or carcass may be disposed of into
(Linnaeus) (Pallas) non-native the waters of Illinois after cleaning. No fish species
2) Order Lepisosteiformes 11) Order Anabantiformes may be dressed (filleted or head and tail removed)
Family Lepisosteidae: Family Channidae : on any waters to which length limits are applicable.
Spotted gar – Lepisosteus oculatus Northern snakehead – Channa argus
(Winchell) native (Cantor) non-native COMMERCIAL FISH
Longnose gar – Lepisosteus osseus 12) Order Anura The minimum size limit on channel catfish, flathead
(Linnaeus) native Family Ranidae: catfish, blue catfish and white catfish taken by com-
Shortnose gar – Lepisosteus platostomus American Bullfrog – Lithobates cates- mercial fishermen is 15 inches, except in the
(Rafinesque) native beianus (Shaw) native Wabash and Ohio Rivers. No channel catfish, blue
Alligator Gar - Atractosteus spatula 13) Order Testudines catfish or flathead catfish less than 13 inches in
(Lacepède) native Family Chelydridae: total length may be taken from the Wabash and
3) Order Amiiformes Common Snapping Turtle – Chelydra Ohio Rivers. Only one channel catfish per day
Family Amiidae: serpentine (Linnaeus) native equal to or greater than 28 inches may be har-
Bowfin – Amia calva (Linnaeus) native c) Asian Carp (non-native). No live possession of vested from the Wabash and Ohio Rivers. Only one
4) Order Clupeiformes Asian carp species is permitted. blue catfish and one flathead catfish per day equal
Family Clupeidae:

5
to or greater than 35 inches may be harvested from DAILY HARVEST AND LENGTH LIMITS “Wanton or needless waste” means to place, leave,
the Wabash or Ohio Rivers. No paddlefish less than (STATEWIDE) dump or abandon any aquatic life or aquatic life
28 inches in length may be taken by commercial 1. Length is measured from the tip of the snout to parts protected by this Part along or upon any pub-
fisherman from the Illinois or Mississippi Rivers. No the end of the tail with the fish laid flat on a ruler, with lic right-of-way or highway, waterway or stream, or
paddlefish less than 32 inches may be taken by com- the mouth of the fish closed and the tail lobes on any public or private property without the per-
mercial fishermen from the Ohio River. No shovel- pressed together. mission of the owner or tenant. No disposal of
nose sturgeon under 24 inches or over 32 inches in 2. No fish species may be dressed (filleted or head aquatic life or aquatic life portions shall be allowed
length may be taken by commercial fishermen from and tail removed) on any waters to which length on State owned or leased properties except at des-
the Mississippi River or the Ohio River. No shovel- limits are applicable. Regardless of where taken, no ignated fish cleaning stations, where available.
nose sturgeon under 25 inches in length may be fish less than the specified minimum length or more
taken by commercial fishermen from the Wabash than the daily harvest shall be possessed while This section shall not apply to fish or fish parts
River. There is no size limit on carp, drum, bullhead, taking from, or on the waters to which length limits used for the purposes of bait or other lawful pur-
buffalo, sucker, shortnose gar, longnose gar, spotted and/or daily harvest limits apply. poses or to injurious species of fish that acciden-
gar, bowfin, yellow perch, chub, mooneye, goldeye, tally jump into a watercraft and are immediately
carpsucker and smelt. All other species may not be DAILY FEE FISHING AREA returned to the water.
taken commercially, but if caught incidentally must A sport fishing license and “Inland Trout Stamp” are
be returned immediately to waters where taken. not required to fish in a Department of Natural Re- FISH PRESERVES
sources licensed daily fee fishing area. Daily Fee All waters under state jurisdiction are statutorily fish
COMMERCIAL LICENSES Fishing Areas by administrative rule are defined as preserves, open only to sport fishing. However, cer-
A commercial fishing license is required for any per- any privately owned water area that is controlled, tain waters are open to commercial fishing by ad-
son who uses a commercial device to harvest fish operated or managed for fishing and utilized by ministrative rule. Contact the Department of Natural
or minnows. Any person assisting a licensed com- persons who pay a daily fee, either directly or indi- Resources for more information.
mercial fisherman in taking fish or minnows must rectly; water bodies that are controlled, operated or
have a recreational fishing license. A resident com- managed as private club lakes, organizational FISHING GUIDES
mercial fishing license can be issued only to per- lakes or lake developments are not eligible to re- Fishing guides are required to possess a passenger
sons who have resided in Illinois for at least a year. ceive a daily fee fishing area license. for hire license. More information can be found by
The commercial fishing license expires March 31 visiting the IDNR website at: https://www.dnr.illi-
annually. In addition, the holder of this license must DIP NETS nois.gov/boating/Pages/PassengerRentalBoatLi-
obtain a license for each commercial device fished. A sport fishing license allows the holder to harvest cense.aspx
smelt in Lake Michigan with a dip net not exceeding
A commercial musseling license is required for any 12 feet in diameter and having a mesh size not less FREE FISHING DAYS
person who commercially harvests mussels. Any per- than 1 inch diagonal stretch. In other waters carp, During the period of June 19, 20, 21, and 22, 2020,
son assisting a licensed commercial musselor in taking carpsucker, buffalo and gizzard shad may be taken it shall be legal for any person to fish in waters
mussels must have a commercial musseling license. with a dip net up to 15 feet in diameter and with a wholly or in part within the jurisdiction of the State,
Commercial licenses and information are available mesh size no less than 1 1/2 inches bar measure. including the Illinois portion of Lake Michigan, with-
at the Department of Natural Resources, Commer- Such equipment may not be used within 100 feet out possessing a sport fishing license, salmon
cial Permits Office, One Natural Resources Way, of a dam or to harvest game fish. stamp or inland trout stamp.
Springfield, IL 62702. 217-785-3423.
DISABLED OUTDOOR OPPORTUNITIES FREE GROUP FISHING PERMITS
CRAYFISH The Illinois Department of Natural Resources is The Illinois Department of Natural Resources may
It is a violation of state law to import, possess, sell committed to providing greater access and more issue at no cost group fishing permits for hospital
or use as bait LIVE Rusty Crayfish. The Rusty programs for persons with disabilities. We want to patients, nursing home residents, or handicapped
Crayfish may be distinguished by a dark rusty spot make it easier for disabled individuals to hunt, fish, people in connection with supervised fishing for
on both sides of the carapace (body) and a rusty- and pursue other outdoor activities. DNR’s intention therapy. The IDNR reserves the right to determine if
red band followed by a dark stripe on the large pin- is to expand these opportunities so more individuals the group falls within the definitions listed above.
cers (claws). Rusty Crayfish destroy aquatic may take part. For more information, contact IDNR For more information or an application form, write
vegetation and eat the eggs of various fishes, at 618-435-8138 ext. 130. to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.
which negatively affects fish reproduction. DEAD
Rusty Crayfish may be used as bait. ENDANGERED AND THREATENED SPECIES FROGS (Bullfrogs Only)
Any species of crayfish not found on the Aquatic Life OF AQUATIC LIFE Methods of Taking and Capture
Approved Species List are illegal to import, possess, There are more than 80 species of aquatic life in A sport fishing license is required to harvest bullfrogs.
sell or use as bait LIVE within the State of Illinois. Illinois currently on the State Endangered and Bullfrogs may be taken by hook and line, gig, pitch-
DEAD crayfish of any species, excluding endan- Threatened Species (E&T) List which may not be fork, spear, bow and arrow, hand, or landing net.
gered or threatened species, may be used as bait. taken for any purpose. For more information or to
obtain a listing of these species of aquatic life, please No person shall harvest bullfrogs or any other
Endangered or threatened species may NOT be go to http://www.dnr.illinois.gov/ESPB/Pages/Report reptile or amphibian by commercial fishing devices,
taken for use as bait, LIVE or DEAD. OccurrenceOfEndangeredOrThreatenedSpecies.asp including, hoop nets, traps or seines or by the
and click on the link List of Endangered Species use of firearms, air guns or gas guns or during
The following crayfish species shall be allowed for in Illinois. bowfishing tournaments.
use as LIVE bait in Illinois using legal sized cast
nets, shad scoops, and minnow seines, provided Species on the E&T list most likely taken by sport All other species of unprotected reptiles and am-
that they are not sold or bartered: White River fishing include the River Redhorse, Greater Red- phibians (excluding common snapping turtles and
Crayfish Procambarus acutus, Papershell Crayfish horse, Lake Sturgeon, and Mudpuppy. Accidental bullfrogs) may only be taken by hand. This shall not
Orconectes immunis, Northern Crayfish Orconectes catches of E&T Species should be released imme- restrict the use of legally taken reptiles or amphib-
virilis, Devil Crayfish Cambarus diogenes. diately. ians as bait by sport fishermen.

Crayfish may be collected with traps of metal Any captured reptiles or amphibians which are not to
FISHING be retained in the possession of the captor shall be
screen or hardware cloth, plastic, or nylon mesh or Fishing shall be defined as taking or attempting to
netting. Such traps may not be more than 24 immediately released at the site of capture, unless
harvest aquatic life in any waters of the State, by taken with a lethal method (such as bow and arrow,
inches in width or diameter or more than 36 inches any method, and all other acts such as placing, set-
in length nor use a mesh of more than 1/2 inch bar gig, spear, pitchfork) which does not permit “release
ting, drawing or using any device commonly used with no harm”. All such taken common snapping
measurement. Each entrance aperture may not ex- for the taking of aquatic life, whether resulting in
ceed 1 1/2 inches in diameter. If unattended, such turtles and bullfrogs must be kept and counted in
taking or not. This also applies to the removal of the daily harvest. No culling of such taken species
devices must be tagged with the name,mailing ad- dead and decaying aquatic life. MAY 1, 2013 17
dress and phone number of the person operating is permitted. No person shall harvest or possess any
ILL. ADM. CODE CH. I, SEC. 810. species of reptile or amphibian listed as endangered
the device. Crayfish collected in such devices may
only be used on the waters where collected, may or threatened in Illinois (17 Ill. Adm. Code 1010
FISH ATTRACTORS except as provided by 17 Ill. Adm. Code 1070).
only be taken for personal use, and may not be Sport fishermen may wish to add habitat or ‘fish at-
sold or bartered. tractors’ to their favorite fishing location, however fish Season
Collected crayfish may NOT be transported attractors can only be put in public lakes with permis- Bullfrogs may be taken only between June 15 and
between water bodies LIVE or DEAD. sion from your IDNR County Fish Biologist. Fish at- October 15, both dates inclusive.
tractors may be put in private ponds and lakes.
Daily Harvest and Possession Limits
CULLING The daily Harvest limit for bullfrogs is 8 with a
It is illegal to replace a smaller fish held in posses- FISH DISPOSAL / WANTON WASTE – AQUATIC
LIFE ABANDONMENT possession limit of 16.
sion with a larger fish unless: the smaller fish is
counted toward the daily limit or released within the Except as provided in this Section, it is unlawful for For indigenous amphibian and reptile taxon,
confines of a IDNR Permitted catch-and-release any person at any time to take or possess any fish, which may only be taken by hand, (excluding
fishing tournament which requires the participants reptiles, amphibians, mollusks and crustaceans au- common snapping turtles and bullfrogs) the
to have a boat live well with a pump constantly thorized by this Part in Illinois waters by sportfish- possession limit is 8 collectively with no more
adding fresh or recirculating water. ing methods and then intentionally leave or than 4 per taxa.
abandon such aquatic life or portions thereof result-
ing in wanton or needless waste.

6
HARVEST Persons possessing a valid sport fishing license SMELT
Any aquatic life taken into possession from any wa- may harvest minnows with cast nets (not larger The sport fishing season for smelt is from March 1
ters of the State by any method. Harvested fish than 24 feet in diameter and having a mesh size through April 30 (check local seasonal regulations for
from more than one angler may be kept on the not larger than 1 inch bar measurement), shad smelt fishing from Chicago Park District properties). A
same stringer or in the same basket or livewell, as- scoops (not larger than 30 inches in diameter or sport fishing license entitles the angler to harvest
suming all harvest and length limits are followed. longer than 4 feet in length and having a bar mesh smelt. Waters of Lake Michigan comprise Illinois’
size not larger than 1/2 inch), or a minnow seine smelt fishery. Smelt may be taken with a seine or gill
HARVESTING FISH ON PRIVATE PROPERTY (no longer than 20 feet in length, deeper than 6 feet net not more than 12 feet long, 6 feet deep and with
State wide daily creel and length limits do not apply or having a mesh size larger than 1/2 inch bar mesh size not more than 1 inch diagonal stretch, or
to a person fishing in waters wholly within his or her measurement), or a trap not more than 36 inches in by dip net not more than 12 feet in diameter with
private property. length, 24 inches in width, and with mesh no larger mesh size not less than 1 inch diagonal stretch. Trol-
than 1/2 inch bar measurement. ley or power lines may also be used by sport fisher-
ICE FISHING men in taking smelt (see Trot and Trolley Line
A sport fishing license is required for ice fishing. Collected minnows may NOT be transported section). No person shall operate more than one
The ice angler may use a maximum of three poles between water bodies LIVE or DEAD. smelt net device at any one time. All fish taken other
or tip-ups with no more than two hooks on each MUSSELS than smelt must be released immediately.
line. Sites with a two pole and line fishing only re- Only persons possessing a valid commercial mus-
striction may use a maximum of two poles or tip- selor license may harvest and sell mussels from SNAGGING
ups. Holes cut in the ice are limited to 12-inch designated waters. Persons possessing a sport a) Sport fishermen are permitted only one pole and
diameter or less. Shelter structures are limited to fishing license may possess up to 50 relic mussel line device to which can be attached no more
portable construction of metal or wood framework, shells for personal collection. than two hooks. On the Mississippi River between
covered with canvas, paper, plastic material or sim- Illinois and Iowa, the maximum treble hook size is
ilar fabric. Each shelter shall have the name and POLLUTION 5/0; gaffs may not be used to land paddlefish.
address of the owner attached, and after March 1 The Department of Natural Resources cooperates
the shelter must be removed when not in use, and with the Environmental Protection Agency in mak- b) Species of Fish and Snagging Harvest Limit.
not left unattended at any time. All poles and tip- ing pollution investigations. Sport fishermen are
ups shall be constantly attended and kept under 1) Only the following species of fish and harvest
often the first to observe water pollution, and their limit may be taken by snagging:
observation by the angler. assistance is invited in reporting these instances to Asian Carp (no live possession) – no harvest
ILLEGAL DEVICES District and Regional Fisheries Biologists, to a Con- limit
Use of the following devices in the taking of aquatic servation Police Officer or to the Division of Fish- Common Carp – no harvest limit
life is prohibited: electricity or electrical devices; eries in Springfield. Buffalo – no harvest limit
lime; acid; medical, chemical or mechanical It is unlawful for waste or sewage to be discharged Freshwater Drum – no harvest limit
compounds; dope; drugs; fishberry; dynamite; nitro- into waters so as to kill aquatic life. It is also Salmon (coho and chinook only) – five fish, in
glycerine or other explosive; snare; treated grain; unlawful to abandon or deposit wire, cans, bottles, the aggregate, daily harvest limit
firearms; air gun; gas gun; wire basket; wire seine; glass, paper, trash, rubbish, cardboard, wood Paddlefish – two per day; the maximum length
wire net; wire trotline or limb lines of any kind. cartons, boxes, trees, brush or other insoluble limit for paddlefish taken from the Mississippi
materials into the water or on the ice, or at any River between Illinois and Iowa is 33-inch
INJURIOUS SPECIES place on the bank where such debris is liable to eye-fork length (EFL) (all paddlefish greater
To prevent the introduction and spread of aquatic be washed into the water. Strict penalties are than or equal to 33-inch EFL must be imme-
nuisance species, Illinois has implemented an Inju- provided for violation of this section of the statute. diately released back to the Mississippi River)
rious Species regulation (Administrative Code 805). Bowfin – no harvest limit
Of special note to sport fishermen, this rule pro- PROPERTY Gizzard shad – no harvest limit
hibits the possession of LIVE species deemed to Consideration for others is a philosophy of the Carpsuckers – no harvest limit
be harmful to our lakes and rivers, and to the fish sportsman. Consent of the landowner or occupant Longnose gar – no harvest limit
and wildlife that inhabit them. These harmful of the premises shall be obtained before fishing or Shortnose gar – no harvest limit
species include, but are not limited to: attempting to harvest aquatic life on another’s Suckers – no harvest limit
Bighead Carp Black Carp Eurasian Ruffe property or within waters other than public waters 2) No sorting (i.e., catching more fish than is al-
Rudd Round Goby Rusty Crayfish of the state. Care should be taken not to cause lowed and putting back some in order to keep
Silver Carp Snakehead Tubenose Goby damage to the property. larger ones) of snagged salmon and paddlefish
Walking Catfish Zebra Mussel Brazilian elodea is permitted, except for paddlefish taken from
Hydrilla Eurasian watermilfoil Quagga Mussel PURPLE PAINT LAW the Mississippi River between Illinois and Mis-
The State of Illinois has implemented the Purple souri where sorting is permitted. Every paddle-
The injurious aquatic life species listed Paint Law providing landowners or lessees the op- fish snagged must be included in the daily
above may be immediately returned unharmed tion to use purple paint in conjunction with no tres- harvest limit. Every salmon 10 inches in total
from where they were taken. In example, a passing signs to mark property boundaries. length or longer snagged must be taken into
Round Goby caught on pole and line can be immediate possession and included in the daily
immediately returned to the waters where RELIC MUSSEL SHELL harvest limit. Once the daily limit of salmon or
taken. An Asian carp that jumps into a boat A relic (dead) mussel shell is defined as one which paddlefish has been reached, snagging must
can be immediately returned to the waters apparently died of natural causes within the water cease.
where taken. and contains no meat or soft parts; it readily exhibits
noticeable sediment, vegetation, algal or mineral c) Waters Open to Snagging and Snagging Season.
To view the complete list of regulated species and stains, discolorations, soiling, weathering or other
full text of Administrative Code 805, please visit visual evidence on its interior surface which clearly 1) Snagging for fish is permitted from September 15
http://www.ilga.gov/commission/jcar/admin- and unambiguously shows the mussel shell has not through December 15 and from March 15
code/017/01700805sections.html. been cooked-out or freshly cleaned. through May 15 within a 300 yard downstream
limit below all locks and dams of the Illinois River,
For more information on aquatic nuisance species, except for the area below the Peoria Lock and
log on to www.iisgcp.org/il-ans or contact the SALE OF AQUATIC LIFE
No fish, amphibians, reptiles, crayfish, or parts Dam where snagging is permitted year round.
IDNR Aquatic Nuisance Species Program by phone
at 217-785-8772 or by email at thereof (including eggs or resulting offspring) 2) Snagging for fish is permitted from September
[email protected]. taken by sport fishing license methods (including 15 through December 15 and from March 15
snagging) may be bought, sold or bartered. through May 15 within a 300 yard downstream
INLAND TROUT STAMP - ALL WATERS limit below all locks and dams of the Missis-
(except Lake Michigan) SALMON STAMP - LAKE MICHIGAN sippi River between Illinois and Missouri, ex-
Sport fishermen are required to purchase an “Inland Sport fishermen are required to purchase a “Lake cept for the Chain of Rocks low water dam at
Trout Stamp” prior to taking of trout from all waters Michigan Salmon Stamp” prior to taking of salmon Chouteau Island – Madison County, also
except Lake Michigan. Fees are (including agent’s and trout from Lake Michigan. Fees are (including known as Dam 27 at the Chain of Rocks –
fees): agent’s fee): Madison County where no snagging is permit-
Resident and Non-resident; annual. . . . . . . . $6.50 Resident and non-resident; annual . . . . . . . . $6.50 ted. Snagging is permitted from 1/2 hour be-
Resident; 65 years old and over . . . . . . . . . . $6.50 Resident; 65 years old and over . . . . . . . . . . $6.50 fore sunrise to 1/2 hour after sunset daily,
Resident; 75 years old and over . . . . . . . . . . $0.50 Resident; 75 years old and over . . . . . . . . . . $0.50 March 1 through April 15 within a 500 yard
Resident and non-resident Resident and non-resident downstream limit below locks and dams on the
under 16 years of age . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . NONE under 16 years of age . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . NONE Mississippi River between Illinois and Iowa.
Resident; disabled, blind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . NONE Resident; disabled, blind. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . NONE
3) Snagging for fish is permitted year-round within
The 24-hour license does not include trout fishing The 24-hour license does not include salmonid a 100 yard limit upstream or downstream of the
privileges. fishing privileges in Lake Michigan. dam at Horseshoe Lake in Alexander County.

MINNOWS SEASONS 4) Snagging for chinook and coho salmon only is

A minnow is statutorily defined as any fish in the Sport fishing is open year-round (except as noted permitted from the following Lake Michigan
minnow family (Cyprinidae) except carp and goldfish. in the Site Specific Regulations section and for shoreline areas from October 1 through De-
turtle and frog season). cember 31; however, no snagging is allowed
at any time within 200 feet of a moored water-
7 craft or as posted:
 A) Lincoln Park Lagoon from the Fullerton Av- proved Species List into waters wholly upon his or unlawful on “two pole and line fishing only” areas
enue Bridge to the southern end of the La- her property so long as the aquatic life is pur- unless specifically authorized in the Site Specific
goon. chased from a licensed Aquatic Life Dealer or Illi- Regulations section of this booklet. Fish taken by
B) Waukegan Harbor (in North Harbor basin nois Aquaculturist. Transporting aquatic life or these methods must not exceed the statewide reg-
only). natural water from a public water to private waters ulations (harvest limits and length limits). Trotlines
C) Winnetka Power Plant discharge area. is prohibited. It is illegal to import, stock, or possess and other legal hook and line devices shall not
D) Jackson Harbor (Inner and Outer Harbors). live diploid grass carp, silver carp, bighead carp or have more than 50 hooks and must be checked at
hybrid grass carp or any species not found on the least every 24 hours. Trotlines and other sportfish-
d) Disposition of Snagged Salmon and Paddlefish. Aquatic Life Approved Species List. A Restricted ing devices left unattended must be tagged with the
All snagged salmon and paddlefish must be re- Species Transportation Permit must be secured name, mailing address, and phone number of the
moved from the area from which they are taken from the Department of Natural Resources before operator. All required tags shall be in a position to
and disposed of properly, in accordance with Ar- importing or stocking triploid grass carp. be at all times exposed to public view.
ticle 5, Section 5-5 of the Fish and Aquatic Life
Code. SUNFISH AS BAIT TURTLES (Common Snapping Turtle only)
(Source: Amended at 35 Ill. Reg. 4011, effective There is nothing in the Illinois Fish Code which pro- and AMPHIBIANS (Bullfrogs only)
February 22, 2011) hibits the use of legally taken sunfish as bait for an- Methods of Taking and Capture
SPORTFISH other species of fish, but sunfish can only be used in Common snapping turtles (Chelydra serpentina)
Principal sport fish are the muskellunge, tiger the body of water from which they were taken. The may be taken only by hand, hook and line, or
muskie, northern pike, walleye, sauger, saugeye, sunfish must have been taken by a properly licensed bow and arrow except in the following Illinois
largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, spotted bass, sport fisherman using legal sportfishing devices. You counties where bowfishing for common
striped bass, hybrid striped bass, white bass, yel- must also observe all length limits and daily harvest snapping turtles is not permitted: Randolph,
low bass, bluegill, redear sunfish, rock bass, white limits both where the sunfish were taken and where Perry, Franklin, Hamilton, White, Gallatin, Saline,
crappie, black crappie, trout and salmon. These they are being used as bait. Also, it is illegal to cut up Williamson, Jackson, Union, Johnson, Pope,
may be taken only with sport fishing devices by or dress or be in possession of cut up or dressed Hardin, Massac, Pulaski, and Alexander.
sport fishermen having sport fishing licenses. Other fish on any body of water where there is a size limit
for that particular species of fish. Examples of sun- The alligator snapping turtle (Macrochelys
species such as paddlefish, catfish, yellow perch, temminckii) is protected and may not be taken
freshwater drum and carp are considered both fish species legal for use as bait include bluegill, re-
dear sunfish, green sunfish, longear sunfish, by any sport fishing method.
sport and commercial fish, and the means of taking
and purposes for which they are taken prescribe pumpkinseed sunfish, warmouth and their hybrids. No person shall harvest common snapping turtles or
the type of license required. Still other species are any other reptile or amphibian by commercial fishing
considered commercial fish, though when taken on TAGGED FISH devices, including, hoop nets, traps or seines or by
sport fishing devices an angler must have a sport Fisheries biologists attach tags to many fish for re- the use of firearms, air guns or gas guns.
fishing license. A fourth category is endangered search purposes. Please report all tags found. If
and threatened aquatic life. (See Endangered and the fish is kept, return the tag to the address printed All other species of unprotected reptiles and
Threatened Aquatic Life). on the tag or the local fisheries office in your area. amphibians (excluding common snapping turtles
If a tagged fish is released, the tag should be re- and bullfrogs) may only be taken by hand. This
SPORTFISHING (HOOK AND LINE METHODS ported but left in the fish in good condition. Informa- shall not restrict the use of legally taken reptiles
UNDER A SPORTFISHING LICENSE) tion regarding the species of fish caught, the length or amphibians as bait by sport fishermen.
Length is measured from the tip of the snout to the and the weight of the fish, location captured, and
the tag number, if present, should also be reported. Any captured reptiles or amphibians which are not
end of the tail with the fish laid flat on a ruler, with to be retained in the possession of the captor shall
the mouth of the fish closed and the tail lobes Sport fishermen are strongly advised to not tag or be immediately released at the site of capture,
pressed together. fin clip fish caught on state and/or public waters. unless taken with a lethal method (such as bow
No fish species may be dressed (filleted or head and arrow, gig, spear, pitchfork) which does not
In addition to tags, many trout and salmon stocked permit “release with no harm”. All such taken
and tail removed) on any waters to which length or into Lake Michigan are marked by clipping off one
bag limits are applicable. Regardless of where common snapping turtles and bullfrogs must
or two fins. Sport fishermen harvesting any trout or be kept and counted in the daily harvest limit.
taken, no fish less than the specified minimum salmon with only the adipose fin removed are
length or more than the daily harvest shall be pos- No culling of such taken species is permitted.
asked to save the head which contains important
sessed while taking from, or on, any waters to information. The adipose fin is the small, fleshy fin No person shall harvest or possess any species
which length or bag limits and/or daily harvest limits found on the backs of trout and salmon between of reptile or amphibian listed as endangered
apply. While taking from areas designated as the dorsal fin and the tail. Please record the length or threatened in Illinois (17 Ill. Adm. Code 1010
“Catch and Release Only”, all catch and release and weight of the fish as well as the date and loca- except as provided by 17 Ill. Adm. Code 1070).
species must be immediately released back into tion where caught.
the waters from which taken. Season
TAKE Common snapping turtles may be taken only
SPORTFISHING LICENSE To lure, kill, destroy, capture, gig or spear, trap or between June 15 and October 15, both dates
A sport fishing license entitles an angler to harvest ensnare, or attempt to do so. inclusive. Common snapping turtles and bullfrogs
fish, crayfish, turtles or bullfrogs within limits denoted may not be taken by bowfishing tournament
in the Statewide Harvest and Size Limits Table, TRANSPORTING WATER, FISH, OR OTHER participants.
except for endangered and threatened aquatic life. AQUATIC LIFE
It is unlawful to sell any aquatic life, or parts thereof, Daily Harvest and Possession Limits
It shall be unlawful to: The daily harvest limit for common snapping turtles
taken by a sport fishing license. Aquatic life may be 1) import or move live aquatic life without securing
taken by hand or other legal devices permitted by is 2 with a possession limit of 4. The daily harvest
permission from the Department (bait purchased limit for bullfrogs is 8 with a possession limit of 16.
the sport fishing license which includes: pole and from a licensed bait shop may be transported);
line, bank pole and line, dip net throw line, trot line, 2) remove natural water from waters of the State For indigenous amphibian and reptile taxon,
buoyed device (jug fishing), or other legal devices via bait bucket, livewell, baitwell, bilge, etc.; which may only be taken by hand, (excluding
not exceeding 50 hooks in total (except as noted 3) remove any watercraft, boat, boat trailer or other common snapping turtles and bullfrogs) the
under “Ice Fishing” section). Also permitted are equipment from waters of the State without empty- possession limit is 8 collectively with no more
legal-sized cast nets, shad scoops and minnow ing and draining any bait bucket, livewell, baitwell, than 4 per taxa.
seines (see Baitfishing section). Smelt may be taken bilge, etc., or any other compartment capable of
in Lake Michigan with legal size dip nets, gill nets holding natural waters; and TWO POLE AND LINE FISHING ONLY
and seines. Two untagged sport fishing devices are 4) use wild-trapped fishes as bait within the State of Refers to fishing with hook and line methods only
allowed; each device in excess of two must be Illinois, other than in the waters where they were excluding multiple hooks gear such as trot lines,
tagged with the angler’s name and address. If at- legally taken. bankpoles, or jugs. Commercial and bowfishing
tached to a tree, the device must be attached only methods are permitted on public waters except as
to the main trunk below the water line. All unat- Private pond and lake owners may stock any described in this digest and in Commercial Fishing
tended devices must be marked with the angler’s aquatic life found on the Aquatic Life Approved Administrative Rule 830.
name, address and phone number. Species List, so long as the aquatic life is pur-
chased from a licensed Aquatic Life Dealer or Illi- UNATTENDED DEVICES
Special fishing regulations at certain water areas nois Aquaculturist.
prohibit the use of some devices or numbers of Any unattended devices used to catch aquatic life or
devices; please check the Site Specific Regulations to hold aquatic life is required to have the angler’s
TROLLING name, address and phone number clearly displayed
which are contained in this document and are Trolling is permissible, provided the angler has not
posted at various locations at the sites (boat ramps on the device. Bank poles and jug lines must be indi-
more than three poles and lines with not more than vidually labeled, while a single trotline with up to 50
and site offices) where applicable. two hooks or lures on each, except in waters where hooks only requires one label.
there is a 2 pole and line only designation.
STOCKING
Fish may be released into the waters from which WATER OF THE STATE
TROT AND TROLLEY LINES Any water within the jurisdiction of the State of Illinois.
they were taken, but permission from the Depart- Hooks on trot lines, throw lines and similar devices
ment of Natural Resources must be secured before shall be spaced not less than 24 inches apart, ex-
releasing fish in other waters, except for private WATERFOWL BLINDS
cept on trolley or power lines used in Lake Michi- No fishing within 250 yards of an occupied Depart-
water owners. An owner of a body of water may re- gan. Trot, throw lines and similar devices are
lease aquatic life found on the Aquatic Life Ap- ment owned or managed waterfowl blind. This in-
8 cludes all sites listed and not listed in this booklet.
 STATEWIDE SPORTFISHING REGULATIONS
AQUATIC LIFE STATEWIDE CREEL AND SIZE LIMITS*
Daily harvest limit is 6 bass, either singly or in the aggregate, except as specified under Site
Specific Regulations. In streams and rivers (excluding the main-stem of the Mississippi, Ohio,
including the Golconda Marina and Wabash Rivers) the daily harvest can contain no more than
3 smallmouth bass. In rivers and streams and their tributaries statewide, except for the
LARGEMOUTH BASS, SMALLMOUTH BASS, SPOTTED BASS Mississippi, Ohio (including the Golconda Marina), Wabash and Illinois Rivers, Calumet River,
Lake Calumet Connecting Channel, Calumet Sag Channel and navigable portions of the Grand
Calumet River and Little Calumet River, all smallmouth bass must be immediately released
between April 1 and June 15.

All muskellunge and muskellunge hybrids (tiger muskie) taken must be 36˝ in total length
or longer, except as specified under Site Specific Regulations. No more than 1 muskellunge
or muskellunge hybrid (tiger muskie) may be taken per day, except as specified under
MUSKELLUNGE, NORTHERN PIKE AND THEIR HYBRIDS Site Specific Regulations. All northern pike taken must be 24˝ in total length or longer,
except in the Mississippi River and Ohio River where there is no size limit. No more than
3 northern pike may be taken per day, except as specified under Site Specific Regulations.

CRAPPIE (WHITE, BLACK OR HYBRID CRAPPIE) There are no harvest or size limits except in those waters listed under Site Specific Regulations.

BLUEGILL, REDEAR SUNFISH, OTHER SUNFISH There are no harvest or size limits except in those waters listed under Site Specific Regulations.

PADDLEFISH Daily harvest limit is 2 paddlefish.

ALLIGATOR GAR Harvest limit is 1 alligator gar per 24 hours.

There are no daily harvest limits or minimum size limits for striped bass (ocean rockfish),
white bass, yellow bass and their hybrids, which are less than 17˝ in total length, except in those
waters listed under Site Specific Regulations. For these fish 17˝ in total length or longer, the daily
STRIPED BASS (OCEAN ROCKFISH), WHITE BASS, limit is 3 fish, either singly or in the aggregate, except in the Mississippi River between Illinois and
YELLOW BASS AND HYBRIDS Missouri where there is a 30 fish daily harvest limit for all striped, white, yellow or hybrid striped
bass. In the Mississippi River between Illinois and Iowa, there is a 25 fish daily harvest on striped
bass, white bass, yellow bass and their hybrids, either singly or in the aggregate.

TROUT AND SALMON Daily harvest limit is 5 trout or salmon, either singly or in the aggregate.

All walleye, sauger, or their hybrid (saugeye) taken must be 14˝ in total length or longer, except in
the Mississippi River, Wabash River, or as specified under Site Specific Regulations. Daily harvest
WALLEYE, SAUGER OR THEIR HYBRID
limit is 6 walleye, sauger or their hybrid, either singly or in the aggregate, except in those waters
listed under Site Specific Regulations.

For injurious species, as described in 17 Ill. Adm. Code 805, there are no harvest or size limits.
INJURIOUS SPECIES
Possession of live specimens, progeny thereof, viable eggs, or gametes is prohibited.

Season: June 15 to October 15, both dates inclusive. The daily harvest limit for common
COMMON SNAPPING TURTLES AND BULLFROGS snapping turtles is 2 with a possession limit of 4. The daily harvest limit for bullfrogs is 8 with
a possession limit of 16. Indigenous Amphibian and Reptile taxa (excluding common snapping tur-
tles and bullfrogs) possession limit is 8 collectively with no more than 4 per taxa.

*The above are statewide sportfish regulations. Specific water areas may have sportfish regulations which differ and are more restrictive. Please check the Site Specific Sportfish Regulations which
follow and are posted (at boat launches and at site offices) at each water area where applicable. State Endangered and Threatened Species may not be taken for any purpose.

SITE SPECIFIC SPORTFISHING REGULATIONS

Fishing regulations, including species of fish, amphibian (bullfrog), or reptile A TWO POLE AND LINE FISHING ONLY regulation permits the angler to
(common snapping turtle), fishing methods and daily harvest limits are listed harvest fish with no more than two poles with no more than two hooks or
for each water area. The numbers in parentheses refer to the corresponding lures per line. Also permitted (unless otherwise noted) are legal-sized cast
numbered definitions appearing on pages 10 and 11. If a water area is not nets, shad scoops and minnow seines to collect shad, minnows, and cray-
listed, or if a specific species is not listed, then statewide restrictions apply. fish to use as bait. Bullfrogs may be taken by hand, gig, pitchfork, spear,
Check the bulletin boards at the specific site for any emergency changes landing net, and hook and line during bullfrog season.
to regulations.
ON WATERS WITHOUT THE TWO POLES AND LINES FISHING ONLY
The Department of Natural Resources prefers not to limit fishing opportuni- restriction, up to 50 hooks in total may be used legally on devices permitted
ties unless it’s needed to sustain quality fishing or protect the fisheries re- under a sport fishing license. Legal devices include: bank poles and lines, dip
sources found in a particular water body. Increasing numbers of people nets, throw lines, trot lines, buoyed devices (jug fishing), gigs, spears, bow
participating in fishing, coupled with more sophisticated sport fishermen, are and arrow, and bow and arrow devices. No more than two untagged sport
placing enormous pressure on existing fisheries resources in Illinois. fishing devices (no more than 50 hooks total) under the angler’s immediate
control are allowed. Each legal device more than two, up to 50 hooks total,
In order to offset intense fishing pressure on Illinois waters, fisheries must be tagged with the angler’s name and address. If attached to a tree,
managers study both fish populations and angler harvest characteristics to the device must be attached to the main trunk below the water line.
identify overharvest problems. If determined necessary, a special regulation
to restrict angler harvest may be implemented to improve the structure and A CLOSED SEASON means that fish may not be taken between the
abundance of the fish population, which could result in an improvement of specified dates. Waters receiving catchable rainbow trout have closed
quality fishing. seasons (spring and/or fall). A closed season prohibiting harvest of rainbow
trout is necessary in order for the State to have the trout stocked and permit all
Various special regulations are used by fisheries managers to restrict sport fishermen to have an equal opportunity to harvest fish on “opening day.”
angler harvest. A MINIMUM LENGTH LIMIT means that fish below a
designated length must be released immediately. A PROTECTED SLOT SITE SPECIFIC REGULATIONS are listed by water area affected. The cover-
LENGTH LIMIT means that fish within a designated length range must be age of the regulation is dictated by the extent of the water area listed and not
released immediately. A DAILY HARVEST LIMIT means that no more than by the county. In some cases, regulations for a given water area or site may
a maximum number fish may be taken daily. If a daily harvest limit covers extend beyond the counties listed. The counties listed refer to the location of
more than one fish species, the number of fish permitted to be taken the dam or outfall for impoundments or mouths of small streams. Since large
includes all fish species covered by the regulation added together (in rivers or streams usually flow through many counties, the term “Multiple” is
the aggregate). used rather than listing all counties where the large stream or river flows.

9
 SITE SPECIFIC SPORTFISHING REGULATIONS DEFINITIONS
SITE SPECIFIC REGULATION CODES IN PARENTHESES - The subsections listed below are
referred to by number in the Site Specific Regulations listed. Water areas listed in that section
may have numbers in parenthesis which refer to definitions listed below.
SECTION 810.37 DEFINITIONS FOR SITE SPECIFIC SPORTFISHING REGULATIONS
a) Site Specific Regulations are listed by water area affected. The coverage of the regulation is dictated
by the extent of the water area listed and not by the county. In some cases, regulations for a given
water area or site may extend beyond the counties listed. The counties listed refer to the location
of the dam or outfall for impoundments or mouths of small streams. Since large rivers or streams
usually flow through many counties, the term “Multiple” is used rather than listing all counties where
the large stream or river flows.
b) The following subsections are referred to by number in Section 810.45. Each water area listed in
Section 810.45 has numbers in parentheses that explain all of the restrictions or special provisions in
this Section that apply to that water area.

1) Sport fishermen must not use more than two poles and each pole must 13) Jug fishing is permitted from the hours of sunset to sunrise and carp
not have more than two hooks or lures attached while fishing, except and buffalo may be taken by bow and arrow devices from May 1
that legal size cast nets, (in accordance with subsection 810.50(a)(1)) through September 30. All jugs must have owner’s/user’s name and
shad scoops, and minnow seines may be used to obtain shad, min- complete address affixed.
nows, and crayfish to use as bait, provided that they are not sold, and
except that bullfrogs may be taken by hand, gig, pitchfork, spear, land- 14) Daily harvest limit includes all fish species (either singly or in the
ing net, and hook and line during bullfrog season. Bowfishing is prohib- aggregate) caught within each of the following fish groupings.
ited unless otherwise noted in this digest.
A) Largemouth or smallmouth bass
2) All jugs set in a body of water shall be under the immediate
B) Walleye, sauger, or their hybrid
supervision of the fisherman. Immediate supervision shall be defined
as the fisherman being on the water where the jugs are set and readily C) Bluegill, redear sunfish, or pumpkinseed, or hybrid sunfish
available to identify jugs to law enforcement officers.
D) Channel or blue catfish
3) All largemouth and smallmouth bass taken must be less than 12 inches
in total length or greater than or equal to 15 inches in total length. 15) Daily harvest limit includes white, black or hybrid crappie either singly
or in the aggregate.
4) Sport fishermen shall be allowed to use trotlines, jugs, and by hand,
except that sport fishermen may not submerge any pole or similar ob- 16) Daily harvest limit includes striped bass, white bass and hybrid striped
ject to take or locate any fish and the use and aid of underwater breath- bass either singly or in the aggregate.
ing devices is prohibited. West of Wolf Creek Road, fishing from boats
is permitted all year. Trotlines/jugs must be removed from sunrise until 17) Daily harvest limit shall not exceed 10 fish, no more than three of which
sunset from Memorial Day through Labor Day. East of Wolf Creek may be greater than or equal to 17 inches in total length.
Road, fishing from boats is permitted from March 15 through Septem- 18) Clinton Lake − Sport fishermen shall be allowed to use trotlines, jugs
ber 30. Fishing from the bank is permitted all year only at the Wolf and bank poles in the portions of the lake that lie north of the Route
Creek and Route 148 causeways. On the entire lake, jugs and trotlines 54 Railroad Bridge and northeast of the Route 48 Bridge. Sport
must be checked daily and must be removed on the last day they are fishermen may harvest carp, carpsuckers and buffalo by bow and
used. It is illegal to use stakes to anchor any trotlines; they must be an- arrow, bow and arrow devices, gigs and spears on the entire lake, but
chored only with portable weights and must be removed on the last day not within 150 feet of any boat ramp, dock, beach or other developed
they are used. The taking of carp, carpsuckers, shad, drum, buffalo, recreation areas. All jugs and trotlines set in a body of water shall be
gar, bowfin and suckers with spear, gig, bow and arrow or archery de- under the immediate supervision of the angler.
vice is permissible.
19) It shall be unlawful to enter upon a designated duck hunting area
5) Sport fishermen may harvest carp, carpsuckers, buffalo, gar, bowfin between sunset of the Sunday immediately preceding opening day of
and suckers by pitchfork, gigs, bow and arrow or bow and arrow regular duck season through the day before regular duck season and
devices. Canada goose season as posted at the site, or to fish on such areas
6) Sport fishing is allowed in the Fox River south of the Illinois-Wisconsin during the regular duck season except in areas posted as open to
line to the Algonquin Dam and the Nippersink Creek upstream to the fishing. It shall be unlawful to enter upon areas designated as waterfowl
Wilmot Road Bridge. rest areas or refuges from two weeks prior to the start of the regular
duck season through the end of duck and Canada goose season.
7) Sport fishermen may harvest carp, buffalo, suckers and gar by bow
and arrow or bow and arrow devices, gigs or spears during May and 20) Carlyle Lake (including its tributary streams and those portions of the
June. Kaskaskia River and Hurricane Creek up to the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers Carlyle Lake Project boundaries), U.S. Army Corps of
8) Daily harvest limit includes striped bass, white bass, yellow bass and Engineers, Bond, Clinton and Fayette Counties. Does not include the
hybrid striped bass either singly or in the aggregate. tailwaters. Sport fishermen may not use a minnow seine, cast net or
shad scoop for bait collecting between U.S. Route 50 and the Carlyle
9) Catch and Release Fishing Only means that fish (all or identified Lake dam and spillway.
species) caught must be immediately released alive and in good
condition back into the water from which they came. 21) Lake Shelbyville (including its tributary streams and those portions of
the West Okaw and Kaskaskia Rivers up to Lake Shelbyville Project
10) It shall be illegal to possess trout during the period of October 1 to 5 boundaries – including parts of the Lake Shelbyville Fish and Wildlife
a.m. on the third Saturday in October (both dates inclusive) that were Management Area), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Shelby and
caught during that period. Moultrie Counties. Does not include the tailwater except for the 48
inches total length and live bait rig requirement for muskellunge
11) It shall be illegal to possess trout during the period of March 15 to 5
(see subsections (b)(40) and (43)).
a.m. on the first Saturday in April (both dates inclusive) that were
caught during that period. 22) Rend Lake (including its tributary streams and those portions of the
Big Muddy and Casey Fork Rivers up to the Rend Lake Project
12) Daily harvest limit for largemouth and smallmouth bass, either singly or
boundaries), Rend Lake Project Ponds, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,
in the aggregate, shall not exceed six fish, no more than one of which
Franklin and Jefferson Counties. Does not include tailwaters. Sport
may be greater than or equal to 15 inches in total length and five may
fishermen may not use a minnow seine, cast net, or shad scoop for
be less than 12 inches.
bait collecting within 1,000 yards downstream of the Rend Lake Dam
and Spillway.

10
 SITE SPECIFIC SPORTFISHING REGULATIONS DEFINITIONS
23) Daily harvest limit for black, white or hybrid crappies, singly or in the 40) The 48 inch total length limit on pure muskellunge applies to that body
aggregate, shall not exceed 20 fish, no more than 10 of which may be of water listed as well as any tailwaters as defined below:
less than 10 inches in total length and no more than 10 of which may
be greater than or equal to10 inches in total length. Evergreen Lake (McLean County) – including the portion of Six Mile
Creek below the Evergreen Lake Dam downstream to its confluence
24) 15 inch minimum length limit for walleye with no possession of walleye with the Mackinaw River.
greater than or equal to 20 inches and less than 27 inches in total
length − protected slot length limit. Fox Chain O’Lakes (Lake/McHenry Counties) – including the Fox River
south of the Wisconsin-Illinois boundary to the McHenry Dam and the
25) Daily harvest limit for largemouth or smallmouth bass, singly or in the Nippersink Creek upstream to the Wilmot Road Bridge.
aggregate, shall not exceed three fish per day, no more than one of
which may greater than or equal to 15 inches in total length and no Kinkaid Lake (Jackson County) – including the portion of Kinkaid Creek
more than two of which may be less than 15 inches in total length. below the Kinkaid Lake Dam downstream to the Route 149 Bridge.

26) Lake Vermilion – Trotline and jug fishing allowed north of Boiling Lake Shelbyville (Moultrie/Shelby Counties) – including the portion of
Springs Road. the Kaskaskia River below the Lake Shelbyville Dam downstream to
the State Route 128 Road Bridge near Cowden.
27) Bank fishing is prohibited. Boat fishing is permitted May 1 through
August 31 during the hours of 2:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. See site for Otter Lake (Macoupin County) – including the portion of Otter Creek below
additional regulations and exact opening and closing dates. Otter Lake Dam downstream to its confluence with East Otter Creek.

28) Trotlines may be set within 300 feet from shore. Pierce Lake (Winnebago County) – including the portion of Willow
Creek below the Pierce Lake Dam downstream to Forest Hills Road.
29) Carp, buffalo, suckers and carpsuckers may be taken by means of
pitchfork and gigs (no bow and arrow devices). 41) It shall be unlawful to enter upon areas designated as waterfowl
hunting areas during the 10 days prior to the start of the regular duck
30) Fishing is permitted from March 15 through September 30, both dates season, or to fish on such areas during the regular duck season except
inclusive, from sunrise to sunset. Fishing during all other times of the in areas posted as open to fishing. It shall be unlawful to enter upon
year is illegal and not permitted. areas designated as waterfowl rest areas or refuges from 10 days prior
to the start of the regular duck season through the end of duck and
31) Daily harvest limit for largemouth or smallmouth bass, singly or in the Canada goose season.
aggregate, shall not exceed three fish daily, no more than one of which
may be greater than or equal to 15 inches in total length and no more 42) During duck season, walk-in only access for fishing from the bank is
than two of which may be less than 12 inches in total length. permitted after 1:00 p.m.
32) Daily harvest limit of striped bass, white bass, yellow bass and hybrid 43) When using live bait, all live bait in excess of 8 inches in total length
striped bass, singly or in the aggregate, shall not exceed four fish per shall be rigged with a quick set rig. The hook shall be immediately set
day, which must be greater than or equal to 15 inches in total length. upon the strike. A quick set rig is defined as follows: a live bait rig with
up to two treble hooks attached anywhere on the live bait; single hooks
33) It shall be unlawful to trespass upon a designated waterfowl hunting are prohibited. This subsection (b)(43) does not apply to trotlines, jug
area during the seven days prior to the regular duck season, or to fish lines, etc., if allowed on the lake.
on such areas during the regular duck and Canada goose season
except in areas posted as open to fishing. It shall be unlawful to 44) Sport fishermen may harvest carp from boat by bow and arrow and
trespass upon areas designated as waterfowl rest areas or refuges bow and arrow devices, but not within 150 feet of any developed
from two weeks prior to the start of the regular duck season through recreation areas.
the end of duck and Canada goose season.
45) Sport fishermen may harvest carp, buffalo, suckers and gar by bow
34) Sport fishermen may harvest carp, buffalo, suckers and gar by bow and arrow devices, gigs or spears (except during waterfowl season)
and arrow or bow and arrow devices, gigs or spears from May 1 but not within 200 yards of any developed recreational areas.
through August 31.
46) Daily harvest limit for largemouth and smallmouth bass, either singly or
35) 14 inch minimum length limit for walleye, sauger or hybrid walleye, in the aggregate, shall not exceed three fish, no more than one of
either singly or in the aggregate, with no possession of fish greater which may be greater than or equal to 18 inches in total length and two
than or equal to 18 inches and less than 24 inches in total length. may be less than 12 inches.
There is a four fish daily harvest limit of which only one can be greater
than or equal to 24 inches in total length. 47) 14 inch minimum length limit for walleye, sauger or hybrid walleye,
either singly or in the aggregate with no possession of fish greater than
36) Sport fishermen may not use a minnow seine, minnow trap, cast net or or equal to18 inches or less than 26 inches in total length. There is a
shad scoop for bait collecting in the following water areas: three fish daily harvest limit of which only one fish can be greater than
or equal to 26 inches in total length.
Charleston Lower Channel Lake tailwaters from that portion of the
Embarras River from the Charleston Lower Channel Lake Dam 48) Sport fishermen may harvest carp, buffalo, suckers and gar by bow and
downstream to the Route 130 Bridge. arrow or bow and arrow devices, gigs or spears, except when closed
under site regulations (17 Ill. Adm. Code 110) and posted on site.
Clinton Lake tailwaters from that portion of Salt Creek from the Clinton
Dam downstream to the Route 10 Bridge. 49) Length limit regulation exemptions for fishing tournaments may be
allowed for any fish species found in water body.
Cook County Forest Preserve District Waters (except in the Des
Plaines River). 50) Daily harvest limit for largemouth or smallmouth bass, singly or in the
aggregate, shall not exceed 3 fish daily, no more than one of which
Lake Decatur tailwaters from that portion of the Sangamon River from may be greater than or equal to 18 inches in total length and no more
the Lake Decatur Dam downstream to the Route 48 Bridge. than 2 of which may be less than 14 inches in total length.
37) Daily harvest limit for smallmouth bass shall not exceed three fish, no 51) Lake Decatur, (including all boundaries within the City of Decatur)
more than one of which may be greater than or equal to 18 inches in from the dam to the Sangamon River at Macon County Highway 25
total length and two may be less than 12 inches in total length. (North Oakley Road) and the area west of Baltimore Ave. Does not
include the tailwater.
38) Daily harvest limit for largemouth and smallmouth bass, either singly or
in the aggregate, shall not exceed six fish, no more than one of which 52) Daily harvest for muskellunge shall not exceed 1 fish greater than or
may be greater than or equal to 18 inches in total length and five may equal to 36 inches, but less than 42 inches, or 1 fish greater than or
be less than 14 inches. equal to 48 inches in total length.
39) Powerton Lake shall be closed to boat traffic, except for legal waterfowl 53) The daily harvest limit for yellow perch shall not exceed 15 fish in the
hunters, from one week prior to regular waterfowl season to February combined waters of Lake Michigan, Calumet River and Chicago River,
15, and closed to all unauthorized entry during the regular goose and including its North Branch, South Branch and the North Shore Channel.
duck season.
11
 COUNTY LISTING OF ILLINOIS WATERS: Locations by County
Statewide Sportfishing Regulations are enforced in addition to each area’s Site Specific Regulations
COUNTY WATER AREA COUNTY WATER AREA

Adams Arrowhead Heights Lake Germantown Lake

Siloam Springs Lake Homer Guthrie Pond – Eldon Hazlet State Park
Alexander Horseshoe Lake – Alexander Co. Clinton/Bond/
Fayette Carlyle Lake
Bond Governor Bond Lake
Coles Campus Pond – Eastern Illinois University
Patriot's Park Lake
Charleston Lower Channel Lake
Pocahontas Park Ponds
Charleston Side Channel Lake
Boone Belvidere Ponds
Coles County Airport Lake
Blue Pond
Fox Ridge State Park (see also Hurricane Pond,
Little Casters Pond Wilderness Pond and Ridge Lake)
Island Pond Hurricane Pond
Mill Race Ponds Lake Mattoon
Spencer Lake Lake Paradise
Brown Mt. Sterling Lake Lincoln Log Cabin Pond
Siloam Springs State Park Buckhorn Unit Waters Oakland City Lake
Bureau Donnelley State Wildlife Area Ridge Lake
Hormel Pond Wilderness Pond
Mautino Fish and Wildlife Area Cook Auburn Park Lagoon
Calhoun Batchtown Wildlife Management Area Axehead Lake
Calhoun Point Wildlife Management Area Beck Lake
Fuller Lake Belleau Lake
Godar-Diamond/Hurricane Island Wildlife Bullfrog Lake
Management Area
Busse Lake
Helmbold Slough
Calumet River
Red’s Landing Wildlife Management Area Cermack Quarry
Riprap Landing Chicago River (including its North Branch, South Branch,
Cass Jim Edgar/Panther Creek Fish and Wildlife Area – and the North Shore Channel)
Drake Lake Columbus Park Lagoon
Jim Edgar/Panther Creek Fish and Wildlife Area, Prairie Commissioners Park Pond
Lake and all Ponds
Cook Co. Forest Preserve District Lakes
Jim Edgar/Panther Creek Fish and Wildlife Area, Gridley
Road Lake Des Plaines River Basin (Hoffman Dam to 47 Street
Bridge, including tributaries)
Meredosia Lake – Cass County Portion
Douglas Park Lagoon
Meredosia Lake – Cass County Portion Only (meandered
waters only) Flatfoot Lake
Champaign Champaign Park District Lakes (Kaufman Lake, Heritage Garfield Park Lagoon
Lake, and Mattis Lake) Gompers Park Lagoon
Crystal Lake Heritage Quarries
Homer Lake Horsetail Lake
Lake of the Woods & Elk’s Pond Humbolt Park Lagoon
Middle Fork Forest Preserve Pond Jackson Park (Columbia Basin) Lagoon
River Bend Forest Preserve Lakes (Sunset Lake and Lake Opeka
Shadow Lake) Lake Owen
Christian Kincaid City Reservoir Lake Shermerville
Lake Taylorville Lincoln Park North Lagoon
Taylorville Park District Pond Lincoln Park South Lagoon
Christian/Sangamon Sangchris Lake Maple Lake
Clark Casey Park Pond Marquette Park Lagoon
Lincoln Trail Lake McKinley Park Lagoon
Mill Creek Lake Palmissano Pond (Stern’s Park Quarry)
Clay Charlie Brown Lake & Pond Riis Park Lagoon
Clinton Breese JC’s Park Pond Sag Quarry East
Eldon Hazlet State Park (See Also Carlyle Lake) Schiller Pond
Sherman Park Lagoon

NOTE: EXPLANATIONS FOR NUMBERS CONTAINED IN PARENTHESIS ARE FOUND ON PAGES 10 AND 11

12
 COUNTY LISTING OF ILLINOIS WATERS: Locations by County
Statewide Sportfishing Regulations are enforced in addition to each area’s Site Specific Regulations
COUNTY WATER AREA COUNTY WATER AREA

Skokie Lagoons Fulton County Camping and Recreation Area Waters

Tampier Lake Rice Lake Fish and Wildlife Area
Wampum Lake Gallatin Omaha City Reservoir
Washington Park Lagoon Omaha Township Reservoir
William W. Powers Conservation Area Shawnee National Forest – Pounds Hollow Lake
Wolf Lake, William W. Powers Conservation Area Greene Roodhouse Park Lake
Crawford Crawford Co. State Fish and Wildlife Area – Picnic Pond Greenfield City Lake
Crawford Co. State Fish and Wildlife Area Ponds White Hall City Lake
Oblong Lake Grundy Heidecke Lake (41)
Cumberland Lake Mattoon Grundy/Kankakee/
Montrose Lake Will Mazonia Lakes & Ponds (excluding Ponderosa Lake)
Toledo Reservoir Grundy/LaSalle/
Will Illinois & Michigan Canal
DeKalb Shabbona Lake
Hamilton Dolan Lake
Storm Lake
McLeansboro City Lakes
DeWitt Clinton Lake
Hamilton/Jefferson Ten Mile Creek Lakes
Weldon Springs Lake
Hancock Carthage Lake
Douglas Tuscola City Lake
Horton Lake
Villa Grove East Lake
Hardin Shawnee National Forest – Tecumseh Lake
Villa Grove West Lake
Shawnee National Forest – Whoopie Cat Lake
Walnut Point Lake
Henderson Gladstone Lake
DuPage DuPage River – West Branch (between the dams
located in the McDowell Grove Forest Preserve and Henderson Creek State Fish and Wildlife Area
the Warrenville Grove Forest Preserve) Henry Andover Lake
Elliott Lake Johnson Sauk Trail Lake & Pond
Forest Preserve District of Dupage County Lakes and Ponds Iroquois Watseka City Ponds (Clements Pond, Kapers Pond and
Fox Valley Park District Lakes and Ponds Municipal Center Pond)
Mallard Lake Jackson and Union Giant City Park Ponds
Silver Lake Jackson Burning Star State Fish and Wildlife Area
Edgar Paris East & West Lakes Campbell Pond Wildlife Management Area
Edwards West Salem Reservoir Campus Lake – Southern Illinois University
Effingham Altamont Reservoir Carbondale City Reservoir
Dieterich Park Pond Cedar Lake and Little Cedar Lake
Lake Sara Kinkaid Lake
Fayette Lake Nellie Lake Murphysboro
Ramsey Lake Shawnee National Forest – Little Cedar Lake
Ramsey Lake State Park Ponds Shawnee National Forest – Turkey Bayou
Tower Lake (St. Elmo South Lake ) Jasper Newton Lake
Vandalia Lake Sam Parr Lake
Franklin and Jefferson Mt. Vernon City Park Lake
Jefferson Rend Lake Mt. Vernon Game Farm Pond
Rend Lake Project Ponds – Jackie Branch Pond, Ina N. Jersey Crull Impoundment Wildlife Management Area
Borrow Pit, Green Heron Pond, North Marcum Glades − 12 Mile Island Wildlife Management Area
Campground Pond
Stump Lake Wildlife Management Area
Franklin Buckner City Reservoir
Jo Daviess Apple River (within Apple River Canyon State Park and
Christopher Old City Lake Satellite Boundaries)
Sesser City Lake Apple River and tributaries
West Frankfort New City Lake Hanover Lake – Apple River Canyon State Park
West Frankfort Old City Lake Johnson Ferne Clyffe Lake
Fulton Anderson Lake Fish and Wildlife Area Shawnee National Forest – Dutchman Lake
Canton Lake Shawnee National Forest – Little Cache #1
Double “T” State Fish and Wildlife Area Johnson/Pulaski Cypress Creek National Wildlife Refuge − Cache River
Emiquon Preserve – Thompson Lake from Rt. 37 to Rt. 51 in Ullin

NOTE: EXPLANATIONS FOR NUMBERS CONTAINED IN PARENTHESIS ARE FOUND ON PAGES 10 AND 11

13
 COUNTY LISTING OF ILLINOIS WATERS: Locations by County
Statewide Sportfishing Regulations are enforced in addition to each area’s Site Specific Regulations
COUNTY WATER AREA COUNTY WATER AREA

Johnson/Pulaski/ Logan Ed Madigan State Park Pond

Union Cypress Creek National Wildlife Refuge − All Ponds Mt. Pulaski Park District Lake
Kane Forest Preserve District of Kane County lakes and Ponds Macon Decatur Park Dist. Ponds
Fox Valley Park District Lakes and Ponds Fairview Park – Dreamland Pond
Kankakee Bird Park Quarry Fletcher Park Pond
Eagle Lake Lake Decatur
Heiland Lakes Macon County Conservation District Ponds (see also Rock
Monster Lake Springs Pond and Rock Springs Bike Trail Pond)
Perry Farm Pond Rock Springs Bike Trail Pond
Rock Creek Rock Springs Pond
Ponderosa Lake Sportsman’s Club Pond
Wilderness Area Macoupin Beaver Dam Lake
Kendall Foli Park Pond Bunker Hill Lake
Kendall Co. Lake #1 Carlinville Lake #1
Silver Springs S.P. (Big Lake) & Ponds Carlinville Lake #2
Knox Buffalo Prairie Pheasant Habitat Area Lakes and Ponds Gillespie New City Lake
(Buffalo Lake South, Buffalo Lake North, Buffalo Pond Gillespie Old City Lake
Northwest, Buffalo Wetland)
Mt. Olive City Lakes (Old and New)
Lake Storey
Otter Lake
Snakeden Hollow State Fish and Wildlife Area – McMaster
Lake & Other Site Waters Palmyra – Modesto Water Commission Lake
Lake and McHenry Fox Chain O’Lakes (including the Fox River south of Staunton City Lake
the Wisconsin-Illinois boundary to the Algonquin Dam Madison Belk Park Pond
and the Nippersink Creek upstream to the Wilmot
Road Bridge) (6) (Applies to Grass Lake and Gordon F. More Park Lake
Nippersink Lake State Managed Blind Areas Only) Highland Old City Lake
Lake Banana Lake Horseshoe Lake − Madison County
Bevier Lagoon Marine Heritage Lake
Diamond Lake Silver Lake
Fox River Marina Tri-Township Park Pond
Gages Lake Madison/Jersey Piasa
Grayslake Park District (Grayslake and Park Ponds) Marion Boston Pond
Illinois Beach State Park Ponds Centralia Foundation Park Catfish Pond
Lake Co. Forest Preserve District Lakes (except Centralia Lake
Independence Grove Lake)
Forbes State Lake (including Forbes State Lake
Mundelein Park District Ponds tailwaters and that portion of Lost Fork Creek within
Sand Lake Stephen A. Forbes State Park)
Sterling Lake Forbes State Park Ponds
Turner Lake Kinmundy Reservoir
Valley Lake Old Kinmundy Reservoir
Lake/Cook Lake Michigan (Illinois Portion) Raccoon Lake
LaSalle Bakers Lake Salem Reservoir
Illinois River − Starved Rock Pool Marshall Marshall County Conservation Area – Sparland Unit
Lake Kakusha Marshall County Conservation Area (Fishing Ditch)
Lake Mendota Mason Chautauqua Lake North and South Pools
LaSalle Lake Mason/Cass/
Schuyler/Menard Sanganois Conservation Area (33) (42)
Matthiessen Lake
Starved Rock State Park Massac Fairgrounds Pond – Fort Massac State Park
Lawrence Embarras River Bottoms State Habitat Area Mermet State Lake
Red Hills Lake McDonough Argyle Lake
Lee Franklin Creek (within the boundaries of Franklin Creek Spring Lake
State Natural Area)
McHenry Defiance Lake
Franklin Creek Mill Pond − Franklin Creek State Park
Fox River (at Moraine Hills State Park and Dam and on

NOTE: EXPLANATIONS FOR NUMBERS CONTAINED IN PARENTHESIS ARE FOUND ON PAGES 10 AND 11

14
 COUNTY LISTING OF ILLINOIS WATERS: Locations by County
Statewide Sportfishing Regulations are enforced in addition to each area’s Site Specific Regulations
COUNTY WATER AREA COUNTY WATER AREA

Bolger Lock and Dam Properties) Rock River, Wisconsin State Line downstream to
Lake Atwood confluence of the Mississippi River, including
tributaries
McCullom Lake
Shawnee National Forest Lakes and Ponds less than
McHenry County Conservation District Lakes and Ponds 10 acres
Piscasaw Creek Ogle Lake Sule
Three Oaks South Lake Pine Creek
McLean Bloomington Park District Lakes (Anglers Lake, Holiday Pine Creek (within the boundaries of White Pines Forest
Lake, Miller Park Lake, Tipton Lake and White State Park)
Oaks Lake)
Spring Pond
Boyd-Wesley Park Pond
Peoria Charter Oak North – Peoria Park District Lake
Chenoa City Lake
Charter Oak South – Peoria Park District Pond
Dawson Lake & Park Ponds
Glen Oak Park Lagoon
Evergreen Lake
Jubilee College State Park Pond
Heyworth Centennial Lake
Peoria/Fulton Banner Marsh Lake & Ponds
Lake Bloomington
Perry DuQuoin City Lake
Miller Park Lake
DuQuoin State Fair Grounds – All Lakes and Ponds
Monroe Valmeyer Lake
Pinckneyville Lake
Montgomery Coffeen Lake
Pyramid State Park – Blue Wing Lake, Green Wing
Coffeen Upland Management Pond Lake, Goldeneye Lake and Mallard Lake
Glen Shoals Lake Pyramid State Park – Captain, Denmark, Galum and
Hillsboro Old City Lake East Conant Areas – All Lakes and Ponds except Blue
Wing Lake, Green Wing Lake, Goldeneye Lake and
Litchfield City Lake Mallard Lake
Lou Yeager Lake Pyramid State Park Lakes & Ponds (excluding Captain,
Walton Park Lake Denmark, Galum and East Conant Areas)
Morgan Ashland City Old Reservoir Pike Pittsfield City Lake
Ashland City Reservoir King Park Lagoon
Lake Jacksonville Pope Shawnee National Forest – Bay Creek Lake #5 and #8
(Sugar Creek Lake)
Mauvaise Terre/Morgan Lake
Shawnee National Forest – Lake Glendale
Waverly Lake
Shawnee National Forest – One Horse Gap Lake
Moultrie Woods Lake
Pulaski/Johnson Cache River State Natural Area
Wyman Lake
Putnam Hennepin-Hopper Lakes
Moultrie/Shelby Lake Shelbyville – U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Project Ponds and Lake Shelbyville State Fish and Randolph Baldwin Lake
Wildlife Management Area Ponds Coulterville City Lake
Lake Shelbyville (21) Randolph County Lake
Multiple Fox River, Algonquin Dam to confluence with the Route 154 Day Use Pond
Illinois River, including tributaries
Sparta “T” Lake
Hennepin Canal – Mainline & Feeder
Sparta City Lakes
Illinois River
Sparta City Reservoir (South)
Iroquois & Kankakee Rivers and their Tributaries
Sparta World Shooting and Recreational Complex −
Kankakee River (from the Kankakee Dam to the mouth Derby Lake
of the Kankakee River, including tributaries)
Sparta World Shooting and Recreational Complex Lakes
Kankakee-Iroquois Rivers and their Tributaries
Turkey Bluff Ponds
Kishwaukee River and South Branch of Kishwaukee
River and Tributaries Richland Borah Lake
Mississippi River (between IL & IA) East Fork Lake
Mississippi River (between IL & MO) Vernor Lake
Mississippi River Pools 16, 17, 18, 21, 22, 24 Rock Island Lake George
Mississippi River Pools 25 and 26 Prospect Pond
Ohio River – Smithland Pool Tributary Streams (in Pope/ Riverside Park Lagoon
Hardin/Gallatin Counties, excluding Wabash River and Rock River, from the Sears and Steel Dam downstream
Saline River Above Route 1 Bridge) to confluence of the Mississippi River
Ohio River (between Illinois & Kentucky) Saline Harrisburg New City Reservoir

NOTE: EXPLANATIONS FOR NUMBERS CONTAINED IN PARENTHESIS ARE FOUND ON PAGES 10 AND 11

15
 COUNTY LISTING OF ILLINOIS WATERS: Locations by County
Statewide Sportfishing Regulations are enforced in addition to each area’s Site Specific Regulations
COUNTY WATER AREA COUNTY WATER AREA

Jones Lake Trout Pond Wabash Beall Woods Lake

Jones State Lake Warren Citizen’s Lake
Sahara Woods Fish and Wildlife Area Washington Nashville City Lake
Sangamon Conservation World Ponds Washington County Lake
Illinois Department of Transportation Lake Wayne Sam Dale Lake
Lake Springfield Sam Dale Trout Pond
Lake Williamsville White Burrells Wood Park Pond
Loami Reservoir Norris City Reservoir
Mechanicsburg Park Pond Whiteside Carlton Silt Basin
Rochester Park Pond Centennial Park Pond
Southwind Park Pond Lake Carlton
Washington Park Pond Lake Sinnissippi
Schuyler Schuy-Rush Lake Will Braidwood Lake, Braidwood State Fish and Wildlife
Weinberg-King Pond Area (41)
Shelby and Indian Boundary South Pond
Christian Pana Lake Lake Chaminwood
Shelby Forest Park Lagoon Lake Milliken
Hidden Springs State Forest Pond Lake Strini
Lake Mattoon Monee Reservoir
St. Clair Peabody River King, Pit #3 Lakes and Ponds (see also Route 6 Quarries (East and West)
Willow Lake for additional regulations)
Turtle Lake (East Lake Renwick)
Frank Holten Lakes
Vanhorn Woods Pond
Jones Park Lake
Whalon Lake
Marissa City Lake
Woodlawn Pond
Mascoutah Reservoir
Williamson Arrowhead Lake
Willow Lake
Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge – Crab
Kaskaskia River Fish and Wildlife Area – Doza Creek Orchard Lake
Wildlife Management Area
Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge – Devil’s
Stephenson Lake Le-Aqua-Na Kitchen Lake
Lake Le-Aqua-Na Kids Only Fishing Pond Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge – Little Grassy
Mill Pond Lake
Waddams Creek Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge – Visitors Pond
Yellow Creek Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge Restricted Use
Area Ponds (30), except Visitor Pond, and Crab
Tazewell Bowen Lake Orchard National Wildlife Refuge − All Other Ponds
Mackinaw Ponds 1 and 2 Herrin Lake #1
Mineral Springs Park Lagoon Herrin Lake #2
Powerton Lake Winnebago Baumann Park Lake
Spring Lakes (North & South) Four Lakes
Union Anna City Lake Kent Creek
Dongola City Lake Lake Victoria
Union County Fish and Wildlife Area – All lakes and ponds Levings Lake
Vermilion Clear Lake Olson Lake
Kickapoo State Park Lakes & Pond Pierce Lake
Lake Mingo & Kennekuk Cove Park Ponds Winnebago/
Lake Vermilion Stephenson Pecatonica River and Tributaries
Middle Fork of the Vermilion River Woodford Lake Eureka
Tilton City Lake Woodford County Conservation Area (Fishing Ditch)

NOTE: EXPLANATIONS FOR NUMBERS CONTAINED IN PARENTHESIS ARE FOUND ON PAGES 10 AND 11

16
 SITE SPECIFIC SPORTFISHING REGULATIONS
Statewide Sportfishing Regulations are enforced in addition to each area’s Site Specific Regulations
WATER AREA OWNERSHIP COUNTY FISH SPECIES REGULATION / HARVEST LIMIT
Altamont Reservoir City of Altamont Effingham Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit

Anderson Lake Fish State of Illinois Fulton Recreational Use Restrictions (33)
and Wildlife Area Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 12 inch Minimum Length limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Andover Lake City of Andover Henry All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Anna City Lake City of Anna Union All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Bluegill or Redear Sunfish . . . . . . . 8 inch Minimum Length Limit
Bluegill or Redear Sunfish (14) . . . 10 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Apple River State of Illinois Jo Daviess All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
(within Apple River Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Catch and Release Fishing Only (9)
Canyon State Park and Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spring Closed Season; Catch and
Satellite Boundaries) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Release Fishing is permitted (9) (11)
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fall Closed Season; Catch and Release
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fishing is permitted (9) (10)

Argyle Lake Argyle Lake McDonough All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
State Park Bluegill or Redear Sunfish (14) . . . 25 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Hybrid Walleye . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass (14). . . . Protected Slot Length Limit; 14-18 inches
Pure Muskellunge. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 inch Minimum Length Limit
Recreational Use Restrictions . . . . All live bait greater than 8 inch must be
rigged with a quick set rig (43)
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fall Closed Season (10)
White, Black, or Hybrid
Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Fish Daily Harvest Limit with no more
than 10 Fish greater than or equal to 10
inches

Arrowhead Heights Lake Village of Adams Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Camp Point All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit

Arrowhead Lake City of Johnston City Williamson Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . . Protected Slot Length Limit with one Fish
greater than or equal to 15 inches and/or
2 fish less than 12 inches Daily (31)
All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
White, Black, or Hybrid
Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Ashland City Old City of Ashland Morgan All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Reservoir Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Ashland City Reservoir City of Ashland Morgan All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Bluegill or Redear Sunfish (14) . . . 10 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Auburn Park Lagoon Chicago Park Cook All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
District Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Axehead Lake Cook County Cook All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1) (36)
Forest Preserve Bluegill, Redear, or Pumpkinseed
Sunfish (14) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fall Closed Season (10)
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spring Closed Season (11)
White, Black, or Hybrid
Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

NOTE: EXPLANATIONS FOR NUMBERS CONTAINED IN PARENTHESIS ARE FOUND ON PAGES 10 AND 11

17
 SITE SPECIFIC SPORTFISHING REGULATIONS
Statewide Sportfishing Regulations are enforced in addition to each area’s Site Specific Regulations
WATER AREA OWNERSHIP COUNTY FISH SPECIES REGULATION / CREEL LIMIT
Bakers Lake City of Peru LaSalle Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit

Baldwin Lake Baldwin Lake Randolph Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 18 inch Minimum Length Limit
Conservation Area Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1) (5)
Striped, White, or Hybrid Striped
Bass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 inch Minimum Length Limit
Striped, White, or Hybrid Striped
Bass (16) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
White, Black, or Hybrid Crappie . . . . 9 inch Minimum Length Limit
White, Black, or Hybrid
Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Banana Lake Lake County Forest Lake Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Preserve District All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fall Closed Season (10)
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spring Closed Season (11)

Banner Marsh Lake Banner Marsh State Peoria/Fulton Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . Protected Slot Length Limit; 12-18 inches
& Ponds Fish and Wildlife Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Area (33) Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Pure Muskellunge. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 inch Minimum Length Limit
Recreational Use Restriction . . . . . . Waterfowl Refuge or Hunting Area (33)
Recreational Use Restrictions . . . . All live bait greater than 8 inches must
be rigged with a quick set rig (43)
White, Black, or Hybrid Crappie . . . . 25 Fish Daily Harvest Limit with no more
than10 Fish greater than or equal to
10 inches
All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1) (34)

Batchtown Wildlife State of Illinois Calhoun Recreational Use Restriction . . . . . . Waterfowl Refuge or Hunting Area (19)
Management Area

Baumann Park Lake City of Cherry Valley Winnebago Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fall Closed Season (10)
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spring Closed Season (11)

Beall Woods Lake Beall Woods Wabash All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Conservation Area Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fall Closed Season (10)
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spring Closed Season (11)

Beaver Dam Lake Beaver Dam Macoupin Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
State Park All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Bluegill or Redear Sunfish (14) . . . 25 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fall Closed Season (10)
White, Black, or Hybrid Crappie . . . . 9 inch Minimum Length Limit
White, Black, or Hybrid
Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Beck Lake Cook County Forest Cook All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1) (36)
Preserve District Bluegill, Redear, or
Pumpkinseed Sunfish (14) . . . . . . . 15 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit
Walleye, Sauger, or Hybrid
Walleye. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 inch Minimum Length Limit
White, Black, or Hybrid
Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

NOTE: EXPLANATIONS FOR NUMBERS CONTAINED IN PARENTHESIS ARE FOUND ON PAGES 10 AND 11

18
 SITE SPECIFIC SPORTFISHING REGULATIONS
Statewide Sportfishing Regulations are enforced in addition to each area’s Site Specific Regulations
WATER AREA OWNERSHIP COUNTY FISH SPECIES REGULATION / CREEL LIMIT
Belk Park Pond City of Wood River Madison All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Bluegill or Redear Sunfish (14) . . . 25 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fall Closed Season (10)
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spring Closed Season (11)

Belleau Lake Cook County Forest Cook All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1) (36)
Preserve District Bluegill, Redear, or
Pumpkinseed Sunfish (14) . . . . . . . 15 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fall Closed Season (10)
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spring Closed Season (11)
White, Black, or Hybrid
Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Belvidere Ponds City of Belvidere Boone Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit

Bevier Lagoon Waukegan Park Lake All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
District Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Bird Park Quarry City of Kankakee Kankakee Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fall Closed Season (10)
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spring Closed Season (11)

Blandinsville North and Village of McDonough All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
South Ponds Blandinsville Large and Smallmouth Bass . . . . . 1 Fish greater than or equal to 15 inches
and/or 2 Fish less than 12 inches (31)
3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Bloomington Park District City of Bloomington McLean Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Lakes (Anglers Lake, All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Holiday Lake, Miller Park Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Lake, Tipton Lake and Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit
White Oaks Lake)

Blue Pond Boone County Boone Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Conservation All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
District Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit

Borah Lake City of Olney Richland All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Bluegill or Redear Sunfish (14) . . . 25 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit

Boston Pond Stephen A. Forbes Marion Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fall Closed Season (10)
State Park Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spring Closed Season (11)

Bowen Lake City of Washington Tazewell Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . Protected Slot Length Limit with no pos-
session of fish less than 15 inches and
greater than or equal to 12 inches (3)
Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Boyd-Wesley Park Pond Village of Towanda McLean Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Bluegill or Redear Sunfish (14) . . . 10 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit

Braidwood Lake, State of Illinois Will Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit
Braidwood State Fish Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
and Wildlife Area (41) All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Recreational Use Restrictions . . . . Braidwood Lake is closed to all fishing
and boat traffic, except for legal water-
fowl hunters, from 10 days prior to duck
season through the day before duck
season and is closed to all fishing
during waterfowl season commencing
with regular duck season through the

NOTE: EXPLANATIONS FOR NUMBERS CONTAINED IN PARENTHESIS ARE FOUND ON PAGES 10 AND 11

19
 SITE SPECIFIC SPORTFISHING REGULATIONS
Statewide Sportfishing Regulations are enforced in addition to each area’s Site Specific Regulations
WATER AREA OWNERSHIP COUNTY FISH SPECIES REGULATION / CREEL LIMIT
close of the Canada goose and regular
duck season.
Striped, White or Hybrid Striped
Bass (16) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Fish Daily Harvest with no more than 3
fish greater than or equal to 17 inches (17)

Breese JC’s Park Pond City of Breese Clinton Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit

Buckner City Reservoir City of Buckner Franklin All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit

Buffalo Prairie Pheasant State of Illinois Knox Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . Protected Slot Length Limit; 14-18 inches
Habitat Area Lakes and Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Ponds (Buffalo Lake All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
South, Buffalo Lake North, Bluegill or Redear Sunfish (14) . . . 25 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Buffalo Pond Northwest, White, Black, or Hybrid
Buffalo Wetland) Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Fish Daily Harvest Limit with no more
than10 Fish greater than or equal to
10 inches
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Pure Muskellunge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Harvestable Slot Length Limit; 36-42
inches, or 48 inch Minimum
Walleye, Sauger or their Hybrid . . . . 3 Fish Daily harvest limit

Bullfrog Lake Cook County Forest Cook All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1) (36)
Preserve District Bluegill, Redear, or Pumpkinseed
Sunfish (14) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit
White, Black, or Hybrid
Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Bunker Hill Lake City of Bunker Hill Macoupin All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1) (36)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Burning Star State State of Illinois Jackson All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1) (5)
Fish and Wildlife Area, Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
All lakes and ponds Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . Protected Slot Length Limit with 1 Fish
greater than or equal to 18 inches and
5 Fish less than 14 inches (38)
Bluegill or Redear Sunfish (14) . . . 25 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
White, Black, or Hybrid
Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Recreational Use Restrictions . . . . Waterfowl Refuge or Hunting Area (all
use other than waterfowl hunting prohib-
ited from November 1 through last day
in February.

Burrells Wood Park Pond State of Illinois White Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Busse Lake (including Cook County Forest Cook All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1) (36)
Busse Lake Spillway and Preserve Bluegill, Redear, or Pumpkinseed
Salt Creek downstream to Sunfish (14) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Arlington Heights Road) Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit
Recreational Use Restrictions . . . . All live bait greater than 8 inches must
be rigged with a quick set rig (43)
Walleye, Sauger, or Hybrid
Walleye. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 inch Minimum Length Limit
White, Black, or Hybrid
Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Muskellunge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 inch Minimum Length Limit
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fall Closed Season (10)

Cache River State State of Illinois Pulaski/Johnson All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1) (5)
Natural Area All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No Seines
Recreational Use Restrictions . . . . Waterfowl Refuge or Hunting Area; no
fishing in Nature Preserves – Section 8
Woods, Heron Pond/Little Black Slough

NOTE: EXPLANATIONS FOR NUMBERS CONTAINED IN PARENTHESIS ARE FOUND ON PAGES 10 AND 11

20
 SITE SPECIFIC SPORTFISHING REGULATIONS
Statewide Sportfishing Regulations are enforced in addition to each area’s Site Specific Regulations
WATER AREA OWNERSHIP COUNTY FISH SPECIES REGULATION / CREEL LIMIT
Calhoun Point Wildlife State of Illinois Calhoun Recreational Use Restriction . . . . . . Waterfowl Refuge or Hunting Area (19)
Management Area

Calumet River State of Illinois Cook Yellow Perch (53) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Yellow Perch. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Closed May 1 through June 15

Campbell Pond Wildlife State of Illinois Jackson Recreational Use Restriction . . . . . . Waterfowl Refuge or Hunting Area (19)
Management Area

Campus Lake – Southern State of Illinois Jackson All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Illinois University Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Campus Pond – Eastern State of Illinois Coles All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Illinois University Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fall Closed Season (10)
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spring Closed Season (11)

Canton Lake City of Canton Fulton Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel or Blue Catfish (14) . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit
Pure Muskellunge. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 inch Minimum Length Limit
Recreational Use Restriction . . . . . All live bait greater than 8 inches must
be rigged with a quick set rig (43)

Carbondale City City of Carbondale Jackson All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only
Reservoir Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit

Carlinville Lake #1 City of Carlinville Macoupin All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Carlinville Lake #2 City of Carlinville Macoupin All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Carlton Silt Basin State of Illinois Whiteside Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . Catch and Release Fishing Only (9)
All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Bluegill or Redear Sunfish . . . . . . . 8 inch Minimum Length Limit
Bluegill or Redear Sunfish (14) . . . 10 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Carlyle Lake U.S. Army Corps of Clinton/Bond/ Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit
Engineers Fayette Recreational Use Restriction . . . . . Waterfowl Refuge or Hunting Area
(20) (33)
White, Black, or Hybrid Crappie . . . . 10 inch Minimum Length Limit
White, Black, or Hybrid
Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Carthage Lake City of Carthage Hancock All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Casey Park Pond City of Casey Clark Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 18 inch Minimum Length Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Bluegill or Redear Sunfish (14) . . . 15 Fish Daily Harvest Limit of which
only 5 fish may be greater than or
equal to 8 inches
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fall Closed Season (10)
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spring Closed Season (11)

Cedar Lake and Little U.S. Forest Service Jackson Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . Protected Slot Length Limit with 1 Fish
Cedar Lake and City of greater than or equal to 18 inches and/or
Carbondale 5 Fish less than 14 inches (38)
All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1) (5)
Striped, White, or Hybrid Striped
Bass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 inch Minimum Length Limit
Striped, White, or Hybrid Striped
Bass (16) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
White, Black, or Hybrid
Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

NOTE: EXPLANATIONS FOR NUMBERS CONTAINED IN PARENTHESIS ARE FOUND ON PAGES 10 AND 11

21
 SITE SPECIFIC SPORTFISHING REGULATIONS
Statewide Sportfishing Regulations are enforced in addition to each area’s Site Specific Regulations
WATER AREA OWNERSHIP COUNTY FISH SPECIES REGULATION / CREEL LIMIT
Centennial Park Pond Coloma Township Whiteside Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fall Closed Season (10)
Park District Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spring Closed Season (11)

Centralia Foundation Centralia Park Marion All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Park Catfish Pond Foundation Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Centralia Lake City of Centralia Marion Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit

Cermack Quarry Cook County Forest Cook All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1) (36)
Preserve District Bluegill, Redear, or Pumpkinseed
Sunfish (14) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit
White, Black, or Hybrid
Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spring Closed Season (11)

Champaign Park District Champaign Park Champaign Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Lakes (Kaufman Lake, District All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Heritage Lake, Mattis Bluegill or Redear Sunfish (14) . . . 15 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Lake and Porter Lake) Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit
Trout (Kaufman Lake) . . . . . . . . . . Fall Closed Season (10)
Trout (Kaufman Lake) . . . . . . . . . . Spring Closed Season (11)

Charleston Lower City of Charleston Coles All Fish. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1) (5) (36)
Channel Lake

Charleston Side Channel City of Charleston Coles All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1) (5)
Lake Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit
Striped, White, or Hybrid Striped
Bass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 inch Minimum Length Limit
Striped, White, or Hybrid Striped
Bass (16) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
White, Black, or Hybrid
Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Fish Daily Harvest Limit for Fish less
than 10 inches; 10 Fish Daily Harvest
Limit for Fish greater than or equal to
10 inches (23)

Charlie Brown Lake City of Flora Clay All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
& Pond Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit

Charter Oak North – Peoria Park District Peoria Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Peoria Park District Lake All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit

Charter Oak South – Peoria Park District Peoria Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Peoria Park District Pond All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit

Chautauqua Lake North U.S. Fish and Mason Largemouth Bass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 inch Minimum Length Limit
and South Pools Wildlife Service Recreational Use Restrictions . . . . Lake Chautauqua North and South
Pools will be closed to boat fishing from
October 6 through January 31. Bank
fishing will be allowed in selected areas
only. Ice fishing will be allowed following
the February 1 reopening.

Chenoa City Lake City of Chenoa McLean All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

BUY ILLINOIS FISHING LICENSES

NOTE: EXPLANATIONS FOR NUMBERS CONTAINED IN PARENTHESIS ARE FOUND ON PAGES 10 AND 11

22
 SITE SPECIFIC SPORTFISHING REGULATIONS
Statewide Sportfishing Regulations are enforced in addition to each area’s Site Specific Regulations
WATER AREA OWNERSHIP COUNTY FISH SPECIES REGULATION / CREEL LIMIT
Chicago River (including State of Illinois Cook Yellow Perch (53) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
its North Branch, South Yellow Perch. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Closed May 1 through June 15
Branch, and the North
Shore Channel)

Chillicothe Park District City of Chillicothe Peoria All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 18 inch Minimum Length Limit
1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Bluegill and Redear Sunfish (14) . . 25 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Christopher Old City Lake City of Christopher Franklin Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit

Citizen’s Lake City of Monmouth Warren Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . Protected Slot Length Limit with 1 Fish
greater than or equal to 15 inches and/or
5 less than 12 inches Daily (31)
6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Bluegill or Redear Sunfish (14) . . . 10 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fall Closed Season (10)

Clear Lake Kickapoo State Park Vermilion All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Bluegill or Redear Sunfish (14) . . . 10 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 1 Fish greater than or equal to 15 inches
and/or 2 Fish less than 15 inches
3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit (25)
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fall Closed Season (10)
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spring Closed Season (11)

Clinton Lake Clinton Lake State DeWitt Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 16 inch Minimum Length Limit
Recreation Area Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only(1) (2) (18) (36)
Striped, White, or Hybrid Striped
Bass (16) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Fish Daily Harvest Limit, with no more
than 3 Fish greater than or equal to 17
inches (17)
White, Black, or Hybrid Crappie . . . . 9 inch Minimum Length Limit
White, Black, or Hybrid
Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Walleye. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Walleye. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 inch Minimum Length Limit
Blue or Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . 10 Fish Daily Harvest Limit, singly or in
the aggregate

Coffeen Lake Coffeen Lake State Montgomery Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit
Fish and Wildlife Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Area Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . All jugs must be attended at all times
while fishing (2)
White, Black, or Hybrid Crappie . . . . 10 inch Minimum Length Limit
White, Black, or Hybrid
Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Coffeen Upland Coffeen Lake State Montgomery All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Management Pond Fish and Wildlife Bluegill or Redear Sunfish . . . . . . . 10 Fish Daily Harvest Limit (14)
Area Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 18˝ Minimum Length Limit
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Coles County Airport Coles County Airport Coles Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . Protected Slot Length Limit with only 1
Lake Fish greater than or equal to 18 inches
and 2 Fish less than 14 inches
3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit (50)
All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

NOTE: EXPLANATIONS FOR NUMBERS CONTAINED IN PARENTHESIS ARE FOUND ON PAGES 10 AND 11

23
 SITE SPECIFIC SPORTFISHING REGULATIONS
Statewide Sportfishing Regulations are enforced in addition to each area’s Site Specific Regulations
WATER AREA OWNERSHIP COUNTY FISH SPECIES REGULATION / CREEL LIMIT
Columbus Park Lagoon Chicago Park District Cook All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Commissioners Alsip Park District Cook All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Park Pond Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Conservation World Illinois State Sangamon Fishing by special permit only for senior groups, children’s groups or group
Ponds Fairgrounds guests of the Director. Apply for permit by writing to: Department of Natural
Resources, Division of Fisheries, One Natural Resources Way, Springfield
IL 62702

Cook Co. Forest Preserve Cook County Forest Cook All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1) (36)
District Lakes Preserve District Bluegill, Redear, or Pumpkinseed
Sunfish (14) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit
Walleye, Sauger, or Hybrid
Walleye. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 inch Minimum Length Limit
White, Black, or Hybrid
Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Coulterville City Lake City of Coulterville Randolph All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Crab Orchard National U.S. Fish and Williamson Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 16 inch Minimum Length Limit
Wildlife Refuge – Crab Wildlife Service Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Orchard Lake All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1) (4)

Crab Orchard National U.S. Fish and Williamson All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Wildlife Refuge – Devil’s Wildlife Service Bluegill or Redear Sunfish (14) . . . 25 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Kitchen Lake Bluegill or Redear Sunfish . . . . . . . 8 inch Minimum Length Limit

Crab Orchard National U.S. Fish and Williamson All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1) (5)
Wildlife Refuge – Little Wildlife Service Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Grassy Lake Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . Protected Slot Length Limit; 12-15
inches (3)
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Crab Orchard National U.S. Fish and Williamson Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 18 inch Minimum Length Limit
Wildlife Refuge – Visitors Wildlife Service Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Pond All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Crab Orchard National U.S. Fish and Williamson Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 16 inch Minimum Length Limit
Wildlife Refuge Restricted Wildlife Service Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Use Area Ponds (30), All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
except Visitor Pond, and Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Crab Orchard National
Wildlife Refuge – All Other
Ponds

Crawford County State Crawford County Crawford All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Fish and Wildlife Area – State Fish and Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Picnic Pond Wildlife Area Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fall Closed Season (10)

Crawford County State Crawford County Crawford All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Fish and Wildlife Area State Fish and Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Ponds Wildlife Area Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit

Crull Impoundment State of Illinois Jersey Recreational Use Restriction . . . . . . Waterfowl Refuge or Hunting Area (33)
Wildlife Management Area

Crystal Lake Urbana Park District Champaign All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Bluegill or Redear Sunfish (14) . . . 10 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit

Cypress Creek National U.S. Fish and Johnson/Pulaski/ All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Wildlife Refuge – All Wildlife Service Union Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Ponds Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit

NOTE: EXPLANATIONS FOR NUMBERS CONTAINED IN PARENTHESIS ARE FOUND ON PAGES 10 AND 11

24
 SITE SPECIFIC SPORTFISHING REGULATIONS
Statewide Sportfishing Regulations are enforced in addition to each area’s Site Specific Regulations
WATER AREA OWNERSHIP COUNTY FISH SPECIES REGULATION / CREEL LIMIT
Cypress Creek National U.S. Fish and Johnson/Pulaski/ All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Wildlife Refuge – Cache Wildlife Service Union All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No Seines
River from Rt. 37
to Rt. 51 in Ullin

Dawson Lake & Moraine View State McLean Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . No more than 1 fish greater than or
Park Ponds Park equal to 15 inches and 2 Fish less than
15 inches (25)
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit (25)
All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1) (44)
Bluegill or Redear Sunfish (14) . . . . 20 Fish Daily Harvest Limit, singly or in
the aggregate, with no more than 5 Fish
greater than or equal to 8 inches
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
White, Black, or Hybrid
Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Walleye, Sauger, or Hybrid
Walleye. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit with no
more than 1 Fish greater than or equal
to 20 inches; 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Decatur Park District Decatur Park District Macon All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Ponds (see Fairview Park Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
and Sportsman’s Club Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit (except for
Pond) Fairview Park – Dreamland Pond,
which has a 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit)
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit

Defiance Lake Moraine Hills State McHenry Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Park All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit

Des Plaines River Basin State of Illinois Cook Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . Catch and Release Only (9)
(former Hoffman Dam site Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
to 47th Street Bridge, Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit
including tributaries) Northern Pike . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Northern Pike . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 inch Minimum Length Limit
Walleye, Sauger, or Hybrid
Walleye. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 inch Minimum Length Limit
Walleye, Sauger, or Hybrid
Walleye (14) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
White, Black, or Hybrid
Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Diamond Lake City of Mundelein Lake Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit

Dieterich Park Pond City of Dieterich Effingham Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit

Dolan Lake Hamilton County Hamilton Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 18 inch Minimum Length Limit
Conservation Area Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Bluegill or Redear Sunfish (14) . . . 25 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
White, Black, or Hybrid
Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Fish Daily Harvest Limit with only 10
Fish greater than or equal to 10 inches

Dongola City Lake City of Dongola Union Largemouth Bass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 inch Minimum Length Limit
Largemouth Bass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Donnelley State Wildlife State of Illinois Bureau Recreational Use Restriction . . . . . . Waterfowl Refuge or Hunting Area (33)
Area

NOTE: EXPLANATIONS FOR NUMBERS CONTAINED IN PARENTHESIS ARE FOUND ON PAGES 10 AND 11

25
 SITE SPECIFIC SPORTFISHING REGULATIONS
Statewide Sportfishing Regulations are enforced in addition to each area’s Site Specific Regulations
WATER AREA OWNERSHIP COUNTY FISH SPECIES REGULATION / CREEL LIMIT
Double “T” State Fish State of Illinois Fulton Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 21 inch Minimum Length Limit
and Wildlife Area Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Bluegill or Redear Sunfish (14) . . . 25 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Channel or Blue Catfish . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Pure Muskellunge. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 inch Minimum Length Limit
Recreational Use Restrictions . . . . Waterfowl Refuge or Hunting Area (all
use other than waterfowl hunting is
prohibited from October 1 through the
end of the central zone Canada goose
season) All live bait greater than 8 inches
must be rigged with a quick set rig (43)
White, Black, or Hybrid Crappie . . . . 10 inch Minimum Length Limit
White, Black, or Hybrid
Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Douglas Park Lagoon Chicago Park District Cook All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

DuPage County Forest Forest Preserve DuPage All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Preserve District Lakes District of Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 inch Minimum Length Limit
and Ponds DuPage County Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . Protected Slot Length Limit with 1 Fish
greater than or equal to 18 inches and
3 Fish less than 14 inches
Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 4 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Pure Muskellunge. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 inch Minimum Length Limit
Walleye, Sauger, or Hybrid
Walleye. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 inch Minimum Length Limit
Walleye, Sauger, or Hybrid
Walleye (14) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
White, Black, or Hybrid
Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Bluegill or Redear Sunfish (14) . . . 25 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Yellow Perch. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 inch Minimum Length Limit
Yellow Perch. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

DuPage River – West DuPage County DuPage Large or Smallmouth Bass. . . . . . . Catch and Release Fishing Only (9)
Branch (between the Forest Preserve
former dam sites located District
in the McDowell Grove
Forest Preserve and the
Warrenville Grove Forest
Preserve)

DuQuoin City Lake City of DuQuoin Perry Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . Protected Slot Length Limit with only 1
Fish greater than or equal to 18 inches
and 5 Fish less than 14 inches (38)
Bluegill or Redear Sunfish (14) . . . 25 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
White, Black, or Hybrid
Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

DuQuoin State Fair State of Illinois Perry All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Grounds – All Lakes Bluegill or Redear Sunfish (14) . . . 25 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
and Ponds Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit

East Fork Lake City of Olney Richland All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Bluegill or Redear Sunfish (14) . . . 25 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit
White, Black, or Hybrid
Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Ed Madigan State Park State of Illinois Logan All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Pond Bluegill or Redear Sunfish (14) . . . 25 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 18 inch Minimum Length Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

NOTE: EXPLANATIONS FOR NUMBERS CONTAINED IN PARENTHESIS ARE FOUND ON PAGES 10 AND 11

26
 SITE SPECIFIC SPORTFISHING REGULATIONS
Statewide Sportfishing Regulations are enforced in addition to each area’s Site Specific Regulations
WATER AREA OWNERSHIP COUNTY FISH SPECIES REGULATION / CREEL LIMIT
Eldon Hazlet State Park State of Illinois Clinton Recreational Use Restriction . . . . . Waterfowl Refuge or Hunting Area
(See Also Carlyle Lake)

Elliott Lake Wheaton Park DuPage All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
District Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit

Embarras River Bottoms State of Illinois Lawrence All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1) (5)
State Habitat Area

Emiquon Preserve – The Nature Fulton Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 18 inch Minimum Length Limit
Thompson Lake Conservancy Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Black, White, or Hybrid Crappie . . . 9 inch Minimum Length Limit
Black, White, or Hybrid
Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Bluegill, Redear, Pumpkinseed,
Green, or Orangespotted Sunfish
and Hybrid Sunfish (14) . . . . . . . . . 25 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Walleye, Sauger, or Hybrid
Walleye. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit
Walleye, Sauger, or Hybrid
Walleye (14) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Evergreen Lake City of Bloomington McLean All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1) (5)
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit
3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Pure Muskellunge. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 inch Minimum Length Limit (40)
Recreational Use Restrictions . . . . All live bait greater than 8 inches must
be rigged with a quick set rig (43)
White, Black, or Hybrid
Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Walleye, Sauger, or Hybrid
Walleye. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 inch Minimum Length Limit
Walleye, Sauger, or Hybrid
Walleye (14) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Fairgrounds Pond – State of Illinois Massac Large or Smallmouth Bass. . . . . . . 18 inch Minimum Length Limit
Fort Massac State Park Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fall Closed Season (10)
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spring Closed Season (11)

Fairview Park – Decatur Park District Macon All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Dreamland Pond Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 14 inches Minimum Length Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Ferne Clyffe Lake Ferne Clyffe State Johnson All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Park Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fall Closed Season (10)
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spring Closed Season (11)

Flatfoot Lake Cook County Forest Cook All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1) (36)
Preserve District Bluegill, Redear, or
Pumpkinseed Sunfish (14) . . . . . . . 15 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit
White, Black, or Hybrid
Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Fletcher Park Pond City of Mt. Zion Macon Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 18 inch Minimum Length Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Bluegill or Redear Sunfish (14) . . . 5 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Foli Park Pond Village of Plano Kendall All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

NOTE: EXPLANATIONS FOR NUMBERS CONTAINED IN PARENTHESIS ARE FOUND ON PAGES 10 AND 11

27
 SITE SPECIFIC SPORTFISHING REGULATIONS
Statewide Sportfishing Regulations are enforced in addition to each area’s Site Specific Regulations
WATER AREA OWNERSHIP COUNTY FISH SPECIES REGULATION / CREEL LIMIT
Forbes State Lake Stephen A. Forbes Marion Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit
(including Forbes State State Park All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1) (5)
Lake tailwaters and that Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
portion of Lost Fork Creek Striped, White, or
within Stephen A. Forbes Hybrid Striped Bass . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 inch Minimum Length Limit
State Park) Striped, White, or Hybrid Striped
Bass (16) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Recreational Use Restriction . . . . . Waterfowl Refuge or Hunting Area (33)

Forbes State Park Ponds Stephen A. Forbes Marion All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1) (5)
State Park Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit

Forest Park Lagoon City of Shelbyville Shelby All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fall Closed Season (10)
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spring Closed Season (11)

Forest Preserve District Forest Preserve Kane Largemouth Bass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Protected Slot Length Limit with
of Kane County All Lakes District of . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . no more than 1 Fish greater than or
and Ponds Kane County . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . equal to 18 inches and 3 Fish less than
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 inches
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
White, Black or Hybrid
Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Bluegill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Catch and Release Fishing Only
Northern Pike . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 inch Minimum Length Limit
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Four Lakes Winnebago County Winnebago Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Forest Preserve All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fall Closed Season (10)
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spring Closed Season (11)

Fox Chain O’Lakes State of Illinois Lake and McHenry Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit of which no
(including the Fox River more than 3 can be Smallmouth Bass
south of the Wisconsin- All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1) only
Illinois boundary to the on State Park property bordering the
Algonquin Dam and the Fox River and Grass Lake
Nippersink Creek Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit (6)
upstream to the Wilmot Pure Muskellunge. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 inch Minimum Length Limit (40)
Road Bridge) (6) (Applies Recreational Use Restrictions . . . . All live bait greater than 8 inches must
to Grass Lake and be rigged with a quick set rig (43)
Nippersink Lake State Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . All fish must be immediately released
Managed Blind Areas between April 1 and June 15
Only) Walleye, Sauger, or Hybrid
Walleye. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit with an
18-24 inch Protected Slot Length Limit
(no possession) (6)
Walleye, Sauger, or Hybrid
Walleye (14) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Fish Daily Harvest Limit of which only 1
can be greater than 24 inches (35)
Flathead Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Fish greater than or equal to 28 inches
and /or 2 Fish less than 28 Inches
Flathead Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Fox Ridge State Park State of Illinois Coles Recreational Use Restriction . . . . . Waterfowl Refuge or Hunting Area
(see also Hurricane Pond,
Wilderness Pond and
Ridge Lake)

Fox River, Algonquin Dam State of Illinois Multiple Flathead Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Fish greater than or equal to 28 inches
to confluence with the and/or 2 Fish less than 28 inches
Illinois River, including 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
tributaries Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Fish greater than or equal to 12 inches
and 2 Fish less than 12 inches
3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

NOTE: EXPLANATIONS FOR NUMBERS CONTAINED IN PARENTHESIS ARE FOUND ON PAGES 10 AND 11

28
 SITE SPECIFIC SPORTFISHING REGULATIONS
Statewide Sportfishing Regulations are enforced in addition to each area’s Site Specific Regulations
WATER AREA OWNERSHIP COUNTY FISH SPECIES REGULATION / CREEL LIMIT
Fox River (at Moraine State of Illinois McHenry All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1) on
Hills State Park and Dam Moraine Hills State Park and Dam
and on Bolger Lock and property and on property at the Bolger
Dam Properties) Lock and Dam along the Fox River

Fox River Marina Lake County Forest Lake All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only; Bank
Preserve Fishing Only (in areas designated by
Lake County Forest Preserve District)

Fox Valley Park District Fox Valley Park Kane and DuPage Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Lakes and Ponds (except District All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Jericho Lake and Lake Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Gregory) Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit

Frank Holten Lakes Frank Holten State St. Clair All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1) (5)
Park Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fall Closed Season (10)
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spring Closed Season (11)

Franklin Creek (within the State of Illinois Lee All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
boundaries of Franklin
Creek State Natural Area)

Franklin Creek Mill Pond, State of Illinois Lee Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Franklin Creek State Park All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit

Fuller Lake State of Illinois Calhoun Recreational Use Restrictions . . . . Waterfowl Refuge or Hunting Area (19)

Fulton County Camping Fulton County Board Fulton All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
and Recreation Area Bluegill or Redear Sunfish (14) . . . 25 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Waters Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Recreational Use Restriction . . . . . All live bait greater than 8 inches must
be rigged with a quick set rig (43)
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . Protected Slot Length Limit with no
possession of fish less than 15 inches
and greater than or equal to 12 inches (3)
Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Pure Muskellunge. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 inch Minimum Length Limit

Gages Lake Wildwood Park Lake Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
District Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit
Walleye, Sauger, or Hybrid
Walleye. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 inch Minimum Length Limit
Walleye, Sauger, or Hybrid
Walleye (14) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Garfield Park Lagoon Chicago Park District Cook All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Germantown Lake City of Germantown Clinton All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Bluegill or Redear Sunfish (14) . . . 15 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 18 inch Minimum Length Limit

Giant City Park Ponds Giant City State Park Jackson and All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Union Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Largemouth and Spotted Bass. . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit

Gillespie New City Lake City of Gillespie Macoupin Large or Smallmouth Bass (14). . . . Protected Slot Length Limit with no
possession of fish less than 15 inches
and greater than or equal to 12 inches (3)
Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

NOTE: EXPLANATIONS FOR NUMBERS CONTAINED IN PARENTHESIS ARE FOUND ON PAGES 10 AND 11

29
 SITE SPECIFIC SPORTFISHING REGULATIONS
Statewide Sportfishing Regulations are enforced in addition to each area’s Site Specific Regulations
WATER AREA OWNERSHIP COUNTY FISH SPECIES REGULATION / CREEL LIMIT
Gillespie Old City Lake City of Gillespie Macoupin Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit

Glades – 12 Mile Island State of Illinois Jersey Recreational Use Restriction . . . . . . Waterfowl Refuge or Hunting Area (19)
Wildlife Management Area

Gladstone Lake Henderson County Henderson Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 1 Fish greater than or equal to 15 inches
Conservation Area and/or 2 Fish less than 12 inches (31)
3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Bluegill or Redear Sunfish (14) . . . 10 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Channel or Blue Catfish (14) . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Pure Muskellunge. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 inch Minimum Length Limit
Pure Muskellunge. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Glen O Jones Lake Trout Saline County Saline Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fall Closed Season (10)
Pond Conservation Area

Glen O Jones State Lake Saline County Saline Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . Protected Slot Length Limit with only 1
Conservation Area Fish greater than or equal to 18 inches
and 5 fish less than 14 inches (38)
6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Glen Oak Park Lagoon Peoria Park District Peoria All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Glen Shoals Lake City of Hillsboro Montgomery Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1) (5)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit
Striped, White, or Hybrid Striped
Bass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 inch Minimum Length Limit
Striped, White, or Hybrid Striped
Bass (16) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Godar-Diamond/ State of Illinois Calhoun Recreational Use Restriction . . . . . . Waterfowl Refuge or Hunting Area (19)
Hurricane Island Wildlife
Management Area

Gompers Park Lagoon Chicago Park District Cook All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Gordon F. More City of Alton Madison Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Park Lake All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Bluegill or Redear Sunfish (14) . . . 25 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit

Governor Bond Lake City of Greenville Bond Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . All jugs must be attended at all times
while fishing (2)
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit
Striped, White, or Hybrid Striped
Bass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 inch Minimum Length Limit
Striped, White, or Hybrid Striped
Bass (16) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
White, Black, or Hybrid
Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Grayslake Park District City of Grayslake Lake Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
(Grayslake and Park All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Ponds) Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit

Green Lake Cook County Cook Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fall Closed Season (10)
Forest Preserve Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spring Closed Season (11)

NOTE: EXPLANATIONS FOR NUMBERS CONTAINED IN PARENTHESIS ARE FOUND ON PAGES 10 AND 11

30
 SITE SPECIFIC SPORTFISHING REGULATIONS
Statewide Sportfishing Regulations are enforced in addition to each area’s Site Specific Regulations
WATER AREA OWNERSHIP COUNTY FISH SPECIES REGULATION / CREEL LIMIT
Greenfield City Lake City of Greenfield Greene Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 1 Fish greater than or equal to 15 inches
and/or 5 Fish less than 12 inches
Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit (12)
All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Bluegill or Redear Sunfish (14) . . . 25 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Hanover Lake – Apple State of Illinois Jo Daviess Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
River Canyon State Park All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Bluegill or Redear Sunfish (14) . . . 25 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit

Harrisburg New City City of Harrisburg Saline All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Striped, White, or Hybrid Striped
Bass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 inch Minimum Length Limit
Striped, White, or Hybrid Striped
Bass (16) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Heidecke Lake (41) Heidecke Lake Grundy Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . Protected Slot Length Limit with only 1
State Fish and Fish greater than or equal to 18 inches
Wildlife Area and 2 fish less than 12 inches (46)
3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Black, White, or Hybrid
Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Pure Muskellunge. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 inch Minimum Length Limit
Recreational Use Restrictions. . . . . Heidecke Lake shall be closed to all
fishing and boat traffic except for legal
waterfowl hunters from 10 days prior
to duck season through the day
before duck season and is closed to
all fishing during waterfowl season
commencing with regular duck season
through the close of the Canada
goose and regular duck season. All
live bait greater than 8 inches must be
rigged with a quick set rig (43)
Striped, White, or Hybrid Striped
Bass (16). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Fish Daily Harvest with no more than 3
Fish greater than or equal to 17 inch (17)
Walleye, Sauger, or Hybrid
Walleye. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 inch Minimum Length Limit
Walleye, Sauger, or Hybrid
Walleye (14) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Heiland Lakes Kankankee River Kankakee All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Valley Forest Prerve Bluegill or Redear Sunfish . . . . . . . 15 Fish Daily Harvest Limit, singly or
District in the aggregate
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 18 inch Minimum Length Limit

Helmbold Slough State of Illinois Calhoun Recreational Use Restriction . . . . . . Waterfowl Refuge or Hunting Area (19)

Henderson Creek State State of Illinois Henderson Recreational Use Restriction . . . . . It shall be unlawful to trespass upon a
Fish and Wildlife Area designated waterfowl hunting area
during the 7 days prior to regular duck
season or to fish on such areas during
the regular duck season except in
areas posted as open to fishing; it
shall be unlawful to trespass upon
areas designated as waterfowl rest
areas or refuges from 2 weeks prior to
the start of the regular duck season
through the end of duck and Canada
Goose season (33)

NOTE: EXPLANATIONS FOR NUMBERS CONTAINED IN PARENTHESIS ARE FOUND ON PAGES 10 AND 11

31
 SITE SPECIFIC SPORTFISHING REGULATIONS
Statewide Sportfishing Regulations are enforced in addition to each area’s Site Specific Regulations
WATER AREA OWNERSHIP COUNTY FISH SPECIES REGULATION / CREEL LIMIT
Hennepin Canal – Hennepin Canal Multiple All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1) (13)
Mainline & Feeder Parkway State Park Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fall Closed Season (10)
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spring Closed Season (11)

Hennepin-Hopper Lakes The Wetlands Putnam Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Initiative All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Black, White or Hybrid Crappie . . . 9 inch Minimum Length Limit
Black, White, or Hybrid
Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit
Pure Muskellunge. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 inch Minimum Length Limit
Recreational Use Restrictions . . . . All live bait greater than 8 inches must
be rigged with a quick set rig (43)
Walleye, Sauger or Hybrid
Walleye. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 inch Minimum Length Limit
Walleye, Sauger or Hybrid
Walleye (14) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Heritage Quarries City of Lemont Cook Black, White or Hybrid Crappie . . . 15 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Bluegill or Redear Sunfish . . . . . . . 15 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Herrin Lakes #1 & #2 City of Herrin Williamson All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Heyworth Centennial Lake City of Heyworth McLean All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 16 inch Minimum Length Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Hidden Springs State Hidden Springs Shelby Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 18 inch Minimum Length Limit
Forest Pond State Forest Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Bluegill or Redear Sunfish (14) . . . 10 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Highland Old City Lake City of Highland Madison Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fall Closed Season (10)

Hillsboro Old City Lake City of Hillsboro Montgomery Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . Protected Slot Length Limit with no
possession of fish less than 15 inches
and greater than or equal to 12 inches (3)
3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Homer Guthrie Pond – State of Illinois Clinton Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 18 inch Minimum Length Limit
Eldon Hazlet State Park Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Bluegill or Redear Sunfish (14) . . . 10 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Homer Lake Champaign County Champaign All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Forest Preserve Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
District Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit

Hormel Pond Donnelly State Fish Bureau All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1) (5)
and Wildlife Area Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit

NOTE: EXPLANATIONS FOR NUMBERS CONTAINED IN PARENTHESIS ARE FOUND ON PAGES 10 AND 11

32
 SITE SPECIFIC SPORTFISHING REGULATIONS
Statewide Sportfishing Regulations are enforced in addition to each area’s Site Specific Regulations
WATER AREA OWNERSHIP COUNTY FISH SPECIES REGULATION / CREEL LIMIT
Horseshoe Lake – Horseshoe Lake Alexander All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1) (5)
Alexander Co. Conservation Area Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit
Recreational Use Restrictions . . . . Only trolling motors in refuge from
October 15 through March 1.

Horseshoe Lake – Horseshoe Lake Madison Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Madison County State Park All Fish. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1) (5) (28)
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit
Recreational Use Restriction . . . . . . Waterfowl Refuge or Hunting Area (19)
White, Black, or Hybrid
Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Horsetail Lake Cook County Forest Cook All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1) (36)
Preserve District Bluegill, Redear, or
Pumpkinseed Sunfish (14) . . . . . . . 15 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spring Closed Season (11)
Fall Closed Season (10)
White, Black, or Hybrid
Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit

Horton Lake Nauvoo State Park Hancock All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 18 inch Minimum Length Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spring Closed Season; Catch and
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Release Fishing is permitted (9) (11)
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fall Closed Season; Catch and Release
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fishing is permitted (9) (10)

Humbolt Park Lagoon Chicago Park District Cook All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Hurricane Pond Fox Ridge State Park Coles Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 18 inch Minimum Length Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Bluegill or Redear Sunfish (14) . . . 5 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Illinois & Michigan Canal State of Illinois Grundy/LaSalle/ All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Will Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spring Closed Season (11)
Fall Closed Season (10)

Illinois Beach State Park Illinois Beach State Lake All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Ponds Park Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Illinois Department of State of Illinois Sangamon All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Transportation Lake Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fall Closed Season; Catch and Release
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fishing is permitted (9) (10)
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spring Closed Season; Catch and
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Release Fishing is permitted (9) (11)

Illinois River State of Illinois Multiple Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 12 inch Minimum Length Limit

Illinois River – State of Illinois Calhoun Recreational Use Restriction . . . . . . Waterfowl Refuge or Hunting Area (19)
Mississippi River Pool 26

Illinois River – Starved State of Illinois LaSalle Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Rock Pool Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 18 inch Minimum Length Limit
White, Black, or Hybrid
Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

NOTE: EXPLANATIONS FOR NUMBERS CONTAINED IN PARENTHESIS ARE FOUND ON PAGES 10 AND 11

33
 SITE SPECIFIC SPORTFISHING REGULATIONS
Statewide Sportfishing Regulations are enforced in addition to each area’s Site Specific Regulations
WATER AREA OWNERSHIP COUNTY FISH SPECIES REGULATION / CREEL LIMIT
Indian Boundary South Frankfort Square Park Will All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Pond District Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Iroquois & Kankakee State of Illinois Multiple Walleye, Sauger and Hybrid
Rivers and their Walleye. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit
Tributaries Walleye, Sauger and Hybrid
Walleye (14) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Protected Slot Limit with no possession
of Fish less than 26 inches and greater
than or equal to 18 inches; 3 Fish Daily
Harvest Limit of which only 1 Fish can
be greater than or equal to 26 inches (47)

Island Pond Boone County Boone Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Conservation District All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit

Jackson Park (Columbia Chicago Park District Cook All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Basin) Lagoon Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Jericho Lake Fox Valley Park Kane Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
District All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Black, White, or Hybrid Crappie . . . 9 inch Minimum Length Limit
White, Black, or Hybrid
Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit

Jim Edgar/Panther Creek Jim Edgar/Panther Cass Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Fish and Wildlife Area, Creek Fish and All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Drake Lake Wildlife Area Bluegill or Redear Sunfish (14) . . . 10 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Jim Edgar/Panther Creek Jim Edgar/Panther Cass Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Fish and Wildlife Area, Creek Fish and All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Prairie Lake and Wildlife Area Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
all Ponds Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit
Pure Muskellunge. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 inch Minimum Length Limit
Recreational Use Restrictions. . . . . . All live bait greater than or equal to 8 inch-
es must be rigged with a quick set rig (43)

Jim Edgar/Panther Creek Jim Edgar/Panther Cass All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Fish and Wildlife Area, Creek Fish and Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit
Gridley Lake Wildlife Area Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spring Closed Season; Catch and
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Release Fishing is permitted (9) (11)
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fall Closed Season; Catch and Release
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fishing is permitted (9) (10)

Johnson Sauk Trail Johnson Sauk Trail Henry All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Lake & Pond State Park Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit
Recreational Use Restrictions . . . . All live bait > 8 inch must be rigged with
a quick set rig (43)

Jones Park Lake City of East St. Louis St. Clair All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fall Closed Season (10)
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spring Closed Season (11)

Jubilee College State Jubilee College Peoria Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Park Pond State Park All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit

NOTE: EXPLANATIONS FOR NUMBERS CONTAINED IN PARENTHESIS ARE FOUND ON PAGES 10 AND 11

34
 SITE SPECIFIC SPORTFISHING REGULATIONS
Statewide Sportfishing Regulations are enforced in addition to each area’s Site Specific Regulations
WATER AREA OWNERSHIP COUNTY FISH SPECIES REGULATION / CREEL LIMIT
Kankakee River (from the State of Illinois Multiple Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit (37)
Kankakee Dam to the Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Protected Slot Length Limit with only 1
Willmington Dam on the Fish greater than or equal to 18 inches
Kankakee River, including and 2 Fish less than 12 inches (37)
tributaries)

Kankakee-Iroquois Rivers State of Illinois Multiple Walleye, Sauger, and Hybrid

and their Tributaries Walleye. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit
Walleye, Sauger, and Hybrid
Walleye (14) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Protected Length Limit with no posses-
sion of Fish less than 26 inches and
greater than or equal to 18 inches 3 Fish
Daily Harvest of which only 1 Fish can be
greater than or equal to 26 inches (47)

Kaskaskia River Fish and State of Illinois St.Clair Recreational Use Restriction . . . . . . Waterfowl Refuge or Hunting Area (33)
Wildlife Area – Doza Creek
Wildlife Management Area

Kendall Co. Lake #1 Kendall County Kendall Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Forest Preserve All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
District Bluegill or Redear Sunfish (14) . . . 10 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit

Kent Creek State of Illinois Winnebago Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Catch and Release Fishing Only (9)

Kickapoo State Park Kickapoo State Park Vermilion Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit of which no
Lakes & Pond more than 1 Fish may be greater than or
equal to 15 inches and no more than 2
Fish may be less than 15 inches (25)
All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Bluegill or Redear Sunfish (14) . . . 10 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Kincaid City Reservoir City of Kincaid Christian All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1) (5)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit

King Park Lagoon City of Pittsfield Pike All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spring Closed Season (11)
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fall Closed Season (10)

Kinkaid Lake Kinkaid Lake State Jackson Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 16 inch Minimum Length Limit
Fish and Wildlife Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Area Pure Muskellunge. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 inch Minimum Length Limit (40)
Recreational Use Restrictions . . . . All live bait greater than 8 inches must
be rigged with a quick set rig (43)
White, Black, or Hybrid Crappie . . . . 9 inch Minimum Length Limit
White, Black, or Hybrid
Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Kinmundy Reservoir City of Kinmundy Marion Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1) (5)

Kishwaukee River and State of Illinois Multiple Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit
South Branch of
Kishwaukee River and
Tributaries

Lake Atwood McHenry County McHenry Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Conservation District All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spring Closed Season (11)

NOTE: EXPLANATIONS FOR NUMBERS CONTAINED IN PARENTHESIS ARE FOUND ON PAGES 10 AND 11

35
 SITE SPECIFIC SPORTFISHING REGULATIONS
Statewide Sportfishing Regulations are enforced in addition to each area’s Site Specific Regulations
WATER AREA OWNERSHIP COUNTY FISH SPECIES REGULATION / CREEL LIMIT
Lake Bloomington City of Bloomington McLean All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Bluegill or Redear Sunfish (14) . . . 25 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Striped, White, or Hybrid Striped
Bass (16) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Fish Daily Harvest Limit, with no
more than 3 Fish greater than or equal
to 17 inches (17)
White, Black, or Hybrid
Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Walleye. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 inch Minimum Length Limit
Walleye. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Lake Carlton Morrison-Rockwood Whiteside Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
State Park All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit
Pure Muskellunge. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 inch Minimum Length Limit
Recreational Use Restrictions . . . . All live bait greater than 8 inches must
be rigged with a quick set rig (43)
White, Black, or Hybrid
Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Lake Chaminwood Will County Forest Will Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 18 inch Minimum Length Limit
Preserve District Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Bluegill or Redear Sunfish (14) . . . 15 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
White, Black, or Hybrid
Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Lake Co. Forest Preserve Lake County Forest Lake Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
District Lakes (except Preserve District All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Independence Grove Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Lake) Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit
Walleye, Sauger, or Hybrid
Walleye. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 inch Minimum Length Limit

Lake Decatur, (including City of Decatur Macon All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1) (29) (36)
all boundaries within the Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit
City of Decatur) from the White, Black, or Hybrid Crappie . . . . 10 inch Minimum Length Limit
dam to the Sangamon White, Black, or Hybrid
Highway 25 (North Oakley Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Road) and the area west
of Baltimore Ave. Does
not include the tailwater

Lake Depue Fish and State of Illinois Bureau Recreational Use Restriction . . . . . . Waterfowl Refuge or Hunting Area (33)
Wildlife Area

Lake Eureka City of Eureka Woodford Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Lake George Loud Thunder Rock Island All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Forest Preserve Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit
Pure Muskellunge. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 inch Minimum Length Limit
Recreational Use Restrictions . . . . All live bait greater than 8 inches must
be rigged with a quick set rig (43)
Striped, White, or Hybrid Striped
Bass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 inch Minimum Length Limit
Striped, White, or Hybrid Striped
Bass (16) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
White, Black, or Hybrid
Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

BUY ILLINOIS FISHING LICENSES

NOTE: EXPLANATIONS FOR NUMBERS CONTAINED IN PARENTHESIS ARE FOUND ON PAGES 10 AND 11

36
 SITE SPECIFIC SPORTFISHING REGULATIONS
Statewide Sportfishing Regulations are enforced in addition to each area’s Site Specific Regulations
WATER AREA OWNERSHIP COUNTY FISH SPECIES REGULATION / CREEL LIMIT
Lake Jacksonville City of Jacksonville Morgan All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1) (29)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . Protected Slot Length Limit; 14-18 inches
Striped, White, or Hybrid Striped
Bass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 inch Minimum Length Limit
Striped, White, or Hybrid Striped
Bass (16) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
White, Black, or Hybrid
Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Fish Daily Harvest Limit with no more
than10 Fish greater than or equal to 10
inches

Lake Kakusha City of Mendota LaSalle Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit
White, Black, or Hybrid
Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Lake Le-Aqua-Na Lake Le-Aqua-Na Stephenson Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
State Park All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit
White, Black, or Hybrid
Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Lake Le-Aqua-Na Kids Lake Le-Aqua-Na Stephenson Bluegill or Redear Sunfish and
Only Fishing Pond State Park Their Hybrids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Recreational Use Restrictions . . . . Only kids under 16 years of age
permitted to fish

Lake Lou Yaeger City of Litchfield Montgomery Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit

Lake Mattoon City of Mattoon Coles/Cumberland/ All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Shelby Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit

Lake Mendota City of Mendota LaSalle Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . Protected Slot Length Limit with only 1
Fish greater than or equal to 15 inches
and/or 2 Fish less than 12 inches (31)
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spring Closed Season (11)

Lake Michigan (Illinois State of Illinois Lake/Cook Recreational Use Restriction . . . . . . All devices used for sport fishing on Lake
Portion) (49) Michigan must be attended at all times
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 21 inch Minimum Length Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Lake Whitefish and Round
Whitefish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Fish Daily Harvest Limit, singly or in
the aggregate
Trout and Salmon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Fish Daily Harvest Limit, singly or in
the aggregate, except for Lake Trout
Trout and Salmon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 inch Minimum Length Limit
Lake Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Yellow Perch (53) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Yellow Perch. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Closed May 1 through June 15

Lake Milliken Des Plaines Will All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Conservation Area Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . Catch and Release Only
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spring Closed Season (11)

NOTE: EXPLANATIONS FOR NUMBERS CONTAINED IN PARENTHESIS ARE FOUND ON PAGES 10 AND 11

37
 SITE SPECIFIC SPORTFISHING REGULATIONS
Statewide Sportfishing Regulations are enforced in addition to each area’s Site Specific Regulations
WATER AREA OWNERSHIP COUNTY FISH SPECIES REGULATION / CREEL LIMIT
Lake Mingo & Kennekuk Vermilion County Vermilion All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1) (44)
Cove Park Ponds Conservation Area Bluegill or Redear Sunfish (14) . . . . 20 Fish Daily Harvest Limit with no
more than 5 Fish greater than or equal
to 8 inches
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . No more than 1 fish greater than or
equal to 15 inches and 2 Fish less than
15 inches (25)
Pure Muskellunge. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 inch Minimum Length Limit (40)
Recreational Use Restrictions . . . . All live bait greater than 8 inches must
be rigged with a quick set rig (43)
White, Black, or Hybrid Crappie . . . . 9 inch Minimum Length Limit
White, Black, or Hybrid
Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Lake Murphysboro Lake Murphysboro Jackson Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
State Park All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Lake Nellie City of St. Elmo Fayette Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1) (5)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit

Lake of the Woods & Champaign County Champaign Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Elk’s Pond Forest Preserve All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
District Bluegill or Redear Sunfish (14) . . . No more than 5 fish greater than or
equal to 7 inches; unlimited Daily
Harvest Limit for Fish less than 7 inches
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit
Recreational Use Restrictions . . . . All live bait greater than 8 inches must
be rigged with a quick set rig (43)
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spring Closed Season (11)

Lake Opeka Des Plaines Park Cook All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Only (1)
Park District White, Black or Hybrid . . . . . . . . . .
Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Bluegill, Pumpkinseed or
Hybrid Sunfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Lake Owen Hazel Crest Park Cook All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
District Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Lake Paradise City of Mattoon Coles All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit

Lake Sara City of Effingham Effingham Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . Protected Slot Length Limit; 15-18 inches
6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
White, Black, or Hybrid
Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Lake Shelbyville – U.S. U.S. Army Corps Moultrie/Shelby All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Army Corps of Engineers of Engineers Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Project Ponds (except Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit
Woods Lake), and Lake Recreational Use Restrictions . . . . Waterfowl Refuge or Hunting Area (33)
Shelbyville State Fish White, Black, or Hybrid
and Ponds Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Fish Daily Harvest Limit with only
5 Fish less than 10 inches and 10 Fish
greater than or equal to 10 inches

NOTE: EXPLANATIONS FOR NUMBERS CONTAINED IN PARENTHESIS ARE FOUND ON PAGES 10 AND 11

38
 SITE SPECIFIC SPORTFISHING REGULATIONS
Statewide Sportfishing Regulations are enforced in addition to each area’s Site Specific Regulations
WATER AREA OWNERSHIP COUNTY FISH SPECIES REGULATION / CREEL LIMIT
Lake Shelbyville (21) U.S. Army Corps Moultrie/Shelby Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit
of Engineers Pure Muskellunge. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 inch Minimum Length Limit (40)
Recreational Use Restrictions . . . . Waterfowl Refuge or Hunting Area
(During the regular waterfowl season,
no bank or boat fishing shall be permit-
ted on the Kaskaskia River from the
Strickland Boat Access north to the
Illinois Central Railroad Bridge from one
half hour before sunrise to 1 p.m.) All
live bait greater than 8 inches must be
rigged with a quick set rig (43)
White, Black, or Hybrid
Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Fish Daily Harvest Limit with only 5
Fish less than10 inches and 10 Fish
greater than or equal to 10 inches permitted

Lake Shermerville Northbrook Cook Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Park District All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Bluegill and Redear Sunfish (14) . . 15 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit
White, Black, or Hybrid
Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Lake Sinnissippi State of Illinois Whiteside Recreational Use Restrictions . . . . . Waterfowl Refuge or Hunting Area (33)

Lake Springfield City of Springfield Sangamon All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1) (5)
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit
White, Black, or Hybrid Crappie . . . . 10 inch Minimum Length Limit
White, Black, or Hybrid
Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Lake Storey City of Galesburg Knox Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . Protected Slot Length Limit; 12-18 inches
Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1) (5)
Bluegill and Redear Sunfish (14) . . 25 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Channel or Blue Catfish (14) . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Pure Muskellunge. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 inch Minimum Length Limit
Recreational Use Restrictions . . . . All live bait greater than 8 inches must
be rigged with a quick set rig (43)
Walleye, Sauger, or Hybrid
Walleye (14) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Lake Strini Village of Romeoville Will All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fall Closed Season (10)

Lake Sule Flagg-Rochelle Ogle Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Park District All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Bluegill or Redear Sunfish (14) . . . 5 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit
Pure Muskellunge. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 inch Minimum Length Limit
Recreational Use Restrictions . . . . All live bait greater than 8 inches must
be rigged with a quick set rig (43)
White, Black, or Hybrid
Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Lake Taylorville City of Taylorville Christian Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit
White, Black, or Hybrid Crappie . . . . 25 Fish Daily Harvest Limit with no more
than 10 Fish greater than or equal to 10
inches

NOTE: EXPLANATIONS FOR NUMBERS CONTAINED IN PARENTHESIS ARE FOUND ON PAGES 10 AND 11

39
 SITE SPECIFIC SPORTFISHING REGULATIONS
Statewide Sportfishing Regulations are enforced in addition to each area’s Site Specific Regulations
WATER AREA OWNERSHIP COUNTY FISH SPECIES REGULATION / CREEL LIMIT
Lake Vermilion Vermilion County Vermilion All Fish. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1) (26)
Conservation District (except that sport fishermen may harvest
carp, carpsuckers, buffalo, gar, bowfin,
and suckers by pitchfork, gigs, bow
and arrow or bow and arrow devices
north of Boiling Springs Road, but not
within 300 feet around wetland boardwalk
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit
White, Black, or Hybrid Crappie . . . . 10 Fish Daily Harvest Limit for Fish less
than 10 inches; 10 Fish Daily Harvest
Limit for Fish greater than or equal to 10
inches (23)

Lake Victoria City of South Beloit Winnebago Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit

Lake Williamsville City of Williamsville Sangamon All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

LaSalle Lake LaSalle Lake State LaSalle Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 18 inch Minimum Length Limit
Fish and Wildlife Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Area All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Recreational Use Restrictions . . . . Waterfowl refuge or hunting area; site
regulations apply
Striped, White, or Hybrid Striped
Bass (16) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Fish Harvest Limit with no more
than 3 Fish greater than or equal to 17
inches Daily (17)

Levings Lake Rockford Park Winnebago Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
District All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit

Lincoln Log Cabin Pond Lincoln Log Cabin Coles Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Historical Site All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit

Lincoln Park North Chicago Park District Cook All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Closed to Fishing
Lagoon

Lincoln Park South Chicago Park District Cook All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Closed to Fishing
Lagoon

Lincoln Trail Lake Lincoln Trail State Clark Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . Protected Slot Length Limit with 1 Fish
Park greater than or equal to 18 inches and
3 Fish less than 14 inches or all 4 Fish
may be less than 14 inches
Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 4 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
White, Black, or Hybrid
Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Litchfield City Lake City of Litchfield Montgomery Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 1 Fish greater than or equal to 15 inches
and/or 2 Fish less than 15 inches (25)
3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
White, Black, or Hybrid
Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Little Casters Pond Boone County Boone Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Conservation District All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit

Loami Reservoir City of Loami Sangamon All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit

NOTE: EXPLANATIONS FOR NUMBERS CONTAINED IN PARENTHESIS ARE FOUND ON PAGES 10 AND 11

40
 SITE SPECIFIC SPORTFISHING REGULATIONS
Statewide Sportfishing Regulations are enforced in addition to each area’s Site Specific Regulations
WATER AREA OWNERSHIP COUNTY FISH SPECIES REGULATION / CREEL LIMIT
Mackinaw Ponds 1 & 2 Mackinaw State Fish Tazewell Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit
and Wildlife Area Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Macon County Macon County Macon All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Conservation District Conservation District
Ponds (see also Rock
Springs Pond and Rock
Springs Bike Trail Pond)

Maple Lake Cook County Cook All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1) (36)
Preserve District Bluegill, Redear, or Pumpkinseed
Sunfish (14) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit
White, Black, or Hybrid
Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Marine Heritage Lake Village of Marine Madison Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Bluegill or Redear Sunfish (14) . . . 25 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit

Marissa City Lake City of Marissa St. Clair All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Marquette Park Lagoon Chicago Park District Cook All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Marshall County Marshall County Marshall Recreational Use Restrictions . . . . . Waterfowl Refuge or Hunting Area (33)
Conservation Area – Conservation Area
Sparland Unit

Marshall County Marshall County Marshall All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Conservation Area Conservation Area Recreational Use Restrictions . . . . . Waterfowl Refuge or Hunting Area (33)
(Fishing Ditch) Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 12 inch Minimum Length Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Mascoutah Reservoir City of Mascoutah St. Clair Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit

Matthiessen Lake Matthiessen State LaSalle All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Park Bluegill or Redear Sunfish (14) . . . 10 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit

Mautino Fish and Mautino Fish and Bureau Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Wildlife Area Wildlife Area All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1) (34)
Bluegill or Redear Sunfish (14) . . . 10 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit

Mauvaise Terre/Morgan City of Jacksonville Morgan All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Lake Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit

Mazonia Lakes & Ponds Mazonia State Fish Grundy/Kankakee Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
(excluding Ponderosa and Wildlife Area All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Lake) Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit
Recreational Use Restrictions . . . . . Waterfowl Refuge or Hunting Area (33)
White, Black, or Hybrid
Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

BUY ILLINOIS FISHING LICENSES

NOTE: EXPLANATIONS FOR NUMBERS CONTAINED IN PARENTHESIS ARE FOUND ON PAGES 10 AND 11

41
 SITE SPECIFIC SPORTFISHING REGULATIONS
Statewide Sportfishing Regulations are enforced in addition to each area’s Site Specific Regulations
WATER AREA OWNERSHIP COUNTY FISH SPECIES REGULATION / CREEL LIMIT
McCullom Lake City of McHenry McHenry Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Bluegill or Redear Sunfish (14) . . . 25 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit

McKinley Park Lagoon Chicago Park District Cook All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

McLeansboro City Lakes City of McLeansboro Hamilton All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit

Mechanicsburg Park City of Sangamon Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Pond Mechanicsburg All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit

Meredosia Lake – Cass State of Illinois Cass Recreational Use Restrictions . . . . . Meandered waters only; All boat traffic
County Portion is prohibited from operating on mean-
dered waters (except non motorized
boats may be used to assist in the
retrieval of waterfowl shot from private
land) from the period from one week
before waterfowl season opens until
the season closes; hunting and/or any
other activity is prohibited during the
period from one week before waterfowl
season opens until the season closes.

Meredosia Lake – Cass State of Illinois Cass Recreational Use Restrictions . . . . . Waterfowl Refuge or Hunting Area (33)
County Portion Only
(meandered waters only)

Mermet State Lake Mermet Lake Massac All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1) (5)
Conservation Area Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 16 inch Minimum Length Limit
3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Recreational Use Restrictions . . . . . Waterfowl Refuge or Hunting Area (33)
White, Black, or Hybrid
Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Middle Fork Forest Champaign County Champaign All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Preserve Pond Forest Preserve Bluegill or Redear Sunfish (14) . . . 25 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit

Middle Fork of the Kickapoo State Park Vermilion All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Vermilion River and Middle Fork Fish
and Wildlife Area

Mill Creek Lake Clark County Park Clark Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 4 Fish less than 15 inches and 1 fish
District greater than or equal to 15 inches daily;
5 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Pure Muskellunge. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 inch Minimum Length Limit
Recreational Use Restrictions . . . . All live bait greater than 8 inches must
be rigged with a quick set rig (43)
White, Black, or Hybrid
Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Fish Daily Harvest Limit, of which
only 2 fish can be 12 inch or longer

Mill Race Ponds Belvidere Park Boone All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
District Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spring Closed Season (11)

Miller Park Lake Bloomington Park McLean Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
District All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spring Closed Season (11)

NOTE: EXPLANATIONS FOR NUMBERS CONTAINED IN PARENTHESIS ARE FOUND ON PAGES 10 AND 11

42
 SITE SPECIFIC SPORTFISHING REGULATIONS
Statewide Sportfishing Regulations are enforced in addition to each area’s Site Specific Regulations
WATER AREA OWNERSHIP COUNTY FISH SPECIES REGULATION / CREEL LIMIT
Mineral Springs Park City of Pekin Tazewell All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Lagoon Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fall Closed Season (10)

Mississippi River State of Illinois Multiple All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sport fishermen must not use more than
(between IL & IA) 2 poles and each pole must not have
more than 2 hooks or lures while trolling.
Bluegill or Pumpkinseed Sunfish . . 25 Fish Daily Harvest Limit singly or in
aggregate
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 5 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Northern Pike . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Paddlefish. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Snagging for paddlefish is permitted
from one half hour before sunrise to one
half hour after sunset daily, March 1
through April 15 within a 500 yard
downstream limit below locks and dams
on the Mississippi River between Illinois
and Iowa; daily harvest limit is 2 fish; the
maximum length limit for paddlefish
taken from the Mississippi River
between Illinois and Iowa is 33 inches
eye fork length (all paddlefish greater
than or equal to 33 inches eye to fork
length must be immediately released
back to the Mississippi River); no sorting
allowed; once the daily limit of paddle-
fish has been reached, snagging
must cease. Paddlefish may be released
at the angler’s discretion once they are
included in the daily limit.
Recreational Use Restrictions . . . . Any tagged sport fishing device may
not be left unattended for more than
24 hours or must be completely
removed. Maximum treble hook size
is 5/0; gaffs may not be used to land
paddlefish. Spring Lake in Carroll
County is closed to fishing during the 7
days prior to the regular duck season
and during the regular duck and Canada
goose season except in areas posted as
open to fishing.
Rock Bass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Striped, White, Yellow or Hybrid
Striped Bass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Fish Daily Harvest Limit singly or in
the aggregate – statewide regulation
limiting daily harvest to 3 fish greater than
or equal to 17 inches is not in effect on
the Mississippi River between Illinois
and Iowa.
Walleye. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit with no
possession of fish greater than or equal
to 20 inches and less than 27 inches
Protected Slot Length Limit (24)
Walleye and Sauger (14) . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit with no more
than 1 walleye greater than or equal to
27 inches in total length.
White, Black, or Hybrid
Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Fish Daily Harvest Limit singly or in
the aggregate
Yellow Perch. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Mississippi River State of Illinois Multiple Channel or Blue Catfish (14) . . . . . 20 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
(between IL & MO) Flathead Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Largemouth, Smallmouth, or
Spotted Bass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 inch Minimum Length Limit
Largemouth, Smallmouth, or
Spotted Bass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Northern Pike . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Paddlefish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 inch Eye to Fork Minimum Length Limit
Paddlefish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Snagging for paddlefish is permitted from

NOTE: EXPLANATIONS FOR NUMBERS CONTAINED IN PARENTHESIS ARE FOUND ON PAGES 10 AND 11

43
 SITE SPECIFIC SPORTFISHING REGULATIONS
Statewide Sportfishing Regulations are enforced in addition to each area’s Site Specific Regulations
WATER AREA OWNERSHIP COUNTY FISH SPECIES REGULATION / CREEL LIMIT
September 15 though December 15 and
March 15 through May 15 within a 300
yard downstream limit below locks and
dams on the Mississippi River between
Illinois and Missouri except for the Chain
of Rocks low water dam at Chouteau
Island, also known as Dam 27 at the
Chain of Rocks (Madison County) where
no snagging is permitted; daily harvest
limit is 2 fish; sorting is permitted; every
paddlefish greater than or equal to 24
inches in eye to fork length must be
taken into immediate possession and
included in the daily harvest limit;
paddlefish less than 24 inches eye to fork
length must be returned immediately to
the water; once the daily limit of
paddlefish has been reached, snagging
must cease.
Recreational Use Restrictions . . . . All Nongame Species Combined - 100
Total Fish Daily Harvest Limit (Excludes
endangered and threatened species
and the following game species:
Crappie, Channel/Blue/Flathead
Catfish, Rock Bass, Warmouth,
White/Yellow/Striped/Hybrid Striped
Bass, Trout, Largemouth/Smallmouth/
Spotted Bass, Muskellunge, Northern
Pike, Chain/Grass Pickerel, Walleye,
Sauger, Paddlefish)
Recreational Use Restrictions . . . . Waterfowl Refuge or Hunting Area
(Boating prohibited on refuge area
(Ellis Bay) immediately upstream of
Melvin Price Lock and Dam 26 over-
flow dike from October 15 - April 15.
Any tagged sport fishing device may
not be left unattended for more than 24
hours or must be completely removed.)
Striped, White, Yellow or Hybrid
Striped Bass (16) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Fish Daily Harvest Limit singly or in
the aggregate – statewide regulation
limiting daily harvest to 3 fish greater
than or equal to 17 inches is not in
effect on the Mississippi River between
Illinois and Missouri.
Walleye and Sauger (14) . . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit
Walleye and Sauger . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
White, Black, or Hybrid
Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Mississippi River Pools State of Illinois Multiple Recreational Use Restrictions . . . . . Waterfowl Refuge or Hunting Area (33)
16, 17, 18, 21, 22, 24

Mississippi River Pools State of Illinois Multiple Recreational Use Restrictions . . . . . Waterfowl Refuge or Hunting Area (19)
25 and 26

Monee Reservoir Will County Forest Will Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Preserve District All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit
White, Black, or Hybrid
Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Montrose Lake City of Montrose Cumberland All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit
Bluegill and Redear Sunfish . . . . . . 15 Fish Daily Harvest Limit, singly or in
the aggregate

NOTE: EXPLANATIONS FOR NUMBERS CONTAINED IN PARENTHESIS ARE FOUND ON PAGES 10 AND 11

44
 SITE SPECIFIC SPORTFISHING REGULATIONS
Statewide Sportfishing Regulations are enforced in addition to each area’s Site Specific Regulations
WATER AREA OWNERSHIP COUNTY FISH SPECIES REGULATION / CREEL LIMIT
Morgan Lake City of Jacksonville Morgan Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Fall Closed Season; Catch and Release
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Fishing is permitted (9) (10)
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spring Closed Season; Catch and
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Release Fishing is permitted (9) (11)

Mt. Olive City Lakes City of Mt. Olive Macoupin Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
(Old and New) All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit

Mt. Pulaski Park District Mt. Pulaski Park Logan All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Lake District Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 18 inch Minimum Length Limit
1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Mt. Sterling Lake City of Mt. Sterling Brown Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . Protected Slot Length Limit with no
possession of Fish less than 15 inches
and greater than or equal to 12 inches (3)
All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Mt. Vernon City Park Lake City of Mt. Vernon Jefferson Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1) (5)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit

Mt. Vernon Game Farm Mt. Vernon Game Jefferson All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Pond Farm Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fall Closed Season (10)
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spring Closed Season (11)

Mundelein Park District City of Mundelein Lake Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Ponds All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit

Nashville City Lake City of Nashville Washington Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 18 inch Minimum Length Limit
1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Newton Lake (41) (33) Newton Lake State Jasper Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 18 inch Minimum Length Limit
Fish and Wildlife Area Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1) (5)
Recreational Use Restrictions. . . . . . The cold water arm of Newton Lake shall
be closed daily from one half hour before
sunrise until 1:00 p.m. to all fishing and
boat traffic except for legal waterfowl
hunters during waterfowl season com-
mencing with regular duck season through
the close of the Canada goose and
regular duck season; fishing tournaments
prohibited from June 1 through August 31.
Recreational Use Restrictions . . . . . . Lake closed to fishing during firearm deer
seasons.
White, Black, or Hybrid Crappie . . . . 10 inch Minimum Length Limit
White, Black, or Hybrid
Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Norris City Reservoir City of Norris City White All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit

Oakland City Lake City of Oakland Coles All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit

Oblong Lake City of Oblong Crawford All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

NOTE: EXPLANATIONS FOR NUMBERS CONTAINED IN PARENTHESIS ARE FOUND ON PAGES 10 AND 11

45
 SITE SPECIFIC SPORTFISHING REGULATIONS
Statewide Sportfishing Regulations are enforced in addition to each area’s Site Specific Regulations
WATER AREA OWNERSHIP COUNTY FISH SPECIES REGULATION / CREEL LIMIT
Ohio River – Smithland State of Illinois Multiple Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 12 inch Minimum Length Limit
Pool Tributary Streams Recreational Use Restrictions . . . . Waterfowl Refuge or Hunting Area
(in Pope/Hardin/Gallatin
Counties, excluding
Wabash River and
Saline River Above
Route 1 Bridge)

Ohio River (between State of Illinois Multiple Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 12 inch Minimum Length Limit
Illinois & Kentucky) Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Muskie or Tiger Muskie . . . . . . . . . 36 inch Minimum Length Limit
Muskie or Tiger Muskie . . . . . . . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Northern Pike . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No Minimum Length Limit
Northern Pike . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Striped, White, Yellow or Hybrid
Striped Bass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Fish Daily Harvest Limit singly or in
the aggregate, of which no more than
4 Fish may be greater than or equal to
15 inches (32)
Walleye, Sauger, or Hybrid
Walleye (14) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit
6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
White, Black, or Hybrid
Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Ohio River (between State of Illinois Multiple Blue Catfish and Flathead Catfish. . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit for Fish greater
Illinois & Kentucky) and than or equal to 35 inches
Wabash River (between Blue Catfish and Flathead Catfish. . . No Daily Harvest Limit for Fish greater
Illinois and Indiana) than or equal to 13 inches and less than
35 inches
Blue Catfish and Flathead Catfish. . . No harvest less than 13 inches
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit for Fish greater
than or equal to 28 inches
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No Daily Harvest Limit for Fish greater
than or equal to 13 inches and less than
28 inches
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No harvest less than 13 inches

Old Kinmundy Reservoir City of Kinmundy Marion All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1) (5)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit

Olson Lake Rock Cut State Park Winnebago Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit

Omaha City Reservoir City of Omaha Gallatin All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit

Omaha Township City of Omaha Gallatin All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Reservoir Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit

Otter Lake Otter Lake Water Macoupin Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Commission All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1) (5)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit
Pure Muskellunge. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 inch Minimum Length Limit (40)
Recreational Use Restrictions . . . . All live bait greater than 8 inches must
be rigged with a quick set rig (43)
Striped, White, or Hybrid Striped
Bass (16) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Fish Daily Harvest Limit, singly or
in the aggregate, of which no more than
3 fish may be greater than or equal to
17 inches (17)

Palmissano Pond Chicago Park District Cook All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Catch and Release Fishing Only (9)
(Stern’s Park Quarry) All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)

NOTE: EXPLANATIONS FOR NUMBERS CONTAINED IN PARENTHESIS ARE FOUND ON PAGES 10 AND 11

46
 SITE SPECIFIC SPORTFISHING REGULATIONS
Statewide Sportfishing Regulations are enforced in addition to each area’s Site Specific Regulations
WATER AREA OWNERSHIP COUNTY FISH SPECIES REGULATION / CREEL LIMIT
Palmyra – Modesto Palmyra/Modesto Macoupin Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Water Commission Lake Water Commission All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit

Pana Lake City of Pana Shelby and All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Christian Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit
Recreational Use Restrictions . . . . All live bait greater than 8 inch must be
rigged with a quick set rig (43)
Pure Muskellunge. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 inch Minimum Length Limit
1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Paris East & West Lakes City of Paris Edgar All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1) (5)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit

Patriot's Park Lake Kingsbury Park Bond Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
District All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fall Closed Season (10)

Peabody River King, Pit River King State St Clair Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
#3 Lakes and Ponds (see Conservation Area All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1) (5)
also Willow Lake for Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
additional regulations) Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit
White, Black, or Hybrid Crappie . . . . 9 inch Minimum Length Limit
White, Black, or Hybrid
Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Pecatonica River and State of Illinois Winnebago/ Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit
Tributaries Stephenson

Perry Farm Pond Bourbonnais Park Kankakee All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
District Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Piasa State of Illinois Madison/Jersey Recreational Use Restrictions . . . . . Waterfowl Refuge or Hunting Area (19)

Pierce Lake Rock Cut State Park Winnebago Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1) (7)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit
Pure Muskellunge. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 inch Minimum Length Limit (40)
Recreational Use Restrictions . . . . All live bait greater than 8 inches must
be rigged with a quick set rig (43)
White, Black, or Hybrid
Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Pinckneyville Lake City of Pinckneyville Perry Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 18 inch Minimum Length Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Pine Creek (within the State of Illinois Ogle All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
boundaries of White Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit
Pines Forest State Park) Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fall Closed Season; Catch and Release
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fishing is permitted (9) (10)
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spring Closed Season; Catch and
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Release Fishing is permitted (9) (11)

Piscasaw Creek State of Illinois McHenry Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spring Closed Season (11)

Pittsfield City Lake City of Pittsfield Pike All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1) (7)
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit
Striped, White, or Hybrid Striped
Bass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 inch Minimum Length
Striped, White, or Hybrid Striped
Bass (16) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

NOTE: EXPLANATIONS FOR NUMBERS CONTAINED IN PARENTHESIS ARE FOUND ON PAGES 10 AND 11

47
 SITE SPECIFIC SPORTFISHING REGULATIONS
Statewide Sportfishing Regulations are enforced in addition to each area’s Site Specific Regulations
WATER AREA OWNERSHIP COUNTY FISH SPECIES REGULATION / CREEL LIMIT
Pocahontas Park Ponds City of Pocahontas Bond All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Largemouth Bass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Ponderosa Lake Mazonia State Fish Kankakee Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
and Wildlife Area All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Bluegill or Redear Sunfish (14) . . . 10 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit
Recreational Use Restrictions . . . . . Waterfowl Refuge or Hunting Area (33)
White, Black, or Hybrid
Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Powerton Lake Powerton Lake Fish Tazewell Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 18 inch Minimum Length Limit
and Wildlife Area Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Blue, Channel or Flathead
Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit, singly or in
the aggregate, of which no more than 1
fish greater than or equal to 35 inches
Recreational Use Restrictions . . . . Powerton Lake shall be closed to
boat traffic except for legal waterfowl
hunters from one week prior to regular
waterfowl season to February 15,
and closed to all unauthorized entry
during regular Canada goose and
duck season.
Recreational Use Restrictions . . . . Waterfowl Refuge or Hunting Area (39)
Striped, White, or Hybrid Striped
Bass (16) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Fish Daily Harvest Limit, singly
or in the aggregate, of which no more
than 3 fish greater than or equal to 17
inches (17)
Walleye, Sauger, or Hybrid
Walleye. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 inch Minimum Length Limit
Walleye, Sauger, or Hybrid
Walleye (14) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Prospect Pond City of Moline Rock Island Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fall Closed Season (10)
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spring Closed Season (11)

Pyramid State Park – Pyramid State Park Perry Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . Protected Slot Length Limit with 1 Fish
Blue Wing Lake, Green greater than or equal to 18 inches and/or
Wing Lake and 5 Fish less than 14 inches (38)
Goldeneye Lake and All Fish 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1) (5)
Mallard Lake Bluegill or Redear Sunfish (14) . . . 25 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Pure Muskellunge. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 inch Minimum Length Limit
Recreational Use Restrictions . . . . All live bait greater than 8 inches must
be rigged with a quick set rig (43)
Recreational Use Restrictions . . . . . Waterfowl Hunting Area (from
November 1 through February 28/29
fishing is permitted in designated areas
only, and fishing hours are from one
half hour before sunrise to 2 p.m.).
White, Black, or Hybrid
Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

NOTE: EXPLANATIONS FOR NUMBERS CONTAINED IN PARENTHESIS ARE FOUND ON PAGES 10 AND 11

48
 SITE SPECIFIC SPORTFISHING REGULATIONS
Statewide Sportfishing Regulations are enforced in addition to each area’s Site Specific Regulations
WATER AREA OWNERSHIP COUNTY FISH SPECIES REGULATION / CREEL LIMIT
Pyramid State Park – Pyramid State Park Perry Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . Protected Slot Length Limit with only 1
Captain, Denmark, Galum Fish greater than or equal to 18 inches
and East Conant Areas – and/or 5 Fish less than 14 inches (38)
All Lakes and Ponds All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1) (5)
except Blue Wing Lake, Bluegill or Redear Sunfish (14) . . . 25 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Green Wing Lake, Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Goldeneye Lake and Pure Muskellunge. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 inch Minimum Length Limit
Mallard Lake Recreational Use Restrictions . . . . All live bait greater than 8 inches must
be rigged with a quick set rig (43)
Recreational Use Restrictions . . . . Waterfowl Refuge or Hunting Area
(all use other than waterfowl hunting
prohibited from November 1 through
February 28/29)
White, Black, or Hybrid
Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Pyramid State Park Lakes Pyramid State Park Perry Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . Protected Slot Length Limit with only 1
& Ponds (excluding Fish greater than or equal to 18 inches
Captain, Denmark, Galum and/or 5 Fish less than 14 inches (38)
and East Conant Areas) All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1) (5)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Raccoon Lake City of Centralia Marion Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit
All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Ramsey Lake Ramsey Lake State Fayette All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Park Bluegill or Redear Sunfish (14) . . . 25 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit
White, Black, or Hybrid Crappie . . . . 9 inch Minimum Length Limit
White, Black, or Hybrid
Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Ramsey Lake State Park Ramsey Lake State Fayette All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Ponds Park Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit

Randolph County Lake Randolph County Randolph Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Conservation Area All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fall Closed Season (10)

Red Hills Lake Red Hills State Park Lawrence All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit

Red’s Landing Wildlife State of Illinois Calhoun Recreational Use Restrictions . . . . (Access to walk-in area closed 7 days
Management Area prior to duck season)
Recreational Use Restrictions . . . . . Waterfowl Refuge or Hunting Area (19)

Redwing Slough/Deer State of Illinois Lake Recreational Use Restrictions . . . . . Waterfowl Refuge or Hunting Area (33)
Lake

Rend Lake U.S. Army Corps of Franklin and Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . All jugs must be attended at all times
Engineers Jefferson while fishing (2)
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit
Recreational Use Restrictions. . . . . Waterfowl Refuge or Hunting Area (22) (33)
Striped, White, Yellow, or Hybrid
Striped Bass (8) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Fish Daily Harvest Limit, singly or in
the aggregate, of which no more than 3
Fish greater than or equal to 17 inches
White, Black, or Hybrid
Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Fish Daily Harvest Limit with no
more than10 Fish greater than or equal
to 10 inches

NOTE: EXPLANATIONS FOR NUMBERS CONTAINED IN PARENTHESIS ARE FOUND ON PAGES 10 AND 11

49
 SITE SPECIFIC SPORTFISHING REGULATIONS
Statewide Sportfishing Regulations are enforced in addition to each area’s Site Specific Regulations
WATER AREA OWNERSHIP COUNTY FISH SPECIES REGULATION / CREEL LIMIT
Rend Lake Project Ponds U.S. Army Corps of Franklin and Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
– Jackie Branch Pond, Engineers Jefferson All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Ina N. Borrow Pit, Green Bluegill or Redear Sunfish (14) . . . 10 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Heron Pond, North Marcum Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Campground Pond Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit

Rice Lake Fish and State of Illinois Fulton Recreational Use Restrictions . . . . . Waterfowl Refuge or Hunting Area (33)
Wildlife Area Large and Smallmouth Bass . . . . . 12 inch Minimum Length Limit
Large and Smallmouth Bass . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest limit

Ridge Lake Fox Ridge State Park Coles All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1) (27)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit

Riis Park Lagoon Chicago Park District Cook All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Riprap Landing State of Illinois Calhoun Recreational Use Restrictions . . . . . Waterfowl Refuge or Hunting Area (19)

River Bend Forest Champaign County Champaign All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Preserve Lakes (Sunset Forest Preserve Bluegill or Redear Sunfish (14) . . . 15 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Lake and Shadow Lake) District Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . Protected Length Limit with no more than
1 Fish greater than or equal to 15 inches
and 2 Fish less than 15 inches (25)
3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
White, Black, or Hybrid Crappie . . . . 9 inch Minimum Length Limit
White, Black, or Hybrid
Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Riverside Park Lagoon Moline Park District Rock Island All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Rochester Park Pond City of Rochester Sangamon Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Bluegill or Redear Sunfish (14) . . . 10 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit

Rock Creek State of Illinois Kankakee All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fall Closed Season; Catch and Release
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fishing is permitted (9) (10)
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spring Closed Season; Catch and
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Release Fishing is permitted (9) (11)

Rock River, from the State of Illinois Rock Island Walleye. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit with
Sears and Steel Dam a 20-27 inch Protected Slot Length
downstream to confluence Limit (24)
of the Mississippi River Walleye and Sauger (14). . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit with no
more than 1 walleye greater than or
equal to 27 inches in total length

Rock River, Wisconsin State of Illinois Multiple Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit
State Line downstream to
confluence of the
Mississippi River,
including tributaries

Rock Springs Bike Trail Macon County Macon Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Pond Conservation District All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit

Rock Springs Pond Macon County Macon Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Conservation District All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fall Closed Season (10)

NOTE: EXPLANATIONS FOR NUMBERS CONTAINED IN PARENTHESIS ARE FOUND ON PAGES 10 AND 11

50
 SITE SPECIFIC SPORTFISHING REGULATIONS
Statewide Sportfishing Regulations are enforced in addition to each area’s Site Specific Regulations
WATER AREA OWNERSHIP COUNTY FISH SPECIES REGULATION / CREEL LIMIT
Roodhouse Park Lake City of Roodhouse Green All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Route 154 Day Use Pond State of Illinois Randolph Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit

Route 6 Quarries (Rock Will County Forest Will Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 18 inch Minimum Length Limit
Run Rookery Preserve) Preserve District Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Bluegill or Redear Sunfish (14) . . . 15 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Sag Quarry East Cook County Forest Cook Bluegill, Redear, or Pumpkinseed
Preserve District Sunfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit
Rainbow Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spring Closed Season (11)
White, Black, or Hybrid
Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Sahara Woods Fish and State of Illinois Saline Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 18 inch Minimum Length Limit
Wildlife Area Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Bluegill or Redear Sunfish (14) . . . 15 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
White, Black, or Hybrid
Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Salem Reservoir City of Salem Marion All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1) (5)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit

Sam Dale Lake Sam Dale Wayne All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1) (5)
Conservation Area Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit
Pure Muskellunge. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 inch Minimum Length Limit
Recreational Use Restrictions . . . . All live bait greater than 8 inches must
be rigged with a quick set rig (43)

Sam Dale Trout Pond Sam Dale Wayne All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Conservation Area Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fall Closed Season (10)
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spring Closed Season (11)

Sam Parr Lake Sam Parr State Park Jasper All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1) (5)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit

Sand Lake Illinois Beach State Lake Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Park All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fall Closed Season (10)
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spring Closed Season (11)

Sanganois Conservation State of Illinois Mason/Cass/ Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 12 inch Minimum Length Limit
Area (33) (42) Schuyler/Menard

NOTE: EXPLANATIONS FOR NUMBERS CONTAINED IN PARENTHESIS ARE FOUND ON PAGES 10 AND 11

51
 SITE SPECIFIC SPORTFISHING REGULATIONS
Statewide Sportfishing Regulations are enforced in addition to each area’s Site Specific Regulations
WATER AREA OWNERSHIP COUNTY FISH SPECIES REGULATION / CREEL LIMIT
Sangchris Lake Sangchris Lake Christian/ Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
State Park Sangamon All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1) (45)
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit
Recreational Use Restrictions . . . . Posted waterfowl refuge closed to all
boat traffic during waterfowl season.
Bank fishing along the dam shall be
permitted. Fishing shall be prohibited
in the east and west arms of the lake
during the period from 10 days prior
to the duck season through the end of
the duck season. Fishing shall be
prohibited in the west arm of the lake
and the east arm of the lake south of
the power lines during that portion of
the Canada goose season that follows
the duck season (41).
White, Black, or Hybrid Crappie . . . . 10 inch Minimum Length Limit
White, Black, or Hybrid
Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spring Closed Season (11)

Schiller Pond Cook County Forest Cook All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1) (36)
Preserve District Bluegill, Redear, or Pumpkinseed
Sunfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit
White, Black, or Hybrid
Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Schuy-Rush Lake City of Rushville Schuyler All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
White, Black, or Hybrid
Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Fish Daily Harvest Limit with no more
than10 Fish greater than or equal to 10
inches

Sesser City Lake City of Sesser Franklin Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 18 inch Minimum Length Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Shabbona Lake Shabbona Lake DeKalb Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
State Park All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1) (48)
Bluegill or Redear Sunfish (14) . . . 10 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit
Pure Muskellunge. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 inch Minimum Length Limit (40)
Recreational Use Restrictions . . . . . All live bait greater than 8 inches must
be rigged with a quick set rig (43) No
sport fishing below dam to fence.
Striped, White, or Hybrid Striped
Bass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 inch Minimum Length Limit
Striped, White, or Hybrid Striped
Bass (16) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Walleye, Sauger, or Hybrid
Walleye. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 inch Minimum Length Limit
White, Black, or Hybrid
Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Shawnee National Forest U.S. Forest Service Pope All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
– Bay Creek Lake #5 and Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
#8 (Sugar Creek Lake) Largemouth, Smallmouth, or
Spotted Bass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit

Shawnee National Forest U.S. Forest Service Johnson All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
– Dutchman Lake Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Largemouth, Smallmouth, or
Spotted Bass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit

NOTE: EXPLANATIONS FOR NUMBERS CONTAINED IN PARENTHESIS ARE FOUND ON PAGES 10 AND 11

52
 SITE SPECIFIC SPORTFISHING REGULATIONS
Statewide Sportfishing Regulations are enforced in addition to each area’s Site Specific Regulations
WATER AREA OWNERSHIP COUNTY FISH SPECIES REGULATION / CREEL LIMIT
Shawnee National Forest U.S. Forest Service Pope All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
– Lake Glendale Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Largemouth, Smallmouth, or
Spotted Bass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit

Shawnee National Forest U.S. Forest Service Johnson All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
– Little Cache #1 Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit

Shawnee National Forest U.S. Forest Service Pope All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
– One Horse Gap Lake Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Largemouth, Smallmouth, or
Spotted Bass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit

Shawnee National Forest U.S. Forest Service Gallatin All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
– Pounds Hollow Lake Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Largemouth, Smallmouth, or
Spotted Bass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit

Shawnee National Forest U.S. Forest Service Hardin All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
– Tecumseh Lake Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Largemouth, Smallmouth, or
Spotted Bass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit

Shawnee National Forest U.S. Forest Service Jackson All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
– Turkey Bayou Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Largemouth, Smallmouth, or
Spotted Bass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit

Shawnee National Forest U.S. Forest Service Hardin All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
– Whoopie Cat Lake Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Largemouth, Smallmouth, or
Spotted Bass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit

Shawnee National Forest U.S. Forest Service Multiple All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Lakes and Ponds less Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
than 10 acres Largemouth, Smallmouth, or
Spotted Bass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit

Sherman Park Lagoon Chicago Park District Cook All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Siloam Springs Lake Siloam Springs Adams Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . Protected Slot Length Limit with no pos-
State Park session of fish less than 15 inches or
greater than or equal to 12 inches (3)
All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1) (7)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fall Closed Season; Catch and Release
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fishing is permitted (9) (10)
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spring Closed Season; Catch and
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Release Fishing is permitted (9) (11)

Siloam Springs State Park Siloam Springs Brown Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 18 inch Minimum Length Limit
Buckhorn Unit Waters State Park Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Bluegill or Redear Sunfish . . . . . . . 8 inch Minimum Length Limit
Bluegill or Redear Sunfish (14) . . . 10 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Silver Lake City of Highland Madison Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Silver Springs S.P. (Big Silver Springs State Kendall All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Lake) & Ponds Fish and Wildlife Area Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fall Closed Season (10)
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spring Closed Season (11)

NOTE: EXPLANATIONS FOR NUMBERS CONTAINED IN PARENTHESIS ARE FOUND ON PAGES 10 AND 11

53
 SITE SPECIFIC SPORTFISHING REGULATIONS
Statewide Sportfishing Regulations are enforced in addition to each area’s Site Specific Regulations
WATER AREA OWNERSHIP COUNTY FISH SPECIES REGULATION / CREEL LIMIT
Skokie Lagoons (Including Cook County Forest Cook All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1) (36)
Skokie Lagoons Spillway Preserve District Bluegill, Redear, or Pumpkinseed
and Skokie River Sunfish (14) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
downstream to Willow Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Road) Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Walleye, Sauger, or Hybrid
Walleye. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 inch Minimum Length Limit
White, Black, or Hybrid
Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Snakeden Hollow State State of Illinois Knox Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . Protected Slot Length Limit; 14-18 inches
Fish and Wildlife Area – Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
McMaster Lake & Other All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Site Waters Bluegill or Redear Sunfish (14) . . . 25 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Pure Muskellunge. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Harvest able Slot Length Limit; 36-42
inches, or 48 inch Minimum Length
Limit (52) Protected Slot Length Limit;
42-48 inches
Pure Muskellunge. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Recreational Use Restrictions . . . . Waterfowl Refuge or Hunting Area
(all use other than waterfowl hunting
prohibited from 14 days prior to duck
season through the end of the central
zone Canada goose season) All live
bait greater than 8 inches must be
rigged with a quick set rig (43)
Walleye, Sauger, or Hybrid
Walleye (14) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
White, Black, or Hybrid
Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Fish Daily Harvest Limit with no more
than10 Fish greater than or equal to 10
inches

Southwind Park Pond Springfield Park Sangamon Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fall Closed Season (10)
District Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spring Closed Season (11)

Sparta “T” Lake City of Sparta Randolph Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Bluegill or Redear Sunfish . . . . . . . 8 inch Minimum Length Limit
Bluegill or Redear Sunfish (14) . . . 15 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit
White, Black, or Hybrid Crappie . . . . 9 inch Minimum Length Limit
White, Black, or Hybrid
Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Sparta New City Reservoir City of Sparta Randolph All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
(North) Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit

Sparta Old City Reservoir City of Sparta Randolph County All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
(South) Bluegill or Redear Sunfish (14) . . . 15 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit

Sparta World Shooting State of Illinois Randolph Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 18 inch Minimum Length Limit
and Recreational Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Complex – Derby Lake All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1) (5)
Bluegill and Redear Sunfish (14) . . 15 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fall Closed Season (10)
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spring Closed Season (11)
White, Black, or Hybrid Crappie . . . . 10 inch Minimum Length Limit
White, Black, or Hybrid
Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

NOTE: EXPLANATIONS FOR NUMBERS CONTAINED IN PARENTHESIS ARE FOUND ON PAGES 10 AND 11

54
 SITE SPECIFIC SPORTFISHING REGULATIONS
Statewide Sportfishing Regulations are enforced in addition to each area’s Site Specific Regulations
WATER AREA OWNERSHIP COUNTY FISH SPECIES REGULATION / CREEL LIMIT
Sparta World Shooting State of Illinois Randolph Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 18 inch Minimum Length Limit
and Recreational Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Complex Lakes All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1) (5)
Bluegill and Redear Sunfish (14) . . 15 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
White, Black, or Hybrid Crappie . . . . 10 inch Minimum Length Limit
White, Black, or Hybrid
Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Sportsman’s Club Pond Decatur Park Macon All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
District Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spring Closed Season (11)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Spring Lake City of Macomb McDonough Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1) (5)
Channel Catfish or Blue Catfish (14) 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit
Pure Muskellunge. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 inch Minimum Length Limit
Pure Muskellunge. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Recreational Use Restrictions . . . . All live bait greater than 8 inches must
be rigged with a quick set rig (43)
Striped, White, or Hybrid Striped
Bass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 inch Minimum Length Limit
Striped, White, or Hybrid Striped
Bass (16) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Walleye. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 inch Minimum Length Limit
Walleye. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Spring Lakes Spring Lake Tazewell Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
(North & South) Conservation Area All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1) (5)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . Protected Slot Length Limit; 12-18 inches
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Pure Muskellunge. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 inch Minimum Length Limit
Recreational Use Restrictions . . . . All live bait greater than 8 inches must
be rigged with a quick set rig (43)
Recreational Use Restrictions . . . . Waterfowl Refuge or Hunting Area (33)
White, Black, or Hybrid
Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Fish Daily Harvest Limit with no more
than10 Fish greater than or equal to
10 inches

Spring Grove Hatchery City of Spring Grove McHenry Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fall Closed Season (10)
Pond

Spring Pond Flagg-Rochelle Ogle Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Park District All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit

Starved Rock State Park State of Illinois LaSalle Recreational Use Restrictions . . . . . Waterfowl Refuge or Hunting Area (33)

Staunton City Lake City of Staunton Macoupin Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit
Pure Muskellunge. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 inch Minimum Length Limit
Recreational Use Restrictions . . . . All live bait greater than 8 inches must
be rigged with a quick set rig (43)

Sterling Lake Lake County Forest Lake Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Preserve District All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit
Pure Muskellunge. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 inch Minimum Length Limit
Recreational Use Restrictions . . . . All live bait greater than 8 inches must
be rigged with a quick set rig (43)
Walleye, Sauger, or Hybrid
Walleye. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 inch Minimum Length Limit

NOTE: EXPLANATIONS FOR NUMBERS CONTAINED IN PARENTHESIS ARE FOUND ON PAGES 10 AND 11

55
 SITE SPECIFIC SPORTFISHING REGULATIONS
Statewide Sportfishing Regulations are enforced in addition to each area’s Site Specific Regulations
WATER AREA OWNERSHIP COUNTY FISH SPECIES REGULATION / CREEL LIMIT
Storm Lake DeKalb Park District DeKalb Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit

Stump Lake Wildlife State of Illinois Jersey Recreational Use Restrictions . . . . . Waterfowl Refuge or Hunting Area (19)
Management Area

Tampier Lake Cook County Forest Cook All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (36)
Preserve District Bluegill, Redear, or Pumpkinseed
Sunfish (14) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit
Walleye, Sauger, or Hybrid
Walleye. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 inch Minimum Length Limit
White, Black, or Hybrid
Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Taylorville Park District Taylorville Park Christian All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Pond District Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fall Closed Season (10)
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spring Closed Season (11)

Ten Mile Creek Lakes Ten Mile Creek State Hamilton/Jefferson Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Fish and Wildlife All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1) (5)
Area Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Recreational Use Restrictions . . . . Waterfowl Refuge or Hunting Area
(Areas designated as waterfowl rest
areas are closed to all access during
the Canada goose season only)

Three Oaks North Lake City of Crystal Lake McHenry All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Catch and Release Fishing Only (9)
All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)

Three Oaks South Lake City of Crystal Lake McHenry All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Catch and Release Fishing Only (9)
All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)

Tilton City Lake City of Tilton Vermilion Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Bluegill or Redear Sunfish (14) . . . 15 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit

Toledo Reservoir City of Toledo Cumberland Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . Protected Slot Length Limit with1 Fish
greater than or equal to 15 inches and
2 Fish less than 12 inches (31)
3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit (31)

Tower Lake City of St. Elmo Fayette All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
(St. Elmo South Lake) Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit

Tri-Township Park Pond City of Troy Madison Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Bluegill or Redear Sunfish (14) . . . 10 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit

Turkey Bluff Ponds State of Illinois Randolph Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit

Turner Lake Chain O’Lakes Lake Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
State Park All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit

NOTE: EXPLANATIONS FOR NUMBERS CONTAINED IN PARENTHESIS ARE FOUND ON PAGES 10 AND 11

56
 SITE SPECIFIC SPORTFISHING REGULATIONS
Statewide Sportfishing Regulations are enforced in addition to each area’s Site Specific Regulations
WATER AREA OWNERSHIP COUNTY FISH SPECIES REGULATION / CREEL LIMIT
Turtle Lake (East Lake Will County Forest Will Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 18 inch Minimum Length Limit
Renwick) Preserve District Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Bluegill or Redear Sunfish (14) . . . 15 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Tuscola City Lake City of Tuscola Douglas All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit

Union County Fish and State of Illinois Union All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1) (5)
Wildlife Area – All lakes Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
and ponds (All fishing and boat traffic prohibited from October 15 through the last
day of February)

Valley Lake Wildwood Park Lake Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
District All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit

Valmeyer Lake City of Valmeyer Monroe All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit

Vandalia Lake City of Vandalia Fayette All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit
Striped, White, or Hybrid Striped
Bass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 inch Minimum Length Limit
Striped, White, or Hybrid Striped
Bass (16) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Vanhorn Woods Pond Plainfield Park Will Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
District All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fall Closed Season (10)

Vernor Lake City of Olney Richland All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit

Villa Grove East Lake City of Villa Grove Douglas All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit

Villa Grove West Lake City of Villa Grove Douglas Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 18 inch Minimum Length Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Striped, White, or Hybrid Striped
Bass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 inch Minimum Length Limit
Striped, White, or Hybrid Striped
Bass (16) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fall Closed Season (10)

Wabash River (between State of Illinois Multiple Blue Catfish and Flathead Catfish . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit for Fish
Illinois and Indiana) and greater than or equal to 35 inches
Ohio River (between Blue Catfish and Flathead Catfish . . No Daily Harvest Limit for Fish greater
Illinois and Kentuckty) than or equal to 13 inches and less
than 35 inches
Blue Catfish and Flathead Catfish . . No harvest less than 13 inches
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit for Fish
greater than or equal to 28 inches
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No Daily Harvest Limit for Fish greater
than or equal to 13 inches and less than
28 inches
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No harvest less than 13 inches

NOTE: EXPLANATIONS FOR NUMBERS CONTAINED IN PARENTHESIS ARE FOUND ON PAGES 10 AND 11

57
 SITE SPECIFIC SPORTFISHING REGULATIONS
Statewide Sportfishing Regulations are enforced in addition to each area’s Site Specific Regulations
WATER AREA OWNERSHIP COUNTY FISH SPECIES REGULATION / CREEL LIMIT
Waddams Creek State of Illinois Stephenson Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spring Closed Season (11)

Walnut Point Lake Walnut Point State Douglas Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . Protected Slot Length Limit with no
Fish and Wildlife Area possession of fish less than 15 inches or
greater than or equal to 12 inches(3)
All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Bluegill or Redear Sunfish (14) . . . . 20 Fish Daily Harvest Limit, of which
only 5 Fish may be greater than or
equal to 8 inches
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Walton Park Lake City of Litchfield Montgomery Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit

Wampum Lake Cook County Forest Cook All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1) (36)
Preserve District Bluegill, Redear, or Pumpkinseed
Sunfish (14) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit
White, Black, or Hybrid
Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Washington County Lake Washington County Washington All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1) (5)
Conservation Area Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . Protected Slot Length Limit with 1 Fish
greater than or equal to 18 inches and
2 Fish less than 14 inches
Striped, White, or Hybrid Striped
Bass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 inch Minimum Length Limit
Striped, White, or Hybrid Striped
Bass (16) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Washington Park Lagoon Chicago Park District Cook All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Washington Park Pond Springfield Park Sangamon All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
District Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fall Closed Season (10)
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spring Closed Season (11)

Watseka City Ponds City of Watseka Iroquois Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
(Clements Pond, Kapers All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Pond and Municipal Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Center Pond) Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit
White, Black, or Hybrid Crappie . . . . 9 inch Minimum Length Limit
White, Black, or Hybrid
Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Waverly Lake City of Waverly Morgan All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit

Weinberg-King Pond Weinberg King State Schuyler All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Park Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Weldon Springs Lake Weldon Springs DeWitt Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
State Park All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit
Walleye, Sauger, or Hybrid
Walleye. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
15 inch Minimum Length Limit with no
more than 1 Fish greater than or equal
to 20 inches
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fall Closed Season (10)
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spring Closed Season (11)

West Frankfort New City of West Franklin Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
City Lake Frankfort All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit

NOTE: EXPLANATIONS FOR NUMBERS CONTAINED IN PARENTHESIS ARE FOUND ON PAGES 10 AND 11

58
 SITE SPECIFIC SPORTFISHING REGULATIONS
Statewide Sportfishing Regulations are enforced in addition to each area’s Site Specific Regulations
WATER AREA OWNERSHIP COUNTY FISH SPECIES REGULATION / CREEL LIMIT
West Frankfort Old City of West Franklin Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
City Lake Frankfort All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit

West Salem Reservoir City of West Salem Edwards All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit

Whalon Lake Forest Preserve Will Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 18 inch Minimum Length Limit
District of Will Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
County All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Bluegill or Redear Sunfish (14) . . . 15 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Walleye, Sauger, or Hybrid
Walleye. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Walleye, Sauger, or Hybrid
Walleye. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 inch Minimum Length Limit

White Hall City Lake City of White Hall Greene All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1) (5)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Wilderness Pond Fox Ridge State Park Coles Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 18 inch Minimum Length Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Bluegill or Redear Sunfish (14) . . . 5 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

William W. Powers State of Illinois Cook Recreational Use Restrictions . . . . . Waterfowl Refuge or Hunting Area (33)
Conservation Area

Willow Lake Peabody River King St. Clair Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
State Conservation All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Area Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fall Closed Season; Catch and Release
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fishing is permitted (9) (10)
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spring Closed Season; Catch and
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Release Fishing is permitted (9) (11)
White, Black, or Hybrid Crappie . . . . 9 inch Minimum Length Limit
White, Black, or Hybrid
Crappie (15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Fish Daily Harvest Limit

Wolf Lake, William W. State of Illinois Cook All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Powers Conservation Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Area Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 14 inch Minimum Length Limit
Recreational Use Restrictions . . . . . Waterfowl Refuge or Hunting Area (33)
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fall Closed Season (10)
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spring Closed Season (11)

Woodford County Woodford County Woodford All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Conservation Area Conservation Area Recreational Use Restrictions . . . . . Waterfowl Refuge or Hunting Area (33)
(Fishing Ditch) Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 12 inch Minimum Length Limit

Woodlawn Pond Frankfort Square Will Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Park District All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit

59
 SITE SPECIFIC SPORTFISHING REGULATIONS
Statewide Sportfishing Regulations are enforced in addition to each area’s Site Specific Regulations
WATER AREA OWNERSHIP COUNTY FISH SPECIES REGULATION / CREEL LIMIT
Woods Lake U.S. Army Corps of Moultrie All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Engineers Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Striped, White or
Hybrid Striped Bass (16) . . . . . . . . Catch and Release Only
Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . Protected Slot Length Limit with only 1
Fish greater than or equal to 18 inches
and 2 Fish less than 14 inches or 3 Fish
less than 14 inches
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Bluegill and Redear Sunfish . . . . . . 15 Fish Daily Harvest Limit, of which
only 5 fish may be greater than or equal
to 8 inches
White, Black, or Hybrid Crappie . . . . 15 Fish Daily Harvest Limit with only 5
Fish less than 10 inches and 10 Fish
greater than or equal to 10 inches

Wyman Lake City of Sullivan Moultrie Large or Smallmouth Bass (14) . . . 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
All Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pole and Line Fishing Only (1)
Channel Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Large or Smallmouth Bass . . . . . . . 15 inch Minimum Length Limit
Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spring Closed Season (11)

Yellow Creek State of Illinois Stephenson Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spring Closed Season (11)

HOW TO MEASURE FISH

Use a flat board, close the mouth,

and compress the tail.

DON’T TAKE AN ALLIGATOR SNAPPING TURTLE!

ALLIGATOR SNAPPING TURTLES ARE A STATE ENDANGERED SPECIES AND FULLY PROTECTED BY LAW
The State of Illinois is reintroducing the native alligator snapping turtle to strategic watersheds in Illinois.
You can help recover this unique reptile by:
• Learning the difference between common snapping turtles and alligator snappers.
• Reporting observations of alligator snapping turtles. PLEASE SEND PHOTOS
• Protecting river corridors and associated wetland habitat.
• Reporting any illegal capture, harvest or possession of alligator snapping turtles.

Common: Smooth shell with

moderate projections; long neck
Alligator: 3 rows of prominent, and tail with sawtooth projections.
pyramid- shaped projections on These turtles may legally be taken
shell; large head; pronounced with an Illinois fishing license.
beak; worm-like lure on tongue. The daily harvest limit is 2 turtles
May NOT be taken in Illinois. and possession limit is 4.

60
COMMON ILLINOIS SPORT FISH

61
 PLACES TO FISH

Walleye/Sauger

Hybrid Striper
Northern Pike
Special Regs.

Yellow Perch

Striped Bass
Boat Fishing

Muskellunge
Water Skiing

Camp/Picnic

Yellow Bass
Boat Rental

White Bass
Swimming

Warmouth
Bullhead
SM Bass
LM Bass
Motors*

Crappie
Sunfish
Bluegill

Salmon
Catfish
Ramps
Acres

Smelt
Trout
Carp
BODY OF WATER
Anderson Lake, Fulton Co. 1,364 X X X X X X X X X X X X X
Apple River X X X X
Argyle Lake, McDonough Co. 95 X X X NW X X X X X X X X X X X
Ashland New City Reservoir, Morgan Co. 10 X X P X X X X X
Baldwin Lake, Randolph Co. 2,018 X X 50 P X X X X X X X X X X X X
Banner Marsh, Peoria Co. 1,200 X X 25 P X X X X X X X X X X
Baumann Lake, Winnebago Co. 26 P X X X X X
Beall Woods Lake, Wabash Co. 14 X X 0 X X X X X X X X
Beaver Dam, Macoupin Co. 57 X X X E X X X X X X X X X
Beck Lake, Cook Co. 38 X X E X X X X X X X X X X X
Braidwood Lake, Will Co. 2,308 X X X X X X X X X X
Busse Lake, Cook Co. 590 X X X E X X X X X X X X X X X X
Carlyle Lake, Clinton,Fayette & Bond Cos. 24,580 X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
Canton Lake, Fulton Co. 250 X X 85 X X X X X X X X X X X X
Cedar Lake, Jackson Co. 1,750 X X 10 X X X X X X X X X X
Citizen’s Lake, Warren Co. 27 X X E X X X X X X X X
Clinton Lake, DeWitt Co. 5,000 X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
Coffeen Lake, Montgomery Co. 1,100 X X 25 X X X X X X X X X X
Crab Orchard Lake, Williamson Co. 6,965 X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
Crab Orchard Visitor Pond, 40 X X X X X X
Williamson Co. (walk-in only, no boats)
Dawson Lake, McLean Co. 150 X X X NW X X X X X X X X X X X X
Deep Quarry Lake, DuPage Co. 40 X E X X X X X X X X X X
Defiance Lake, McHenry Co. 47 X X E P X X X X X X X X X X
Des Plaines River X X X X X X
Devil’s Kitchen Lake, Williamson Co. 810 X X 10 X X X X X X X X X X X
Dolan Lake, Hamilton Co. 71 X X 10 X X X X X X X
DuPage River X X X X
Dutchman Lake, Johnson Co. 118 X X 10 X X X X X X X
East Fork Lake, Richland Co. 935 X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
Emiquon Preserve, Fulton Co. 4,000 X X E X X X X X X X X X X
Evergreen Lake, McLean Co. 925 X X X 10 X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
Ferne Clyffe Lake, Johnson Co. 16 0 X X X X X X X X
Fox Chain O’Lakes, Lake/McHenry 7,110 X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
Forbes Lake, Marion Co. 525 X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
Four Lakes, Winnebago Co. 19 P X X X X X X X X X
Fox River X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
Frank Holten Lakes, St.Clair Co. 180 X X X 10 P X X X X X X X X X X
Gladstone Lake, Henderson Co. 27 X X E X X X X X X X X
Glenn Shoals Lake, Montgomery Co. 1,200 X X X X P X X X X X X X X
Governor Bond Lake, Bond Co. 775 X X 120 P X X X X X X X X X X
Heidecke Lake, Grundy Co. 1,955 X X X P X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
Hennepin Canal, Bureau Co. - X X A X X X X X X X X X X X X X
Hennepin-Hopper Lake 1,500 X X 0 X X X X X X X X X X
Herrick Lake, DuPage Co. 19 X X X X X X X X
Homer Lake, Champaign Co. 80 X X E X P X X X X X X X X X
Horseshoe Lake, Madison Co. 2,430 X X 50 X X X X X X X X X X
I&M Canal, Will/Grundy/LaSalle Co - X E X X X X X X X X X X
Jim Edgar/Panther Creek State 25 X X NW P X X X X X
F& W Area, Gridley Lake, Cass Co.
Prairie Lake, Cass Co. 210 X X X NW X X X X X X X X X
Drake Lake, Cass Co. 35 X X E P X X X X X
Johnson Sauk Lake, Henry Co. 58 X X X 0 X X X X X X X X X X
Glen O Jones Lake, Saline Co. 105 X X 10 X X X X X X X
Kankakee River X X X X X X X X X
Kaskaskia River X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
Kickapoo Lakes, Vermilion Co. 184 X X X E X X X X X X X X X X X X
Kinkaid City Reservoir, Christian Co. 31 X X P X X X X X
Kinkaid Lake, Jackson Co. 2,750 X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
Kishwaukee River X X X X X X X X X
Lake Bloomington, McLean Co. 635 X X X 40 X X X X X X X X X X X X
Lake Carlton, Whiteside Co. 77 X X X 10 X X X X X X X X X
Lake Chaminwood, Will Co. 48 X E P X X X X X X X X
Lake Charleston, Upper Side Channel, Coles Co.346 X X NW X X X X X X X X X X X X
Lake Chatauqua, Mason Co. 1,200 X X NW X X X X X X X
Lake Decatur, Macon Co. 3,093 X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
Lake Eureka, Woodford Co. 30 X X E P X X X X X X X
Lake George, Rock Island Co. 167 X X X 0 X X X X X X X X X X X
Lake Le-Aqua-Na, Stephenson Co. 43 X X X 0 X X X X X X X X X X X
Lake Mattoon, Shelby/Cumberland 1,050 X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
Lake Michigan, Cook/Lake Cos. 976,640 X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
Lake Milliken, Will Co. 26 P X X X X X X X
Lake Mingo, Vermillion Co. 170 X X 10 P X X X X X X X X X X
Lake of Eqypt, Johnson Co. 2,400 X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
Lake of the Woods, Champaign Co. 25 X X X P X X X X X X X X X
Lake Pittsfield, Pike Co. 220 X X X P X X X X X X X X
Lake Shelbyville, Shelby/Moultrie 11,100 X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
Lake Springfield, Sangamon Co. 4,234 X X X X P X X X X X X X X X X
62
 PLACES TO FISH

Walleye/Sauger

Hybrid Striper
Northern Pike
Special Regs.

Yellow Perch

Striped Bass
Boat Fishing

Muskellunge
Water Skiing

Camp/Picnic

Yellow Bass
Boat Rental

White Bass
Swimming

Warmouth
Bullhead
SM Bass
LM Bass
Motors*

Crappie
Sunfish
Bluegill

Salmon
Catfish
Ramps
Acres

Smelt
Trout
Carp
BODY OF WATER
Lake Storey, Knox Co. 133 X X X E X X X X X X X X X X X X
Lake Sule (seasonal) Ogle Co. 77 X X X P X X X X X X X X X X X
Lake Taylorville, Christian Co. 1286 X X X X X P X X X X X X X X X
Lake Vermillion, Vermillion Co. 666 X X X X P X X X X X X X X X
Lake Victoria, Winnebago Co. 16.5 X X P X X X X X X X X X X
LaSalle Lake, LaSalle Co. 2,050 X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
Levings Lake, Winnebago Co. 25.5 X 0 X P X X X X X X X X X
Lincoln Trail Lake, Clark Co. 146 X X X 10 X X X X X X X X X X
Little Grassy Lake, Williamson Co. 1,000 X X X 10 X X X X X X X X X X X
Lou Yaeger Lake, Montgomery Co. 1268 X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
Mallard Lake, DuPage Co. 89 X X X X X X X X X X X
Maple Lake, Cook Co. 55 X X E X X X X X X X X X
Maple Lake, DuPage Co. 32 X X X X
Marshall County Lake, Marshall Co. 2,557 X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
Mautino State Fish & Wildlife Area,Bureau Co. 74.2 X X E P X X X X X X X
Mazonia Lakes, Grundy/Kankakee Cos. 576 X X B P X X X X X X X X
McCullom Lake, McHenry Co. 245 X X 10 X P X X X X X
McMaster Lake, Knox Co. 142 X X 10 X X X X X X X X X X
Mechanicsburg Park Pond, Sangamon Co. 7 X X X X
Mermet Lake, Massac Co. 452 X X NW P X X X X X X X X
Mill Creek Lake, Clark Co. 811 X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
Monee Reservoir, Will Co. 43 X E P X X X X X X
Mt. Pulaski Park District Pond, Logan Co. 20 X X X X
Lake Murphysboro, Jackson Co. 144 X X 10 X X X X X X X X X
Newton Lake, Jasper Co. 1,750 X X 25 P X X X X X X X X X
North Branch Chicago River - Cook Co. X X X X
Olson Lake, Winnebago Co. 45 X 0 X X X X X X X X X X
Otter Lake, Macoupin Co. 765 X X X 115 X X X X X X X X X X X X X
Paris Twin Lakes, Edgar Co. 220 X X X X P X X X X X X X X X X X
Peabody River King Pit #3 526 X X 10 P X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
Lakes and Ponds, St.Clair Co.
Pecatonica River X X X X X X X X X X X
Pierce Lake, Winnebago Co. 162 X X X NW X X X X X X X X X X X X
Powerton Lake, Tazewell Co. 1,426 X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
Pyramid State Park Lakes, Perry Co. 1,500 X X NW X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
Ramsey Lake, Fayette Co. 47 X X X 0 X X X X X X X X
Randolph County Lake, Randolph Co. 65 X X X 10 X X X X X X X X X X
Red Hills Lake, Lawrence Co. 40 X X E X X X X X X X X X
Rend Lake, Franklin/Jefferson Cos. 18,900 X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
Rice Lake, DuPage Co. 36 X X X X X X X
Rice Lake, Fulton Co. 1,383 X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
Rock River X X X X NW X X X X X X X X X
Rock Run (Route 6 Quarries), Will Co. 82 X X E P X X X X X X X X
Saganashkee Slough, Cook Co. 325 X X E X X X X X X X X X X
Sahara Woods FWA, Saline Co. 275 X X X X X X X X
Sam Dale Lake, Wayne Co. 194 X X X 10 X X X X X X X X X X
Sam Parr Lake, Jasper Co. 180 X X 10 X X X X X X X X X
Sand Lake, Lake Co. 18 X X X X X
Sangamon River X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
Sanganois Lakes, Cass Co. 1,550 X X 10 P X X X X X X X X X
Sangchris Lake, Christion Co. 2,165 X X 25 X X X X X X X X X X
Schuy-Rush Lake, Schuyler Co. 220 X X X P X X X X X X X X
Shabbona Lake, DeKalb Co. 319 X X X 10 X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
Siloam Springs Lake, Adams Co. 58 X X X 0 X X X X X X X X X
Silver Lake, DuPage Co. 62 X X X E X X X X X X X X X X X
Silver Springs Lakes, Kendall Co. 21 X X X 0 P X X X X X X X X X X
Skokie Lagoons, Cook Co. 190 X X E X X X X X X X X X
Spring Creek Reservoir, DuPage Co. 49 X X X X X X X
Spring Lake, McDonough Co. 277 X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
Spring Lake (North), Tazewell Co. 578 X X X 25 X X X X X X X X X X X
Spring Lake (South), Tazewell Co. 610 X X X 25 X X X X X X X X X X X
Tampier Lake, Cook Co. 160 X X X E X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
Ten Mile Creek Lake, Jefferson/Hamilton Cos. 200 X X 10 X X X X X X
Turner Lake, Lake Co. 35 X 0 X X X X X X X
Walnut Point Lake, Douglas Co. 59 X X X E X X X X X X X X X
Wampum Lake, Cook Co. 35 X X X X X X X X X
Washington County Lake, Washington Co. 247 X X X 10 X X X X X X X X X X X
Weldon Springs Lake, Dewitt Co. 29 X X X E X X X X X X X X X X
Whalon Lake, Will Co. 81 X X E P X X X X X X X X X
Wolf Lake, Cook Co. 391 X X X NW P X X X X X X X X X X X
Woodford County Conservation 2,790 X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
Area Lakes, Woodford Co.

SPECIAL REGULATIONS: Those lakes marked with an (X) in the Special Regulations column above have regulations which differ from the statewide regulations. Please check the Site
Specific Regulations section of this publication or as posted at each lake where applicable. All regulations and activities are subject to change.
*10 = 10 h.p. limit; X = no h.p. limit; 0 = no outboard motors allowed; E = electric trolling motors only. A = 10 h.p. limit except from Lock 24 west to Rt. 82 bridge. B = Electric motors only except
for Monster, Eagle, & Ponderosa Lakes where outboards are allowed. NW = motors of any size allowed operating at no wake speed. P = Picnic Area Only

- Zebra mussels have been found in these waters. - Some handicapped accessible fishing facilities present.
63
 TOURNAMENT FISHING PERMIT
a) A Fishing Tournament Permit issued by the Department of Natural Resources is required for any fishing tournament event. This includes Hook and Line Fishing Tourna-
ments and Bowfishing Tournaments, that are held in any of the waters listed in Section 810.45, Section 810.15(d); and in any public owned or Department managed
lake, river, or stream in Illinois.
b) If applications are submitted online, the Fishing Tournament Permit received by the applicant will also serve as the IDNR Site Activity Permit for tournaments held
at IDNR sites. If the Fishing Tournament request is made by paper application, then applicant will need to contact the IDNR site for a separate paper Site Activity
Permit application. Copies of the IDNR Fishing Tournament Permit must be in the possession of the tournament director or organizer at all times. Within 30 days
after the tournament event, a summary report containing catch data that may include the sizes (length and/or weight), numbers of each fish caught, the length of
the tournament (fishing hours), number of participants, number of boats, the number of participants that brought in their limit and the number of fish killed dur-
ing the handling must be provided to the IDNR-Division of Fisheries. Subsequent Fishing Tournament permits for the following year(s) may not be issued until the
summary reports have been submitted for the current or previous years. Requests for a Fishing Tournament Permit shall be made on applications provided by
the Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fisheries available on the IDNR and IFishIllinois websites. Fishing Tournament Permit applications will be ac-
cepted beginning November 1 of each year for the following year. Applications cannot be accepted more than one year in advance pursuant to 17 Ill. Adm. Code
115. If the tournament is not on a state site (as listed on the online form) the applicant must receive permission from the water owner prior to holding the event.
c) In addition to the Fishing Tournament Permit, activities held at Department sites requires either: (1) proof of liability insurance of $1,000,000; or (2) the Tournament
Organizer or Director will require each individual who participates in the event to sign a liability waiver, obtained from the site office, prior to the event or: The box
requesting this information must be checked on the online tournament application form.
d) Definitions:
“Fishing Tournament” – An organized competitive fishing event, other than a fishing derby, where two or more individuals fish during a specified time period. To
be considered a fishing tournament, an event must include the following factors: sponsored or promoted by an individual or organization, involves the award of
trophies, cash, prizes or other recognition for participation in the tournament, and will be conducted on a particular body of water or multiple waters.
“Fishing Derby” – An organized event conducted for children under the age of 16 or who are attending high school, senior citizens (65 years old and older), sport
fishermen with disabilities, or school-sanctioned groups when the principal purpose is education or enjoyment, rather than competition among sport fishermen.
Tournament Permits are not required for a Fishing Derby.
e) The Statewide Daily Harvest Limit per person of no more than 6 largemouth, smallmouth, or spotted bass (black bass) may be in possession while participating
in a Hook and Line Fishing Tournament.
f) Site-specific harvest, possession, or creel limits listed in Section 810.45 cannot be exempted or exceed the statewide harvest, possession, or creel limits for any
fish species.
g) Rules for issuance of Special Length Limit Regulation Exemption Permits are as follows:
1) For Muskie Tournaments- An IDNR Fishing Tournament Permit for catch, hold for weigh-in and release tournaments for all waters is permitted with no Special
Length Limit Regulation Exemption Permits required. Fish must be released unharmed immediately after quick weigh-in.
2) Lake Michigan- Regulation exemptions may be granted for bass fishing tournaments on Lake Michigan. The regulations for all bass tournaments will be: 14˝
minimum length limit, 3 fish per person daily catch limit.
3) The Mississippi, Ohio and Wabash rivers are not eligible for permits that exempt participants from daily harvest and size limits due to regulatory agreements
with neighboring states.
4) Illinois High School (IHSA) sanctioned or other youth-only catch and release tournaments will be issued Special Length Limit Regulation Exemption Permits.
That regulation will be a 12˝ minimum length limit, 5 fish per boat. Youth is defined as 18 years old and younger.
h) Requests for a Fishing Tournament Permit shall be made on applications provided by the Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fisheries and available on-
line on the IDNR and IFISHILLINOIS websites. Applications must be received not less than 30 days prior to the first tournament date and must be completely filled
out or they may be rejected.
i) Issuance or denial of a permit shall be based upon the following criteria:
1) The capability of the fishery resource to absorb the tournament with minimal impact to its well-being.
2) The location of the tournament, special management zones on rivers and streams and waters with restrictive creel and length limits, identified in Section
810.45, are not eligible for permits except as noted in Section 810.90(a).
3) The evaluation of the adverse impacts resulting from the additional fishing pressure generated by the tournament on the fish population and the targeted fish
species. Consumptive Hook and Line Fishing Tournaments are not eligible for Special Length Limit Regulation Exemption Permits. The evaluation must
demonstrate minimal and short-term impacts in order for the Department of Natural Resources to issue the permit. Specific items to be considered include:
A) biological status of the fish population, including the species sought; and
B) timing of the tournament with regard to date, hours and water conditions; and
C) length of fishing hours for the tournament; and
D) need for emergency protective procedures to protect the sport fisheries resources of the State and the general health, safety and welfare of the general
public as provided for in 810.80 and
E) number of boats and sport fishermen participating in the tournament; and
F) safety of sport fishermen and potential boater-user conflicts.
4) Demonstrates adequate provisions for holding, handling, and releasing caught fish. Specific criteria are:
A) Tournament officials must be able to certify that all boats will be required to possess a livewell (except muskie fishing tournaments)
fitted with a functioning aerator and water pump.
B) If a common release boat or vehicle is utilized, the sport fishermen transporting the fish to be released are exempt from the Daily Harvest Limit. When
using a common release boat, permits granting exemptions from Daily Harvest Limits may be obtained by contacting the IDNR-Division of Fisheries 217-
782-6424. A common release boat and holding tank used to transport fish for release shall be adequate to carry a tank constructed of a suitable material
(aluminum or fiberglass) with smooth interior walls with no obstructions to trap or injure fish. The tank must be able to hold at least one gallon of water
per pound of fish, provide adequate aeration, and maintain constant desirable temperature to sustain their well-being. The tank must have operating
hatches to prevent fish from jumping out of the tank and allow quick opening and closing for introduction and removal of fish. Individual boats and sport
fishermen returning their catches of fish back to a release site must adhere to daily creel limits. Tournament officials must be able to certify that a com-
mon release boat is being utilized for this tournament.
C) For catch, hold for weigh-in, and release muskie tournaments, all boats must have a fish cradle (made from netting) to temporarily hold the muskie in the
water while an official determines the length or weight of the fish prior to release. Muskies may not be transported to a weigh-in site.

64
 TOURNAMENT FISHING PERMIT
5) Appeals to denied permits must be made in writing to the IDNR Division of Fisheries within 10 days of receipt of the denial. Any supplemental information re-
quested must be included in the appeal.
j) Bowfishing tournaments may be held in any of the public waters open to bowfishing listed in Section 810.45 or public waters listed in 810.15. Bowfishing tour-
naments are subject to the following additional rules:
No Special Length Limit and/or Harvest Limit Regulation exemptions are allowed to site specific regulations (not to exceed the statewide statutory limits) on: wa-
ters listed in Sections 810.45 or public water listed in Section 810.15 with restrictive limits; and the Mississippi, Ohio and Wabash Rivers due to regulator agree-
ments with neighboring states.
All carp species legal to take with bowfishing methods listed in Sections 810.45 have an unlimited take.
No possession of live Asian carp is permitted.
No exemptions will be granted for the wanton waste and fish abandonment provisions in Section 810.14.
k) Failure to acquire a permit as referenced in subsection (a) is a petty offense and may result in denial of future applications for a Fishing Tournament Permit.
l) Fishing Tournaments held on the Mississippi River between Illinois and Iowa must be permitted with an Illinois Fishing Tournament Permit in addition to an Iowa
Fishing Tournament Permit, if also fishing Iowa waters. Tournaments held in Iowa waters in June, July and August must conclude at 2:00 PM or be out of Iowa
jurisdiction by 2:00pm, with the exception of evening tournaments starting after 4 PM. See following link for more details on Iowa Fishing Regulations:
http://www.iowadnr.gov/Fishing/Fishing-Licenses-Laws/Additional-Regulations/Fishing-Tournaments.

ILLINOIS SPORT FISHING AWARDS PROGRAMS

(HOOK AND LINE OR BOWFISHING)
The Division of Fisheries offers several angler recognition awards for fish caught in Illinois waters either by hook and line or by bowfishing methods.
Junior angler awards are for young sport fishermen under 16 years of age catching their first Illinois fish. Catch and Release (hook and line
only), Big Fish, Master Angler, Grand Slam, and State Record are available to any angler or angling group meeting the eligibility requirements out-
lined in the rules. Refer to the rules section on the IFISH website for more information.
Available on the www.ifishillinois.org website are the Jr. Angler, Catch & Release, and Big Fish certificates. They may be downloaded and
printed from your personal computer. Completed applications with associated information for Master Angler, Grand Slam, and State Record must
be sent to the Division of Fisheries for processing. Awards are returned to the angler at the end of the current fishing season.
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources has inaugurated state record recognition awards for spearing and bowfishing in designated Illinois’
waters. Archery and spearing harvest of eligible fish species has grown dramatically in the past decade and the Department wants to acknowledge
those angler’s and their sport.
The sites below provide a wealth of information on Bowfishing in Illinois.
Bowfishing Association of Illinois • www.illinoisbowfishing.net Illinois Bowfishers • www.illinoisbowfishers.com
Bowfishing Association of Southern Illinois • ultimateoutdoorsnetwork.com/basi/ Old River Bowfishing Association • www.oldriverbowfishing.com/
Northern Illinois Bowfishing Association • Contact: Gary Ostrowski @ 847-409-3103
APPLICATIONS MAY BE OBTAINED BY CALLING 217/782-6424 OR BY DOWNLOADING FROM THE www.ifishillinois.org WEBSITE.

CURRENT STATE RECORD SPEAR/BOW FISH SPECIES

ELIGIBLE FISH STATE RECORD (LBS) WATER BODY COUNTY DATE SHOT
Common Carp 38 lbs 2 oz. Crab Orchard Lake Williamson 4/5/2013
Grass Carp (White Amur) 78 lbs 8oz Lake Minear Lake 6/5/2014
Bighead Carp 59 lbs 4 oz Illinois River LaSalle 7/16/2011
Silver Carp 18 lbs 1 oz Wabash River Wabash 9/29/2014
Buffalo (Bigmouth) 49 lbs 15 oz Mermet Lake Massac 3/20/2010
Buffalo (Smallmouth) 51 lbs Ohio River Pope 12/19/2013
Buffalo (Black) 59 lbs 12 oz Mermet Lake Massac 2/19/2014
Shortnose Gar 6 lbs 4 oz Lake Shelbyville Moultrie 7/20/2014
Longnose Gar 32 lb 3.2 oz Kaskaskia River St. Clair 9/14/17
Spotted Gar 10 lbs 2.4 oz Rend Lake Franklin 4/9/2010
Bowfin (Dogfish) 12 lbs 3 oz Crab Orchard Lake Williamson 5/5/2012
Freshwater Drum 19 lbs 13 oz Kankakee River Kankakee 8/11/2017
Gizzard Shad 3 lb 2.2 oz Mississippi River Pool 13 JoDaviess 5/5/2016
Goldfish/Hybrid 4 lbs 6 oz Fox Chain of Lakes Lake 6/6/2015
Blue Catfish 31 lbs 14.4 oz Kaskaskia River Randolph 5/30/2019

65
 ILLINOIS AND NORTH AMERICAN HOOK & LINE RECORD FISH
As of August 2018*
COMMON WEIGHT DATE PLACE COUNTY COMMON WEIGHT DATE PLACE COUNTY
NAME CAUGHT CAUGHT NAME CAUGHT CAUGHT
BASS, Largemouth (IL) 13 lb./1 oz. 2/15/76 Stone Quarry Lk. LAKE GOLDEYE (lL) 2 lb./1 oz. 7/26/98 Embarras River CUMBERLAND
(NA) 22 lb./4 oz. 6/2/32 Montgomery Lk., GA (NA) 3 lb./13 oz. 8/9/87 Oahe Tailwater, SD
BASS. Rock (lL) 1 lb./10 oz. 5/5/87 Aux Sable Creek GRUNDY GRASS CARP (lL) 74 lb./0 oz. 5/22/15 Lake Galena JO DAVIESS
(NA) 3 lb./0 oz. 8/1/74 York River, Ontario, CAN. (NA) 79 lb./0 oz. 4/12/11 Crescent Lake, IL
(NA) 3 lb./0 oz. 6/13/69 Sugar Creek, IN LAKE WHITEFISH (lL) 8 lb/4.0 oz. 6/29/18 Lake Michigan COOK
BASS, Smallmouth (lL) 7 lb./3 oz. 10/14/19 Lake Michigan COOK (NA) 15 lb./6 oz. 5/21/83 Webster Clear Lake, Ontario, CAN
(NA) 11 lb./15 oz. 7/9/55 Dale Hollow Lake, TN MUSKELLUNGE (lL) 38 lb./8 oz. 4/20/02 Kaskaskia River SHELBY
BASS, Spotted (lL) 7 lb./3.12 oz. 3/15/92 Strip Mine FULTON (NA) 69 lb./11 oz. 10/20/49 Chippewa Flowage, WI
(NA) 11 lb./3 oz. 2/21/15 New Bullards Bar Res, CA MUSKIE, Tiger (lL) 31 lb./3 oz. 8/6/04 Lake Will WILL
BASS, Striped (lL) 31 lb./7oz. 5/23/94 Sangchris Lake CHRISTIAN (NA) 51 lb./3 oz. 7/1919 Lake Vieux Desert, WI/MI
(NA) 69 lb./9 oz. 2/28/13 Black Warrior River, AL NORTHERN (lL) 1 lb./12.3 oz. 3/22/12 Little Vermillion River LA SALLE
BASS, Hybrid (lL) 21lb /7.2oz. 6/12/17 Lake Bloomington MCCLEAN HOGSUCKER (NA) 1 lb./12 oz. 3/17/04 Fox River, WI
Striped (NA) 27 lb./5 oz. 4/24/97 Greer’s Ferry Lake, AR NORTHERN PIKE (lL) 26 lb./15 oz. 11/9/89 Strip Mine Lake KANKAKEE
BASS, White (lL) 4 lb./14 oz. 10/7/81 Kaskaskia River CLINTON (NA) 46 lb./2 oz. 9/15/40 Sacandaga Rsvr., NY
(NA) 6 lb./7 oz. 9/19/89 Saginaw Bay, MI PERCH, Yellow (lL) 2 lb./8.75 oz. 1/5/74 Arrowhead Club Lake WILL
BASS, Yellow (lL) 2 lb./0 oz. 5/5/94 Farm Pond MADISON (NA) 4 lb./3 oz. 5/1865 Bordentown, NJ
(NA) 2 lb./8 oz. 4/12/00 Tennessee River, AL SALMON, Atlantic (lL) 18 lb./11.25 oz.5/26/79 Lake Michigan COOK
BASS, Yellow Hybrid (lL) 2 lb./.96 oz. 11/3/08 Rend Lake FRANKLIN (Inland) (NA) 22 lb./14 oz. 4/5/05 Jamaica Pond, MA
(NA) 2 lb./11 oz. 3/10/97 Sabine River, TX SALMON, Chinook (lL) 37 lb./0 oz. 8/7/76 Lake Michigan LAKE
BLUEGILL (lL) 3 lb./8 oz. 5/10/87 Farm Pond JASPER (Inland) (NA) 44 lb./14 oz. 7/19/94 Lake Michigan, WI
(NA) 4 lb./12 oz. 4/9/50 Ketona Lake, AL SALMON, Coho (lL) 20 lb./9 oz. 5/24/72 Lake Michigan LAKE
BOWFIN (lL) 16 lb./6 oz. 9/23/84 Rend Lake JEFFERSON (Inland) (NA) 33 lb./4 oz. 9/27/89 Salmon River, NY
(lL) 16 lb./6 oz. 9/14/92 Bay Creek POPE SALMON, Pink (lL) 3 lb./8 oz. 9/29/07 Lake Michigan LAKE
(NA) 21 lb./8 oz. 1/29/80 Forest Lake, SC (Inland) (NA) 4 lb./0 oz. 8/28/01 Garden River, Ontario, CAN.
BUFFALO (lL) 48 lb./0 oz. 1936 Mississippi River ADAMS SAUGER (lL) 5 lb./12.5 oz. 7/30/67 Mississippi River JO DAVIESS
(Bigmouth) (NA) 76 lb./8 oz. 6/21/13 Wisconsin River, WI (NA) 8 lb./12 oz. 10/6/71 Lake Sakakawea, ND
(Smallmouth) (NA) 88 lb./0 oz. 11/14/93 Lake Wylie, NC
SAUGER-WALLEYE, (lL) 9 lb./10.88 oz. 12/7/01 Evergreen Lake MCLEAN
BUFFALO, Black (lL) 23 lb./12 oz. 7/27/84 Rock River LEE Hybrid (NA) 15 lb./10 oz. 1/11/95 Ft. Peck Rsvr., MT
(NA) 63 lb./6 oz. 8/14/99 Mississippi River, IA
SHORTHEAD (lL) 3 lb./11.8 oz. 4/25/08 Fox River KANE
BULLHEAD, Black (lL) 5 lb./6 oz. 4/24/88 Strip Mine FULTON REDHORSE (NA) 11 lb./5 oz. 5/21/83 Brunet River, WI
(NA) 8 lb./15 oz. 8/19/87 Sturgis Pond, MI
SILVER (lL) 6 lb./11.4 oz. 4/24/08 Fox River KANE
BULLHEAD, Brown (lL) 3 lb/4.8oz. 5/8/17 Emiquon Lake FULTON REDHORSE (NA) 14 lb./ 14 oz. 4/2/95 Pickwick Lake, AL
(NA) 7 lb./6 oz. 8/1/09 Mahopac Lake, NY
SKIPJACK (lL) 2 lb./8 oz. 12/28/13 Des Plaines River WILL
BULLHEAD, Yellow (lL) 5 lb./4 oz. 1955 Fox River KANE HERRING (NA) 3 lb./ 12 oz. 2/14/82 Goddard Watts Bar Lake, TN
(NA) 6 lb./4 oz. 5/25/08 Forest Lake, MA
STURGEON, (lL) 9 lb./8.2 oz. 8/31/13 Rock River WHITESIDE
BURBOT (lL) 9 lb /4.8 oz. 3/22/17 Lake Michigan COOK Shovelnose (NA) 8 lb./5.76 oz. 11/4/03 Rock River, IL
(NA) 25 lb./2 oz. 3/27/10 Diefenbaker Lake, Saskatchewan, CAN
SUNFISH, Green (lL) 2 lb./1 oz. 6/28/81 Farm Pond DE WITT
CARP, Common (lL) 51 lb./0 oz. 5/1/94 Lake Hillcrest MADISON (NA) 2 lb./2 oz. 6/18/71 Stockton Lake, MO
(NA) 57 lb./13 oz. 6/19/83 Tidal Basin Washington, D.C. (NA) 2 lb./2 oz. 5/28/61 Cherokee Co. Pit, KS
CARP, Bighead (lL) 69 lb./0 oz. 5/4/10 Kaskaskia River CLINTON SUNFISH, Hybrid (lL) 2 lb./9.4 oz. 9/20/05 Farm Pond HENRY
(NA) 90 lb./0 oz. 7/22/00 Kirby Lake, TX (NA) 2 lb./10 oz. 5/17/99 Farm Pond, KS
CATFISH, Blue (lL) 124 lb./0 oz. 5/21/05 Mississippi River MADISON SUNFISH, (lL) 11.2 oz 1/15/10 Mississippi River CARROLL
(NA) 124 lb./0 oz. 5/21/05 Mississippi River, IL Pumpkinseed (NA) 2 lb./4 oz. 5/26/97 North Saluda River, SC
CATFISH, Channel (lL) 45 lb./4 oz. 2/7/87 Baldwin Lake ST. CLAIR SUNFISH, Redear (lL) 3 lb./1.1 oz. 5/19/18 Beaver Lake GRUNDY
(NA) 58 lb./0 oz. 7/7/64 Santee Cooper Rsv., SC (NA) 5 lb./7.5 oz. 11/6/98 Diversion Canal, SC
CATFISH, Flathead (lL) 81 lb./6.4 oz. 8/29/15 Sangchris Lake CHRISTIAN TROUT, Brook (lL) 7 lb./5 oz. 11/3/98 Lake Michigan LAKE
(NA) 123 lb./0 oz. 5/14/98 Elk City Rsvr., KS (NA) 14 lb./8 oz. 7/1916 Nipigon River, Ontario, CAN
CRAPPIE, Black (lL) 4 lb./8 oz. 5/15/76 Rend Lake FRANKLIN TROUT, Brown (lL) 36 lb./11.5 oz. 6/22/97 Lake Michigan COOK
(NA) 6 lb./0 oz. 11/28/69 Westwego Canal, LA (NA) 41 lb./8 oz. 7/16/10 Lake Michigan, WI
CRAPPIE, Hybrid (lL) 4 lb /8.8 oz. 3/28/17 Kinkaid Lake JACKSON TROUT, Lake (lL) 38 lb./4 oz. 8/22/99 Lake Michigan LAKE
(NA) 2 lb./11 oz. 1/28/05 Shabbona Lake DEKALB (NA) 72 lb./4 oz. 8/19/95 Great Bear Lake, N.W.T. Canada
CRAPPIE, White (lL) 4 lb./7 oz. 4/8/73 Farm Pond MORGAN TROUT, Rainbow (lL) 31 lb./6.72 oz. 7/10/93 Lake Michigan LAKE
(NA) 5 lb./3 oz. 7/31/57 Enid Dam, MS (Inland) (NA) 48 lb./0 oz. 9/5/09 Lake Diefenbaker, Saskatchewan, CAN
DRUM, (lL) 38 lb./4 oz. 5/24/18 Clinton Lake DEWITT TROUT, Tiger (lL) 8 lb./12.5 oz. 6/26/77 Lake Michigan COOK
Freshwater (NA) 54 lb./8 oz. 4/20/72 Nickajack Lake, TN (NA) 20 lb./13 oz. 8/12/78 Lake Michigan, WI
GAR, Longnose (lL) 22 lb./1 oz. 5/6/06 Ohio River MASSAC WALLEYE (lL) 15 lb./1 oz. 3/11/12 Pecatonica River WINNEBAGO
(NA) 50 lb./5 oz. 7/30/54 Trinity River, TX (NA) 25 lb./0 oz. 8/1/60 Old Hickory Lake, TN
GAR, Shortnose (lL) 6 lb./15.2 oz. 5/27/18 Horseshoe Lake MADISON WARMOUTH (lL) 1 lb./13 oz. 5/22/71 Farm Pond CUMBERLAND
(NA) 6 lb./6 oz. 6/15/01 Kentucky Lake, TN (NA) 2 lb./7 oz. 10/19/85 Yellow River, FL
GAR, Spotted (lL) 7 lb./13.44 oz. 7/10/04 Horseshoe lake ALEXANDER
(NA) 28 lb./8 oz. 3/4/87 Lake Seminole, FL Note: Illinois Record Fish are updated as new records are set. North American
Records are updated once a year when the new edition of the NFWFHOF is published.
*North American Records from the 2018-19 Edition
National Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame (NFWFHOF)

66
 FISH KILLS IN ILLINOIS LAKES AND PONDS
The sudden appearance of dead fish causes considerable aquatic plants and algae, naturally occurring viruses or bac-
concern for lake or pond owners. The first reaction to the teria or a combination can influence a fish kill. Prolonged
discovery of dead fish is to suspect pollution or poisoning of cloudy weather, drought conditions, overcrowded fish popu-
the water body. However, most fish kills result from natural lations, excessive algal or other plant growths and high
occurrences, although the frequency and severity are occa- water temperatures are the most common factors that trig-
sionally influenced by humans. Few fish kill calls reported ger fish kills. Call your local District Fisheries Biologist
to IDNR are caused from spills or illegal dumping of toxic listed on Page 3 of the Illinois Fishing Information Booklet or
substances. Most fish kills occur when oxygen in the water on IFISHILLINOIS.ORG to discuss what steps to take after
drops to low levels that are not suitable for fish survival. a fish kill in your pond or lake and to learn what you can do
Weather patterns, water temperature, depth, density of help your lake or pond avoid fish kills in the future.

IDNR Fish Species Management Plan

for Alligator Gar (Atractosteus spatula) in Illinois
Alligator Gar (Atractosteus spatula) populations have been declining within their historic range for at least the past 50 years,
and are considered to be extirpated from much of the northern reaches (Nature Serve 2015). Declines have been attributed to
several factors, most notably over-exploitation and loss of important backwater spawning habitats from the construction of
levees and lock-and-dams beginning in the early 1900s. While no single factor can be identified as the definitive cause for the
decline, it is likely that a combination of these factors over time
resulted in the extirpation of the Alligator Gar from Illinois.
The Alligator Gar was not regulated or protected in Illinois
prior to 1977. From 1977 to 1994, the species was listed as a
state-threatened fish under the Illinois Threatened and Endan-
gered Species Act. In 1994, the Alligator Gar was delisted and
considered to be extirpated.
This plan proposes efforts and activities necessary to suc-
cessfully re-establish and extensively manage Alligator Gar
populations in Illinois. The success of the plan will be docu-
mented through annual progress and achievement reports for
each management objective. The plan is considered to be an
evolving document and will be used as an adaptive manage-
ment tool by Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Division
of Fisheries.
If you catch an alligator gar, we are asking anglers to please
call (309) 543-3316 to report your catch. Fisheries Biologists can gain valuable information about Alligator Gar growth and
movements with help from anglers like you. Don’t forget to take a picture!
To learn more visit: https://www.ifishillinois.org/programs/ALG_Plan_2017.pdf

67
 CATCHABLE TROUT PROGRAM
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources reinstated its Catchable Trout Program in 1994.
Various lakes and streams are annually stocked with catchable size (10-11 inches) trout in
the spring or fall. Sport fishermen are prohibited from taking (harvesting) trout at any of the
stocking sites before the legal opening. Spring catchable trout season opens at 5 a.m.
on the first Saturday of April and the fall catchable trout season opens at 5 a.m. on
the 3rd Saturday of October. In addition to the spring and fall catchable trout seasons,
select locations have an early catch and release trout season beginning 2 weeks prior to the
regular opening day (see www.ifishillinois.org for locations). All fishermen must release any trout
caught during the early catch and release trout season. Other sport fishermen may be utilizing
these waters for other species. They are not excluded from fishing.
To legally harvest rainbow and/or brown trout from any waters which receive catchable trout or hatchery
stockings of trout, licensed sport fishermen must have an inland trout stamp, unless they are under 16 years
of age, blind or disabled, or Illinois residents on leave from the Armed Forces. A daily limit of five trout per angler
is enforced.
Fishing licenses and inland trout stamps are available at sporting good stores, online, and through other
vendors. This program is funded through the sale of inland trout stamps.
Individuals wanting more information about the catchable trout program can contact the Department of Natural
Resources, Division of Fisheries, One Natural Resources Way, Springfield, IL 62702-1271; phone 217/782-6424,
TDD 217/782-9175. Sport fishermen wanting more information about site regulations, access areas or boat
rentals should contact individual sites and the “I Fish Illinois” website: http://www.ifishillinois.org.

FEDERAL AID IN SPORT FISH RESTORATION ACT

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources receives monies Wallop-Breaux Amendment mandated that each state must
authorized by the Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Act of spend at least 10% for boat access projects, and allowed
1950 (Dingell-Johnson Act). This money is received as 75 each state to use up to 10% of its apportionment for aquatic
percent reimbursement on approved projects. This Act resources education. The required 10% to be spent for
imposed a manufacturer’s excise tax on fishing rods, reels, boating improvements was increased to 12.5% in 1992, and
and artificial lures. The Act also protects angler’s license fees 15.0% in 1998. The Aquatic Resources Education allowance
by prohibiting their diversion to other than approved purposes. was increased to 15.0% in 1998.
In 1984, the Wallop-Breaux Amendment of the Federal Aid in An annual apportionment of these monies is made
Sport Fish Restoration Act (D-J) was passed and allowed for available to each state. Forty percent of this amount is based
expansion of the tax base to include essentially all items of on the state’s land and water area in relation to the total land
fishing tackle, electric trolling motors and “flasher” type fish water of the U.S. Sixty percent of this amount is based on the
finders (sonar devices), motorboat fuel taxes, and import number of paid sport fishing license holders in each state in
duties on fishing tackle and boats. Again in 1990, the Fund was relation to all the paid fishing license holders in the U.S. This
increased by an additional increase in the federal excise tax was used by the Department for fisheries management of
on gasoline, and also the deposit of the federal tax on gasoline state and public waters, fish production and stocking, federal
from small non-highway engines into the fund. This Sport Fish aid coordination; for state Universities and research agencies
Restoration Program is administered by the U.S. Fish and to conduct investigations throughout the State to manage the
Wildlife Service in partnership with the states. fisheries resources in our river and streams, boundary rivers,
Funds may be used for almost any type of sport fishery lakes, reservoirs and Lake Michigan; and for boat access
restoration, management, or enhancement project. The 1984 improvements.

The future of sport fishing in Illinois has been greatly enhanced thanks to Dingell-Johnson/Wallop-Breaux. For more information please
refer to the following website link http://www.ifishillinois.org/science/fed_proj.html on the IFISHILLINOIS.org

BUY ILLINOIS FISHING LICENSES

Special Mail-In Muskie Creel Survey
The Department of Natural Resources and the Illini Muskie Alliance are
co-sponsoring a Muskie Creel Survey for sport fishermen catching any size
muskie. Sport fishermen can report their muskie catch via postage-paid
mail-in creel cards available at the Department of Natural Resources office
or at the following web address:
http://www.ifishillinois.org/science/muskie_survey.php

68
 AQUATIC NUISANCE SPECIES
Help Protect Your Fishing! For More Information…
Many aquatic nuisance species (ANS), such as zebra mussels and
Asian carp, have invaded lakes and rivers in Illinois.
These non-native species can negatively impact fishing and other
types of water recreation. On ANS: contact Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant at
(217) 333-6444 or visit www.iiseagrant.org

On harvesting, cleaning, and cooking Asian carp:

www.iiseagrant.org/asiancarp/

On recognizing and identifying Asian carp:

www.iiseagrant.org/speciesinfo/asiancarpwatch.pdf

On recognizing and identifying Hydrilla:

www.iiseagrant.org/speciesinfo/hydrillawatch.pdf

Effective January 1, 2013, the Illinois Boat Registration and Safety Act has been amended to prevent
the spread of invasive aquatic plants and animals by boats, trailers and vehicles. It is now illegal to enter
FIGHT THE SPREAD OF AQUATIC INVADERS OR leave a waterbody with aquatic plants and animals attached to your boat or trailer. Travel on Illinois
highways with aquatic plants or animals attached is also prohibited. Always Remove, Drain, and Dry to
REMOVE PLANTS, ANIMALS AND MUD FROM ALL EQUIPMENT. comply with the new law!
DRAIN ALL WATER FROM YOUR BOAT AND GEAR.
DRY EVERYTHING THOROUGHLY WITH A TOWEL.

Bighead and Silver Carp Watch

Bighead and Silver Carp (Asian carp) are invasive fish spreading within the Mississippi River and Great Lakes regions causing harm to humans, na-
tive fish and wildlife. Both species have low-set eyes and a large, upturned mouth, and may grow to be more than 60 lbs. and 4 ft.

Bighead Carp Silver Carp

Juvenile Asian carp may be difficult

to distinguish from local baitfish
species such as gizzard shad.
Bighead Carp Gizzard Shad Silver Carp
(native)

You can help!

• Report new sightings – note exact • Harvest bait only from uninfested waters. • Harvest and eat these tasty fish to help
location, take a photo, freeze specimen • Dispose of bait in the trash. reduce their numbers.
in a sealed plastic bag and call 1-877- • Know the rules – release of live Asian carp
STOP-ANS (1-877-786-7267). is prohibited in Illinois.

Hydrilla WATCH
Hydrilla is a non-native plant invading
and causing harm to waters in nearby
states. It forms thick, submersed mats
that hinder fishing and boating, and
harm fish and wildlife. Hydrilla looks
similar to native elodea, which is found
in many Illinois lakes and rivers. How-
ever, Hydrilla has whorls of 4 or more
spear-shapeda leaves around the stem
(native = 2-3), leaves with coarse teetha
along the edges (native = no teeth),
and bulb-like tubersb in the soil (native You can help!
= no tubers). Early detection of new populations of Hydrilla may limit the spread and
allow for its removal. Report new sightings of this plant – call 1-877-STOP-
Photo credits: Illustration - UF/IFAS; Photo - Robert Vidéki ANS (1-877-786-7267).

69
 COMMUNITY OUTREACH AND RESOURCE ENHANCEMENT
URBAN FISHING PROGRAM
WHO? goon. Fish stocking remained important for the program and approximately
For children primarily but sport fishermen of all ages can join in the fun. 45,777 lbs. of channel catfish, 136,230 hybrid sunfish were stocked. In addition,
WHAT? 1,200 trout were stocked for the Two Rivers Fishing Fair held at Pere Mar-
Conservation oriented educational fishing clinics free of charge. quette State Park. Members of the general public were also able to catch and
WHERE? harvest these fish at most sites. In addition to the Urban Summer fishing clinics,
Clinics are held at various sites in Chicago, Peoria, Alton, Bloomington, 1,206 kids fished at the temporary pond created for the Springfield State Fair.
East St. Louis, Carbondale, Mt. Vernon, Springfield, Centralia, Decatur, Additional volunteers and volunteer organizations have become more in-
and Urbana. volved in conducting and assisting with programs. Volunteers and volunteer or-
WHEN? ganizations with IDNR training and assistance held 250 fishing clinics and
Clinics are held during June, July, and August. events for 9,500 children and adults last year. These individuals and organiza-
WHY? tions play a very important role in the ongoing success of the program.
The purpose of these clinics is to teach sport fishing ethics, fish ecology, fish Urban Fishing Program coordinators held 287 fishing events outside of
identification, fish techniques, and the proper care/preparation of summer fishing clinics with 13,228 participants. In addition, Urban Fishing Pro-
caught fish. gram coordinators also held 318 non-fishing Education Programs for more than
For more information call: 39,540 participants at numerous schools and other settings during the year to
Chicago & Northeastern Illinois - (847) 294-4137 teach environmental education and an appreciation for natural resources, and
Northwestern Illinois - (815) 625-2903 to promote summer fishing programs. This figure includes the 16,043 people
Central Illinois - (217) 784-4730 that participated in the “Touch a Fish” station at the Illinois State Fair.
Southern Illinois - (618) 786-3323 The major objectives of the Illinois Urban Fishing Program include teaching
The Illinois Urban Fishing Program was introduced in Chicago in 1985 children to fish, stocking sufficient numbers of catchable-sized fish in an effort
to teach individuals of all ages to fish, to enhance fishing opportunities in to provide quality sport fishing opportunities for urban sport fishermen, and at-
populated areas and to give participants an understanding of and a greater tract and introduce citizens to the outdoors by instilling an interest and appreci-
appreciation for natural resources. In 1994 the Program was expanded ation for plants and animals. These program objectives have remained the
statewide and now primarily consists of 1) free summer fishing clinics that same each year. Steps deemed necessary to get someone interested in fishing
include fishing at nearby stocked lagoons, 2) school fishing and non-fishing are 1) create a threshold experience, 2) have available equipment, 3) have a
education programs, and 3) fishing and education programs at scout and 4-H suitable place to fish, 4) have a mentor to teach fishing, and 5) have social sup-
camps, city and state parks, church camps, etc. port of friends and family.
During CY ‘17 fish were stocked at 46 sites. Summer fishing clinics were The popular “Access to Fishing” rod and reel loaner program was estab-
regularly held at 8 Chicago locations and 28 sites in Northwestern, Central and lished in 1997. There are currently 143 “Access to Fishing” loaner sites in Illi-
Southern Illinois. Similar to calendar year 2016, 7 additional ponds were nois, and rods and reels were borrowed more than 13,820 times last year. In
stocked in Cook County where historically Summer fishing clinics had been total the Urban Fishing Program, with just three full-time Coordinators, 20 Sum-
held. No clinics were held at these due to lack of staffing. Fishing clinics were mer interns and their volunteer network, held or sponsored a total of 1,800
held twice daily Monday through Friday for about nine weeks at most of these fishing and non-fishing programs for nearly 85,057 participants this past year.
fishing sites during the Summer. Approximately 17,636 youngsters attended Visit https://www.ifishillinois.org/programs/loaner.html for a list of participating
one of 945 summer fishing clinics that included fishing at a nearby stocked la- establishments of the Access to Fishing tackle loaner program.

ILLINOIS FISH AND YOUR HEALTH

Fish and other types of seafood can be an important part of a bal- For more information, call the Illinois Department of Public Health at
anced diet. Fish is a good source of lean, high quality protein and is 217-782-5830 or visit http://dph.illinois.gov or ifishillinois.org and search
often rich in other nutrients such as omega-3 fatty acids, which may re-
duce your risk for cardiovascular disease. However, chemicals such as Illinois Water Fish
methylmercury and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) can make some
fish unsafe to eat except in limited quantities. Calumet River,
A statewide methylmercury advisory has been established for women including Cal Sag Channel,
who are or could someday become pregnant, nursing mothers, and and Little Calumet River from Carp, Larger than 12˝
children younger than 15 years of age. The groups included in the
Cal Sag Channel to the
advisory may eat up to one meal per week of fish from any Illinois water
body (in other words, up to 52 meals per year), unless special mercury Calumet River
advisories have been issued. Special mercury advisories are based on Chicago River,
site-specific sampling data so they can be more restrictive than the
North and South Branches,
statewide advisory. In some cases, special mercury advisories also Carp, Larger than 12˝
apply to men and women beyond childbearing age. North Shore Channel, and
In addition, you should be aware of advisories for PCBs. You can re- Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal
duce your exposure to these chemicals by varying the type and source of
Des Plaines River Carp, Larger than 18˝
fish you eat, opting for younger, smaller fish, and eating leaner species
such as walleye and panfish over fatty species such as carp and catfish. Galena River Carp Larger than 24˝
You can also prepare fish in ways that reduce your exposure PCBs:
• Before cooking, remove the skin from the fillet and cut away any fatty Herrin Lake #1 Carp, all sizes
tissue from the belly and dorsal areas.
• Broil, bake, or grill in a way that allows fat to drip away. Illinois River, headwaters Channel Catfish and
• Discard fat drippings or broth from broiled or poached fish. Do not to the Marseilles Dam Common Carp, all sizes
use the drippings or broth in other dishes.
Please note - these precautions for PCBs will not reduce the amount Illinois River, Peoria pool Channel Catfish, Larger than 18˝
of methylmercury in fish. Mercury is stored in muscle tissue (the edible
Lake Depue Channel Catfish Larger than 24˝
part of the fish) rather than in the fat or skin. Therefore, the only way to
reduce mercury intake is to limit the amount of contaminated fish eaten. Channel Catfish, all sizes
Special mercury advisories have been issued for several Illinois wa- Lake Michigan
Lake Trout, Larger than 30˝
ters, including Lincoln Trail and Mill Creek Lakes in Clark County. Large-
mouth bass from these waters contain high levels of methylmercury and Midlothian Reservoir Carp Larger than 20˝
should not be eaten by you or your family in any amount. You can still
go bass fishing at these lakes, but be sure to release your catch. for “fish advisories.” The current methylmercury and PCB advisories are
“Do not eat” advisories have also been issued for certain fish in the available for downloading. You can also search for specific Illinois waters
following Illinois waters due to high levels of PCBs. with our Current Fish Advisory Map.

71
 POINT SYSTEM FOR REVOCATIONS/SUSPENSIONS
POINT SYSTEM

APPLICATION WITHIN ACTS POINTS GROUPS

The point system applies to revocations/ Each time a person is found guilty by a circuit Group A
suspensions authorized under the following court of the State of Illinois (including super- Wildlife Code, Endangered Species Protec-
conservation laws: vision or conditional discharge) or by a U.S. tion Act (Wildlife) and Federal Offenses
District Court in an Illinois District, the spe- (Wildlife)
Fish and Aquatic Life Code cific number of points assigned to such viola-
(515 ILCS 5) tion shall be charged against that person. Group B
Wildlife Code Fish and Aquatic Life Code, Endangered
(520 ILCS 5) Petty Offense = 3 points Species Protection Act (Aquatic Life) and
Endangered Species Protection Act Class C Misdemeanor = 6 points Federal Offenses (Aquatic Life)
(520 ILCS 10) Class B Misdemeanor = 9 points
Timber Buyers Licensing Act Class A Misdemeanor = 12 points Group C
(225 ILCS 735) Class 4 Felony = 24 points Timber Buyers Licensing Act
Ginseng Harvesting Act Class 3 Felony or higher = 60 points
(525 ILCS 20) Any violation committed during a period of Group D
or any similar federal statutes or rules. suspension = 60 points. Ginseng Harvesting Act, Endangered
Species Protection Act (Plants) and Federal
Offenses (Plants)

TYPES OF OFFENSES
Type I Offenses = those offenses related to commercial/ Type II Offenses = All other offenses related to activities covered
business activities covered under the Timber Buyer, Taxidermist, under licenses and permits. (Example: hunting, trapping, fishing,
Aquaculture, Fish Dealer, Minnow Dealer, Mussel Dealer, Game and etc.)
Game Bird Breeder, Wild Game Food Dealer, Fur Bearing
Animal Breeder, Fur Tanner or Migratory Waterfowl Hunting Area
licenses and permits

COMPUTATION OF SUSPENSION PERIODS

For Type I Offenses, any person who, within an 18 month period, For Type II Offenses, any person who, within a 36 month period
accumulates 13 or more points in a single group shall have all accumulates 13 or more points in a single group shall have all
licenses, permits and stamps relevant to engage in the activity licenses, permits and stamps relevant to that type and group
revoked, and the person’s privilege to engage in the activity shall be revoked, and the person’s privilege to engage in the activity
suspended for a period of time that equals one month for each point covered by the type and group shall be suspended for a period
accumulated. All accumulated points shall remain in effect for 18 of time that equals one month for each point accumulated. All
months from the date of arrest that resulted in the point accumula- accumulated points shall remain in effect for 36 months from the
tion and shall not be removed or reduced by a period of suspension. date of arrest that resulted in the point accumulation and shall not be
Any second or subsequent suspension imposed shall be served removed or reduced by a period of suspension. Any second or sub-
consecutively to any earlier suspension. sequent suspension imposed shall be served consecutively to any
earlier suspension.

SINGLE INCIDENT RULE

The Single Incident Rule shall not be In the event that multiple findings of guilt
applied in any cases where the highest level are entered against an individual arising out
violation is a Class A Misdemeanor or higher of a single incident or act, full points shall be Petty Offense = 1 point
(12 points or greater) or in cases where assessed only for the finding of guilt with Class C Misdemeanor = 2 points
violations occurred while the individual the highest point level with additional points Class B Misdemeanor = 3 points
was suspended. being assessed for the remaining findings of
guilt as follows:

BUY ILLINOIS FISHING LICENSES

72
 POINT SYSTEM FOR REVOCATIONS/SUSPENSIONS
EXAMPLES:
A) Type I - Findings of Guilt for Separate Incidents: A person found guilty of violations of no taxidermy license and failure to keep proper
records (both Class B Misdemeanors, 9 points each) occurring on different dates is assessed the full 18 points, and revocation of taxidermy
license and suspension of taxidermy privileges only is imposed for a period of 18 months.

B) Type I - Findings of Guilt for a Single Incident: A person found guilty of the same violations as A) above (2 Class B Misdemeanors)
arising out of a single incident has no revocation/suspension imposed, with 12 points assessed (9+3).

C) Type II - Findings of Guilt for Separate Incidents: A person found guilty of unlawful possession of freshly killed whitetail deer during
closed season (Class A Misdemeanor - 12 points) and taking an over limit of quail (Petty Offense - 3 points) has his/her hunting license,
trapping license, migratory waterfowl stamp, habitat stamp, deer/turkey permits, etc. revoked, and Type II privileges suspended in Group A for
a period of 15 months.

D) Type II - Findings of Guilt for a Single Incident

1) A person found guilty of violations of taking game birds with a 2) A person found guilty of violations of taking deer without a permit
rifle and no hunting license (Class A Misdemeanor and Petty and no hunting license (Class B Misdemeanor and Petty Offense)
Offense) arising out of a single incident is assessed 15 points and arising out of a single incident has no revocation/suspension
suspension imposed as described in C) above. The Single Incident imposed, with 10 points assessed (9 + 1).
Rule does not apply to cases where the highest level violation
is a Class A Misdemeanor or higher.

E) Imposition of Subsequent Suspensions

1) The person in C) above completes the 15 month suspension, 2) The person in C) above is found guilty of a violation under the
and two months later (less than 36 months from the date of the first Wildlife Code that occurred during the time that his/her privileges
violation) again unlawfully possesses a freshly killed whitetail deer were suspended - 60 additional points are assessed and a
during closed season and is found guilty (12 points). This person’s li- second suspension is imposed, to run consecutively after the
censes are again revoked and privileges suspended for a period first suspension (15 + 60 = 75 months total).
of 27 months (15 + 12).

ADMINISTRATIVE ACTIONS AND ADDITIONAL PROVISIONS

The Department of Natural Resources may also hold an administrative hearing to revoke licenses/suspend privileges in certain egregious
cases, wherein a person has had a finding of guilt (including supervision or conditional discharge) in a circuit court of the State of Illinois or
by a U.S. District Court in an Illinois District, regardless of whether or not sufficient points for suspension have been reached.

In addition, the Illinois Fish and Aquatic Life Code and Wildlife Code provisions regarding the revocation of licenses/permits and suspension
of privileges also include the following: Any person whose license or permit has been revoked or his/her privileges suspended may not,
during the period of revocation/suspension 1) be in the company of any person engaged in the activity covered by the revocation/
suspension, or; 2) serve as a guide, outfitter or facilitator for any person who is engaged or prepared to engage in the activity covered by the
revocation/suspension, until such time as the period of revocation/suspension is completed and the appropriate licenses/permits have been
obtained.

REVOCATIONS/SUSPENSIONS IN OTHER STATES AND CANADA

It shall be unlawful for any person to be issued or obtain an Illinois license or permit or while in Illinois, engaged in any activity regulated by
the Illinois Fish and Aquatic Life Code or Wildlife Code during the time that person’s privileges to engage in the same or similar activities are
suspended or revoked by another state, by a federal agency or by a province of Canada.

PENALTIES FOR VIOLATIONS OF REVOCATIONS/SUSPENSIONS/DENIAL OF PRIVILEGE

Persons who violate the prohibitions of their revocation/suspension/denial of privileges shall be guilty of a Class A Misdemeanor with
penalties of up to 364 days jail time and up to $2500.00 in fines.

For more information, contact the Department of Natural Resources -

Office of Law Enforcement at (217) 782-6431, or visit www.dnr.illinois.gov

73
 BOUNDARY RIVERS SPORT FISHING
Illinois-Iowa Illinois-Kentucky
Officers of Illinois and Iowa will recognize and accept valid Each state will recognize the sport fishing licenses and
sport fishing licenses of either state when legally possessed appropriate permits of the other state on the main stem and
and used by hook-and-line sport fishermen on the Mississippi from the banks of the Ohio River, excluding embayments and
River proper forming a common boundary between Illinois and tributaries where the Ohio River forms the state boundary.
Iowa, including its backwater lakes and sloughs contiguous Embayments and tributaries shall be defined as a straight line
with the flow of waters in the main channel; provided that between opposite points where the tributary or embayment
you do not fish from or attach any device or equipment to connects with the main body of the Ohio River.
the main bank of the Mississippi under the jurisdiction of The fishing regulations adopted by the state issuing a sport
the state where you are not licensed to fish. You can not fishing license apply to the licenses when fishing each state’s
fish in any tributaries of the opposite state. You must conform respective waters, except that, all fishermen shall conform with
to the regulations of the state in which you are fishing unless the regulations of the state in which they are fishing, unless the
the regulations of your licensing state are more restrictive, regulations of the fishermen’s licensing state are more restric-
then you must conform with the more restrictive regulations. tive, then the fishermen must conform with the more restrictive
The center of the navigation channel is the boundary between regulations. The regulations of the state where the sport fishing
Illinois and Iowa. Tournaments fishing Iowa waters must is occurring apply, if the licensee is fishing from the bank.
have Iowa tournament permits, even if launching from Wildlife law enforcement officials of either state shall have
the Illinois side of the river. the right to inspect the licenses, harvest limits, creel limits, and
equipment of any person on the Ohio River subject to the laws
Illinois-Missouri of either state.
Officers of Illinois and Missouri will recognize and accept valid Officers of Illinois and Kentucky will recognize and accept
sport fishing licenses of either state when legally possessed valid sport fishing licenses of either state when legally
and used in the Mississippi River and its backwaters within the possessed and used on the main stem of the Ohio River,
boundary of Missouri adjacent to the state of Illinois. Persons excluding embayments and tributaries.
licensed in only one state may also fish in the other state’s
portion of any oxbow lakes through which the Illinois- Illinois-Indiana
Missouri boundary passes, and may fish from or attach Officers of Illinois and Indiana will recognize and accept valid
any device or equipment to land under the jurisdiction of sport fishing licenses of either state when legally possessed
the other state. Persons licensed in only one state may not and used on the Wabash River forming a common boundary
fish in tributaries of the Mississippi in the other state. Sport between Illinois and Indiana. Sport fishermen shall not fish on
fishermen shall comply with the regulations of the state in water beyond the natural and ordinary river banks of the
whose waters they are fishing unless the regulations of their li- state in which they are not licensed to fish. Sport fishermen
censing state are more restrictive, then must comply with the shall not fish from land attached to or taxed by the state in
more restrictive regulations. The center of the navigation chan- which they are not licensed or fish in tributaries, bayous, or
nel is considered the boundary between Illinois and Missouri, backwaters of the state. Sport fishermen must abide by the
except in situations where it is clearly shown to be elsewhere. laws of the state in which they are fishing.

I FISH ILLINOIS WEBSITE

IFishIllinois.org is the one-stop, go-to website for all • Illinois Sportfish Species Information
sport fishermen fishing in Illinois waters! • Taking Kids Fishing
• Tournaments Application Information
From fishing reports to lake profile summaries to IDNR press re- • Locate your county biologist
leases and opening notices, IFishIllinois has everything • Tips for stocking your pond
you need for a successful day out fishing on Illinois many • Angling awards and Fishing Records
waterbodies, including: • Catch-and-release guidelines
• Fishing Reports • Opening Day Notices
• Individual Lake Maps • IDNR Press Releases
• Information for over 250 lakes, streams and rivers in Illinois
• Fishing Regulations Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Twitter for all the
• Angling Tips latest information about Illinois angling!

74
 ILLINOIS PUBLIC WATERS

Legend
Public Water
County Boundary

Public Waters are defined in 17 Ill. Adm. Code, Chapter I, Section 3704
as all lakes, rivers, streams and waterways which are or were navigable
and are open or dedicated to public use including all bayous, sloughs,
backwaters and submerged lands connected by water to the main channel
or body of water during normal flows or stages. The Public Waters shown
on this map are identified in 17 Ill. Adm. Code, Chapter I, Section 3704,
Appendix A Public Bodies of Water.
https://www.dnr.illinois.gov/WaterResources/Pages/PublicWaters.aspx

Office of
Water Resources
February 3, 2014

75
 VHS REGULATIONS
Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia (VHS) is a disease of fish caused by a virus previously unidentified in the Midwest. While it does not affect
humans, VHS can kill a substantial number of fish and has been spreading throughout the Great Lakes.
The new regulations we are implementing are immediate and appropriate steps in trying to slow the spread of this dangerous aquatic virus in
Illinois. Sport fishing and boating are both very popular and important to the Illinois economy. The cooperation of sport fishermen and boaters is
essential in combating VHS.
The new regulations being implemented by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) regarding VHS that affect recreational sport
fishermen and boaters include:

• Eliminating natural water from all equipment when leaving a body of water.
• Emptying and draining all bait buckets, livewells, baitwells, bilges, etc. or any other compartment capable of holding natural waters when
leaving a body of water.

• Do not remove live VHS-susceptible species (see below) from any waters. Sport fishermen may harvest VHS-susceptible species, but may
not transport those fish live from the waters where caught.

• Use of wild-trapped or caught fishes from within the state as bait will be restricted to the waters where legally captured.
Black crappie Burbot Gizzard shad Shorthead redhorse Round goby Walleye
Bluegill Channel catfish Hybrid (Tiger) muskie Northern Pike Silver redhorse White bass
Bluntnose minnow Chinook salmon Lake whitefish Pumpkinseed Smallmouth bass White perch
Brown bullhead Emerald shiner Largemouth bass Rainbow trout Spottail shiner Yellow perch
Brown trout Freshwater drum Muskellunge Rock bass Trout-Perch
While VHS is not known to be a threat to human health, sport fishermen are still advised to wash their hands after handling fish and to cook thor-
oughly any fish they plan to eat. If handling dead fish or fish that appear to be diseased, protective gloves should be worn. For more information on
VHS and the new Illinois regulations aimed at slowing the spread of the virus in Illinois, check the IDNR web site at http://dnr.state.il.us

LEAD TACKLE ADVISORY

The tackle industry, recognizing a growing awareness and concern about lead in the environment, has begun to create steel, tin,
bismuth, or plastic sinkers. Consider using non-lead tackle when you go fishing.
Here’s what you can do to help:
• Ask local sporting good stores to stock non-lead fishing tackle.
• Spread the word by telling other sport fishermen about the problem.
• Dispose of old lead sinkers and jigs properly by locating a drop-off location.

MONOFILAMENT ADVISORY
Monofilament Can Kill
if not used or disposed of properly!
The Illinois DNR would like to remind all sport fishermen that the im- HELP FROM SPORT FISHERMEN
proper use and disposal of fishing line (a.k.a. monofilament) can Help from all sport fishermen is needed to reduce the amount of
have a dramatic impact on our wildlife. In addition to being an eye- fishing line in the environment. By using common knowledge
sore along our waterways, many shore birds, migratory birds, water- and respecting our waterways, we can all help to reduce the
fowl, and raptors have become entangled in monofilament and died. risk of wildlife related mortalities due to monofilament.

HOW ANIMALS COME IN CONTACT WITH MONOFILAMENT • Properly dispose of unused monofilament in trash containers.
There are a variety of ways animals encounter monofilament.
Shore birds and waterfowl have been entangled in the litter • Use the appropriate test line for the desired fish and fishing
while wading or swimming. Raptors and fish-eating waterfowl technique.
have ingested hooks and monofilament from fish that broke the
line. Some migratory birds have used it as nesting material. • Replace monofilament yearly. Replacing your monofilament
annually can reduce the chance of breaking the line.
Starvation is the most common demise for animals
encountering monofilament. The line wraps around the neck • Take the initiative while enjoying Illinois’ waters. Help
or accumulates in the stomach, preventing the ingestion of keep Illinois’ waterways clean by picking-up discarded
food. It can also immobilize the animals by wrapping around the monofilament and tackle along the shores. An ounce of
legs, or securing them to stationary objects. prevention is worth a pound of cure.

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