Welcome to I Fish Illinois—Illinois DNR Division of Fisheries

Operation Silver Bullet

Following the June 22nd capture of a lone silver carp in the Chicago Area Waterways by one of our contracted commercial fishers, the partners began a rapid response looking for additional Asian carp. Entitled Operation Silver Bullet, this response entailed intensive sampling in Lake Calumet, Calumet River and Little Calumet River the weeks of June 26th and July 3rd. No additional Asian carp were observed or collected. A copy of the news release can be found here. Note the operation summary and the effort that was put into this operation. Equally important, safety was of upmost importance during this exhaustive and professional operation.

UPDATE: The autopsy results from this silver carp reveal this 4-year-old fish spent only a few weeks in this stretch of the river. Read more here: http://www.asiancarp.us/news/Silverautopsy.htm

Fishing in Illinois is HOT!

We have just had ANOTHER state-record breaking catch, making seven recorder breakers in 2017! The newest state record is a 21 pounds 7.2 ounces hybrid striped bass, caught in Lake Bloomington. This fish surpassed the previous record holder by over a pound! Other state-record fish included: Lake Whitefish (7 pounds 8 ounces); Burbot (9 pounds 4.8 ounces); Hybrid Crappie (4 pounds 8.8 ounces), and Brown Bullhead (3 pounds 4.8 ounces). Congratualtions to Ken Maggiore (who caught the Burbot and Lake Whitefish during the same fishing trip to Lake Michigan),Ryan Povolish (hybrid crappie), Dan Norris (Brown Bullhead) and Robert Vericella (hybrid striped bass). See the state records here.

If you haven't gotten your fishing license for the year, be sure to go pick one up and get fishing — there are records to be broken!

2017 – 2022 Strategic Plan

The Division of Fisheries recently completed the 2017 – 2022 Strategic and Implementation plans. These overarching plans give guidance to the Division's annual work plans, as well as direct the Federal Sportfish Restoration grant requests. By law, the mission of the Division of Fisheries is to conserve and enhance the state fisheries and aquatic life resources. Read the plan to accomplish this mission here.

Follow IFishIllinois on Social Media

IFishIllinois strives to be your one-stop, go-to site for fishing in Illinois waters. We work hard to keep anglers up to date on fishing events, IDNR angling-related news releases, fishing reports, angling tips and equipment, tips for fish stocking, and much more.

Social media is an excellent way to promote what's happening in angling news throughout Illinois. Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter to keep up to date ... because you fish Illinois.

Stop the Spread of Invasive Species

Remove, Drain, Dry: As the boats come out of storage, we'd like to remind you to be aware of invasive species that pose a threat to our lands and waterways. To fight the spread of aquatic invaders, the IDNR is asking residents to "be a hero transport zero." The best way to stop the spread of invasive species is to remove, drain, and dry your boats after use in any Illinois waterway. Learn more here.