Welcome to I Fish Illinois—Illinois DNR Division of Fisheries

State-Managed Site Closures

To further prevent the spread of COVID-19, and in accordance with the Gubernatorial Disaster Proclamation issued on March 9, 2020, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) announced the closure of all state parks, fish and wildlife areas, recreational areas, and historic sites as well as the cancellation of upcoming scheduled events.

IDNR will work tirelessly with the Governor's office and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) to provide information as to the schedule for safely reopening our facilities. A complete listing of state sites can be found on the IDNR website at https://www2.illinois.gov/dnr/Parks/Pages/default.aspx

2020 Spring Trout Season

The 2020 Illinois Spring Trout Fishing Season will open Saturday, April 4th at 56 ponds, lakes and streams throughout the state. The Spring Catch-and-Release Fishing Season is scheduled to open March 21st. Two traditional spring trout fishing locations are closed this year for site maintenance: The Waddams Creek site at Lake Le-Aqua-Na State Recreational Area and Manners Park Pond in Taylorville. Please note state sites cannot be accessed until the closures are lifted.

Despite the state site closures, the trout are being stocked. The IDNR stocks more than 80,000 rainbow trout in bodies of water where trout fishing is permitted during the spring season. An additional 80,000 trout will be stocked for the Fall Trout Fishing Season.

See stocked locations and details here.

2020 Fishing Regulations Guide

The 2020 Fishing Regulations Guide is now available here for you download! This guide is packed full of information for fishing in Illinois, including places to fish as well as site-specific and statewide regulations. The booklet will be available at your favorite sporting goods store soon and goes into effect starting April 1, 2020.

Download the new 2020 Fishing Regulations Guide.

Lake Michigan Program Newsletter

Newly released from the IDNR Division of Fisheries/Lake Michigan Program is a newsletter highlighting Lake Michigan fishing information and field sampling activities from 2019.

The newsletter covers salmon and trout stocking; forage abundance; sport fish harvest in Illinois waters; Yellow Perch abundance and recruitment; the ongoing lakewide coded-wire tag study; Lake Trout assessments and offshore reef mapping; and nearshore bass population assessments. Read the Newsletter.

REVISED — RFP for Asian Carp Brand Development, Limited Marketing Strategy & Implementation

UPDATE! The revised RFP is now available for Asian Carp Brand Development, Limited Marketing Strategy & Implementation. Subconsultant to IDNR and SIU, Tetra Tech is requesting proposals from qualified vendors to develop a new, positive brand for Asian carp and create a limited marketing strategy. We have combined funds for certain implementation activities and have increased the overall budget for the work. Further information regarding this RFP can be found here. Pre-Bid Meeting presentation can be found here.

A Question and Answers document can be found here.

Frequently Asked Questions

We are here to answer any fishing-related questions you may have. Simply send us an email through our "contact us" and we are happy to provide you with the information you're seeking. We also have a Frequently Asked Question page that you may find helpful. We've compiled a list of some of our most frequently asked questions via email and provided that information for you here. Check it out — you may learn something new about fishing in Illinois!

Stop the Spread of Invasive Species

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