Illinois Fall Trout Season Opens October 18, 2025

Early Catch-and-Release Opportunity Scheduled October 4 at Select Sites

The 2025 Illinois Fall Trout Fishing Season will open Saturday, October 18 at 60 ponds, lakes, and streams throughout the state.

An early opportunity at select trout sites — the Fall Catch-and-Release Fishing Season — will open October 4. No trout may be kept during the catch and release fishing period, but anglers can keep trout after the opening of the regular season beginning October 18.

The Illinois Catchable Trout Program is funded by those who use the program through the sale of Inland Trout Stamps. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) stocks more than 80,000 rainbow trout each year in bodies of water where trout fishing is permitted during the fall season. An additional 80,000 trout are stocked for the spring season which begins each April.

Note: For the 2025 fall trout season, no trout may be taken from any of the stocked sites until the season opens at 5:00 a.m. October 18. During the season, the daily catch limit is five trout.

The fall trout season offers opportunities for families to get outdoors and enjoy fishing. Resources are available for taking kids fishing here.

All anglers, including those who intend to release fish caught before October 18, must have an Illinois fishing license and inland trout stamp, which are available at IDNR license and permit locations, including many bait shops, sporting goods stores, and other retail outlets. Check the IDNR website for locations at https://www.exploremoreil.com/agentlocator.

Fishing licenses and trout stamps also can be purchased by using a credit card online at https://www.exploremoreil.com/

For information about site regulations, anglers should contact individual sites that will be stocked with catchable-size trout. Not all of the fall trout sites listed below open at 5:00 a.m. on opening day. Anglers are reminded to check the opening time of their favorite trout fishing location prior to the open date.

Site Note: IDNR fisheries biologists have drained the trout pond at the Mount Vernon Game Farm as part of a renovation project to remove the build up of naturally occurring silt and vegetation that can degrade fish habitat and fish communities and result in poor fishing conditions. This project will likely last through the winter and when work is completed the pond will be restored and restocked. The 2025 fall catchable trout stocking has been moved to the Veteran's Memorial Park pond in Mount Vernon Illinois as a result.

 

2025 Illinois Fall Trout Locations

(* Denotes sites open for catch-and-release early fall seaon fishing)

North Region

Central Region

South Region