Illinois Fall Trout Stocking Update

Due to cooler weather conditions throughout much of Illinois, many inland trout lake will be stocked in time for the October 18 fall season opener. Fourteen lakes located in central/southern Illinois will have delayed stocking schedules, but all of these remaining lakes will be stocked by Saturday, October 25. See the site lsting below.
IDNR reinstated its Catchable Trout Program in 1994. The program is funded in part by those who use the program through the sale of inland trout stamps. 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.
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.
2025 Illinois Fall Trout Locations Stocked by Opening Day (October 18)
Bond County
- Patriot’s Park Lake (Greenville Old City Lake)
Bureau County
- Hennepin Canal Parkway
Cook County
- Axehead Lake, Cook County Forest Preserve District
- Belleau Lake, Cook County Forest Preserve District
- Busse Woods North Lake, Cook County Forest Preserve District
- Green Lake in Calumet City, Cook County Forest Preserve District
- Horsetail Lake, Cook County Forest Preserve District
- Sag Quarry East, Cook County Forest Preserve District
- Wolf Lake at William W. Powers State Recreation Area, Chicago
Champaign County
- Kaufman Lake, Champaign Park District
Christian County
- Manners Park Pond, Taylorville Park District
Clark County
- Casey Park Pond, Casey
Coles County
- Eastern Illinois University Campus Pond, Charleston
De Witt County
- Weldon Springs, Weldon Springs State Park
Douglas County
- Villa Grove West Lake
DuPage County
- Grove Lake, DuPage County Forest Preserve District
- Pickerel Lake, DuPage County Forest Preserve District
- Silver Lake, DuPage County Forest Preserve District
Jo Daviess County
- Apple River, Apple River Canyon State Park
Johnson County
- Ferne Clyffe State Park Lake
Kankakee County
- Bird Park Quarry, Kankakee
- Rock Creek, Kankakee River State Park
Kendall County
- Big Lake, Silver Springs State Fish and Wildlife Area
Lake County
- Sand Lake, Illinois Beach State Park
LaSalle County
- Illinois and Michigan Canal Lock 14, LaSalle
Macon County
- Rock Springs Pond, Macon County Conservation District
Madison County
- Belk Park Pond, Wood River
- Highland Old City Lake
Marion County
- Boston Pond, Stephen A. Forbes State Recreation Area
Massac County
- Fairgrounds Pond, Fort Massac State Park
McDonough County
- Argyle Lake, Argyle Lake State Park
McHenry County
- Spring Grove Hatchery Pond, Spring Grove
- Lake Atwood, McHenry County Conservation District
Ogle County
- Pine Creek, White Pines Forest State Park
Rock Island County
- Prospect Park Lake, Moline
Sangamon County
- Southwind Park, Springfield
- Washington Park Pond, Springfield
Shelby County
- Forest Park Lagoon, Shelbyville
St. Clair County
- Willow Lake at Peabody River King State Fish and Wildlife Area
Vermilion County
- Clear Lake, Kickapoo State Recreation Area
Wabash County
- Beall Woods Lake, Beall Woods State Park
Warren
- Citizens Lake, Monmouth
Wayne County
- Sam Dale Conservation Area Trout Pond
Whiteside County
- Centennial Park Pond, Rock Falls, Coloma Park District
Will County
- Lake Strini, Romeoville
- Van Horn Woods, Plainfield
Winnebago County
- Baumann Lake, Cherry Valley
Trout lakes with delayed stocking (all stocked by October 25)
Adams County
- Siloam Springs State Park Lake
Cass County
- Gridley Lake, Jim Edgar Panther Creek State Fish and Wildlife Area
Hancock County
- Horton Lake, Nauvoo State Park
Macoupin County
- Beaver Dam Lake, Beaver Dam Lake State Park
Morgan County
- Morgan Lake at Nichols Park, Jacksonville
Sangamon County
- Illinois Department of Transportation Lake, Springfield
Tazewell County
- Mineral Springs Park Lagoon, Pekin
Crawford County
- Crawford County Conservation Area Pond
Jefferson County
- Mount Vernon Veterans Memorial Park (note the site change from Mount Vernon Game Farm, which is undergoing renovations)
Randolph County
- Derby Lake, World Shooting and Recreational Complex, Sparta
- Randolph County State Fish and Wildlife Area Lake
Saline County
- Jones Lake Trout Pond, Saline County State Fish and Wildlife Area
St. Clair County
- Frank Holten State Park Main Lake
- Jones Park Lake, East St. Louis