Fishing in Illinois
Lake Michigan harbors, Mississippi and Illinois river pools and hundreds of state and county lakes, with the 2026 IDNR digest rules for each water.
Search a town, county, lake or bait shop
- 402lakes
- 82rivers and pools
- 269ramp pages
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Illinois lakes, river pools and Lake Michigan shore
Illinois fishing runs from Lake Michigan salmon and perch off the Chicago lakefront to the lock and dam pools of the Mississippi, Illinois and Ohio rivers, and through hundreds of state, county and city lakes in between: Carlyle, Rend and Shelbyville built by the Corps, power-plant cooling lakes such as Clinton, Lake of Egypt and Heidecke, the Fox Chain O’Lakes near the Wisconsin line, and forest preserve ponds across Cook, DuPage, Lake and Will counties.
This guide holds 402 lake and pond pages, 82 river and pool pages (31 of them navigation pools), 269 ramp pages, 251 bait shops, all 102 counties and 673 towns, each with the 2026 IDNR digest rules that apply.
For the salmon herePiscifun AlumiX spinning reel46% OFFSale $64.99 The largest Illinois lakes with a page here
Carlyle Lake
24,580 acres, Bond County and 2 other counties
Lake pageRend Lake
18,900 acres, Franklin and Jefferson counties
Lake pageLake Shelbyville
11,100 acres, Moultrie and Shelby counties
Lake pageFox Chain O' Lakes
7,110 acres, Lake County
Lake pageCrab Orchard Lake
6,965 acres, Williamson County
Lake pageClinton Lake
4,895 acres, DeWitt County
Lake pageThompson Lake (Emiquon)
4,000 acres, Fulton County
Lake pageLake Springfield
3,866 acres, Sangamon County
Lake pageThe Mississippi, Illinois, Ohio and Rock, pool by pool
Lake Michigan from Chicago to Winthrop Harbor
Salmon, lake trout and yellow perch run along 63 miles of Illinois shoreline. The Lake Michigan page lists harbors, marinas, launches, the stocked Chicago Park District lagoons and the digest entry for the lake; each harbor with enough facts has its own page.
The 13 statewide digest rows at a glance
| Species as printed | Daily | Rule as printed |
|---|---|---|
| Alligator Gar | 1 per 24 hours | Harvest limit is 1 Alligator Gar per 24 hours. |
| Blue, Channel, and Flathead Catfish | no limit | There are no daily harvest or size limits, except as specified under Site Specific Regulations. |
| Bluegill, Redear Sunfish, Other Sunfish | no limit | There are no harvest or size limits, except as specified under Site Specific Regulations. |
| Crappie (White, Black or Hybrid Crappie) | no limit | There are no daily harvest or size limits, except as specified under Site Specific Regulations. |
| Lake Sturgeon | no possession | Protected; No possession. |
| Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Spotted Bass | 6 (combined) | Daily harvest limit is 6 Bass, either singly or in the aggregate, except as specified under Site Specific Regulations. In rivers and streams and their tributaries statewide, except for the Mississippi, Ohio (including Golconda Marina), and Wabash Rivers, the d |
| Muskellunge, Northern Pike, and their Hybrid | muskellunge 1, northern pike 3 | 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 u |
| Paddlefish | 2 | Daily harvest limit is 2 Paddlefish. Please refer to Site Specific Regulations for the Mississippi River between Illinois and Iowa and the Mississippi River between Illinois and Missouri. |
| Striped Bass (Ocean Rockfish), White Bass, Yellow Bass, and their Hybrids | no limit under 17 inches; 3 at 17 inches or longer | 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 as specified under Site Specific Regulations. For these fish 17" in total le |
| Trout and Salmon | 5 (combined) | Daily harvest limit is 5 trout or salmon, either singly or in the aggregate. |
| Walleye, Sauger, or their Hybrid | 6 (combined) | All Walleye, Sauger, or their hybrid (Saugeye) taken must be 14" in total length or longer, except in the Mississippi River, Wabash River, or except as specified under Site Specific Regulations. Daily harvest limit is 6 Walleye, Sauger, or their hybrid, either |
IDNR 2026 Illinois Fishing Information digest (IDNR) page 10, read November 4, 2026.
Illinois dates and stamps worth a note
- Free Fishing DaysJune 19, 20, 21, and 22, 2026 in 2026; IDNR has not printed 2027 dates.
- Catchable trout programspring opener the first Saturday of April, fall the third Saturday of October
- Lake Michigan rules$6.50 Salmon Stamp for salmon or trout in the lake
- Tackle loaner sites130 places that lend rods free
Heaviest hook and line records on the IDNR list
- Blue Catfish, 124 lbs 0 ozMississippi River, 2005
- Flathead Catfish, 81 lbs 6.4 ozSangchris Lake, 2015
- Grass Carp, 79 lbs 0 ozCrescent Lake, 2011
- Bighead Carp, 72 lbs 9 ozHumboldt Park Lagoon, 2021
- Common Carp, 51 lbs 0 ozLake Hillcrest, 1994
- Bigmouth Buffalo, 48 lbs 0 ozMississippi River, 1936
Booking a charter and stocking up for Illinois water
- Guides and charters31 listings, most on Lake Michigan
- Bait shops251 shops and marinas
- Crawler harnesses on Amazonfor river walleye and sauger below the locks
- Perch rigs on Amazonfor Lake Michigan harbors
Piscifun and Amazon links are affiliate links; the site earns a commission on qualifying purchases.
Illinois pages by kind of water and by town
- Lakes402 lakes and ponds
- Rivers and pools82 pages
- Countiesall 102
- Towns673 cities, villages and towns
- Species62 fish
- TournamentsBFL, club and IHSA events
- Water levelsCorps lakes, USGS and NOAA gauges
- Boat ramps269 ramp pages
Illinois rules, records and directories
- Illinois waters from A to Zlakes, ponds, river pools, counties, towns and fish together
- Illinois licenses and limitsIDNR fees, stamps and the 13 statewide digest rows
- Site-specific watersall 441 digest entries that change a statewide rule
- Lake Michigan rules and stampssalmon stamp, perch closure and the 21-inch bass rule
- Boundary riversMississippi, Ohio and Wabash reciprocity
- Free Fishing Daysfour June days with no license or stamp
- Illinois record fishhook and line plus bow and arrow
- IDNR stocking tablesix years of hatchery rows by water
- Catchable trout programspring and fall openers and the Inland Trout Stamp
- Gauges and pool readingsUSGS live, Corps and NOAA dated
- Lake MichiganChicago and Lake County harbors, lagoons and launches
- Boat rampsIDNR map launches with a page
- Fishing piersIDNR asset-inventory piers
- Tackle loaner sitesfree rods at libraries and park offices
- Bait and tackle shopsstores and marinas in three groupings
- Guides and chartersLake Michigan charters and inland guides
- TournamentsBFL, B.A.S.S. Nation and IHSA dates and winners
A picture key to the fish of Fishing in Illinois
Photo: Eden, Janine and Jim, CC BY 2.0
Photo: USFWS Mountain-Prairie, Public domain
Photo: Alabama Extension, CC0 1.0
Photo: USFWS Mountain-Prairie, Public domain
Photo: Richard Hurd, CC BY 2.0
Photo: USFWS Fish and Aquatic Conservation, Public domain
Photo: USFWS Pacific Southwest Region, Public domain
Photo: Argyleist, CC BY 2.0
First-trip Illinois fishing questions, answered from IDNR
At what age does an Illinois angler need a license?
Anglers 16 and older carry an Illinois fishing license ($15 a year for residents, $31.50 for nonresidents in 2026). Residents and nonresidents under 16 fish free.
Which lake is the biggest with a page here?
Carlyle Lake, listed at 24,580 acres by IDNR.
How many largemouth and smallmouth may go home from an Illinois lake?
6 (combined) a day statewide; 441 waters print their own rules in the digest.
Which June weekend is license-free in Illinois?
June 19, 20, 21, and 22, 2026 in 2026; the 2027 dates are not printed yet, and the digest says they fall on the third weekend in June.
Who sets Illinois fishing rules?
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR), Division of Fisheries, through the annual Illinois Fishing Information digest.
Do I need a stamp for Lake Michigan salmon?
Yes, the $6.50 Lake Michigan Salmon Stamp to take salmon or trout there; inland trout need the $6.50 Inland Trout Stamp.
Can I fish the Mississippi with an Iowa or Missouri license?
Yes on the boundary stretch, under the reciprocity terms on the boundary rivers page; the same goes for Kentucky on the Ohio and Indiana on the Wabash.
Where are Illinois tournaments listed?
BFL stops, B.A.S.S. Nation team events and IHSA results sit on the Illinois tournaments page, lake by lake.