Bluegill in Illinois
IDNR limits, the state record and Illinois waters for bluegill.
- no daily caplimit
- 3 lbs 8 ozrecord
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Illinois bluegill in brief
In the 2026 IDNR digest, bluegill sit on the statewide line headed "Bluegill, Redear Sunfish, Other Sunfish". The row begins: "There are no harvest or size limits, except as specified under Site Specific Regulations." Where the row caps the catch, the fish on it are counted together.
At 3 lbs 8 oz, the hook and line record came from Farm Pond (1987). Carlyle Lake, Rend Lake and Lake Shelbyville lead the 321 Illinois water pages that name it. Its rule shifts on 110 waters, for instance Aledo City Lake and Anna City Lake. Across 46 waters, IDNR listed 1,256,224 stocked.
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| Row as printed | Daily | Size |
|---|---|---|
| Bluegill, Redear Sunfish, Other Sunfish | no limit | no size limit |
There are no harvest or size limits, except as specified under Site Specific Regulations.
IDNR 2026 Illinois Fishing Information digest (IDNR) page 10, read November 4, 2026.
bluegill, water by water
| Water as printed | County | Species | Rule as printed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aledo City Lake | Mercer | Bluegill or Redear Sunfish | 25 Fish Daily Harvest Limit |
| Anna City Lake | Union | Bluegill or Redear Sunfish | 8 inch Minimum Length Limit; 10 Fish Daily Harvest Limit |
| Argyle Lake | McDonough | Bluegill or Redear Sunfish | 25 Fish Daily Harvest Limit |
| Ashland New Reservoir | Morgan | Bluegill or Redear Sunfish | 10 Fish Daily Harvest Limit |
| Axehead Lake | Cook | Bluegill, Redear, or Pumpkinseed Sunfish | 15 Fish Daily Harvest Limit |
| Beaver Dam Lake | Macoupin | Bluegill or Redear Sunfish | 25 Fish Daily Harvest Limit |
| Beck Lake | Cook | Bluegill, Redear, or Pumpkinseed Sunfish | 15 Fish Daily Harvest Limit |
| Belk Park Pond | Madison | Bluegill or Redear Sunfish | 25 Fish Daily Harvest Limit |
| Belleau Lake | Cook | Bluegill, Redear, or Pumpkinseed Sunfish | 15 Fish Daily Harvest Limit |
| Borah Lake | Richland | Bluegill or Redear Sunfish | 25 Fish Daily Harvest Limit |
| Boyd-Wesley Park Pond | McLean | Bluegill or Redear Sunfish | 10 Fish Daily Harvest Limit |
| Brock Lake | Tazewell | Bluegill or Redear Sunfish | 25 Fish Daily Harvest Limit |
| Buffalo Prairie Pheasant Habitat Area Lakes & Ponds | Knox | Bluegill or Redear Sunfish | 25 Fish Daily Harvest Limit |
| Bullfrog Lake | Cook | Bluegill, Redear, or Pumpkinseed Sunfish | 15 Fish Daily Harvest Limit |
| Burning Star State Fish and Wildlife Area, All Lakes and Ponds | Jackson | Bluegill or Redear Sunfish | 25 Fish Daily Harvest Limit |
| Busse Lake | Cook | Bluegill, Redear, or Pumpkinseed Sunfish | 15 Fish Daily Harvest Limit |
| Casey Park Pond | Clark | Bluegill or Redear Sunfish | 15 Fish Daily Harvest Limit with no more than 5 fish greater than or equal to 8 inches |
| Cermack Quarry | Cook | Bluegill, Redear, or Pumpkinseed Sunfish | 15 Fish Daily Harvest Limit |
| Champaign Park District Lakes | Champaign | Bluegill or Redear Sunfish | 15 Fish Daily Harvest Limit |
| Chillicothe Park District Ponds | Peoria | Bluegill or Redear Sunfish | 25 Fish Daily Harvest Limit |
Site-specific regulations as printed in the 2026 Illinois Fishing Information digest (IDNR), read November 4, 2026.
Illinois state-record bluegill
| Division | Weight | Water | County | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| hook and line | 3 lbs 8 oz | Farm Pond | Jasper County | May 10, 1987 |
IDNR Illinois state record fish list (keeper: Illinois Department of Natural Resources; no angler names printed), read November 4, 2026.
IDNR hatchery bluegill by water
| Year | Water as listed | Number | Size class |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | LaSalle Cooling Lake | 127,747 | Fingerling (1 – 3") |
| 2026 | A-41 Lake | 63,993 | Fingerling (1 – 3") |
| 2026 | Axehead Lake – FPDCC | 25,578 | Fingerling (1 – 3") |
| 2026 | Ferne Clyffe Lake | 14,500 | Fingerling (1 – 3") |
| 2026 | Schiller Pond – FPDCC | 14,210 | Fingerling (1 – 3") |
| 2026 | Blue Pond | 11,368 | Fingerling (1 – 3") |
| 2026 | Belleau Lake – FPDCC | 9,947 | Fingerling (1 – 3") |
| 2026 | Four Lakes | 9,947 | Fingerling (1 – 3") |
| 2026 | Green Lake – FPDCC | 9,947 | Fingerling (1 – 3") |
| 2026 | Levings Lake | 9,947 | Fingerling (1 – 3") |
| 2026 | Lakewood Park Pond | 8,526 | Fingerling (1 – 3") |
| 2026 | Ashland New Reservoir | 7,105 | Fingerling (1 – 3") |
| 2026 | Island Pond | 7,105 | Fingerling (1 – 3") |
| 2026 | Big Bend Pond | 6,706 | Fingerling (1 – 3") |
IDNR fish stocking table on ifishillinois.org (year, water, species, size class and number as listed; no stocking dates published), read November 4, 2026.
Illinois lakes where IDNR rates bluegill
| Lake | IDNR rating | County |
|---|---|---|
| Lake Springfield | Excellent | Sangamon County |
| Governor Bond Lake | Excellent | Bond County |
| West Frankfort New City Lake | Excellent | Franklin County |
| Lincoln Trail Lake | Excellent | Clark County |
| Dutchman Lake | Excellent | Johnson County |
| Hillsboro Old City Lake | Excellent | Montgomery County |
| Walnut Point Lake | Excellent | Douglas County |
| Lake Patterson | Excellent | Kane County |
| Drake Lake (JEPCFWA) | Excellent | Cass County |
| Maple Lake (FPDDC) | Excellent | DuPage County |
| Kincaid City Reservoir | Excellent | Christian County |
| Boss Lake (MFWA) | Excellent | Bureau County |
| Prairie Road Pond | Excellent | Kane County |
| Horton Lake | Excellent | Hancock County |
| Arrowhead Heights Lake | Excellent | Adams County |
| Foxcroft Lake | Excellent | Kane County |
| Lake Carlton Silt Basin | Excellent | Whiteside County |
| Mays Lake | Excellent | DuPage County |
| Lake Gregory | Excellent | Kane County |
| Ashland Old Reservoir | Excellent | Morgan County |
IDNR fishing outlook ratings and survey notes as printed on the IFishIllinois page, read November 4, 2026.
Illinois lakes and rivers where bluegill turn up
Illinois lakes for bluegill
- Carlyle Lake24,580 acres
- Rend Lake18,900 acres
- Lake Shelbyville11,100 acres
- Crab Orchard Lake6,965 acres
- Thompson Lake (Emiquon)4,000 acres
- Lake Springfield3,866 acres
- Lake Decatur2,905 acres
- Kinkaid Lake2,750 acres
- Braidwood LakeWill County
- LaSalle Cooling Lake2,058 acres
- Baldwin Lake2,018 acres
- Heidecke Lake1,955 acres
- Horseshoe Lake (Alexander)1,890 acres
- Cedar Lake (Jackson)1,750 acres
- Newton Lake1,750 acres
- Rice Lake1,383 acres
- Lake Taylorville1,286 acres
- Lake Lou Yeager1,268 acres
- Hennepin-Hopper LakesPutnam County
- Anderson LakeFulton County
- Lake Glenn Shoals1,085 acres
- Lake Mattoon988 acres
- Raccoon Lake970 acres
- East Fork Lake935 acres
Illinois rivers worth a cast for bluegill
- Kaskaskia RiverDouglas County
- Illinois River, Peoria PoolMarshall County
- Mississippi River, Pool 13Carroll County
- Mississippi River, Pool 12Jo Daviess County
- Mississippi River, Pool 14Rock Island County
- Mississippi River, Pool 15Rock Island County
- Mississippi River, Pool 16Rock Island County
- Mississippi River, Pool 17Mercer County
IDNR IFishIllinois outlook ratings and species lists, the IDNR stocking table and IDNR record waters; largest waters first.
Relatives of bluegill on the IDNR list
- Green Sunfishno daily cap
- Pumpkinseedno daily cap
- Redear Sunfishno daily cap
- Rock Bassno daily cap
- Warmouthno daily cap
How the shoreline by Bluegill looks
Photo: Alaina McDavid, CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo: Christian Collins, CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo: Village of Oak Lawn, CC BY 2.0
Photo: David Wilson, CC BY 2.0
Short Illinois answers on bluegill
How many bluegill can go on an Illinois stringer?
The digest row reads no limit; size: no size limit. Individual waters can carry a tighter entry.
Which Illinois lake or river produced the top bluegill?
Farm Pond produced it in 1987: 3 lbs 8 oz. The angler is not printed.
Which Illinois waters hold bluegill?
It appears on 321 pages, Carlyle Lake, Rend Lake and Lake Shelbyville among them.
Is the bluegill rule the same on every Illinois water?
The digest lists 110 waters; Aledo City Lake is one.
Which Illinois waters got bluegill from IDNR?
In 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026, 1,256,224 across 46 waters.
Must a visitor buy a license for Illinois bluegill?
Anglers 16 and older carry an Illinois fishing license ($15 a year for residents, $31.50 for nonresidents in 2026).
Does the Illinois bluegill record list count bow fish?
Two: hook and line, and bow and arrow. For it, IDNR shows 1 record row.
Where do IDNR biologists rate bluegill?
IDNR grades it on 303 lakes, with Lake Springfield at excellent.
Plan an Illinois trip for bluegill
Open a lake or river above for launches and local rules.