Channel Catfish in Illinois
Illinois channel catfish: limit, record, stocking and waters.
- no daily caplimit
- 45 lbs 4 ozrecord
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channel catfish across Illinois water
Look for "Blue, Channel, and Flathead Catfish" in the digest table to find the channel catfish limit. Its text opens: "There are no daily harvest or size limits, except as specified under Site Specific Regulations." The row lumps several fish together under one number when a cap applies.
IDNR lists 45 lbs 4 oz as the hook and line mark, taken at Baldwin Lake in 1987. Begin with Carlyle Lake, Rend Lake and Lake Shelbyville, among 299 Illinois pages that list it. See Aledo City Lake and Andover Lake: 315 waters print their own wording for it. 1,918,907 went into 344 waters, by the IDNR stocking table.
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| Row as printed | Daily | Size |
|---|---|---|
| Blue, Channel, and Flathead Catfish | no limit | no size limit |
There are no daily harvest or size limits, except as specified under Site Specific Regulations.
IDNR 2026 Illinois Fishing Information digest (IDNR) page 10, read November 4, 2026.
Site-specific entries naming channel catfish
| Water as printed | County | Species | Rule as printed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aledo City Lake | Mercer | Channel Catfish | 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit |
| Andover Lake | Henry | Channel Catfish | 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit |
| Anna City Lake | Union | Channel Catfish | 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit |
| Argyle Lake | McDonough | Channel Catfish | 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit |
| Arrowhead Heights Lake | Adams | Channel Catfish | 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit |
| Arrowhead Lake | Williamson | Channel Catfish | 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit |
| Ashland Old Reservoir | Morgan | Channel Catfish | 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit |
| Ashland New Reservoir | Morgan | Channel Catfish | 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit |
| Auburn Park Lagoon | Cook | Channel Catfish | 4 Fish Daily Harvest Limit |
| Bakers Lake | LaSalle | Channel Catfish | 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit |
| Banner Marsh Lakes & Ponds | Peoria, Fulton | Channel Catfish | 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit |
| Baumann Park Lake | Winnebago | Channel Catfish | 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit |
| Beall Woods Lake | Wabash | Channel Catfish | 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit |
| Beaver Dam Lake | Macoupin | Channel Catfish | 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit |
| Beck Lake | Cook | Channel Catfish | 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit |
| Belk Park Pond | Madison | Channel Catfish | 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit |
| Bevier Park Lagoon | Lake | Channel Catfish | 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit |
| Blandinsville North and South Lakes | McDonough | Channel Catfish | 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit |
| Bloomington Park District Lakes | McLean | Channel Catfish | 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit |
| Blue Pond | Boone | Channel Catfish | 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit |
Site-specific regulations as printed in the 2026 Illinois Fishing Information digest (IDNR), read November 4, 2026.
Record channel catfish on the IDNR list
| Division | Weight | Water | County | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| hook and line | 45 lbs 4 oz | Baldwin Lake | St. Clair County | February 7, 1987 |
IDNR Illinois state record fish list (keeper: Illinois Department of Natural Resources; no angler names printed), read November 4, 2026.
Where IDNR stocked channel catfish
| Year | Water as listed | Number | Size class |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Wolf Lake | 12,000 | Fingerling (1 – 3") |
| 2026 | Busse Lake – FPDCC | 10,497 | NonVulnerable (8 – 10") |
| 2026 | Prairie Lake – JEPCFWA | 8,400 | Fingerling (1 – 3") |
| 2026 | Jacksonville, Lake | 7,140 | Fingerling (1 – 3") |
| 2026 | Paradise, Lake | 6,640 | Advanced Fingerling (4 – 7") |
| 2026 | Shabbona Lake | 6,020 | NonVulnerable (8 – 10") |
| 2026 | Lincoln Trail Lake | 5,480 | NonVulnerable (8 – 10") |
| 2026 | Paris East Lake | 5,406 | Advanced Fingerling (4 – 7") |
| 2026 | Pana Lake | 5,357 | NonVulnerable (8 – 10") |
| 2026 | Mermet State Lake | 5,148 | Fingerling (1 – 3") |
| 2026 | Skokie Lagoons – FPDCC | 5,010 | Advanced Fingerling (4 – 7") |
| 2026 | Forbes Lake – SFSP | 5,000 | Fingerling (1 – 3") |
| 2026 | Frank Holten Grand Marais Lake | 4,850 | Advanced Fingerling (4 – 7") |
| 2026 | Mermet State Lake | 4,293 | Advanced Fingerling (4 – 7") |
IDNR fish stocking table on ifishillinois.org (year, water, species, size class and number as listed; no stocking dates published), read November 4, 2026.
Where the IDNR outlook names channel catfish
| Lake | IDNR rating | County |
|---|---|---|
| Carlyle Lake | Excellent | Bond County |
| Rend Lake | Excellent | Franklin County |
| Fox Chain O' Lakes | Excellent | Lake County |
| Crab Orchard Lake | Excellent | Williamson County |
| Lake Jacksonville | Excellent | Morgan County |
| Shabbona Lake | Excellent | DeKalb County |
| Washington County Lake | Excellent | Washington County |
| Spring Lake (McDonough County) | Excellent | McDonough County |
| Canton Lake | Excellent | Fulton County |
| Prairie Lake (JEPCFWA) | Excellent | Cass County |
| Mauvaise Terre Lake | Excellent | Morgan County |
| Paris East Lake | Excellent | Edgar County |
| Lake Murphysboro | Excellent | Jackson County |
| Lake Paradise | Excellent | Coles County |
| Lincoln Trail Lake | Excellent | Clark County |
| Homer Lake (CCFPD) | Excellent | Champaign County |
| Paris West Lake | Excellent | Edgar County |
| Randolph County Lake | Excellent | Randolph County |
| Nashville City Reservoir | Excellent | Washington County |
| Norris City Reservoir | Excellent | White County |
IDNR fishing outlook ratings and survey notes as printed on the IFishIllinois page, read November 4, 2026.
Illinois water that lists channel catfish
Impoundments with channel catfish
- Carlyle Lake24,580 acres
- Rend Lake18,900 acres
- Lake Shelbyville11,100 acres
- Fox Chain O' Lakes7,110 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
- Powerton Lake1,426 acres
- Rice Lake1,383 acres
- Lake Taylorville1,286 acres
- Lake Lou Yeager1,268 acres
- Anderson LakeFulton County
- Coffeen Lake1,102 acres
- Big Lake (RLFWA)Fulton County
- Little Grassy Lake1,000 acres
- Lake Mattoon988 acres
Moving water for channel catfish
- Kaskaskia RiverDouglas County
- Kankakee RiverGrundy County
- Illinois River, Alton PoolMorgan County
- Illinois River, Marseilles PoolGrundy County
- Illinois River, LaGrange PoolPeoria County
- Pecatonica RiverStephenson County
- Illinois River, Peoria PoolMarshall County
- Illinois River, Starved Rock PoolLaSalle 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.
Other Illinois fish beside channel catfish
- Blue Catfishno daily cap
- Flathead Catfishno daily cap
Timber, cornfield and water around Channel Catfish through a lens
Photo: Alaina McDavid, CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo: Tripp, CC BY 2.0
Photo: Tripp, CC BY 2.0
Photo: Charles Fulton, CC BY 2.0
channel catfish questions from cornfield ponds to the big river
What does IDNR allow per day for channel catfish?
Per the digest: no limit, no size limit. Check the site-specific list for the lake you fish.
Does IDNR list a record channel catfish?
45 lbs 4 oz from Baldwin Lake, 1987. Angler names are not printed.
Which Prairie State lake holds channel catfish?
Start at Carlyle Lake, Rend Lake and Lake Shelbyville; 299 pages carry it.
Do any Illinois waters set their own channel catfish rule?
It changes on 315 waters, Aledo City Lake among them.
Were channel catfish stocked in Illinois recently?
1,918,907 went into 344 waters in 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026.
How much is an Illinois license to fish for channel catfish?
Anglers 16 and older carry an Illinois fishing license ($15 a year for residents, $31.50 for nonresidents in 2026).
Is there a bow record for channel catfish in Illinois?
IDNR runs two lists: hook and line and bow and arrow. Its entries: 1 record row.
What does the IDNR outlook say about channel catfish?
207 lake pages carry an IDNR grade for it; Carlyle Lake rates excellent.
Line up a day on Illinois channel catfish
Each water above lists its ramps and site-specific rules on its own page.