Hybrid Striped Bass in Illinois
Digest rows, record weight and lakes holding Illinois hybrid striped bass.
- no limit under 17 limit
- 21 lbs 7.2 ozrecord
Pick for hybrid striped bassPiscifun Viper X spinning reel50% OFFSale $39.99 Photo of the species, not an Illinois water: Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife, CC BY-SA 2.0
Illinois hybrid striped bass, the short version
Illinois puts hybrid striped bass on the row the digest prints as "Striped Bass (Ocean Rockfish), White Bass, Yellow Bass, and their Hybrids". Quoting the first sentence: "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." Fish grouped on that row count toward one shared figure where a cap exists.
The Illinois hook and line record stands at 21 lbs 7.2 oz, from Bloomington, Lake in 2017. It appears on 32 Illinois lake and river pages; Rend Lake, Clinton Lake and Lake Decatur come first. 27 waters carry a site-specific line for it, Baldwin Lake and Braidwood Lake first. The table records 1,227,360 released into 30 waters.
For the hybrid striped bass herePiscifun AlumiX spinning reel46% OFFSale $64.99 The digest row covering hybrid striped bass
| Row as printed | Daily | Size |
|---|---|---|
| Striped Bass (Ocean Rockfish), White Bass, Yellow Bass, and their Hybrids | no limit under 17 inches; 3 at 17 inches or longer | no statewide size limit printed |
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 length or longer, the daily limit is 3 fish, either singly or in the aggregate, except in the Mississippi River between Illinois and Missouri where there is a 30 fish daily harvest limit for all Striped, White, Yellow, or hybrid Striped Bass. In the Mississippi River between Illinois and Iowa, there is a 25 fish daily harvest limit on Striped Bass, White Bass, Yellow Bass, and their hybrids, either singly or in the aggregate.
IDNR 2026 Illinois Fishing Information digest (IDNR) page 10, read November 4, 2026.
Local hybrid striped bass rules in the Illinois digest
| Water as printed | County | Species | Rule as printed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baldwin Lake | Randolph | Striped, White, or Hybrid Striped Bass | 17 inch Minimum Length Limit; 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit |
| Braidwood Lake | Will | Striped, White, or Hybrid Striped Bass | 10 Fish Daily Harvest Limit with no more than 3 Fish greater than or equal to 17 inches |
| Cedar Lake & Little Cedar Lake | Jackson | Striped, White, or Hybrid Striped Bass | 17 inch Minimum Length Limit; 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit |
| Charleston Side Channel Lake | Coles | Striped, White, or Hybrid Striped Bass | 17 inch Minimum Length Limit; 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit |
| Clinton Lake | DeWitt | Striped, White, or Hybrid Striped Bass | 10 Fish Daily Harvest Limit with no more than 3 Fish greater than or equal to 17 inches |
| Forbes Lake | Marion | Striped, White, or Hybrid Striped Bass | 17 inch Minimum Length Limit; 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit |
| Glenn Shoals Lake | Montgomery | Striped, White, or Hybrid Striped Bass | 17 inch Minimum Length Limit; 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit |
| Governor Bond Lake | Bond | Striped, White, or Hybrid Striped Bass | 17 inch Minimum Length Limit; 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit |
| Harrisburg New City Reservoir | Saline | Striped, White, or Hybrid Striped Bass | 17 inch Minimum Length Limit; 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit |
| Heidecke Lake | Grundy | Striped, White, or Hybrid Striped Bass | 10 Fish Daily Harvest Limit with no more than 3 Fish greater than or equal to 17 inches |
| Lake Bloomington | McLean | Striped, White, or Hybrid Striped Bass | 10 Fish Daily Harvest Limit with no more than 3 Fish greater than or equal to 17 inches |
| Lake George | Rock Island | Striped, White, or Hybrid Striped Bass | 17 inch Minimum Length Limit; 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit |
| Lake Jacksonville | Morgan | Striped, White, or Hybrid Striped Bass | 17 inch Minimum Length Limit; 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit |
| Lasalle Cooling Lake | LaSalle | Striped, White, or Hybrid Striped Bass | 10 Fish Daily Harvest Limit with no more than 3 Fish greater than or equal to 17 inches |
| Mississippi River (Between IL & IA) | Striped, White, Yellow, or Hybrid Striped Bass | 25 Fish Daily Harvest Limit; Statewide regulation limiting daily harvest to 3 Fish greater than or equal to 17 inches is not in effect on the Mississippi River between Illinois and Iowa | |
| Mississippi River (Between IL & MO) | Striped, White, Yellow, or Hybrid Striped Bass | 30 Fish Daily Harvest Limit; Statewide regulation limiting daily harvest to 3 Fish greater than or equal to 17 inches is not in effect on the Mississippi River between Illinois and Missouri | |
| Ohio River (Between IL & KY) | Striped, White, Yellow, or Hybrid Striped Bass | 30 Fish Daily Harvest Limit, singly or in the aggregate, with no more than 4 Fish greater than or equal to 15 inches | |
| Otter Lake | Macoupin | Striped, White, or Hybrid Striped Bass | 10 Fish Daily Harvest Limit with no more than 3 Fish greater than or equal to 17 inches |
| Pittsfield Lake | Pike | Striped, White, or Hybrid Striped Bass | 17 inch Minimum Length Limit; 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit |
| Powerton Lake | Tazewell | Striped, White, or Hybrid Striped Bass | 10 Fish Daily Harvest Limit with no more than 3 Fish greater than or equal to 17 inches |
Site-specific regulations as printed in the 2026 Illinois Fishing Information digest (IDNR), read November 4, 2026.
The Illinois record hybrid striped bass
| Division | Weight | Water | County | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| hook and line | 21 lbs 7.2 oz | Bloomington, Lake | McLean County | June 12, 2017 |
IDNR Illinois state record fish list (keeper: Illinois Department of Natural Resources; no angler names printed), read November 4, 2026.
Hatchery hybrid striped bass, water by water
| Year | Water as listed | Number | Size class |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | LaSalle Cooling Lake | 31,490 | Fingerling (1 – 3") |
| 2026 | Heidecke Lake | 17,377 | Fingerling (1 – 3") |
| 2026 | Braidwood Lake | 15,722 | Fingerling (1 – 3") |
| 2026 | Glenn Shoals, Lake | 13,736 | Fingerling (1 – 3") |
| 2026 | Otter Lake | 7,282 | Fingerling (1 – 3") |
| 2026 | Shabbona Lake | 7,116 | Fingerling (1 – 3") |
| 2026 | Governor Bond Lake | 6,785 | Fingerling (1 – 3") |
| 2026 | Jacksonville, Lake | 5,686 | Fingerling (1 – 3") |
| 2026 | Forbes Lake – SFSP | 4,799 | Fingerling (1 – 3") |
| 2026 | Pittsfield Lake | 2,445 | Fingerling (1 – 3") |
| 2025 | Clinton Lake | 77,095 | Fingerling (1 – 3") |
| 2025 | Decatur, Lake | 37,881 | Fingerling (1 – 3") |
| 2025 | Powerton Lake | 25,651 | Fingerling (1 – 3") |
| 2025 | Braidwood Lake | 23,992 | 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.
hybrid striped bass ratings from IDNR surveys
| Lake | IDNR rating | County |
|---|---|---|
| Lake George | Excellent | Rock Island County |
| Clinton Lake | Good | DeWitt County |
| Heidecke Lake | Good | Grundy County |
| Lake Glenn Shoals | Good | Montgomery County |
| Lake Mattoon | Good | Shelby County |
| Lake Bloomington | Good | McLean County |
| Lake Jacksonville | Good | Morgan County |
| Pittsfield Lake | Good | Pike County |
| Gillespie New City Lake | Good | Macoupin County |
| Rend Lake | Fair | Franklin County |
| Lake Decatur | Fair | Macon County |
| Governor Bond Lake | Fair | Bond County |
| Forbes Lake (SFSP) | Fair | Marion County |
| Spring Lake (McDonough County) | Fair | McDonough County |
| Paris East Lake | Fair | Edgar County |
| Harrisburg New City Reservoir | Poor | Saline County |
| Braidwood Lake | Average | Will County |
| LaSalle Cooling Lake | Average | LaSalle County |
IDNR fishing outlook ratings and survey notes as printed on the IFishIllinois page, read November 4, 2026.
Illinois spots worth a trip for hybrid striped bass
Still water for hybrid striped bass
- Rend Lake18,900 acres
- Clinton Lake4,895 acres
- Lake Decatur2,905 acres
- Braidwood LakeWill County
- LaSalle Cooling Lake2,058 acres
- Baldwin Lake2,018 acres
- Heidecke Lake1,955 acres
- Powerton Lake1,426 acres
- Lake Glenn Shoals1,085 acres
- Lake Mattoon988 acres
- Governor Bond Lake775 acres
- Otter Lake765 acres
- Lake Bloomington635 acres
- Forbes Lake (SFSP)585 acres
- Lake Jacksonville476 acres
- Charleston Side Channel Lake317 acres
- Shabbona Lake316 acres
- Spring Lake (McDonough County)McDonough County
- Pittsfield Lake241 acres
- Harrisburg New City Reservoir209 acres
- Gillespie New City Lake196 acres
- Sam Parr Lake180 acres
- Paris East Lake163 acres
- Lake George157 acres
Streams listing hybrid striped bass
- Illinois River, Alton PoolMorgan County
- Ohio River, Smithland PoolGallatin County
IDNR IFishIllinois outlook ratings and species lists, the IDNR stocking table and IDNR record waters; largest waters first.
Fish sharing a row with Illinois hybrid striped bass
- Striped Bassno limit under 17
- White Bassno limit under 17
- Yellow Bassno limit under 17
- Largemouth Bass6 a day
- Rock Bassno daily cap
- Smallmouth Bass6 a day
- Spotted Bass6 a day
Prairie lakes and river bottoms near Hybrid Striped Bass, photographed
Photo: uptowner, CC BY 2.0
Photo: David Wilson, CC BY 2.0
Photo: Adam Moss, CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo: David Wilson, CC BY 2.0
Land of Lincoln questions on hybrid striped bass
Which digest row limits hybrid striped bass?
It allows no limit under 17 inches; 3 at 17 inches or longer; no statewide size limit printed. Local digest entries override it where printed.
When was the Illinois hybrid striped bass record set?
It weighed 21 lbs 7.2 oz; Bloomington, Lake, 2017. IDNR leaves the angler unnamed.
What Illinois lake should I try for hybrid striped bass?
Rend Lake, Clinton Lake and Lake Decatur head a list of 32 Illinois pages.
Which Illinois waters change the hybrid striped bass rule?
27 waters print their own wording, such as Baldwin Lake.
Does IDNR stock hybrid striped bass?
IDNR listed 1,227,360 in 30 waters, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026.
What paperwork does IDNR require for hybrid striped bass?
Anglers 16 and older carry an Illinois fishing license ($15 a year for residents, $31.50 for nonresidents in 2026).
Can a bowfished hybrid striped bass set an Illinois record?
One division for hook and line, one for bow and arrow. This fish holds 1 record row.
Do IDNR surveys rate hybrid striped bass anywhere?
IDNR rates it on 18 lakes; Lake George gets excellent.
Set out for Illinois hybrid striped bass
Every lake linked above lists its piers and docks.