Redear Sunfish in Illinois
Illinois redear sunfish: limit, record, stocking and waters.
- no daily caplimit
- 3 lbs 1.1 ozrecord
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redear sunfish across Illinois water
Look for "Bluegill, Redear Sunfish, Other Sunfish" in the digest table to find the redear sunfish limit. Its text opens: "There are no 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 3 lbs 1.1 oz as the hook and line mark, taken at Beaver Lake in 2018. Begin with Kinkaid Lake, Braidwood Lake and Baldwin Lake, among 116 Illinois pages that list it. See Aledo City Lake and Anna City Lake: 91 waters print their own wording for it. 1,151,997 went into 47 waters, by the IDNR stocking table.
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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.
Site-specific entries naming redear sunfish
| 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 |
| Beaver Dam Lake | Macoupin | Bluegill or Redear Sunfish | 25 Fish Daily Harvest Limit |
| Belk Park Pond | Madison | Bluegill or Redear Sunfish | 25 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 |
| Burning Star State Fish and Wildlife Area, All Lakes and Ponds | Jackson | Bluegill or Redear Sunfish | 25 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 |
| 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 |
| Citizen’s Lake | Warren | Bluegill or Redear Sunfish | 10 Fish Daily Harvest Limit |
| Clear Lake | Vermilion | Bluegill or Redear Sunfish | 10 Fish Daily Harvest Limit |
| Coffeen Upland Management Pond | Montgomery | Bluegill or Redear Sunfish | 10 Fish Daily Harvest Limit |
| Coulterville Reservoir | Randolph | Bluegill or Redear Sunfish | 25 Fish Daily Harvest Limit |
| Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge-Honker’s Pond | Williamson | Bluegill or Redear Sunfish | 25 Fish Daily Harvest Limit |
| Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge-Honker’s Pond | Williamson | 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.
Record redear sunfish on the IDNR list
| Division | Weight | Water | County | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| hook and line | 3 lbs 1.1 oz | Beaver Lake | Grundy County | May 19, 2018 |
IDNR Illinois state record fish list (keeper: Illinois Department of Natural Resources; no angler names printed), read November 4, 2026.
Where IDNR stocked redear sunfish
| Year | Water as listed | Number | Size class |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Ross Lake | 23,154 | Fingerling (1 – 3") |
| 2026 | Boss Lake – MFWA | 21,819 | Fingerling (1 – 3") |
| 2026 | Beaver Dam Lake | 19,334 | Fingerling (1 – 3") |
| 2026 | Osprey Lake – MFWA | 17,782 | Fingerling (1 – 3") |
| 2026 | Le-Aqua-Na, Lake | 16,625 | Fingerling (1 – 3") |
| 2026 | Long Lake – KSRA | 15,718 | Fingerling (1 – 3") |
| 2026 | Highwall Lake – MFWA | 7,199 | Fingerling (1 – 3") |
| 2026 | Siloam Springs Lake | 6,797 | Fingerling (1 – 3") |
| 2026 | Sportsmen's Lake – KSRA | 6,454 | Fingerling (1 – 3") |
| 2026 | Mirror Lake – MFWA | 5,935 | Fingerling (1 – 3") |
| 2026 | Big Bend Pond | 2,798 | Fingerling (1 – 3") |
| 2026 | Ledge Pond – MFWA | 2,143 | Fingerling (1 – 3") |
| 2026 | Lakewood Park Pond | 1,824 | Fingerling (1 – 3") |
| 2026 | Ashland New Reservoir | 1,765 | 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.
Where the IDNR outlook names redear sunfish
| Lake | IDNR rating | County |
|---|---|---|
| Cedar Lake (Jackson) | Excellent | Jackson County |
| Mermet State Lake | Excellent | Massac County |
| Du Quoin City Lake | Excellent | Perry County |
| Lincoln Trail Lake | Excellent | Clark County |
| Randolph County Lake | Excellent | Randolph County |
| Drake Lake (JEPCFWA) | Excellent | Cass County |
| Sparta Reservoir (North) | Excellent | Randolph County |
| Boss Lake (MFWA) | Excellent | Bureau County |
| Osprey Lake (MFWA) | Excellent | Bureau County |
| Ashland New Reservoir | Excellent | Morgan County |
| North West Lake (SHFWA) | Excellent | Knox County |
| Mirror Lake (MFWA) | Excellent | Bureau County |
| Eagle Pond (Giant City State Park) | Excellent | Jackson County |
| Baldwin Lake | Good | Randolph County |
| Lake McMaster (SHFWA) | Good | Knox County |
| Lake Murphysboro | Good | Jackson County |
| Blazer Lake (Burning Star) | Good | Jackson County |
| Glen O Jones State Lake | Good | Saline County |
| Cougar Lake (SIUE) | Good | Madison County |
| Lake Carlton | Good | Whiteside County |
IDNR fishing outlook ratings and survey notes as printed on the IFishIllinois page, read November 4, 2026.
Illinois water that lists redear sunfish
Impoundments with redear sunfish
- Kinkaid Lake2,750 acres
- Braidwood LakeWill County
- Baldwin Lake2,018 acres
- Cedar Lake (Jackson)1,750 acres
- Coffeen Lake1,102 acres
- Devils Kitchen Lake810 acres
- Mill Creek Lake731 acres
- Silver Lake (Highland)550 acres
- Mermet State Lake452 acres
- Beaver Lake (PRKFWA)St. Clair County
- Lake Centralia254 acres
- Island Lake (Burning Star)216 acres
- Du Quoin City Lake210 acres
- Prairie Lake (JEPCFWA)Cass County
- Harrisburg New City Reservoir209 acres
- Sam Dale Lake194 acres
- Lake Mingo170 acres
- Lake McMaster (SHFWA)Knox County
- I & M Canal164 acres
- Dawson Lake (MVSRA)161 acres
- Ponderosa Lake (Mazonia)149 acres
- Lake Murphysboro145 acres
- Goldeneye Lake (Pyramid State Park)140 acres
- Borah Lake137 acres
IDNR IFishIllinois outlook ratings and species lists, the IDNR stocking table and IDNR record waters; largest waters first.
Other Illinois fish beside redear sunfish
- Bluegillno daily cap
- Green Sunfishno daily cap
- Pumpkinseedno daily cap
- Rock Bassno daily cap
- Warmouthno daily cap
Timber, cornfield and water around Redear Sunfish through a lens
Photo: Roger W, CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo: Alan Light, CC BY 2.0
Photo: David Wilson, CC BY 2.0
Photo: David Wilson, CC BY 2.0
redear sunfish questions from cornfield ponds to the big river
What does IDNR allow per day for redear sunfish?
Per the digest: no limit, no size limit. Check the site-specific list for the lake you fish.
Does IDNR list a record redear sunfish?
3 lbs 1.1 oz from Beaver Lake, 2018. Angler names are not printed.
Which Prairie State lake holds redear sunfish?
Start at Kinkaid Lake, Braidwood Lake and Baldwin Lake; 116 pages carry it.
Do any Illinois waters set their own redear sunfish rule?
It changes on 91 waters, Aledo City Lake among them.
Were redear sunfish stocked in Illinois recently?
1,151,997 went into 47 waters in 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026.
How much is an Illinois license to fish for redear sunfish?
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 redear sunfish 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 redear sunfish?
97 lake pages carry an IDNR grade for it; Cedar Lake (Jackson) rates excellent.
Line up a day on Illinois redear sunfish
Each water above lists its ramps and site-specific rules on its own page.