Smallmouth Bass in Illinois
smallmouth bass under the 2026 IDNR digest.
- 6 a daylimit
- 7 lbs 3 ozrecord
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What IDNR prints about smallmouth bass
Open the 2026 digest to "Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Spotted Bass" for the Illinois smallmouth bass rule. The digest wording starts with "Daily harvest limit is 6 Bass, either singly or in the aggregate, except as specified under Site Specific Regulations." Everything named on that row shares one total where a limit applies.
The hook and line entry reads 7 lbs 3 oz, Lake Michigan, 2019. 31 Illinois water pages carry it, starting with Lake Shelbyville, Fox Chain O' Lakes and LaSalle Cooling Lake. Site-specific entries name it on 307 waters, such as Aledo City Lake and Altamont New City Reservoir. Stocking rows add up to 1,396,332 in 18 waters.
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| Row as printed | Daily | Size |
|---|---|---|
| Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Spotted Bass | 6 (combined) | no statewide size limit |
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 daily harvest can contain no more than 3 Smallmouth Bass. In rivers and streams and their tributaries statewide, except for the Mississippi, Ohio (including the Golconda Marina), Wabash and Illinois Rivers, Calumet River, Lake Calumet Connecting Channel, Calumet Sag Channel and navigable portions of the Grand Calumet River and Little Calumet River, all Smallmouth Bass must be immediately released between April 1 and June 15. There is no statewide size limit.
IDNR 2026 Illinois Fishing Information digest (IDNR) page 10, read November 4, 2026.
How Lake Michigan entry treats smallmouth bass
| Species as printed | Rule as printed |
|---|---|
| Large or Smallmouth Bass | 21 inch Minimum Length Limit; 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit |
Lake Michigan rules and stamps
IDNR Lake Michigan fishing page and Lake Michigan entry of the 2026 Illinois Fishing Information digest (IDNR), read November 4, 2026.
Lakes that handle smallmouth bass differently
| Water as printed | County | Species | Rule as printed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aledo City Lake | Mercer | Large or Smallmouth Bass | Protected Slot Length Limit with no possession of Fish greater than or equal to 12 inches and less than 18 inches; 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit |
| Altamont New City Reservoir | Effingham | Large or Smallmouth Bass | 15 inch Minimum Length Limit; 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit |
| Anderson Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area | Fulton | Large or Smallmouth Bass | 12 inch Minimum Length Limit |
| Anna City Lake | Union | Large or Smallmouth Bass | 15 inch Minimum Length Limit; 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit |
| Apple River | Jo Daviess | Smallmouth Bass | Catch and Release Fishing Only (9) |
| Argyle Lake | McDonough | Large or Smallmouth Bass | Protected Slot Length Limit with no possession of Fish greater than or equal to 14 inches and less than 18 inches; 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit |
| Arrowhead Heights Lake | Adams | Large or Smallmouth Bass | 15 inch Minimum Length Limit; 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit |
| Arrowhead Lake | Williamson | Large or Smallmouth Bass | Protected Slot Length Limit with no possession of Fish greater than or equal to 12 inches and less than 15 inches; 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit with no more than 1 Fish greater than or equal to 15 inches and 2 fish less than 12 inches |
| Axehead Lake | Cook | Large or Smallmouth Bass | 14 inch Minimum Length Limit; 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit |
| Bakers Lake | LaSalle | Large or Smallmouth Bass | 14 inch Minimum Length Limit; 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit |
| Baldwin Lake | Randolph | Large or Smallmouth Bass | 18 inch Minimum Length Limit; 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit |
| Banner Marsh Lakes & Ponds | Peoria, Fulton | Large or Smallmouth Bass | Protected Slot Length Limit with no possession of Fish greater than or equal to 12 inches and less than 18 inches; 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit |
| Baumann Park Lake | Winnebago | Large or Smallmouth Bass | 14 inch Minimum Length Limit; 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit |
| Beall Woods Lake | Wabash | Large or Smallmouth Bass | 15 inch Minimum Length Limit |
| Beaver Dam Lake | Macoupin | Large or Smallmouth Bass | 15 inch Minimum Length Limit; 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit |
| Beck Lake | Cook | Large or Smallmouth Bass | 14 inch Minimum Length Limit; 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit |
| Belleau Lake | Cook | Large or Smallmouth Bass | 14 inch Minimum Length Limit; 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit |
| Belvidere Ponds | Boone | Large or Smallmouth Bass | 14 inch Minimum Length Limit; 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit |
| Blandinsville North and South Lakes | McDonough | Large or Smallmouth Bass | Protected Slot Length Limit with no possession of Fish greater than or equal to 12 inches and less than 15 inches; 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit with no more than 1 Fish greater than or equal to 15 inches and 2 Fish less than 12 inches |
| Bloomington Park District Lakes | McLean | Large or Smallmouth Bass | 15 inch Minimum Length Limit; 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit |
Site-specific regulations as printed in the 2026 Illinois Fishing Information digest (IDNR), read November 4, 2026.
Illinois record-book smallmouth bass
| Division | Weight | Water | County | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| hook and line | 7 lbs 3 oz | Lake Michigan | Cook County | October 14, 2019 |
IDNR Illinois state record fish list (keeper: Illinois Department of Natural Resources; no angler names printed), read November 4, 2026.
The smallmouth bass stockings IDNR listed
| Year | Water as listed | Number | Size class |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Powerton Lake | 125,761 | Fingerling (1 – 3") |
| 2026 | Illinois River – Starved Rock Pool | 25,156 | Fingerling (1 – 3") |
| 2026 | Illinois River – Marseilles Pool | 25,068 | Fingerling (1 – 3") |
| 2026 | Illinois River – Peoria Pool | 25,068 | Fingerling (1 – 3") |
| 2026 | LaSalle Cooling Lake | 14,257 | Fingerling (1 – 3") |
| 2026 | Vermilion River – Illinois River Basin | 9,638 | Fingerling (1 – 3") |
| 2026 | Shabbona Lake | 5,139 | Fingerling (1 – 3") |
| 2026 | Northern Harrier Lake | 4,336 | Fingerling (1 – 3") |
| 2026 | Boss Lake – MFWA | 704 | Fingerling (1 – 3") |
| 2026 | Matthiessen Lake | 396 | Fingerling (1 – 3") |
| 2025 | Powerton Lake | 83,114 | Fingerling (1 – 3") |
| 2025 | Powerton Lake | 77,532 | Egg |
| 2025 | Illinois River – Starved Rock Pool | 36,526 | Fingerling (1 – 3") |
| 2025 | Illinois River – Peoria Pool | 31,541 | 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.
Lakes with an IDNR rating for smallmouth bass
| Lake | IDNR rating | County |
|---|---|---|
| Fox Chain O' Lakes | Fair | Lake County |
| Whalon Lake | Fair | Will County |
| Big Lake (Loon Lake) | Fair | Kendall County |
| Lake Shelbyville | Poor | Moultrie County |
| Baldwin Lake | Poor | Randolph County |
| Heidecke Lake | Very Good | Grundy County |
| I & M Canal | Average | Grundy County |
| Northern Harrier Lake | Very Good | DuPage County |
IDNR fishing outlook ratings and survey notes as printed on the IFishIllinois page, read November 4, 2026.
Lakes and pools for Illinois smallmouth bass
Prairie State lake pages naming smallmouth bass
- Lake Shelbyville11,100 acres
- Fox Chain O' Lakes7,110 acres
- LaSalle Cooling Lake2,058 acres
- Baldwin Lake2,018 acres
- Heidecke Lake1,955 acres
- Powerton Lake1,426 acres
- Little Grassy Lake1,000 acres
- Evergreen Lake925 acres
- Lake Bloomington635 acres
- Shabbona Lake316 acres
- Super Lake (Pyramid State Park)300 acres
- I & M Canal164 acres
- Pierce LakeWinnebago County
- Whalon Lake80 acres
- Lake Le-Aqua-NaStephenson County
- Northern Harrier Lake20 acres
- Big Lake (Loon Lake)Kendall County
- Boss Lake (MFWA)16 acres
River and pool pages naming smallmouth bass
- Kaskaskia RiverDouglas County
- Kankakee RiverGrundy 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.
More Prairie State species near smallmouth bass
- Largemouth Bass6 a day
- Spotted Bass6 a day
- Hybrid Striped Bassno limit under 17
- Rock Bassno daily cap
- Striped Bassno limit under 17
- White Bassno limit under 17
- Yellow Bassno limit under 17
The ponds and rivers around Smallmouth Bass, photographed
Photo: Richie Diesterheft, CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo: David Jakes, CC BY 4.0
Photo: David Wilson, CC BY 2.0
Photo: David Wilson, CC BY 2.0
Chasing smallmouth bass across the Prairie State: answers
What is the Illinois daily limit for smallmouth bass?
6 combined a day under the statewide row; no statewide size limit. A water's own digest entry may tighten that. For smallmouth in most rivers the row sets 3 a day and mandatory release between April 1 and June 15.
Where did the Illinois smallmouth bass record come from?
The hook and line mark is 7 lbs 3 oz (Lake Michigan, 2019). No angler is named on the IDNR list.
Which statefishingspots Illinois pages mention smallmouth bass?
See Lake Shelbyville, Fox Chain O' Lakes and LaSalle Cooling Lake, three of the 31 Illinois pages naming it.
Does the digest print special smallmouth bass rules anywhere?
Yes: 307 waters, including Aledo City Lake.
Is smallmouth bass in the IDNR stocking table?
The table shows 1,396,332 in 18 waters (2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026).
Which Illinois license covers smallmouth bass?
Anglers 16 and older carry an Illinois fishing license ($15 a year for residents, $31.50 for nonresidents in 2026). The digest also requires the $6.50 Salmon Stamp to take salmon or trout in Lake Michigan.
How does IDNR split its smallmouth bass records?
Hook and line records, plus a separate bow and arrow list. IDNR lists 1 record row for it.
Which IDNR outlook grades mention smallmouth bass?
8 lakes, led by Fox Chain O' Lakes at fair.
Find smallmouth bass near your Illinois base
Start from a water above for its IDNR ramps.