Walleye in Illinois
Illinois walleye: limit, record, stocking and waters.
- 6 a daylimit
- 15 lbs 1 ozrecord
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walleye across Illinois water
Look for "Walleye, Sauger, or their Hybrid" in the digest table to find the walleye limit. Its text opens: "All Walleye, Sauger, or their hybrid (Saugeye) taken must be 14" in total length or longer, except in the Mississippi River, Wabash River, or except as specified under Site Specific Regulations." The row lumps several fish together under one number when a cap applies.
IDNR lists 15 lbs 1 oz as the hook and line mark, taken at Pecatonica River in 2012. Begin with Lake Shelbyville, Fox Chain O' Lakes and Clinton Lake, among 35 Illinois pages that list it. See Argyle Lake and Beck Lake: 32 waters print their own wording for it. 19,557,848 went into 35 waters, by the IDNR stocking table.
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| Row as printed | Daily | Size |
|---|---|---|
| Walleye, Sauger, or their Hybrid | 6 (combined) | 14 inches |
All Walleye, Sauger, or their hybrid (Saugeye) taken must be 14" in total length or longer, except in the Mississippi River, Wabash River, or except as specified under Site Specific Regulations. Daily harvest limit is 6 Walleye, Sauger, or their hybrid, either singly or in the aggregate, except as specified under Site Specific Regulations.
IDNR 2026 Illinois Fishing Information digest (IDNR) page 10, read November 4, 2026.
Site-specific entries naming walleye
| Water as printed | County | Species | Rule as printed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Argyle Lake | McDonough | Hybrid Walleye | 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit |
| Beck Lake | Cook | Walleye, Sauger, or Hybrid Walleye | 18 inch Minimum Length Limit; 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit |
| Buffalo Prairie Pheasant Habitat Area Lakes & Ponds | Knox | Walleye, Sauger, or Hybrid Walleye | 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit |
| Busse Lake | Cook | Walleye, Sauger, or Hybrid Walleye | 18 inch Minimum Length Limit; 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit |
| Clinton Lake | DeWitt | Walleye | 18 inch Minimum Length Limit; 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit |
| Cook Co. Forest Preserve District Lakes | Cook | Walleye, Sauger, or Hybrid Walleye | 18 inch Minimum Length Limit; 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit |
| Dawson Lake & Park Ponds | McLean | Walleye, Sauger, or Hybrid Walleye | 15 inch Minimum Length Limit; 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit with no more than 1 Fish greater than or equal to 20 inches |
| Des Plaines River Basin | Cook | Walleye, Sauger, or Hybrid Walleye | 18 inch Minimum Length Limit; 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit |
| Douglas Park Lagoon | Cook | Walleye, Sauger, or Hybrid Walleye | 16 inch Minimum Length Limit; 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit |
| Evergreen Lake | McLean | Walleye, Sauger, or Hybrid Walleye | 18 inch Minimum Length Limit; 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit |
| Fox Chain O’Lakes | Lake, McHenry | Walleye, Sauger, or Hybrid Walleye | 14 inch Minimum Length Limit; Protected Slot Length Limit with no possession of Fish greater than or equal to 18 inches and less than 24 inches; 4 Fish Daily Harvest Limit with no more than 1 Fish greater than or equal to 24 inches |
| Gages Lake | Lake | Walleye, Sauger, or Hybrid Walleye | 16 inch Minimum Length Limit; 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit |
| Heidecke Lake | Grundy | Walleye, Sauger, or Hybrid Walleye | 16 inch Minimum Length Limit; 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit |
| Hennepin-Hopper Lakes | Putnam | Walleye, Sauger, or Hybrid Walleye | 18 inch Minimum Length Limit; 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit |
| Iroquois & Kankakee Rivers and Their Tributaries | Walleye, Sauger, or Hybrid Walleye | 14 inch Minimum Length Limit; 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit with no more than 1 Fish greater than or equal to 18 inches | |
| Kankakee & Iroquois Rivers and Their Tributaries | Walleye, Sauger, or Hybrid Walleye | 14 inch Minimum Length Limit; 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit with no more than 1 Fish greater than or equal to 18 inches | |
| Lake Bloomington | McLean | Walleye | 18 inch Minimum Length Limit; 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit |
| Lake County Forest Preserve District Lakes | Lake | Walleye, Sauger, or Hybrid Walleye | 16 inch Minimum Length Limit; 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit |
| Lake Storey | Knox | Walleye, Sauger, or Hybrid Walleye | 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit |
| Mississippi River (Between IL & IA) | Walleye | 15 inch Minimum Length Limit; Protected Slot Length Limit with no possession of Fish greater than or equal to 20 inches and less than 27 inches |
Site-specific regulations as printed in the 2026 Illinois Fishing Information digest (IDNR), read November 4, 2026.
Record walleye on the IDNR list
| Division | Weight | Water | County | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| hook and line | 15 lbs 1 oz | Pecatonica River | Winnebago County | March 11, 2012 |
IDNR Illinois state record fish list (keeper: Illinois Department of Natural Resources; no angler names printed), read November 4, 2026.
Where IDNR stocked walleye
| Year | Water as listed | Number | Size class |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Fox Chain O' Lakes | 2,762,000 | Not Specified |
| 2026 | Kankakee River | 435,000 | Not Specified |
| 2026 | Mazonia – Monster Lake | 400,000 | Not Specified |
| 2026 | Fox Chain O' Lakes | 333,577 | Fingerling (1 – 3") |
| 2026 | Clinton Lake | 244,134 | Fingerling (1 – 3") |
| 2026 | Kankakee River | 114,558 | Fingerling (1 – 3") |
| 2026 | Rock River | 111,329 | Fingerling (1 – 3") |
| 2026 | Heidecke Lake | 105,682 | Fingerling (1 – 3") |
| 2026 | Decatur, Lake | 89,258 | Fingerling (1 – 3") |
| 2026 | Fox River | 85,578 | Fingerling (1 – 3") |
| 2026 | Springfield, Lake | 84,054 | Fingerling (1 – 3") |
| 2026 | East Fork Lake | 53,259 | Fingerling (1 – 3") |
| 2026 | Johnson Lake – Banner Marsh | 48,783 | Fingerling (1 – 3") |
| 2026 | Iroquois River | 44,600 | 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 walleye
| Lake | IDNR rating | County |
|---|---|---|
| Lake Decatur | Excellent | Macon County |
| Lake Bloomington | Excellent | McLean County |
| Busse Lake (FPDCC) | Excellent | Cook County |
| Lake George | Excellent | Rock Island County |
| Clinton Lake | Good | DeWitt County |
| East Fork Lake | Good | Richland County |
| Pittsfield Lake | Good | Pike County |
| Lake McMaster (SHFWA) | Good | Knox County |
| Pierce Lake | Good | Winnebago County |
| Lake Storey | Good | Knox County |
| Whalon Lake | Good | Will County |
| Northern Harrier Lake | Good | DuPage County |
| Kinkaid Lake | Poor | Jackson County |
| Sterling Lake (LCFPD) | Poor | Lake County |
| Lake Shelbyville | Very Good | Moultrie County |
| Heidecke Lake | Very Good | Grundy County |
| Johnson Lake (Banner Marsh) | Average | Peoria County |
| Wolf Lake | Very Good | Cook County |
| Shabbona Lake | Very Good | DeKalb County |
| Lake Tampier (FPDCC) | Very Good | Cook County |
IDNR fishing outlook ratings and survey notes as printed on the IFishIllinois page, read November 4, 2026.
Illinois water that lists walleye
Impoundments with walleye
- Lake Shelbyville11,100 acres
- Fox Chain O' Lakes7,110 acres
- Clinton Lake4,895 acres
- Lake Springfield3,866 acres
- Lake Decatur2,905 acres
- Kinkaid Lake2,750 acres
- Heidecke Lake1,955 acres
- East Fork Lake935 acres
- Lake Bloomington635 acres
- Johnson Lake (Banner Marsh)Peoria County
- Busse Lake (FPDCC)Cook County
- Wolf Lake380 acres
- Shabbona Lake316 acres
- Skokie Lagoons (FPDCC)242 acres
- Pittsfield Lake241 acres
- Sam Dale Lake194 acres
- Lake McMaster (SHFWA)Knox County
- Lake George157 acres
- Pierce LakeWinnebago County
- Lake Storey133 acres
- Lake Tampier (FPDCC)Cook County
- Whalon Lake80 acres
- Sterling Lake (LCFPD)74 acres
- Double T Lake64 acres
Moving water for walleye
- Fox RiverKane County
- Kaskaskia RiverDouglas County
- Sangamon RiverChampaign County
- Kankakee RiverGrundy County
- Iroquois RiverIroquois County
- Pecatonica RiverStephenson County
IDNR IFishIllinois outlook ratings and species lists, the IDNR stocking table and IDNR record waters; largest waters first.
Timber, cornfield and water around Walleye through a lens
Photo: Seclusive Nature, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: David Jakes, CC BY 4.0
Photo: Alaina McDavid, CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo: chumlee10, CC BY-SA 2.0
walleye questions from cornfield ponds to the big river
What does IDNR allow per day for walleye?
Per the digest: 6 combined a day, 14 inches. Check the site-specific list for the lake you fish.
Does IDNR list a record walleye?
15 lbs 1 oz from Pecatonica River, 2012. Angler names are not printed.
Which Prairie State lake holds walleye?
Start at Lake Shelbyville, Fox Chain O' Lakes and Clinton Lake; 35 pages carry it.
Do any Illinois waters set their own walleye rule?
It changes on 32 waters, Argyle Lake among them.
Were walleye stocked in Illinois recently?
19,557,848 went into 35 waters in 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026.
How much is an Illinois license to fish for walleye?
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 walleye 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 walleye?
20 lake pages carry an IDNR grade for it; Lake Decatur rates excellent.
Line up a day on Illinois walleye
Each water above lists its ramps and site-specific rules on its own page.