Sports
Illinois Trout Season Opens Oct. 17 at 60 Sites Statewide
Springfield, IL – Illinois anglers can return to 60 ponds, lakes and streams for the 2026 fall trout season beginning Saturday, Oct. 17, with an early catch and release period starting at select locat
By Cameron Hayes · 2026-10-01T17:19:42.591Z
Springfield, IL – Illinois anglers can return to 60 ponds, lakes and streams for the 2026 fall trout season beginning Saturday, Oct. 17, with an early catch and release period starting at select locations this Saturday.
According to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources , anglers may begin keeping trout when the regular season opens at 5 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026. No trout may be kept during the early catch and release period.
IDNR stocks more than 80,000 rainbow trout each fall through the Illinois Catchable Trout Program. Another 80,000 trout are stocked for the spring season.
In Kankakee County , two locations are included this fall: Bird Park Quarry in Kankakee and Rock Creek at Kankakee River State Park . Rock Creek is among the sites participating in the early catch and release period.
Once the regular season begins, anglers may keep up to five trout per day . Anyone fishing for trout must have a valid Illinois fishing license and an inland trout stamp.
IDNR cautions that not every stocked site opens at 5 a.m. on opening day. Anglers should check with their preferred location before heading out for site specific hours and regulations.
Other northern Illinois locations include waters in Cook, DuPage, Will, Lake, LaSalle, McHenry and Winnebago counties. Sites are also stocked throughout central and southern Illinois.
The trout program is funded through sales of inland trout stamps and is designed to provide additional seasonal fishing opportunities across the state.
Licenses and trout stamps are available online through ExploreMoreIL.com , while a full list of fishing locations and additional trout information can be found at IFishIllinois.org .