SPRING TROUT SEASON OPENS APRIL 2
Illinois Department of Natural Resources Stocks Some Lakes

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - The 2005 spring trout fishing season in Illinois opens at 5 a.m. on Saturday, April 2, Illinois Department of Natural Resources Director Joel Brunsvold announced today.

“It is a sure sign of spring when the trout opener rolls around,” Brunsvold said. “The opening of the spring trout season helps open the new fishing season in the state, with more than 60,000 hungry trout stocked in more than 40 bodies of water.”

Stocking for the rainbow trout fishing program in Illinois is made possible through the sale of inland trout stamps to those anglers who participate. The stamps are available for $6.50 each at IDNR offices in Springfield, Chicago, Alton, Bartlett, Benton, Clinton and Sterling, at many municipal, township and county clerks' offices, and at a large number of sporting goods stores and bait shops. Inland trout stamps, as well as fishing licenses, also may be purchased with a credit card through the IDNR web site at http://dnr.state.il.us.

To legally participate in the trout fishing program, anglers must have a valid Illinois fishing license and an inland trout stamp. Annual fishing licenses for the 2005 season will be valid through March 31, 2006. Illinois’ 24-hour fishing license includes trout fishing privileges for the 24-hour period the license is valid. A license is required unless the angler is under age 16, blind or disabled, or is an Illinoisan on active military service home on leave.

Anglers may not take trout from any of the stocked sites from March 15 until the opening of the season on April 2 at 5 a.m. Anyone attempting to take trout before the legal opening will be issued citations. Once the season opens, the daily possession limit for the spring trout season is five fish.

Anglers are reminded to check in advance for any site-specific regulations and the opening time of their favorite trout fishing location. While the statewide spring trout season opens at 5 a.m. on April 2, some locations may have a later opening time.

For more information about the trout stocking program, contact the IDNR Division of Fisheries
at 217/782-6424 or check the web site at www.ifishillinois.org.

Stocked sites (by county) for the spring catchable trout program:

Adams County: Siloam Springs State Park Lake.
Boone County: Mill Race Ponds in Belvidere.
Bureau County: Hennepin Canal Parkway.
Cass County: Gurney Road Pond at Jim Edgar Panther Creek State Fish and Wildlife Area.
Champaign County: Lake of the Woods.
Christian County: Manners Park Pond, Taylorville Park District
Cook County: Axehead Lake, Cook County Forest Preserve District.
Cook County: Belleau Lake, Cook County Forest Preserve District.
Cook County: Sag Quarry East, Cook County Forest Preserve District.
Coles County: Eastern Illinois University Campus Pond in Charleston.
DuPage County: Silver Lake, DuPage County Forest Preserve District.
Grundy County: Gebhard Woods State Park Pond.
Jefferson County: Mount Vernon Game Farm Pond.
Jo Daviess County: Apple River and tributaries.
Johnson County: Ferne Clyffe State Park Lake.
Kankakee County: Bird Park Quarry in Kankakee.
Kankakee County: Rock Creek (Kankakee River State Park).
Kendall County: Big Lake at Silver Springs State Park.
Lake County: Banana Lake, Lake County Forest Preserve District.
Lake County: Sand Lake at Illinois Beach State Park.
LaSalle County: Illinois and Michigan Canal at Utica
Macon County: Sportsman’s Club Pond, Decatur Park District
Marion County: Boston Pond at Stephen A. Forbes State Park.
Massac County: Fairgrounds Pond in Fort Massac State Park, Metropolis.
McLean County: Miller Park Lake in Bloomington.
McHenry County: Lake Atwood, Hollows Conservation Area, McHenry County Conservation District.
McHenry County: Piscasaw Creek.
Moultrie County: Wyman Lake in Sullivan.
Ogle County: Pine Creek in White Pines State Forest.
St. Clair County: Frank Holten State Park main lake.
St. Clair County: Jones Park Lake in East St. Louis.
Sangamon County: Illinois Department of Transportation Lake in Springfield.
Sangamon County: Washington Park Pond in Springfield.
Shelby County: Forest Park Lagoon in Shelbyville.
Stephenson County: Waddams Creek (Lake Le-Aqua-Na State Park)
Stephenson County: Yellow Creek in Krape Park, Freeport.
Vermilion County: Clear Lake at Kickapoo State Park.
Wabash County: Beall Woods Lake, Beall Woods State Park
Wayne County: Sam Dale Conservation Area Trout Pond.
Whiteside County: Coleta Trout Ponds.
Will County: Lake Milliken at Des Plaines Conservation Area.
Winnebago County: Kent Creek in Page Park, Rockford.
 

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