Illinois’s spring trout season for catchable rainbow trout opens April 2. The early catch-and-release season opens on March 19 at nine sites across the state.

From what I see, it is the usual sites, same as last year in our area with only one minor change statewide.

As usual, anglers 16 and older need an inland trout stamp and a fishing license. Daily bag is five trout.

Click here to read statewide information.

The nearby sites:

Cook County

Axehead Lake, Cook County Forest Preserve District

Belleau Lake, Cook County Forest Preserve District

Green Lake in Calumet City, Cook County Forest Preserve District

Horsetail Lake, Cook County Forest Preserve District

Sag Quarry East, Cook County Forest Preserve District

Wolf Lake at William W. Powers State Recreation Area, Chicago

DuPage County

Silver Lake, DuPage County Forest Preserve District

Pickerel Lake, DuPage County Forest Preserve District

Grove Lake, DuPage County Forest Preserve District

Kankakee County

Bird Park Quarry, Kankakee; Rock Creek, Kankakee River State Park

Kendall County

Big Lake, Silver Springs State Fish and Wildlife Area

Lake County

Sand Lake, Illinois Beach State Park

McHenry County

Lake Atwood, McHenry County Conservation District

Piscasaw Creek, McHenry County Conservation District

Will County

Lake Milliken, Des Plaines State Fish and Wildlife Area

The nine statewide early catch-and-release sites:

Jo Daviess County, Apple River, Apple River Canyon State Park

Kankakee County, Rock Creek, Kankakee River State Park

Ogle County, Pine Creek, White Pines Forest State Park

Adams County, Siloam Springs State Park Lake

Cass County, Gridley Lake, Jim Edgar Panther Creek State Fish and Wildlife Area

Hancock County, Horton Lake, Nauvoo State Park

Morgan County, Morgan Lake at Nichols Park, Jacksonville

Sangamon County, Illinois Department of Transportation Lake, Springfield

St. Clair County, Willow Lake at Peabody River King State Fish and Wildlife Area