Illinois spring trout fishing season slated

The 2021 Illinois spring trout fishing season is scheduled to open Saturday, April 3, at 57 ponds, lakes and streams throughout the state.

The Illinois catchable trout program is funded by those who use the program through the sale of inland trout stamps. 

Among the locations in Southern Illinois which are scheduled to be open for the spring trout fishing season are the following sites, as provided by IDNR:

Jefferson County: Mount Vernon Game Farm Pond. Johnson County: Ferne Clyffe State Park Lake.

Massac County: Fairgrounds Pond, Fort Massac State Park. Randolph County: Derby Lake, Sparta (World Shooting and Recreational Complex).

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources, IDNR, stocks more than 80,000 rainbow trout each year in bodies of water where trout fishing is permitted during the spring season. 

An additional 80,000 trout will be stocked for the fall trout fishing season, which is scheduled to begin in October.

For the 2021 spring trout season, no trout may be taken from any of the stocked sites for a period which began March 15 and continues until the season opens at 5 a.m. April 3. 

Anyone attempting to harvest trout before the legal harvest season opening will be issued citations, IDNR noted.

All anglers must have a fishing license and an inland trout stamp, unless they are under the age of 16, blind or disabled, or are an Illinois resident on leave from active duty in the armed forces. The daily catch limit for each angler is five trout.

More information about trout seasons and other Illinois fishing opportunities can be found online at www.ifishillinois.org.

Illinois 2021 fishing licenses and inland trout stamps are available at IDNR license and permit locations, including many bait shops, sporting goods stores and other retail outlets. For a list of locations, check the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, website at www.dnr.illinois.gov.

Fishing licenses and trout stamps also can be purchased online. A link can be found on the IDNR website at www.dnr.illinois.gov.

IDNR advised that for information about all site regulations, anglers should contact individual sites that will be stocked with catchable-size trout.  

Not all sites open at 5 a.m. on opening day. Anglers are reminded to check the opening time of their favorite sites prior to the open date.

The Gazette-Democrat

112 Lafayette St.
Anna, Illinois 62906
Office Number: (618) 833-2158
Email: news@annanews.com

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