Illinois early catch-and-release trout opens Oct. 3 ahead of Oct. 17 harvest

Illinois opens an early catch-and-release window for catchable trout on Oct. 3, ahead of the harvest opener. The State Journal-Register reported Oct. 2, 2026, citing the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, that fall catchable-trout harvest opens Oct. 17 at about 60 statewide sites. Nothing may be kept before that date. After Oct. 17 the daily limit is five trout. Anglers need an Illinois fishing license and an inland trout stamp, and they should check site-specific opening times.

In Sangamon County the story names IDOT Lake for the early catch-and-release start, plus Southwind Park and Washington Park Pond in Springfield. Other central Illinois early catch-and-release sites include Gridley Lake in Cass County and Morgan Lake at Nichols Park in Jacksonville. The program stocks more than 80,000 rainbows in the fall and again in the spring.

The Oct. 17 harvest opener is already on the desk. This brief is the early catch-and-release window that starts Oct. 3.

This is a The Gillnet news desk summary, not a reprint.

Source: State Journal-Register — Sangamon County and central Illinois trout locations (Oct. 2, 2026).