Spring Trout Fishing Season Right around Corner

For years here at Capitol Outdoors we've told you, informed and participated in the Spring Trout Fishing.  This year it takes a little different meaning as our daughter hits 2 years old. This is the perfect way to get her and other kids involved in fishing.  Below you'll see locations that have a Fly Fishing Season which starts March 24th and those sites that have regular season which starts April 7th. 

Hit one of the lakes during opening week.  Crowds are light and the bite can be just as good!

 The most important thing to remember is "Anglers will need both a fishing license and an Inland Trout Stamp to participate, unless they are under the age of 16, blind, disabled, or are an Illinois resident on leave from active duty in the Armed Forces."

Make sure to check out some of our tips and tactics articles and one of our YouTube Videos at South Wind Park in Springfield . 

Illinois Spring Trout Fishing Season Opens April 7

Spring Catch-and-Release Fly Fishing Season Opens March 24 at select sites

SPRINGFIELD, IL – The 2018 Illinois Spring Trout fishing season is just a few weeks away. Anglers will need both a fishing license and an Inland Trout Stamp to participate, unless they are under the age of 16, blind, disabled, or are an Illinois resident on leave from active duty in the Armed Forces.

Licenses and trout stamps will be available for purchase on the Illinois Department of Resources (IDNR) website and at DNR Direct license and permit locations, including many bait shops, sporting goods stores and other retail outlets, starting Thursday, March 1.

The Spring Catch-and-Release Fly Fishing season opens at nine sites on March 24. Anglers can use fly fishing gear to catch trout at that time, but they cannot keep the fish. All trout must be released until after the opening of the regular spring trout season, which begins at 5 a.m. on April 7. Anyone attempting to take trout before the legal harvest season opening will be issued citations.

The IDNR stocks more than 80,000 rainbow trout each year, with 54 ponds, lakes and streams throughout the state being stocked for the spring season, and an additional 80,000 trout stocked for the fall season.

For more information on trout seasons and other Illinois fishing opportunities, check the website at www.ifishillinois.org.

For more 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 opening date.

The 54 locations that will be open for spring trout season are listed below:

2018 Illinois Spring Trout Locations
(** Denotes Sites Open for Catch-and-Release Fly Fishing-Only Early Season)

North --- Boone County --- Mill Race Ponds, Belvidere
North --- Bureau County --- Hennepin Canal Parkway
North --- Cook County --- Wolf Lake at William W. Powers State Recreation Area, Chicago
North --- Cook County --- Green Lake in Calumet City, Cook County Forest Preserve District
North --- Cook County --- Axehead Lake, Cook County Forest Preserve District
North --- Cook County --- Belleau Lake, Cook County Forest Preserve District
North --- Cook County --- Sag Quarry East, Cook County Forest Preserve District
North --- Cook County --- Horsetail Lake, Cook County Forest Preserve District
North --- DuPage County --- Silver Lake, DuPage County Forest Preserve District
North --- DuPage County --- Pickerel Lake, DuPage County Forest Preserve District
North --- DuPage County--- Grove Lake, DuPage County Forest Preserve District
North --- Jo Daviess County --- Apple River, Apple River State Park **
North --- Kankakee County --- Bird Park Quarry, Kankakee
North --- Kankakee County --- Rock Creek, Kankakee River State Park **
North --- Kendall County --- Big Lake, Silver Springs State Fish and Wildlife Area
North --- Lake County --- Banana Lake, Lake County Forest Preserve District
North --- Lake County --- Sand Lake, Illinois Beach State Park
North --- LaSalle County --- Illinois and Michigan Canal, LaSalle
North --- LaSalle County --- Lake Mendota, Village of Mendota
North --- McHenry County --- Lake Atwood, McHenry County Conservation District
North --- McHenry County --- Piscasaw Creek, McHenry County Conservation District
North --- Ogle County --- Pine Creek, White Pines Forest State Park **
North--- Rock Island County--- Prospect Park, Moline
North --- Stephenson --- Waddams Creek, Lake Le-Aqua-Na State Recreation Area
North --- Stephenson --- Yellow Creek in Krape Park, Freeport
North --- Whiteside County --- Centennial Park Pond, Rock Falls
North --- Will County --- Lake Milliken, Des Plaines Conservation Area
North --- Winnebago County --- Four Lakes, Winnebago County Forest Preserve District

Central --- Adams County --- Siloam Springs State Park Lake **
Central --- Cass County --- Gridley Lake, Jim Edgar Panther Creek SFWA **
Central --- Champaign County --- Lake of the Woods, Champaign Co. Forest Preserve Dist.
Central --- Christian County --- Manners Park Pond, Taylorville Park District
Central --- Coles County --- Eastern Illinois University Campus Pond, Charleston
Central --- Hancock County --- Horton Lake, Nauvoo State Park **
Central --- Macon County --- Sportsman’s Club Pond, Macon County Conservation District
Central --- McLean County --- Miller Park Lake, Bloomington
Central --- Morgan County --- Morgan Lake at Nichols Park, Jacksonville **
Central --- Moultrie County --- Wyman Lake, Sullivan
Central --- Pike County --- Kings Park Pond, Pittsfield
Central --- Sangamon County --- Southwind Park, Springfield
Central --- Sangamon County --- IDOT Lake, Springfield **
Central --- Sangamon County --- Washington Park Pond, Springfield
Central --- Shelby County --- Forest Park Lagoon, Shelbyville
Central --- Vermilion County --- Clear Lake, Kickapoo State Recreation Area

South --- Jefferson County --- Mount Vernon Game Farm Pond
South --- Johnson County --- Ferne Clyffe State Park Lake
South --- Marion County --- Boston Pond, Stephen A. Forbes State Recreation Area
South --- Massac County --- Fairgrounds Pond, Fort Massac State Park
South --- Randolph County --- Derby Lake, Sparta (World Shooting and Recreational Complex)
South --- St. Clair County --- Frank Holten State Park Main Lake
South --- St. Clair County --- Jones Park Lake, East St. Louis
South --- St. Claire County --- Willow Lake at Peabody River King State Fish and Wildlife Area **
South --- Wabash County --- Beall Woods Lake, Beall Woods State Park
South --- Wayne County --- Sam Dale Trout Pond, Sam Dale Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area

IDNR Announces 2018 Wingshooting Schedule

SPRINGFIELD, IL – The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR), in cooperation with its partners and co-sponsors, will conduct wingshooting clinics at sites throughout Illinois from March through mid-November. 

The clinics provide instruction and help improve the shooting skills for both beginners and experienced hunters. Most clinics are conducted on weekends at IDNR sites, cooperating gun clubs and shooting ranges, hunting preserves, and farms.

IDNR to Hold Wingshooting Clinics at Jim Edgar Panther Creek

While many of us are thinking about flipping logs or holding a stringer of crappie the IDNR has will been thinking of ways to get wingshooters outside.  This spring and summer the IDNR will be holding two wingshooting clinics at Jim Edgar Panther Creek.  These two events cover the wide range of shooting skill levels.  Below you'll find some information regarding these two events.

There are two IDNR Wingshooting Clinics scheduled at the Jim Edgar Panther Creek (JEPC) SF&WA this spring and early summer. The first is a Hunters Wingshooting Clinic on Saturday and Sunday, April 7-8th. The registration instructions and forms for this clinic can be accessed on the IDNR Wingshooting Website located on the internet at: https://www.dnr.illinois.gov/recreation/wingshooting/Pages/default.aspx.

The instructions and forms for both clinics can be accessed on the Wingshooting Website by clicking on the Calendar and then clicking on the underlined dates for the JEPC Hunters Wingshooting Clinic or the JEPC Youth/Women’s Wingshooting Clinic.

Hunters wingshooting clinics are conducted in the area of the hand trap shooting range at JEPC on a sporting clays course with clay target presentations designed to represent actual hunting scenarios. Hunters and clay target shooters with novice thru advanced wingshooting skills are encouraged to attend. After a short safety briefing at the JEPC Hunter Check Station Bldg., each group of participants (typically four) spends the morning or afternoon each day shooting the sporting clays course accompanied by a certified wingshooting instructor. As noted in the attached instructions, bring 6-8 boxes (150-200 shotshells) and spend a session enhancing your wingshooting skills. If you like to shoot a shotgun, hunters wingshooting clinics are really fun!

The second JEPC Wingshooting Clinic will be held on Saturday and Sunday, June 9-10th. This clinic is a Youth/Women’s Wingshooting Clinic for participants either just beginning to learn about shotgun shooting or with novice shotgun shooting skills. Registration instructions and forms are attached and can also be accessed on the IDNR Wingshooting Website (see first paragraph above). Shooting students must be at least 10 years old, and shooting students must also be at least 4 feet 6 inches tall and weigh 75 pounds to participate. Boys 16-18 must be in the beginning or novice shooting skill range. Girls 10 and older meeting the minimum height and weight requirements and women of all ages are eligible to attend. Youth/Women’s Wingshooting Clinic are free to participants, begin with a thorough firearm safety presentation at the JEPC Hunter Check Station Bldg., and include lunch for participants. Taught by IDNR and National Sporting Clays Assoc. certified wingshooting instructors, youth/women’s wingshooting clinics are a wonderful way for shooting students to learn firearm safety protocols, to learn correct shotgun shooting fundamentals, and to learn how to hit a moving clay target successfully.