Fly Fishing in Illinois

A regional note specific to this state: the trout water here is dominated by a single high-quality tailwater that runs through a high-desert canyon, and the state agency manages that tailwater as a trophy fishery, which is why the average fish size is large and the regulations are strict. Illinois trout fishing is a small but technically fascinating put-and-take fishery built on the cold-water discharge of two tailwaters and a series of small lakes in the northern part of the state. The state has fewer than 50 miles of year-round trout water, with the most popular being the Fox Chain of Lakes, a series of lakes connected by the Fox River. The state's trout program is administered through the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, and the agency stocks the lakes seasonally with rainbows while maintaining a small trout-stocking program on the Fox River. A regular Illinois fishing license is required, and the cost is $15 for residents and $31 for non-residents, and the daily limit is 5 trout combined in most waters. The unique regional quirk is that Illinois requires a special inland trout stamp for trout fishing, and the daily limit is 3 trout in the inland trout-stocked waters.