2007 spring trout fishing season opens April 7

SPRINGFIELD, IL - The 2007 spring trout fishing season in Illinois begins at 5 a.m. on Saturday, April 7, Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) Acting Director Sam Flood announced today.

"One of the sure signs of spring in Illinois is the opening of the trout fishing season," Flood said.  "Youngsters, families and anglers of all ages look forward to the spring trout season."

The IDNR stocks more than 60,000 rainbow trout in bodies of water where spring trout fishing is permitted.  The trout stocking program in Illinois is made possible through the sale of inland trout stamps.

Inland trout stamps are available for $6.50 each at DNR Direct license and permit vendors, IDNR offices in Springfield, Chicago, Alton, Benton, Clinton and Sterling, and may be purchased with a credit card through the IDNR web site at http://dnr.state.il.us or by phone at 1-888-6PERMIT (1-888-673-7648).
 
To legally participate in the trout fishing program, anglers must have a valid Illinois fishing license and an inland trout stamp.  Annual fishing licenses for the 2007 season will be valid through March 31, 2008.  Anglers may also purchase Illinois' 24-hour fishing license, which includes trout fishing privileges for the 24-hour period the license is valid.  A license is required for fishing in Illinois unless the angler is under age 16, blind or disabled, or is an Illinois resident on active military service who is home on leave.

Anglers may not take trout from any of the stocked sites from March 15 to the opening of the season on April 7 at 5 a.m.  Anyone attempting to take trout before the legal opening will be issued citations.  During the spring trout season, the daily possession limit for trout is five fish.

Anglers are reminded to check in advance for any site-specific regulations and the opening time of their favorite trout fishing location.  While the statewide spring trout season opens at 5 a.m. on April 7, some locations may have a later opening time.
  
For more information about the trout stocking program, contact the IDNR Division of Fisheries at 217/782-6424 or check the web site at www.ifishillinois.org.

Stocked sites (by county) for the spring catchable trout program:

$ Adams County: Siloam Springs State Park Lake.
$ Boone County: Mill Race Ponds in Belvidere.
$ Bureau County: Hennepin Canal Parkway.
$ Cass County: Gurney Road Pond at Jim Edgar Panther Creek State Fish and
 Wildlife Area.
$ Champaign County: Lake of the Woods.
$ Christian County: Manners Park Pond, Taylorville Park District
$ Cook County: Axehead Lake, Cook County Forest Preserve District.
$ Cook County: Belleau Lake, Cook County Forest Preserve District.
$ Cook County: Sag Quarry East, Cook County Forest Preserve District.
$ Coles County: Eastern Illinois University Campus Pond in Charleston.
$ DuPage County: Silver Lake, DuPage County Forest Preserve District.
$ Grundy County: Gebhard Woods State Park Pond.
$ Jefferson County: Mount Vernon Game Farm Pond.
$ Jo Daviess County: Apple River and tributaries.
$ Johnson County: Ferne Clyffe State Park Lake.
$ Kankakee County: Bird Park Quarry in Kankakee.
$ Kankakee County: Rock Creek (Kankakee River State Park).
$ Kendall County: Big Lake at Silver Springs State Park.
$ Lake County: Banana Lake, Lake County Forest Preserve District.
$ Lake County: Sand Lake at Illinois Beach State Park.
$ LaSalle County: Illinois and Michigan Canal at Utica
$ Macon County: Sportsman's Club Pond, Decatur Park District
$ Marion County: Boston Pond at Stephen A. Forbes State Park.
$ Massac County: Fairgrounds Pond in Fort Massac State Park, Metropolis.
$ McLean County: Miller Park Lake in Bloomington.
$ McHenry County: Lake Atwood, Hollows Conservation Area, McHenry County
 Conservation District.
$ McHenry County: Piscasaw Creek.
$ Moultrie County: Wyman Lake in Sullivan.
$ Ogle County: Pine Creek in White Pines State Forest.
$ St. Clair County: Frank Holten State Park main lake.
$ St. Clair County:  Jones Park Lake in East St. Louis.
$ Sangamon County: Illinois Department of Transportation Lake in Springfield.
$ Sangamon County: Washington Park Pond in Springfield.
$ Shelby County: Forest Park Lagoon in Shelbyville.
$ Stephenson County: Waddams Creek (Lake Le-Aqua-Na State Park)
$ Stephenson County: Yellow Creek in Krape Park, Freeport.
$ Vermilion County: Clear Lake at Kickapoo State Park.
$ Wabash County: Beall Woods Lake, Beall Woods State Park
$ Wayne County: Sam Dale Conservation Area Trout Pond.
$ Whiteside County: Coleta Trout Ponds.
$ Will County: Lake Milliken at Des Plaines Conservation Area.
$ Winnebago County: Kent Creek in Page Park, Rockford.