IL

Illinois Fish Stocking

Reports, schedules, species, and official links from Illinois Department of Natural Resources

Official source verified Historical or annual records Source reviewed July 19, 2026

Quick answer

Official report: Illinois Department of Natural Resources's Illinois fish stocking database is the source of record for Illinois stocking information.

Commonly documented species: Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Steelhead, Lake Trout, Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Muskellunge, Walleye, Saugeye, Channel Catfish, Hybrid Striped Bass, Bluegill, Redear Sunfish, and Black Crappie.

Typical timing: Catchable rainbow trout are generally stocked around spring and fall seasons. Lake Michigan stockings follow annual production schedules, while warmwater releases often involve small fish intended for future years.

What anglers should know

Illinois separates inland hatchery stocking from its heavily coordinated Lake Michigan salmonid program. The stocking database can be searched by waterbody, while catchable-trout announcements and annual lake reports provide the most timely seasonal context.

Spring and fall trout lakes bring stocked fishing close to Chicago, Rockford, Springfield, and downstate communities. Along Lake Michigan, salmon and trout releases support a fishery that depends on state, federal, and regional hatchery coordination.

Check the official Illinois report

Illinois fish stocking database is the source of record. Agency schedules can change for weather, water conditions, hatchery operations, or access, so confirm there before driving.

Open Illinois fish stocking database

How this state publishes data

Official database source verified; no automated normalizer is enabled for this source format yet. We do not show an empty table as evidence that no fish were stocked.

When stocking happens in Illinois

Catchable rainbow trout are generally stocked around spring and fall seasons. Lake Michigan stockings follow annual production schedules, while warmwater releases often involve small fish intended for future years.

Reading tip

Confirm whether a record is inland or Lake Michigan, and check the size class before assuming fish were stocked for immediate harvest.

Fish stocked in Illinois

Illinois DNR and hatchery partners document these recurring sport-fish stockings across inland waters and Lake Michigan. The database and Lake Michigan annual report have different coverage.

  • Rainbow Trout
  • Brown Trout
  • Chinook Salmon
  • Coho Salmon
  • Steelhead
  • Lake Trout
  • Largemouth Bass
  • Smallmouth Bass
  • Muskellunge
  • Walleye
  • Saugeye
  • Channel Catfish
  • Hybrid Striped Bass
  • Bluegill
  • Redear Sunfish
  • Black Crappie

Where to start looking

These are useful geographic starting points, not a promise that every water is stocked this season.

  • Chicago-area trout lakes
  • Lake Michigan
  • Fox and Rock river regions
  • central Illinois public lakes
  • southern Illinois reservoirs

Illinois stocking questions

Where can I find the latest Illinois fish stocking report?

Use the Illinois fish stocking database published by Illinois Department of Natural Resources. This page links directly to that official source and labels our own records as a dated snapshot, not a live feed.

What fish are stocked in Illinois?

Illinois stocking sources and program materials identify Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Steelhead, Lake Trout, Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Muskellunge, Walleye, Saugeye, Channel Catfish, Hybrid Striped Bass, Bluegill, Redear Sunfish, and Black Crappie. Illinois DNR and hatchery partners document these recurring sport-fish stockings across inland waters and Lake Michigan. The database and Lake Michigan annual report have different coverage.

When does Illinois stock fish?

Catchable rainbow trout are generally stocked around spring and fall seasons. Lake Michigan stockings follow annual production schedules, while warmwater releases often involve small fish intended for future years.