Sarley: What makes the Illinois fall trout season so special

Editor’s note: The stocking of catchable trout for the fall season is on hold until water temperatures are more suitable for the trout, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources announced Thursday. Unusually warm weather in Illinois this fall has delayed the cooling of lakes and ponds across the state.

If you didn’t take advantage of the spring 2025 Illinois trout fishing season, the fall season opens up on Oct. 18 at 60 ponds, lakes and streams throughout the state. If you have participated in past trout seasons, I’m sure you’ll agree with me that it is not a thing to be missed.

You can catch trout from the stocked sites starting from last Saturday, but this is strictly catch and release fishing until 5 a.m. Oct. 18.

The daily limit is five trout. These stocked trout are fairly good-sized, so, please don’t keep any more than you can use. If three trout will put a meal on the table for a couple and their children, then only take three fish home.

All fishermen must have an Illinois fishing license and an inland trout stamp. Both are available at IDNR license and permit locations, including many bait shops, sporting goods stores and other retail outlets. Of course, you can buy your licenses and stamps online.

The Illinois Catchable Trout Program is funded by the sale of inland trout stamps. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources stocks more than 80,000 rainbow trout each year in bodies of water where trout fishing is permitted during the fall season. An additional 80,000 trout are stocked for the spring season that begins each April.

The 2025 Northern Illinois fall trout locations include Axehead Lake, Belleau Lake, Busse Woods North Lake, Green Lake in Calumet City, Horsetail Lake, Sag Quarry East and Wolf Lake at William W. Powers State Recreation Area in Chicago. All of these sites are in Cook County.

In DuPage County, Grove Lake, Pickerel Lake and Silver Lake in the DuPage County Forest Preserve District all will be stocked with trout.

In Lake County, Sand Lake at the Illinois Beach State Park is stocked.

McHenry County has stocked waters at the Spring Grove Hatchery Pond in Spring Grove and Lake Atwood in the McHenry County Conservation District.

I like fall trout season better than the spring season. The spring season brings out more fishermen than you can believe. The parking lots are full of cars and the banks of many of the ponds are lined up with anglers standing shoulder to shoulder. I like my peace and quiet when I can get it. The fall season isn’t as busy.

To fish for these tasty rainbow trout, use any rods and reels that you find suitable for any kind of panfish. Light fishing line is the best thing to use. Two-pound test is ideal, but it’s hard to tie knots with it. Monofilament is fine and fluorocarbon is even better. You shouldn’t be using braid or superline for this finesse fishing.

Circle hooks are perfect for your fall trout fishing. Circle hooks are excellent for the kinds of bait you’ll be using, either artificial trout bait or live bait. Use small hooks, very small. The beauty of circle hooks is that they virtually set the hook all by themselves when the fish sucks the bait into its mouth. A gentle hookset is all that is needed. They are also perfect for kids because it’s harder to lose a fish when you aren’t paying the best attention.

Live bait works great for fall trout. I’d recommend a single waxworm or redworm on your circle hook. Berkley manufactures many shapes and sizes of its Power Bait product. I like the kind that comes in a little bottle and is a paste format.

You take a little out with your finger and shape it into a little ball and put it on your hook. That’s it. There are a jillion colors, but you only need to use the one that is yellow/orange and is the same color that the trout are fed in the rearing tanks. They are used to eating it.

The only thing you need now is a very sharp, long-bladed flexible knife to clean your fish. There are almost as many videos on YouTube to learn how to clean fish as there are to catch them. Good luck.

• Daily Herald Outdoors columnist Steve Sarley can be reached at sarfishing@yahoo.com.