Rainbow trout season coming to DuPage lakes
The spring rainbow trout season opens at 6 a.m. Saturday, April 6, at three Forest Preserve District of DuPage County lakes: Grove Lake at Wood Dale Grove in Wood Dale; Silver Lake at Blackwell in Warrenville; and Pickerel Lake at Pratt's Wayne Woods in Wayne.
The district has stocked Pickerel Lake with roughly 2,000 pounds of rainbow trout and Grove Lake with 1,000 pounds. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources provided Silver Lake with roughly 3,250 fish.
The three lakes are closed to all fishing through opening day to allow the fish to acclimate and disperse.
The creel limit for rainbow trout is five per person per day with no length restriction, and all anglers 16 and older who are not legally disabled must carry valid Illinois fishing licenses with inland trout stamps. Both are available for purchase from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays at the district headquarters at 3S580 Naperville Road in Wheaton, where anglers also can pick up free copies of the district's Fishing Guide. For details contact Visitor Services at (630) 933-7248 or forest@dupageforest.org.
At 8 a.m. on Saturday, April 6, boat rentals begin at Silver Lake at Blackwell. (Rentals begin at 8 a.m. on Saturday, May 25, at Herrick Lake Forest Preserve in Wheaton.) Rowboats and single kayaks are $12 an hour; canoes and tandem kayaks are $15 an hour; and rowboats with electric trolling motors (at Blackwell only) are $20 an hour. Rentals end at 5:30 p.m. Anglers can buy bait at vending machines.
Visitors with private nongasoline-powered watercraft less than 20 feet long - boats, canoes, kayaks and multichambered inflatables that are either nationally certified or have factory-made hardened floors - also can use the Silver Lake boat launch at Blackwell. All boats require district permits, and motorized boats also require state registrations.
District permits are $5 per day or $30 a year for the first boat for DuPage residents and $15 a year for each additional boat for DuPage residents, and $10 per day or $50 per year for the first boat and $35 for each additional boat for nonresidents. Daily permits are available at the at the boat rental building or at the steel lock box near the launch. Boaters can purchase annual permits online or through Visitor Services. For more information contact Visitor Services at (630) 933-7248.