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List of Lakes            Regulations

The Cook County Forest Preserve District now manages over 42 water areas, with a combined area of over 2,000 acres. All are professionally managed and maintained with input from full-time biologists, ensuring that fish populations and other aquatic life forms are closely monitored. 

All State of Illinois fishing regulations apply to the District waters -- a fishing license is required for persons over 16 years of age, unless disabled or blind. Official Cook County FPD maps are included in each listing, if available.

http://www.fpdcc.com/home.php

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Fishing Regulations of the CCFPD:

The FPDCC works within the Illinois Department of Conservation to provide quality hook and line fishing. Nearly all State rules and regulations hold true for fishing in the preserves. One exception is that bow and arrow fishing for rough fish is not permitted in the preserves. Also all waters in the forest preserves are designated FISH PRESERVES — fishermen are limited to two lines with no more than two hooks per line and no trolley lines.

A valid Illinois hook and line fishing license is required except for persons that are under 16, disabled or blind. In addition, anyone required to have a valid fishing license must have a State Inland Trout Stamp when fishing for trout within the Forest Preserve District trout lakes.

There are no State regulations on daily limits, length limits and closed seasons concerning fishes found in forest preserve water, excluding five exceptions. These are: no more than 6 largemouth bass, walleye or channel catfish, regardless of size, may be taken in one day; no more than 3 northern pike may be taken in one day (and these must be 24 inches long, or longer); and no more than 5 trout may be taken in one day. Trout season is closed from March 15 to the first Saturday in April and from October 1 to the third Saturday in October. Use of minnow seine is not allowed except in the Des Plaines River for bait collecting.

Special Forest Preserve Regulations regarding size limits on bass and walleye are also imposed on designated waters of the District, and these special rules will be so posted. These experimental regulations are to prevent the excessive removal of undersized bass and walleye, and to improve the fishing thru protection of our major predator fish. We ask the fishing public to respect and obey these regulations on lakes so posted.

The following are exceptions to State of Illinois Fishing Regulations:
Largemouth and Smallmouth bass -- no more than 6 per day
Northern pike -- no more than 3 per day
Rainbow trout -- no more than 5 per day
Channel Catfish -- no more than 6 per day 
Walleye -- no more than 6 per day
Special size limits on Largemouth bass and Walleye on posted waters.
All waters of the District are designated Fish Preserves -- only two poles with no more than two hooks per pole per person. No bow and arrow fishing for rough fishes is permitted. 

*Trout Season:
Trout season is closed during the following periods:
From March 15th until the 2nd Saturday in April, and
From October 1st until the 3rd Saturday in October.
*A valid Inland Trout Stamp is required.

Ice Fishing:

****Cook County Forest Preserve District Changes Ice Fishing Regulations****

The Cook County Board of Commissioners approved a new "Ice Fish at Your Own Risk" regulation. This new regulation also covers ice skating. The regulations DO NOT include all Cook County lakes, they are specific to the following lakes:

Arrowhead, Axehead, Beck, Belleau, Big Bend, Bode Lake South, Busse Main and south pools, Maple, Papoose, Powderhorn, Saganashkee Slough, both Sag Quarries, Tampier and Wampum.

The Forest Preserve District will be posting signs advising anglers of the rule change.  Keep in mind that the new regulation only means that the Forest Preserve will not be checking the ice, and therefore will not regulate when ice is or is not safe. Therefore it is up to each individual angler to ensure that the ice is safe for fishing.
So play it safe. Don't venture out unless the ice is at least four inches thick, fish with a partner, and always have appropriate safety devices handy.

Click here to download a complete PDF version of the CCFPD Fishing Guide.

Click here to get Acrobat Reader

The Lakes

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