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Lake Michigan
The rule for this water, with the receipt.
Special regulations for Lake Michigan, as the state words them
IL County · Lake · IL
Has its own special rules
How to read this page:Official text quoted regulationParsed fields from the ruleDerived calculated from rulesContext conditions, not a ruleAdvice our suggestion
Today's rule hereParsed
- Season
- Sport fishing is open year-roundStatewide
- Gear
- seine or gill net not more than 12 feet long, 6 feet deep and with mesh size not more than 1 inch diagonal stretch, or by dip net not more than 12 feet in diameter with mesh size not less than 1 inch diagonal stretch; trolley or power lines also may be used; no more than one smelt net device at any one timeThis water
- Bait
- Not captured yet - consult the statewide regulations
- Poles
- any individual at any one time is allowed to use under his or her immediate control only 2 untagged sport fishing devicesStatewide
| Species | Daily limit | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|
Channel Catfish Varies by water: limit 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit (Decatur Park District • Macon); 12 inch Minimum Length Limit, limit 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit (Forest Preserve District of DuPage County • DuPage) | No Harvest Or Size Limits | - | Statewide |
Pure Muskellunge Varies by water: 36 inch Minimum Length Limit (Flagg-Rochelle Park District • Ogle); 42 inch Minimum Length Limit (Clark County Park District • Clark) | See size | min. 48 inch Minimum Length Limit | Statewide |
Bluegill or Redear Sunfish Varies by water: limit 20 Fish Daily Harvest Limit with no more than 5 Fish greater than or equal to 8 inches (Vermilion County Conservation District • Vermilion); limit No Daily Harvest Limit with no more than 5 Fish greater than or equal to 7 inches (Champaign County Forest Preserve District • Champaign) | 25 Fish Daily Harvest Limit | - | Statewide |
Walleye, Sauger, or Hybrid Walleye Varies by water: 18 inch Minimum Length Limit (Cook County Forest Preserve District • Cook) | 3 Fish Daily Harvest Limit | min. 16 inch Minimum Length Limit | Statewide |
White, Black, or Hybrid Crappie Varies by water: 9 inch Minimum Length Limit (Fox Valley Park District • Kane); limit 25 Fish Daily Harvest Limit with no more than 2 Fish greater than or equal to 12 inches (Clark County Park District • Clark) | 15 Fish Daily Harvest Limit | - | Statewide |
Yellow Perch | 5 Fish Daily Harvest Limit | min. 9 inch Minimum Length Limit | Statewide |
Bluegill, Redear, or Pumpkinseed Sunfish | 15 Fish Daily Harvest Limit | - | Statewide |
Bluegill Varies by water: limit 10 Fish Daily Harvest Limit (Kane County Forest Preserve District • Kane) | No Harvest Or Size Limits | - | Statewide |
Northern Pike Varies by water: 24 inch Minimum Length Limit, limit 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit (Kane County Forest Preserve District • Kane) | No More Than 3 Northern Pike May Be Taken Per Day | min. 24˝ In Total Length Or Longer | Statewide |
Bluegill, Pumpkinseed, or Hybrid Sunfish | 15 Fish Daily Harvest Limit | - | Statewide |
Alligator Gar | 1 Alligator Gar Per 24 Hours | - | Statewide |
Blue Catfish | No Harvest Or Size Limits | - | Statewide |
Flathead Catfish | No Harvest Or Size Limits | - | Statewide |
Redear Sunfish | No Harvest Or Size Limits | - | Statewide |
Other Sunfish | No Harvest Or Size Limits | - | Statewide |
Common Snapping Turtle | 2, Possession Limit Of 4 | - | Statewide |
Bullfrog | 8, Possession Limit Of 16 | - | Statewide |
White Crappie | No Harvest Or Size Limits | - | Statewide |
Black Crappie | No Harvest Or Size Limits | - | Statewide |
Hybrid Crappie | No Harvest Or Size Limits | - | Statewide |
Injurious Species | No Harvest Or Size Limits | - | Statewide |
Lake Sturgeon | Protected; No Possession | - | Statewide |
Spotted Bass | 6 Bass, Either Singly Or In The Aggregate | - | Statewide |
Muskellunge | No More Than 1 Muskellunge Or Muskellunge Hybrid (Tiger Muskie) May Be Taken Per Day | min. 36˝ In Total Length Or Longer | Statewide |
Tiger Muskie | No More Than 1 Muskellunge Or Muskellunge Hybrid (Tiger Muskie) May Be Taken Per Day | min. 36˝ In Total Length Or Longer | Statewide |
Paddlefish Varies by water: limit 2 Fish Daily Harvest Limit (Sportfishing devices statewide) | 2 Paddlefish | - | Statewide |
Striped Bass Varies by water: 17˝ In Total Length Or Longer, limit 3 Fish, Either Singly Or In The Aggregate (Statewide, except in the Mississippi River between Illinois and Missouri and the Mississippi River between Illinois and Iowa, for fish 17 inches or longer) | No Daily Harvest Limits Or Minimum Size Limits (for fish less than 17˝ in total length) | - | Statewide |
White Bass | No Daily Harvest Limits Or Minimum Size Limits (for fish less than 17˝ in total length) | - | Statewide |
Yellow Bass | No Daily Harvest Limits Or Minimum Size Limits (for fish less than 17˝ in total length) | - | Statewide |
Walleye | 6 Walleye, Sauger Or Their Hybrid, Either Singly Or In The Aggregate | min. 14˝ In Total Length Or Longer | Statewide |
Sauger | 6 Walleye, Sauger Or Their Hybrid, Either Singly Or In The Aggregate | min. 14˝ In Total Length Or Longer | Statewide |
Saugeye | 6 Walleye, Sauger Or Their Hybrid, Either Singly Or In The Aggregate | min. 14˝ In Total Length Or Longer | Statewide |
Bighead Carp | no harvest limit | - | Statewide |
Black Carp | no harvest limit | - | Statewide |
Bowfin | no harvest limit | - | Statewide |
Buffalo | no harvest limit | - | Statewide |
Carpsuckers | no harvest limit | - | Statewide |
Common Carp | no harvest limit | - | Statewide |
Freshwater Drum | no harvest limit | - | Statewide |
Gizzard Shad | no harvest limit | - | Statewide |
Grass Carp | no harvest limit | - | Statewide |
Longnose Gar | no harvest limit | - | Statewide |
Shortnose Gar | no harvest limit | - | Statewide |
Silver Carp | no harvest limit | - | Statewide |
Suckers | no harvest limit | - | Statewide |
Alligator Snapping Turtle | Protected; may not be taken by any sport fishing method | - | Statewide |
Lake Trout | 2 Fish Daily Harvest Limit | - | This water |
Lake Whitefish or Round Whitefish | 12 Fish Daily Harvest Limit, singly or in the aggregate | - | This water |
Large or Smallmouth Bass | 1 Fish Daily Harvest Limit | min. 21 inch Minimum Length Limit | This water |
Trout and Salmon | 5 Fish Daily Harvest Limit, singly or in the aggregate, except for Lake Trout | min. 10 inch Minimum Length Limit | This water |
The official text, verbatimOfficial text
Straight from IL's official regulations. Rules in force today lead; out-of-season rows are dimmed. Nothing is paraphrased. Not legal advice: verify the posted rules at the water.
Whole water
- salmonRequires a Lake Michigan Salmon Stamp in addition to the sport fishing license to take salmon in Lake Michigan.
- troutRequires a Lake Michigan Salmon Stamp in addition to the sport fishing license to take trout in Lake Michigan.
- All fishAll devices used for sport fishing on Lake Michigan must be attended at all times
- Lake TroutDaily limit 2 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
- Lake Whitefish or Round WhitefishDaily limit 12 Fish Daily Harvest Limit, singly or in the aggregate
- Large or Smallmouth BassDaily limit 1 Fish Daily Harvest LimitSize 21 inch Minimum Length Limit
- Trout and SalmonDaily limit 5 Fish Daily Harvest Limit, singly or in the aggregate, except for Lake TroutSize 10 inch Minimum Length Limit
- Yellow PerchClosed May 1 through June 15 (dates as written)Daily limit 15 Fish Daily Harvest Limit (6)
Rules for other dates
- SmeltMarch 1 through April 30 - does not apply todayGear seine or gill net not more than 12 feet long, 6 feet deep and with mesh size not more than 1 inch diagonal stretch, or by dip net not more than 12 feet in diameter with mesh size not less than 1 inch diagonal stretch; trolley or power lines also may be used; no more than one smelt net device at any one timeAll fish taken other than Smelt must be released immediately. Check local seasonal regulations for Chicago Park District properties.
How this answer was assembled
- StatewideStatewide lake rules are the base layer: default season, gear, bait, and limits.
- This waterSpecial rules written for this exact water replace the statewide defaults where they speak.
- Emergency orderEmergency orders in effect today override everything else. They sync quietly when the phone has coverage and never lock you out of the app.
Where this rule applies
This water is not yet drawn on the map. Its rules are captured and receipted; the geometry ledger records exactly why it is not drawn (an ambiguous name match or a gap in the source data), and it will never ship as a guess. Each rule above describes in the state's own words where it applies, and those written descriptions are the authoritative boundaries.
Season at a glanceDerived
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Sampled mid-month from the dated rows; short windows can slip between samples. The rows above are authoritative.
What are you fishing for here?Advice
Pick from the species named in Lake Michigan's rules. Setups are checked against the gear rules in force today, and your picks are remembered on this device only. These are rule-aware suggestions, not a claim about what is biting; advice, not law, and the rules above govern.
Receipts
Statewide rules
StatewideChecked against this official source on July 8, 2026.
Special rules - Lake Michigan
This waterChecked against this official source on July 8, 2026.
Local services near Lake Michigan
Tackle shops, guides, and boat launches that serve this water will appear here - a separate lane below the rules, so a local business can reach you without ever getting between you and the regulation.
Run a shop or guide service on Lake Michigan? Get listed.