Waterbody · Illinois
Rend Lake Fishing Regulations 2026
Rend Lake fishing regulations in 2026: top targets are crappie, bass, catfish. 422 current rules across 13 species from DNR.
Species pages for Rend Lake
Dedicated rule pages for the most-targeted species at this water.
Rules (422)
DNR regulates 422 rules across 13 species at this water.
Channel Catfish
Burning Star State Fish And Wildlife Area, All Lakes And Ponds
- Daily bag
- 6 fish/day
Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge-Honker’s Pond
- Daily bag
- 6 fish/day
Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge-Little Grassy Lake
- Daily bag
- 6 fish/day
Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge-Restricted Use Area Ponds
- Daily bag
- 6 fish/day
Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge-Visitor’s Pond
- Daily bag
- 6 fish/day
Crawford County State Fish & Wildlife Area Ponds
- Daily bag
- 6 fish/day
Cypress Creek National Wildlife Refuge-All Ponds
- Daily bag
- 6 fish/day
Dupage County Forest Preserve District Lakes & Ponds
- Daily bag
- 6 fish/day
- Min size
- 12"
Duquoin State Fair Grounds – All Lakes And Ponds
- Daily bag
- 6 fish/day
Fulton County Camping And Recreation Area Waters
- Daily bag
- 6 fish/day
Jim Edgar/Panther Creek State Fish And Wildlife Area – All Lakes And Ponds
- Daily bag
- 6 fish/day
Jim Edgar/Panther Creek State Fish And Wildlife Area – Drake Lake
- Daily bag
- 6 fish/day
Jim Edgar/Panther Creek State Fish And Wildlife Area – Gridley Road Lake
- Daily bag
- 6 fish/day
Kane County Forest Preserve District Lakes And Ponds
- Daily bag
- 3 fish/day
Lake Shelbyville
- Daily bag
- 6 fish
Channel Catfish 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Ohio River (Between Il & Ky)
- Daily bag
- 1 fish/day
- Min size
- 13"
for Fish greater than or equal to 28 inches
Shawnee National Forest – Bay Creek Lake #5 And #8
- Daily bag
- 6 fish/day
Shawnee National Forest – Lakes And Ponds Less Than 10 Acres
- Daily bag
- 6 fish/day
Siloam Springs State Park – Buckhorn Unit Waters
- Daily bag
- 6 fish/day
Silver Springs State Fish And Wildlife Area - Big Lake And Area Ponds
- Daily bag
- 6 fish/day
Snakeden Hollow State Fish And Wildlife Area – McMaster Lake & Other Site Waters
- Daily bag
- 6 fish/day
Sparta World Shooting And Recreational Complex Lakes
- Daily bag
- 6 fish/day
Spring State Lake
- Daily bag
- 6 fish
Channel Catfish 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Wabash River
- Daily bag
- 1 fish/day
- Min size
- 13"
for Fish greater than or equal to 28 inches
William W. Powers State Recreation Area
- Daily bag
- 6 fish
Channel Catfish 6 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Illinois statewideOpen
- Status
- Permitted
- Gear
- Angling Only
No Harvest Or Size Limits Except In Those Waters Listed Under Site Specific Regulations. May be taken by pitchfork, underwater spear gun, bow and arrow or bow and arrow device, spear or gig.
Smallmouth Bass
Apple RiverCatch & release
- Status
- Catch And Release
Catch and Release Fishing Only (9)
Calumet RiverCatch & release
- Status
- Catch And Release
- Season opens
- Apr 1
- Season closes
- Jun 15
All Smallmouth Bass Must Be Immediately Released Between April 1 And June 15
Fox Chain O’lakesCatch & release
- Status
- Catch And Release
All Fish must be immediately released between April 1 and June 15
Fox RiverCatch & release
- Status
- Catch And Release
- Max size
- 12"
All Smallmouth Bass must be immediately released between April 1 and June 15 no more than 1 Fish greater than or equal to 12 inches and 2 Fish less than 12 inches
In Rivers And Streams And Their Tributaries Statewide
- Daily bag
- 3 fish
Contain No More Than 3 Smallmouth Bass. In Rivers And Streams And Their Tributaries Statewide, Except For The Mississippi, Ohio (Including The Golconda Marina), Wabash And Illinois Rivers, Calumet River, Lake Calumet Connecting Channel, Calumet Sag Channel
Kane County Forest Preserve District Lakes And PondsCatch & release
- Status
- Catch And Release
Catch and Release Fishing Only (9)
Kankakee River
- Slot min
- 12"
- Slot max
- 18"
Protected Slot Length Limit with no possession of Fish greater than or equal to 12 inches and less than 18 inches
Kishwaukee River And South Branch Of Kishwaukee River And Tributaries
- Min size
- 14"
Rivers And Streams And Their Tributaries Statewide, Except For The Mississippi, Ohio (Including The Golconda Marina), Wabash And Illinois Rivers, Calumet River, Lake Calumet Connecting Channel, Calumet Sag Channel And Navigable Portions Of The Grand Calumet River And Little Calumet RiverCatch & release
- Status
- Catch And Release
All Smallmouth Bass Must Be Immediately Released Between April 1 And June 15.
Illinois statewideOpen
- Status
- Permitted
- Season opens
- Jun 16
- Season closes
- Mar 31
- Daily bag
- 3 fish/day
No Statewide Size Limit. In Rivers And Streams And Their Tributaries Statewide, Except For The Mississippi, Ohio (Including The Golconda Marina), Wabash And Illinois Rivers, Calumet River, Lake Calumet Connecting Channel, Calumet Sag Channel And Navigable Portions Of The Grand Calumet River And Little Calumet River, all Smallmouth Bass must be immediately released between April 1 and June 15. In Rivers And Streams And Their Tributaries Statewide, Except For The Mississippi, Ohio (Including Golconda Marina), And Wabash Rivers.
Largemouth Bass
Kane County Forest Preserve District Lakes And Ponds
- Daily bag
- 4 fish/day
- Slot min
- 14"
- Slot max
- 18"
with no more than 1 Fish greater than or equal to 18 inches and 3 Fish less than 14 inches Protected Slot Length Limit with no possession of Fish greater than or equal to 14 inches and less than 18 inches
Mason Recreational Use Restrictions Lake
- Min size
- 12"
Largemouth Bass 12 inch Minimum Length Limit
Illinois statewideOpen
- Status
- Permitted
- Daily bag
- 6 fish/day
No Statewide Size Limit. either singly or in the aggregate with Smallmouth Bass and Spotted Bass, except as specified under site specific regulations
Flathead Catfish
Fox Chain O’lakes
- Daily bag
- 3 fish/day
- Max size
- 28"
no more than 1 Fish greater than or equal to 28 inches and 2 Fish less than 28 inches
Fox River
- Daily bag
- 3 fish/day
- Max size
- 28"
no more than 1 Fish greater than or equal to 28 inches and 2 Fish less than 28 inches
Refuge Area (Ellis Bay) Immediately Upstream Of Melvin Price Lock And Dam 26 Overflow Dike
- Daily bag
- 10 fish
Flathead Catfish 10 Fish Daily Harvest Limit
Vermont Lake
- Daily bag
- 3 fish/day
no more than 1 Fish >28 inches and 2 Fish <28 inches
Illinois statewideOpen
- Status
- Permitted
- Gear
- Angling Only
No Harvest Or Size Limits Except In Those Waters Listed Under Site Specific Regulations. May be taken by pitchfork, underwater spear gun, bow and arrow or bow and arrow device, spear or gig.
Striped Bass
Kaskaskia River
- Daily bag
- 2 fish
- Min size
- 32"
Striped Bass 32 inch Minimum Length Limit; 2 Fish Daily Harvest Limit Striped Bass 32 inch Minimum Length Limit
Mississippi River Between Illinois And Iowa
- Daily bag
- 25 fish
25 Fish Daily Harvest Limit On Striped Bass, White Bass, Yellow Bass And Their Hybrids, Either Singly Or In The Aggregate
Fish (All Species)
Rend Lake Tailwaters
- Gear
- No Shad Scoop
Sport fishermen may not use a minnow seine, cast net, or shad scoop for bait collecting
Or Hybrid Crappie White Black
Rend Lake
- Daily bag
- 25 fish/day
- Max size
- 10 fish/day
no more than 10 Fish greater than or equal to 10 inches
Or Hybrid - Striped Bass Striped White Yellow
Rend Lake
- Daily bag
- 20 fish/day
- Max size
- 3 fish/day
no more than 3 Fish greater than or equal to 17 inches
Blue Catfish
Illinois statewideOpen
- Status
- Permitted
- Gear
- Angling Only
No Harvest Or Size Limits Except In Those Waters Listed Under Site Specific Regulations. May be taken by pitchfork, underwater spear gun, bow and arrow or bow and arrow device, spear or gig.
All Species
Rend LakeClosed
- Status
- Prohibited
Waterfowl Refuge or Hunting Area (12)
Large Or Smallmouth Bass
Black Crappie
Illinois statewideOpen
- Status
- Permitted
No Harvest Or Size Limits Except In Those Waters Listed Under Site Specific Regulations.
Plus 1 more species. See the Illinois pillar page for the full list.
FAQ
Who regulates fishing on Rend Lake?
DNR regulates fishing on Rend Lake.
What species can I target on Rend Lake?
Rend Lake is best known for crappie, bass, catfish. Other species are present and tracked in the rule tables below.
Where should I verify these rules?
These rules summarize DNR's published content. Always confirm with the official source before keeping a catch.
Reference only. Regulations change mid-season. Always verify with the official source before keeping a catch.