Morgan Lake at Nichols Park will again be the home of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources special inland trout fishing program.
The Spring Trout season opens on April 6th.
The trout were released in the middle section of Morgan Lake, east of the road bridge.
The period of catch & release started on Saturday and runs until April 5th.
Parks Superintendent Adam Fletcher says everything is the same as in year’s past: “Once April 6th rolls around, there is a 5-trout limit for each angler. The only thing that an angler will need besides a fishing license is the inland trout stamp. You can get the stamp wherever you purchase a fishing license. The trout stamp helps to pay for this program that IDNR puts on each year to give these trout out to stock these lakes for free. It’s at no cost to the city for this program, but that inland trout stamp that all the anglers purchase that’s what helps continue this program throughout the state.”
Fletcher says that the trout seasons are fairly popular: “Both our Spring and Fall trout releases are very well attended. This gives people a chance to catch trout that usually don’t have an option to catch trout in this area. We have seen an abundance of anglers out there at Nichols Park. It’s a treat to go out there on opening day of the season and see 15-20 cars parked and see people lined up on the banks fishing. It’s a lot of fun to go out there and see your parks out there being used for what they are supposed to be used for.”
For those outside of the Jacksonville area, in Cass County, Gridley Lake at the Jim Edgar Panther Creek State Fish & Wildlife Area and King Park Pond in Pike County are also participating in the program.
Springfield has 3 locations for trout: IDOT Lake, Southwind Park, and the Washington Park Pond.
For more information or questions about the inland trout program, contact the Illinois Department of Transportation or visit ifishillinois.org.