The Illinois River is open for trout fishing and winter steelhead through March 31. Steelhead fishing should be great with the recent storms and fish should be available for the angler willing to take a scenic drive. Since only hatchery trout may be retained, fishing will be primarily catch-and-release for wild trout, as the Illinois does not have a hatchery program. Wild winter steelhead may be retained in a few areas, but are subject to new daily and seasonal bag limits of 1 per day and 3 per year SW zone wide in waterbodies were wild harvest is allowed. Consult the 2019 fishing regulations for areas open to retention of wild steelhead