1. United States/
  2. Pike fishing in the United States/
  3. Illinois/
  4. Pike fishing in Illinois

Pike fishing in Illinois

Illinois provides strong freshwater fishing opportunities for pike. Lakes, rivers, and reservoirs across the state offer reliable action for anglers.

Best baits and lures for Pike in Illinois

According to catch data from over 20 million anglers on Fishbrain, these are the best baits used to catch Pike.

Fishbrain
Stop guessing and start catching

Find out what lures to use, download the Fishbrain app!

Download the Bitetime appDownload the Bitetime app
Download the Bitetime app
Download the Bitetime app
Download the Bitetime appDownload the Bitetime app
Download the Bitetime app
Download the Bitetime appDownload the Bitetime app
Download the Bitetime app

Biggest Pike catches

Explore your local leaderboard—see the top catches in the app.

Latest Pike fishing reports in Illinois

fish catches icon
recently logged catches
Loading...

Northern pike

Skokie Lagoons

length · weight

fish catches icon
recently logged catches
Loading...

Northern pike

Lake Conroy

30 in · 6 lb

fish catches icon
recently logged catches
Loading...

Northern pike

Lake Conroy

length · weight

fish catches icon
recently logged catches
Loading...

Northern pike

Lake Michigan (IL)

34 in · 15 lb

fish catches icon
recently logged catches
Loading...

Muskellunge

Spillway Access Area (Kaskaskia River)

length · weight

fish catches icon
recently logged catches
Loading...

Muskellunge

Algonquin Dam

length · weight

fish catches icon
recently logged catches
Loading...

Muskellunge

Spillway Access Area (Kaskaskia River)

length · weight

fish catches icon
recently logged catches
Loading...

Muskellunge

Kaskaskia River

35 in · 18 lb

fish catches icon
recently logged catches
Loading...

Northern pike

South Lake (Three Oaks Recreation Area)

length · weight

fish catches icon
recently logged catches
Loading...

Northern pike

Gages Lake

18 in · 2 lb

Fishbrain
More catches in the app...

Continue browsing catches and catch locations in the Fishbrain app

Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

Regulations for Pike in Illinois

Disclaimer: Always check local fishing regulations, water access rights and land ownership before fishing, regardless of any catches logged in that area by the Fishbrain community. Fishbrain has mapped millions of acres of government-owned land across the USA to help you identify potential fishing access, but you are responsible for ensuring compliance with all legal requirements.

Fishing regulations in Illinois can change throughout the year. Make sure to check this page before fishing for the most up to date rules and regulations for the current season. Local regulations govern when you can fish, the max size of the fish you can keep, how many fish you can keep, and more.

Below you will see fishing regulations for catching Northern pike as of April 6th, 2026. To view regulations for a different fish species, please click on your preferred species in the drop-down.

Northern pike

Seasons

Open

Bag limit

3

Min size

24"

Measurement

Total Length

All Northern Pike taken must be 24-inches total length or longer, except in the Mississippi River and Ohio River where there is no size limit. No more than 3 Northern Pike may be taken per day, except as specified under Site-Specific Regulations. Only statewide regulations are shown herein, but you can access Site-Specific Regulations online.

Esox lucius

Regulations for

39°44′21.8″N 89°30′16.2″W
Regulations in the map
App Section
Download Fishbrain and fish smarter
Unlimited access to the best fishing spot finder in the game. Get all the fishing intel you need to start catching more, and bigger, fish.

Free trial available

Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...