Fishing Information

ILFishing.com has compiled a series of comprehensive lists of bait shops, boat dealers, fishing guides, fishing maps, marinas, fishing media, and fishing web sites in Illinois.

The categories are outlined below. This information is a work in progress that will undergo many additions and corrections. We welcome your input about the content of the lists. Please email your information to feedback@ilfishing.com

The bottom of this page contains a link to download Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is required to read the lists in .pdf format. In addition, there are links to Mapquest.com to help you find directions to businesses and Weather.com to get local weather forecasts.

Be aware that categories include a variety of businesses. Our bait shops lists, for instance, contain businesses that carry a complete line of tackle and bait, as well as service stations that sell food, ice, bait, and gasoline. We have tried to include only those locations that at least sell fishing bait. We have omitted general sporting goods retailers, but included stores that cater exclusively to the outdoor needs of fishermen.

If in doubt about what a specific location offers, Call Ahead!

You can view a list of Illinois bait shops by clicking on  Bait Shops by Name  or  Bait Shops by City, both arranged alphabetically by either business name or city location.

Boat Dealers by Name  and  Boat Dealers by City  are also arranged alphabetically by name and city. This category also includes propeller shops, boat repair businesses, and a variety of boating-related companies, such as those who make or repair boat covers.

Fishing Guides by Name  alphabetically lists Illinois fishing guides, as well as those who advertise as teachers or fishing instructors.

Fishing Maps  is a list of sources for maps of Illinois bodies of water.

Marinas by Name  and  Marinas by City  both list on-the-water marinas by name and location. Many of these businesses are also boat dealers and may be found in both categories.

Fishing Media  includes a listing of outdoor writers, television and radio shows, and print publications that cover fishing in Illinois.

You will find links to web sites that relate to fishing our area at   Fishing Web Sites.  Some of these sites are devoted exclusively to fishing in Illinois, while others only have Illinois sections.