Illinois Administrative Code
Title 17 - CONSERVATION
Part 830 - COMMERCIAL FISHING AND MUSSELING IN CERTAIN WATERS OF THE STATE
Section 830.70 - Size and Creel Limit

a) No channel catfish, blue catfish, flathead catfish or white catfish under 15 inches in length, undressed, or 12 inches in length, dressed, or 10.7 inches when dressed with the first vertebrae (T bone) removed, may be taken except in the Ohio River and Wabash River.

b) No shovelnose sturgeon under 24 inches or over 32 inches in length may be taken from the Mississippi River or the Ohio River. No shovelnose sturgeon under 25 inches in length may be taken from the Wabash River. All shovelnose sturgeon shall be measured using fork length, defined as: "the length from the most anterior part of the fish to the tip of the median caudal fin rays" (from tip of the snout to the fork of the tail).

c) No paddlefish less than 28 inches in length may be taken from the Illinois or Mississippi Rivers, no paddlefish less than 32 inches may be taken from the Ohio River. All paddlefish shall be measured using the eye fork length, defined as "the length from the anterior edge of the eye to the fork of the tail" (from the front of the eye to the fork of the tail).

d) No channel catfish, blue catfish or flathead catfish less than 13 inches in total length may be taken from the Wabash and Ohio Rivers. Only one channel catfish per day equal to or greater than 28 inches may be harvested from the Wabash and Ohio Rivers. Only one blue catfish and one flathead catfish per day equal to or greater than 35 inches may be harvested from the Wabash or Ohio Rivers.

e) All washboard mussels shall measure not less than 4.0 inches. All relic (dead) Washboards shall measure not less than 4.0 inches.

f) All mapleleaf mussels shall measure not less than 2.75 inches.

g) All threeridge mussels shall measure not less than 3.0 inches.