Illinois · Fishing license · Age
What age do you need a fishing license in Illinois?
From 16 on, with no upper limit.
The ages that matter
Under 16
No license needed
Children can fish without one. Everything else still applies though — limits, sizes and seasons do not change with age.
16 and up
License required
Carry it with you while fishing.
65 and up
Cheaper, not free
Illinois has no age exemption. Residents get a reduced rate instead: Sport fishing, 65 and older at $7.75, Senior sportsman's licence (hunting and fishing) at $13.50.
How IDNR words it
IDNR prices its licences from 16 up and sells a reduced licence to anglers of 65 and over; the fee pages read carry the prices rather than a quoted age sentence.
Quoted rather than paraphrased. With rules that carry a fine, the exact wording is the point.
Other ways to be exempt
Age is one route. IDNR lists these as well.
