Fishing season opens April 1 in two lakes: Axehead and Belleau near Park Ridge

North suburban residents hoping to catch some fish without driving too far will get their chance starting on April 1.

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources will open Axehead Lake, with an entrance on Touhy Avenue just west of Talcott Road, Park Ridge, and Belleau Lake, 2137 Busse Highway, Des Plaines, which borders the northwest tip of Park Ridge.

A fishing license is required for anglers.

Some lakes will be open for catch-and-release fishing starting March 18, according to an IDNR news release, which said no trout may be kept at that time, but that anglers can keep trout beginning April 1. Details are available at www.ifishillinois.org, and anyone trying to take trout before 5 a.m. April 1 will be issued citations, according to IDNR.

IDNR stocks more than 80,000 rainbow trout each year in bodies of water throughout the state, according to the release, which added that the Illinois Catchable Trout Program receives funding from anglers who purchase Inland Trout Stamps.

Everyone who fishes, including for catch-and-release caught before April 1, must have a fishing license and an Inland Trout Stamp unless they are under 16, blind or disabled, or are an Illinois resident on leave from active duty in the Armed Forces, the IDNR said.

Anglers can purchase the licenses and stamps on the website https:// www.exploremoreil.com/ or find locations there for locations where they can be purchased. The daily harvest limit for each angler is five trout.

The IDNR advised anglers to check the opening time of fishing sites prior to the open date.