Class I Rock River, IL/WI

The Rock River, which winds 155 miles through northwestern Illinois, is one of the main tributaries to the Mississippi River and provides a diverse fishery. The river provides an aquatic resource of about 12,400 acres as it glides past towns like Rockford, Oregon, Dixon, Sterling and Rock Island before spilling into the Mississippi. Dams at Rock Island, Milan, Sterling, Dixon, Oregon, Rock-ford and Rockton produce fast, turbulent water, and these tailwaters are good spots for walleyes, sauger and white bass. (Illinois DNR)