Indiana
Walleye
The
website for people who love walleye fishing
DNR
News
It's
reel fun with a catch
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Free Fishing Weekend is June 12-13
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Put a wake on a lake or crank on a bank and get in on some Hoosier panfish
pandemonium during Indiana's Free Fishing Weekend.
Hoosier adults do not need a license to fish in Indiana this June 12-13.
Children under the age of 17 do not need a fishing license at any time.
To help kids and adults celebrate Free Fishing Weekend, recreation areas
located across Indiana are planning fun fishing derbies, casting clinics
and fish cleaning and cooking classes.
Check out a new lake or river, or introduce friends and family to a
favorite fishing spot. Some properties require pre-registration. Call your
favorite property for details.
Free Fishing Weekend event locations:
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- Atterbury Fish and Wildlife Area, Edinburgh, 812-526-2051
- Brown County State Park, Nashville, 812-988-5240
- Cagles Mill Lake (Lieber SRA), Cloverdale, 765-795-4576
- Cecil M. Harden Lake (Raccoon SRA), Rockville, 765-344-1412
- Cedar Lake, Lake County, 219-374-6157
- Chain O' Lakes State Park, Albion, 260-636-2654
- Eagle Creek Park, Indianapolis, 317-327-7110
- Falls of the Ohio State Park, Jeffersonville, 812-280-9970
- Ferdinand State Forest, Ferdinand, 812-367-1524
- Ferrettie/Baugo Creek County Park, Oceola, 574-674-9765
- Fort Harrison State Park, Indianapolis, 317-591-0904
- Glendale Fish and Wildlife Area, Montgomery, 812-644-7711
- Hardy Lake, Scottsburg, 812-794-3800
- Hot Pond Park, Lebanon, 765-482-8860
- J. Edward Roush Lake, Huntington, 260-468-2127
- Mansfield Mill, Mansfield, 765-344-1412 (Raccoon SRA)
- Mississinewa Lake, Peru, 260-468-2127
- Monroe Lake, Bloomington, 812-837-9546
- Ouabache State Park, Bluffton 260-824-0926
- Oxbow County Park, Goshen, 574-535-6458
- Patoka Lake, Birdseye, 812-685-2447
- Potato Creek State Park, North Liberty, 574-656-8186
- St. Patrick County Park, South Bend, 574-277-4828
- Salamonie Lake, Andrews, 260-468-2127
- Shakamak State Park, Jasonville, 812-665-2158
- Starve Hollow State Recreation Area, Vallonia, 812-358-3464
- Summit Lake State Park, New Castle, 765-766-5873
- Versailles State Park, Versailles, 812-689-6424
- Whitewater Memorial State Park, Liberty, 765-458-5565
- Wyandotte Woods State Recreation Area, Corydon, 812-738-8234
More 2004 Spring Fishing Festivities
-------------------------------------
- Hoosier National Forest at Camp Maumee, June 5, 812-275-5987
- Hoosier National Forest at Derby Quarry, June 5, 812-547-7051
- Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge, June 5, 812-522-4352
Although no fishing license is needed to fish public waters on Free
Fishing Weekend, all other fishing regulations are still in effect.
Individuals who need reasonable modifications for effective participation
in Free Fishing Weekend events should contact the property at least 72
hours before the
event. Or, call the DNR Division of Fish and Wildlife ADA Coordinator at
317-232-4080 (voice and TDD).
DNR property information:
http://www.IN.gov/dnr
Indiana fishing reports:
http://www.ai.org/serv/dnr_fishingreport
----------------------
Media Contact:
John Maxwell
317-232-5648
Indy's
first-ever bald eagles hatch 4/20/04
Heritage Trust purchase produces city's first eagles
The first recorded bald eagle nest in Indianapolis has produced Indiana's
first-ever capital city eagle chicks.
"One of our guys checked the nest Friday, and he saw a little head
poke up out of the nest," said Indianapolis Parks Department real
estate manager Paul Smith.
DNR photographer John Maxwell confirmed the presence of two chicks in the
nest today. "They were little gray fuzzy things gulping down duck
meat as fast as they could swallow," said Maxwell.
The nest is at Southwestway Park on land purchased this year using Indiana
Heritage Trust license plate funds. The purchase is in an area being
rapidly developed with housing subdivisions.
The new Indy eagle chicks add to the spate of Hoosier eagles repopulating
Indiana. More than 60 Hoosier eagles were hatched in state nests last
year, and Indiana DNR biologist John Castrale counted a record 49 eagle
nests with eggs during helicopter surveys this spring.
Castrale also confirmed a second eagle nest on the southwest side of
Indianapolis on the White River north of I-465.
The 96 acres of natural area near Southwestway Park was purchased this
year using nearly $300,000 in Indiana Heritage Trust funds. The
Heritage Trust land conservation program is funded by the sale of
environment license plates. More than 30,000 acres have been conserved
over the last ten years.
Photos of Indy eagle chicks:
http://www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/stuff/gallery/indyeagle.htm
Heritage Trust information. See what makes the blue plate special:
http://www.IN.gov/dnr/heritage
State,
IPL complete sale of forest in Morgan County 4/13/04
Hunting will be open this fall
Indianapolis Power & Light Company (IPL) and state officials have
finalized paperwork to complete the purchase of 1,511 acres of forest land
in Morgan County. State officials paid $4,534,200 for the property
as the final act to a process that began in the fall of 2002.
"The closing is much, much more than a simple business
transaction," Gov. Joe Kernan said. "We have secured for future
generations an important part of our Hoosier landscape. The acquisition of
this land strengthens our environment and adds to our protected natural
resources in an area that has seen and will continue to experience rapid
economic development."
The land is part of 4,050 acres that IPL originally owned and planned to
sell at public auction last December. Successful negotiations between the
state and IPL for the 1,511 acres were concluded before the scheduled
auction and the remaining 2,539 acres of farmland and forest were
purchased by a group of local businessmen.
"This is a shining example of how a public and private partnership
can
benefit everyone," said IPL President & CEO Ann D. Murtlow.
"IPL joins the community in its excitement about using this land in a
way that so many will be able to enjoy."
The purchase price for the land comes from the Indiana Department of
Transportation's Crossroads 2000 fund. The forested land will be
considered as mitigation for forestland that will be lost to future
highway projects.
The land purchased by the state is an upland forest located east of
Burkhart Creek and north of Indiana 67. It is bordered on the north and
east by privately owned forestland.
The state Department of Natural Resources will manage the land as part of
Morgan-Monroe State Forest. In the future wildlife watchers, birders,
hikers and hunters will all be able to enjoy the new property. Hunting
will begin in the fall of 2004.
"These new acres are a great addition to our public land in
Indiana," said DNR Director John Goss. "I especially urge anyone
with an interest in this property to join DNR forestry staff on April 24
for a public open house to discuss this and other DNR-managed forests in
the area."
The forestry open house is one of a series on all the state forests that
began Feb. 24 and will continue through June 3. The open houses will
include displays about recreation activities, budget issues, staffing,
major projects, the Indiana Heritage Trust program, and resource
management.
The Saturday, April 24 Yellowwood and Morgan-Monroe State Forests open
house has been expanded to include some information about the new
purchase.
The open house will take place between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. (EST) at the
Shelter House at Yellowwood State Forest, seven miles west of Nashville
(about five miles west of Nashville on St. Rd. 46, then about two miles
north on Yellowwood Road). Phone (812) 988-7945.
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Fish
preparation workshop 4/12/04
Get ready for spring fishing by learning how to make the most of your
catch.
Purdue University educators David Osborne and Dr. Charles Santerre will
present a free workshop on cleaning and preparation of fish on April 29
from 6 to 9 p.m. at SEPAC Farm, just west of Butlerville, Ind.
Learn electric knife filleting skills and practice your technique.
Discover
practical methods and recipes to improve the quality and taste of common
Indiana fish species while sampling some delicious fish dishes. Gain a
better understanding of what the Indiana fish consumption advisory means
to you and your family.
For more information or to RSVP, call (812) 689-6511.
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River
walleyes getting bigger
Biologist
Larry Koza shows off a 9 1/2-pound walleye that biologists shocked up
while surveying the St. Joseph River below the Elkhart dam. State
officials tagged the fish and released it.
Indiana
Department of Natural Resources biologists Neil Ledet and Larry Koza
joined Elkhart city biologist Joe Foy for a quick survey of walleyes
holding below the Elkhart dam this week. They turned up several
keeper-size walleye, including one weighing more than nine pounds.
Ledet
said more than 100 walleyes averaging 16 1/2 inches were counted during
the electro-fishing survey. The biologists worked between the dam and Main
Street bridge. The prize, however, was a 9- 1/2 pounder that was tagged
and returned to the water. "We were encouraged by the number of 16-
to 19-inch fish we saw -- more than we've seen in years past," said
Ledet. "We also noticed the fish were a lot fatter and probably
weighed about a half-pound heavier."
Of
the 100 or so fish handled by the biologists, all but six were males.
That's not unusual, Ledet said, as the males are drawn to the dam area
during the spawning season and tend to stay longer than the females.
"I suspect that if we went in at night we'd find a lot more of the
bigger females," he added.
Walleyes
have been stocked in the St. Joseph above the Elkhart dam each year since
the mid-1990s.
Weed
control permit issued for Webster
April 9, 2004
NORTH WEBSTER – State officials have approved permits
to apply herbicides in Lake Webster and nearby Backwater Lake this spring
to control 52 acres of nuisance aquatic weeds along residential
shorelines.
In
addition, approval was granted to treat any recurring stands of Eurasian
water milfoil found throughout the lakes.
Water
milfoil is non-native plant that choked off portions of both lakes in the
past and displaced native species. Major
control efforts were undertaken in 1999 and 2002 to eliminate milfoil, so
officials are willing to grant approval to locate and spray milfoil plants
that reappear.
According
to Jed Pearson, Division of Fish and Wildlife biologist, lake residents
have hired a licensed chemical applicator to treat milfoil, as well as
coontail, chara and curly-leaf pondweed, another non-native species,
within a 50-foot band along most of the shore of Webster and along the
west side of Backwater.
“The
main purpose of the control program is to keep milfoil in check and keep
nearshore boating lanes and swimming areas open for lake residents,”
says Pearson. “Lake Webster and Backwater are very productive, so
without some weed control measures, plants can block access to deeper
water.”
Pearson says the
proposed treatments are reduced in scope compared to recent years.
He expects the amount of herbicides needed to control milfoil to be
minimal.
“Last
year we approved treating up to 77 acres of near-shore area in Webster and
seven acres in Backwater,” says Pearson. “This level of control has
been in place there for several decades and has had no apparent harmful
effects on lake water quality or fishing.”
Pearson
says the milfoil control program used in 2002 virtually eliminated the
plant from the lake. During a survey he conducted last summer in July, no
milfoil was located in Webster and only a single strand was found in
Backwater.
However,
the aggressive milfoil control program prompted complaints from some
anglers that the milfoil control effort went too far. They cited declines
in water clarity, overall reductions in aquatic plants, and poor fishing
as unintended consequences of the control program.
“If
milfoil can be kept under control, we hope to see other native plants
flourish in the lakes,” says Pearson. “So far that hasn’t happened.
But given the amount of milfoil present before, maybe another year or two
is needed to see how other plants respond in the absence of milfoil.”
Pearson
plans to conduct another plant survey this summer to compare the results
with previous surveys.
“Plant
management at Webster Lake has become more contentious in recent years,”
he says. “So the survey results should tell us how the plant community
is changing and guide us when making future decisions.”
Hoosier
bird celebration
Hoosier National Forest is hosting a free
International Migratory Bird Day
educational program on May 8 at Monroe Lake near Bloomington.
The "Habitats on the Hoosier" celebration offers opportunities
to learn
about nearly 350 species of Indiana birds.
Guest speakers will present workshops throughout the day on topics ranging
from wildlife landscaping, important Indiana bird areas, and nature
journaling. Families can build nest boxes, create bird feeders, design
binoculars, identify birds from a birding blind, or participate in
learning
games.
Participants should dress for the weather. The event will be held rain or
shine at Hardin Ridge Recreation Area. Guided bird tours begin at 7 a.m.,
while workshops and booths open at 9 a.m. The event will conclude with an
Owl Prowl at 8 p.m.
For more information visit the Hoosier National Forest Web site at:
http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/hoosier/docs/events/Inter_migratory_bird_day.htm
Or contact Cindy Basile at (812) 547-9229.
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