02-27-2007, 08:10 PM
The catch of the day is the new 2007 Indiana Recreation and Fishing Guide, a 72-page free booklet from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.
The guide summarizes Indiana fishing regulations, including license fees, possession limits, consumption advisories, and a county-by-county list of public access fishing locations in Indiana.
There is a two-page fish identification guide and maps that show locations of state parks, reservoirs, forests and fish and wildlife areas.
Other information includes:
- How to purchase a fishing license.<br />
- Boating and life preserver rules.<br />
- Controlling aquatic nuisance species<br />
- Entry forms for the state record fish and fish of the year programs.
The annual guide is available at most DNR properties and where fishing licenses are sold. The new regulations are also posted on the Web at: http://www.IN.gov/dnr/fishwild/fish/fishng/fishgide.htm
Summary of 2007 fishing regulation changes<br />
-----------------------------------------------------<br />
Public meetings, advice from biologists and angler surveys were used to develop several new fishing regulations intended to enhance fishing opportunities and protect fish populations. Some of the new regulations cover:<br />
------------------------------------------------------
Black Bass<br />
-----------------<br />
- Removes Delaney Park Lake in Washington County from the list of 12- to15 -inch slot limit lakes. This change means that black bass taken from Delaney Park Lake must have a minimum size of 14 inches. The slot limit did its job thinning overabundant small bass and the return to a 14-inch limit is now needed to prevent bass overharvest.
- Cancels the "no harvest" restriction on bass at Dove Hollow Lake at Glendale FWA. This change means black bass taken from Dove Hollow Lake must have a minimum size of 14 inches. The 5 bass daily bag limit also applies. The "no harvest" regulation was part of a temporary research project that did not pan out.
- Places an 18-inch size limit and two fish bag limit on bass at J.C. Murphey Lake at Willow Slough FWA. This rule is already in place as a property regulation but now is a promulgated administrative rule. This popular fishing lake was restocked in 2004 following draining for repairs to the dam and spillway. The special bass regulations are intended to help develop and maintain quality bass fishing well into the future.
- Establishes a protected 12- to 15- inch slot limit on bass at the Blue River in Crawford, Harrison and Washington counties. Bass smaller than 12 inches and larger than 15 inches may be taken. It also stipulates that no more than two of the daily bag limit of five bass may be fish longer than 15 inches. The purpose of the rule change is to thin out overabundant, slow-growing small bass to improve the remaining bass's growth while protecting spawning-size fish.
- Establishes a 20-inch minimum bass size limit and a one fish daily bag limit on Sugar Creek throughout the rivers entire length in Parke, Montgomery, Boone, Clinton and Tipton counties. Sugar Creek has an excellent smallmouth bass population that exhibits good growth rates and has the potential to be an outstanding producer of larger bass with additional protection.
Bluegill/Redear/Crappie<br />
-----------------------------------<br />
- Establishes an aggregate daily bag limit of 25 fish for bluegill, redear and crappie at J.C. Murphey Lake at Willow Slough FWA in Newton County. This rule is already in place as a property regulation but now it is a promulgated administrative rule. This popular fishing lake was restocked in 2004 after draining for repairs to the dam and spillway. The special regulations are intended to help develop and maintain quality panfishing.
Bowfishing/Pitchforks<br />
---------------------------------<br />
- Allows bowfishing (day or night) for specified nongame fish at the eight large stream reaches where spearing and gigging is already allowed. The difference is that bowfishing can now occur on these large streams at night. The reference to pitchforks has also been removed, eliminating it as a legal means of taking fish. There was no known justification for using pitchforks and their lack of barbed points allows escape of injured fish.
Shovelnose Sturgeon<br />
----------------------------------<br />
- Defines "fork length". Fork length (tip of snout to fork of tail) is used to measure these fish because the long upper tail filament is sometimes broken off.
- Establishes a 25-inch minimum fork length size limit on shovelnose sturgeon for both sport and commercial fishing.
- Defines an open season for commercial harvest of shovelnose sturgeon (October 1 through May 31). Increased commercial pressure for caviar prompted these changes.
Inland Trout<br />
--------------------<br />
- Establishes a "catch and release only" season for inland trout from January 1 through April 14. This used to be the old closed season. A few areas support "carry-over" trout including brown trout stocked by clubs. This change is intended to encourage people to go fishing while protecting carry-over trout, particularly brown trout.
- Redefines the inland trout closed season as April 15 to the last Saturday in April. Also defines the stream segments that would be closed to all fishing during the closed season (by visible landmarks). This two-week period closes the streams while they are stocked with rainbow trout from state hatcheries
- Establishes a brown trout bag limit of one fish (out of the daily bag limit of five trout) statewide with the exception of named stream segments in Elkhart County where a year-round "catch-and-release only" designation applies for trout. Other species that are legally caught may be taken from these "catch-and-release" segments. These segments are on the Little Elkhart River, Solomon Creek and Cobus Creek and total 2.8 miles in Elkhart County. They are also designated artificial lures or flies only. Fishing with live or natural baits, food products or chemical attractants is prohibited in these designated segments. These segments are stocked with brown trout by private fishing clubs. The new regulation's goal is to provide opportunities for everyone to catch larger and more trout.
The guide summarizes Indiana fishing regulations, including license fees, possession limits, consumption advisories, and a county-by-county list of public access fishing locations in Indiana.
There is a two-page fish identification guide and maps that show locations of state parks, reservoirs, forests and fish and wildlife areas.
Other information includes:
- How to purchase a fishing license.<br />
- Boating and life preserver rules.<br />
- Controlling aquatic nuisance species<br />
- Entry forms for the state record fish and fish of the year programs.
The annual guide is available at most DNR properties and where fishing licenses are sold. The new regulations are also posted on the Web at: http://www.IN.gov/dnr/fishwild/fish/fishng/fishgide.htm
Summary of 2007 fishing regulation changes<br />
-----------------------------------------------------<br />
Public meetings, advice from biologists and angler surveys were used to develop several new fishing regulations intended to enhance fishing opportunities and protect fish populations. Some of the new regulations cover:<br />
------------------------------------------------------
Black Bass<br />
-----------------<br />
- Removes Delaney Park Lake in Washington County from the list of 12- to15 -inch slot limit lakes. This change means that black bass taken from Delaney Park Lake must have a minimum size of 14 inches. The slot limit did its job thinning overabundant small bass and the return to a 14-inch limit is now needed to prevent bass overharvest.
- Cancels the "no harvest" restriction on bass at Dove Hollow Lake at Glendale FWA. This change means black bass taken from Dove Hollow Lake must have a minimum size of 14 inches. The 5 bass daily bag limit also applies. The "no harvest" regulation was part of a temporary research project that did not pan out.
- Places an 18-inch size limit and two fish bag limit on bass at J.C. Murphey Lake at Willow Slough FWA. This rule is already in place as a property regulation but now is a promulgated administrative rule. This popular fishing lake was restocked in 2004 following draining for repairs to the dam and spillway. The special bass regulations are intended to help develop and maintain quality bass fishing well into the future.
- Establishes a protected 12- to 15- inch slot limit on bass at the Blue River in Crawford, Harrison and Washington counties. Bass smaller than 12 inches and larger than 15 inches may be taken. It also stipulates that no more than two of the daily bag limit of five bass may be fish longer than 15 inches. The purpose of the rule change is to thin out overabundant, slow-growing small bass to improve the remaining bass's growth while protecting spawning-size fish.
- Establishes a 20-inch minimum bass size limit and a one fish daily bag limit on Sugar Creek throughout the rivers entire length in Parke, Montgomery, Boone, Clinton and Tipton counties. Sugar Creek has an excellent smallmouth bass population that exhibits good growth rates and has the potential to be an outstanding producer of larger bass with additional protection.
Bluegill/Redear/Crappie<br />
-----------------------------------<br />
- Establishes an aggregate daily bag limit of 25 fish for bluegill, redear and crappie at J.C. Murphey Lake at Willow Slough FWA in Newton County. This rule is already in place as a property regulation but now it is a promulgated administrative rule. This popular fishing lake was restocked in 2004 after draining for repairs to the dam and spillway. The special regulations are intended to help develop and maintain quality panfishing.
Bowfishing/Pitchforks<br />
---------------------------------<br />
- Allows bowfishing (day or night) for specified nongame fish at the eight large stream reaches where spearing and gigging is already allowed. The difference is that bowfishing can now occur on these large streams at night. The reference to pitchforks has also been removed, eliminating it as a legal means of taking fish. There was no known justification for using pitchforks and their lack of barbed points allows escape of injured fish.
Shovelnose Sturgeon<br />
----------------------------------<br />
- Defines "fork length". Fork length (tip of snout to fork of tail) is used to measure these fish because the long upper tail filament is sometimes broken off.
- Establishes a 25-inch minimum fork length size limit on shovelnose sturgeon for both sport and commercial fishing.
- Defines an open season for commercial harvest of shovelnose sturgeon (October 1 through May 31). Increased commercial pressure for caviar prompted these changes.
Inland Trout<br />
--------------------<br />
- Establishes a "catch and release only" season for inland trout from January 1 through April 14. This used to be the old closed season. A few areas support "carry-over" trout including brown trout stocked by clubs. This change is intended to encourage people to go fishing while protecting carry-over trout, particularly brown trout.
- Redefines the inland trout closed season as April 15 to the last Saturday in April. Also defines the stream segments that would be closed to all fishing during the closed season (by visible landmarks). This two-week period closes the streams while they are stocked with rainbow trout from state hatcheries
- Establishes a brown trout bag limit of one fish (out of the daily bag limit of five trout) statewide with the exception of named stream segments in Elkhart County where a year-round "catch-and-release only" designation applies for trout. Other species that are legally caught may be taken from these "catch-and-release" segments. These segments are on the Little Elkhart River, Solomon Creek and Cobus Creek and total 2.8 miles in Elkhart County. They are also designated artificial lures or flies only. Fishing with live or natural baits, food products or chemical attractants is prohibited in these designated segments. These segments are stocked with brown trout by private fishing clubs. The new regulation's goal is to provide opportunities for everyone to catch larger and more trout.