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Trout and salmon stocked
 

By Jack Spaulding

Indiana’s DNR hatchery staff recently completed spring stockings for Lake Michigan and its tributaries, adding more than 589,100 trout and salmon to public waters.

Locations stocked include East Chicago Marina, East Branch Little Calumet River, Salt Creek, Trail Creek and the St. Joseph River. Among the fish stocked were 90,280 brown trout fingerlings, 77,166 Coho salmon yearlings, 225,776 Skamania steelhead yearlings, and 195,915 Chinook salmon fingerlings.

Due to the COVID-related cancellation of the spring 2020 egg take at the Little Manistee Weir in Michigan, no winter-run steelhead yearlings were stocked. To make up for the shortfall in fish production, Indiana raised extra Skamania steelhead yearlings and obtained twice as many brown trout as usual from the Illinois DNR.

Indiana also experienced sourcing issues with Chinook salmon. Indiana does not have the infrastructure to spawn Chinook salmon, so the DNR relies on partners in other states for eggs. Wisconsin DNR was not able to provide enough viable eggs to meet Indiana’s target. To make up for most of the shortfall, Indiana’s hatchery staff worked with other Lake Michigan partner states, securing more than 59,000 surplus Chinook from the Illinois DNR and 39,000 from the Michigan DNR.

“The last year has been a challenge to navigate with production shortages, canceled egg takes and many pandemic-related issues,” said Ben Dickinson, DNR’s Lake Michigan biologist. “I’m proud of our hatchery staff for being adaptable, and very grateful for all our Lake Michigan state agency partners for helping to ensure we can stock a variety of species to maintain our diverse fishery.”

Although fish stockings are complete for the spring, Coho salmon fingerlings are scheduled to be stocked during October and winter-run steelhead fingerlings will be stocked in December.

 

Summertime means skamania

Skamania, or Lake Michigan steelhead, typically begin their spawning runs in June and last throughout August, with peak runs occurring from late June to late July.

Early running fish can be caught as early as mid-May; it’s not too early to get to the lake. Look for surface water temperatures under 68 degrees for best action. Strong south winds during the heat of summer will cause upwelling of cool water and hot steelhead action near shore.

Recommended locations:

• The mouth of Burns Ditch at Portage Lakefront Park.

• The pier at Washington Park, Michigan City.

• DNR/Coast Guard public access site in the inner harbor of Michigan City.

Most Skamania steelhead taken by shore anglers are caught on live bait. Up to three rods are permitted to increase your chances. A spinning rod spooled with 8-12-pound test monofilament line will work with live bait. Make sure you have a quality reel, as the fish are lightning quick and can really put a strain on a reel’s drag. Suspend a size-2 to size-6 hook about 4-6 feet under a bobber. Small spawn sacs, whole cooked shrimp, nightcrawlers and minnows are all great bait.

 

Preliminary spring turkey harvest results

Hunters harvested 12,320 wild turkeys during Indiana’s 2021 spring season, with at least one turkey harvested in 91 of 92 counties. No birds were harvested in Tipton County. While the 2021 harvest was lower than last year’s record harvest of 14,492 birds, this year’s harvest was similar to the previous five years’ spring harvest results – averaging 12,065 birds per season.

A total of 1,198 birds (10 percent of total harvest) were taken by youth hunters during the youth-only weekend, Apr. 17-18. Hunters had an estimated success rate of 19 percent compared to 21 percent in 2020.

A complete analysis of Indiana’s spring harvest data for 2021 will be available later this summer. To see county harvest numbers, check out our spring turkey harvest website at: https://www.in.gov/dnr/fish-and-wildlife/hunting-and-trapping/wild-turkey-hunting-biology-and-management/indiana-wild-turkey-fall-harvest-data/

 

Turkey brood survey

Across the state, turkeys are scouring Indiana’s woodlands and fields for insects with poults (turkey chicks) in tow. During July and August, the Indiana DNR needs outdoor lovers to help to count turkey broods and hens without poults to calculate the annual Wild Turkey Production Index (number of poults per adult hens). The Production Index helps estimate wild turkey populations in the state and provides guidance for future management.

You can view the 2020 results for the turkey brood survey online at: https://www.in.gov/dnr/fish-and-wildlife/wildlife-resources/animals/wild-turkey/turkey-brood-reporting/. Mark your calendars for this year’s survey period, starting on July 1 and running through Aug. 31.

 

Canada geese grounded

Have you noticed geese and/or their young walking across the road during the summer? This is because adult Canada geese molt every summer and are unable to fly. Molting is the process by which birds replace their flight feathers. During molting, Canada geese are grounded for about a month while their new flight feathers grow. Goslings haven’t even had a chance to grow their first sets of flight feathers by this time. In Indiana, peak molting times for Canada geese are the last two weeks of June through the first two weeks of July.

While gently harassing geese causing conflict is encouraged, harassing them during molt is not as effective nor appropriate since the geese cannot move long distances. Instead, install fencing or a vegetation barrier prior to goose nesting. The barriers should be at least 30 inches tall and should be 20-30 feet wide around the edge of water sources.  For more information about living with Canada geese, visit https://www.in.gov/dnr/fish-and-wildlife/hunting-and-trapping/canada-geese-management/, or contact your district biologist at: https://www.in.gov/dnr/fish-and-wildlife/wildlife-resources/wildlife-biologists/.

Readers can contact the author by writing to this publication, or e-mail to jackspaulding@hughes.net. Spaulding’s books, “The Best of Spaulding Outdoors,” and his latest, “The Coon Hunter And The Kid,” are available from Amazon.com.

 

6/14/2021