The Indiana Department of Natural Resources has stocked 70,000 channel catfish in 131 locations and 57,000 fall fingerling walleye in 11 locations since mid-October, expanding fishing opportunities across the state.

The channel catfish range in size from 7-12 inches long. The fall fingerling walleye average 5 to 8 inches long, typically reaching 14 inches after two to three years of growth and 16 inches three to four years after stocking.

All stocked channel catfish were stocked in publicly accessible waters after being raised by Cikana (Morgan County), Driftwood (Jackson County), and East Fork (Daviess County) state fish hatcheries.

“Once stocked, channel catfish acclimate to their new environment and start biting quickly while the walleyes will take a few years to reach legal size,” said fisheries biologist Tom Bacula.

Fall fingerling walleye were stocked in Big Turkey, Crooked and Clear lakes (Steuben), Fish, Pine/Stone lakes (LaPorte), Loon and Sylvan lakes (Noble), Pretty and Wall lakes (Noble), Winona Lake (Kosciusko), and the St. Joseph River (St. Joseph). The walleye were purchased from a commercial fish supplier and grown at Fawn River State Fish Hatchery. In addition to these lakes, there are multiple other lakes stocked with walleyes by privately funded lake associations. A stocking permit from DNR is needed to do any stocking.

Anglers are required to follow bag and size restrictions. In most lakes and reservoirs, the statewide regulation is 10 channel catfish per day with no more than one being longer than 28 inches. For walleye, the daily bag limit is six with a minimum size of 16 inches if caught north of State Road 26, and 14 inches if caught south of S.R. 26. A few lakes have a different bag limit, and they are listed in the Fishing Guide, along with all other fishing regulations found at on.IN.gov/fishingguide.

Pufferbelly Trail extension opens

On Dec. 3, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources and the city of Fort Wayne celebrated the opening of the Pufferbelly Trail extension.

“Hoosiers continually tell us that trails are the top way they like to get out and experience Indiana’s great outdoors,” said Alan Morrison, DNR director. “That positive demand motivated the DNR to lead the largest investment in trails in Indiana history, with funding that supports this extension of the Pufferbelly Trail and 88 other impactful trail projects across the state.”

The 1.7-mile, multi-use, asphalt trail extension was constructed by the city of Fort Wayne with help from a $2,685,278 grant administered by the DNR.

The new segment completes a major gap in the Pufferbelly Trail between Washington Center and Lima roads. The trail now extends more than 13 miles from the DeKalb County line into downtown Fort Wayne, connecting into 130 miles of existing trails and to great destinations including Lawton Park, Headwaters Park, Franke Park and the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo.

“The Pufferbelly Trail is a crown jewel in our community that connects residents and visitors to businesses and neighborhoods. It’s evident that the trail is a strong demonstration of how collaboration and teamwork can have a lasting and positive impact, and I truly value and appreciate the partnership the city of Fort Wayne has with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources,” said Fort Wayne Mayor Sharon Tucker. “As a people-focused mayor, I enjoy seeing individuals and families enjoying the excellent amenities that Fort Wayne has to offer.”

The Pufferbelly Trail is part of the planned Poka-Bache Trail, an 81.3-mile State Visionary Trail ultimately connecting Pokagon State Park in Angola to Ouabache State Park in Bluffton.

Late fall prime time for Muskie

Late fall is a great time to fish for muskie because the fish are feeding aggressively to prepare for the cold months ahead. Weed beds providing cover for fish during the summer have also thinned, leaving muskies roaming open water.

Tracking studies by Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) biologists show muskies expand their range more in the fall than any other season, meaning more fishing spots will have the species.

Indiana’s stocking program continues to support healthy muskie populations statewide, stocking 22,960 muskies across 10 bodies of water last month. Stocked fish ranged from 9.42 to 11.77 inches long.

Indiana’s DNR stocked 6,051 fish in Brookville Lake, 5,665 in the Tippecanoe Lake chain, and 4,250 in the Barbee Lake chain. The DNR also supplied 3,096 muskie to Webster Lake, the lake where the muskie stocking program gets the muskie eggs.

Anglers hoping to take advantage of the late-season opportunity should target the remaining weed beds, which still attract prey fish and provide cover, using large lures or live suckers for bait to entice bigger strikes. Persistence is the key, as muskies are on the move and may be as likely to find you as you are to find them.

“Fall muskie fishing is one of Indiana’s best-kept secrets, and anglers can land some trophy size fish,” said Tyler Delauder, Indiana DNR’s fisheries biologist.

For all stocking numbers, go to on.IN.gov/fish-stocking and click on Fish Stocking Dashboard. To learn more about Indiana DNR’s muskie program go to: wildlife.IN.gov/fishing/muskie-fishing.

Syracuse man dies after recovery from pond

Indiana Conservation Officers are investigating after a man was recovered Dec. 1 ffom a pond in Elkhart County.

At 4 p.m., emergency personnel were dispatched to a private pond near the 70000 block of County Road 29 in Syracuse. The initial investigation revealed 69-year-old Phillip Hoover was attempting to rescue his dog from the ice-covered pond when he fell through the ice.

Hoover was recovered from the pond by emergency personnel and taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead. The dog was recovered and survived with no injuries.

Indiana Conservation Officers remind citizens to assume no ice is safe ice, test the ice before going on it, have safety measures in place, such as wearing a life jacket and having ice picks, and inform others before you go out.

‘till next time,  

Jack

Readers can contact the author by writing to this publication or e-mail Jack at jackspaulding1971@outlook.com 

Spaulding’s books, “The Best Of Spaulding Outdoors” and “The Coon Hunter And The Kid,” are available from Amazon.com as a paperback or Kindle download.