By Louie Stout

Thanks to the efforts of the Elkhart River Restoration Association (ERRA), the St. Joseph River isn’t the only viable walleye fishery in the neighborhood.

For the third time in five years, the group planted nearly 3,300 robust 6- to 8-inch ‘eyes in the Elkhart at two locations around Goshen recently. Some 2,100 went into the river between Goshen and Elkhart and another 1,150 between Goshen and New Paris, Ind.

The fish came from Gollon Bait out of Wisconsin, the same source used by the Indiana DNR and the Michiana Walleye Association for St. Joseph River stockings.

And based upon what biologists have seen from previous stockings, they should do quite well.

Walleyes were stocked in the Elkhart in 2012 and 2014, opposite years that the Indiana DNR and the Michiana Walleye Association stock the St. Joe. The St. Joe fish are planted in odd years.

Of course, some of those fish will wind up in the St. Joseph, as stocked walleyes typically filter downstream.

“It is an open system and we know some of the Elkhart River fish wind up in the St. Joe,” explained Dar Deegan, board member for the ERRA and river biologist for Elkhart and South Bend.

Deegan estimates about 10 percent of the Elkhart fish move downstream. That’s based on a tagging program of walleyes captured by his city crew while doing St. Joe studies in the spring.

Deegan said he’s been getting great reports of walleye fishing on the Elkhart River.

“I caught a 24-incher this spring that was from the 2012 stocking,” he said. “We’ve heard quite a few reports of 20 inchers caught in the Elkhart since we started planting them there.”

Deegan said the fish are growing extremely well, and those planted last week should be pushing 15 inches next fall. The legal size limit for Elkhart and St. Joe Rivers is 16 inches.

“We were doing a survey in Goshen a week ago and picked up quite a few walleyes in the 16-inch size range that were from the 2014 stocking,” he said.

One reason for the rapid growth is the Elkhart is loaded with shiners, horny head chubs and sunfish, all of which provide a good protein food source and promote growth.

“We’re seeing a lot of good smallmouth bass and pike in there, too,” the biologist added.

The fishery offers both boat and shore anglers access. The Goshen section is impounded and offers about 100 acres for boat fishermen. The water below the Goshen Dam is best suited for wade fishermen, kayakers, or other shallow draft crafts.

“If you can find a deeper hole downstream from the dam, it’s a good place to find walleyes,” said Deegan.

All of this made possible due to the fund-raising efforts of the ERRA. The watershed organization was established to clean up the river and make it more attractive.

“The walleye stocking is an added bonus because it creates awareness and excitement,” said Deegan. “When you get fishermen out there having success, they spread the word that this river is doing well and needs to be taken care of.”