By Louie Stout
The majority of the proposed regulation changes Indiana announced recently deserve public support.
State biologists have put several recommended changes up for sportsmen to consider and offer them a chance to express opinions on the states website www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/7373.htm. Thats also where you can find details on all of the proposals. The deadline for comment is Feb. 28.
Here are my thoughts and the DNRs rationale for those proposals that would impact most Michiana sportsmen:
Bluegill bag limit: The change that calls for a 25-fish daily bag limit is long overdue, matches Michigans bag limit on bluegills, and makes sense.
While panfish are prolific, the lakes known to produce bigger fish get heavily fished, especially during ice season on smaller lakes, where larger year classes can be reduced substantially from fishing pressure.
Besides, does one person really need more than 25 bluegill a day? And who wants to fillet more than that?
16-inch walleye size limit: This comes as a bit of a surprise considering Michigans limit is 15 inches, but it makes sense.
Currently, Indianas size limit is 14 inches in most lakes and 15 inches on the St. Joseph River. The proposal would place a 16-inch minimum length on fish caught north of Ind. 26 on nearly all public waters, including our rivers.
Among those excluded are Bass Lake in Starke County and Simonton Lake in Elkhart County, both of which have slower growing fish; Lake George in Steuben County that straddles the Michigan/Indiana line; and Wall Lake in LaGrange County which already has a 16-inch, 2-fish limit.
Walleyes, especially the larger fingerlings that show greater survival, are expensive to raise and stock. Based upon DNR surveys, it takes a northern Indiana walleye 2 1/2 years to reach 15 inches and 3 to 3 1/2 years to achieve 16 inches. Also, creel studies show that the majority of walleyes harvested are less than 16 inches long. Giving the fish another year to grow offers additional protection to a valuable fish.
Besides, Indiana laws protect natural producing bass until they are four and five years old, so why not protect walleyes through age three? And, if there is some natural reproduction as some river anglers believe, it could enhance the fishery by allowing adult walleyes to propagate.
Increase muskie size limit: The DNR says there is evidence that fewer young muskies (stocked) are surviving in Lake Webster and its connecting waters (Backwater and Kiser). Once considered the crown jewel of Indiana muskie fishing, biologists would like to protect Webster muskies until they reach 44 inches instead of the current 36-inch size limit.
Muskie guides, who support the proposal, say their muskie sightings and catch rates have declined. Six of eight Midwestern states now have larger size limits than Indiana, so this change would be comparable to what others are doing and provide more trophy opportunities for anglers.
Establish a trapping season on river otters: This proposal may draw criticism from animal rights lovers, but it makes sense. The DNRs reintroduction of river otters in the late 1990s was wildly successful so successful that their growing populations are creating problems for fishermen and pond owners (otters are fish eating machines).
In addition, some otters are accidentally killed in legal traps during the trapping season but Indiana trappers arent allowed to market their pelts (neighboring states allow river otter trapping). This regulation would allow the DNR to establish a flexible season to insure a healthy river otter population while allowing some legalized trapping.
Increase catfish size limit: Changing the existing 10-inch size limit on channel, flathead and blue catfish to 13 inches is expected to increase the overall population in rivers and streams. The proposal also limits the bag to one channel cat 28 inches or longer; one flathead 35 inches or longer and one blue cat 35 inches or longer by sport or commercial anglers from lakes or streams.
The DNR says theres evidence of a declining catfish population. Catfish generally dont start reproducing until they reach 15 inches, so this gives more cats a chance to reach adulthood and spawn. Also, there is evidence that big, live cats caught from public waters are being sold to pay lake operators.