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Published: 05 January 2014

By Louie Stout

Do you think a bag limit on Indiana bluegill would produce better fishing in the future?

Would a 16-inch size limit on St. Joe walleyes or a 44-inch size limit on some muskie lakes provide bigger fish in the coming years?

Those are just a few of the trial balloons that the Indiana DNR sent up this week within a package of proposals it has put before the public as it begins assessing future changes to sportsmen laws.

Or, if you have your own ideas of what would improve fishing, hunting and trapping in Indiana, the DNR would like to hear those as well.

You can contribute your ideas and provide input on some three dozen proposals the DNR has identified for consideration between now until Feb. 28. You’ll find the complete listing as well as a place to offer your thoughts online at www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild. Click on the “Got Input” box in the middle of the page.

(For a listing of all the proposals, click here.

After Feb. 28, DNR staffers will evaluate all comments and determine which proposals to forward to the Natural Resources Commission for consideration.

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Published: 04 January 2014

By Louie Stout

Why We Fish by Robert MontgomeryHave you ever paused before making that first cast at dawn, taken a deep breath as your eyes scan across the water and said to yourself, “this is why I fish!”

If not, I feel sorry for you.

There’s no better way to initiate a day on the water than putting it in proper perspective before you get at the business at hand. Sadly, most of us are too preoccupied with getting to our hot spot, tying on the right lure or bait and pursuing our dream of having a “successful” day of catching fish.

Sure, catching fish is important. Those successes, regardless of how frequently they occur, are what motivates anglers to get up early, spend long days on the water, and disregard any bad weather they encounter.

But when you get right down to it, catching fish isn’t the only reason we fish.

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