The Indiana DNR Division of Fish & Wildlife plans to stock nearly 63,000 rainbow and brown trout across the state this spring in preparation for inland trout fishing season, which, for inland streams, opens Saturday, April 27.
Twelve teams showed up for Michiana Singles OPEN series inaugural at Pine and Stone lakes in LaPorte last weekend.
Gamakatsu has announced a proprietary new finish for their most popular hook styles.
MDNR Report
After decades of fish stocking decreases to balance the alewife and Chinook salmon populations, the Michigan DNR is seeing good indicators that a modest stocking increase may be warranted in Lake Michigan.
To discuss this proposal and receive public feedback, the DNR will host a virtual meeting Monday, Sept. 19, from 7 to 8:30 p.m.
“We have seen several years of good Chinook salmon growth and have a slight increase in the alewife biomass, or abundance of those fish,” said Jay Wesley, the DNR's Lake Michigan basin coordinator. “Although the alewife biomass is a fraction of what it was historically, we have a good 2021-year class and have seen up to six-year classes of alewives in our fisheries surveys – that means there are up to six different age groups in the current population of alewife."
A "year class" refers to all of the fish of any species hatched, either through natural reproduction or through fish-rearing efforts, during that year's spawning period.
MDNR Report
Last year, nearly 7,000 deer hunters voluntarily reported their deer harvest online to help test the Michigan Department of Natural Resources’ new reporting system. Starting with the fall 2022 deer seasons, online harvest reporting is required for all hunters who successfully take a deer.
Chad Stewart, the DNR’s deer, elk and moose management specialist, said there are several reasons the department is moving to online harvest reporting, but one of the most important is more precise data.
“The decline in response rate to our post-season mail surveys increases the amount of uncertainty in our harvest estimates, which can lead to incorrect regulation recommendations in some locations,” Stewart said.
Brian Frawley, the DNR wildlife biologist who manages the surveys, agreed.
“Twenty years ago, 75% of recipients responded to the survey, but in recent years we have seen a response rate consistently under 40%,” Frawley said. “If we’re going to provide hunters, wildlife managers and the Michigan Natural Resources Commission with timely, accurate data, we need to change how we collect it.”
Reporting options
Hunters will have up to 72 hours after taking a deer to report their harvest. The DNR estimates it should take about three to five minutes to complete the report, and there are two ways to do it:
Connect With Us