Spring is really around the Corner. Honest.
Looking for a clue? How about the fact that a few steelhead have been sliding through the South Bend ladder.
Sure, theyre a few weeks behind. But with a little warmer weather to heat up the river, fish officials expect a big rush upstream that could help make up for the poor fall run of 2012.
Lake Michigan biologist Brian Breidert said 382 steelhead have passed over the South Bend dam this spring with the majority of those coming the past two weeks.
The bad news is were 2,517 fish behind last years pace. On the other hand, last March was unseasonably warm.
We just need warmer water, said Breidert. Some years, March is the best month. Other years, its April.
Dick Parker at Central Park Bait and Tackle in Mishawaka said those shore anglers brave enough to get out in the cold weather this week were catching fish. Theyve been drifting spawn, wax worms, and shrimp under bobbers or bouncing the morsels along the bottom to catch the fish.
There have been other angling hints of spring. For example, some walleye are being caught below Indiana dams along the St. Joseph, with the best action at the Elkhart dam. Again, warmer water would help, but walleyes tend to move upstream in March for spawning and river temps this week have hindered that.
In addition, panfish are being caught in some of the channels attached to lakes and rivers. Dave Garber of The Tackle box in North Webster said some really big crappies were being caught from Webster, Tippecanoe and Wawasee channels before this cold weather hit.
I suppose the fish are still there, but its been so cold that not many guys are going out, he added.