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Bass Numbers Grow; Is It a Problem?
Do northern Indiana lakes have too many bass?
That’s the question that Hoosier fish managers are starting to ask and, if so, what are the consequences?
“Our surveys indicate bass numbers have doubled over the past 30 years,” said DNR bass biologist Jed Pearson. “That’s a positive thing until it upsets a balance in the fishery.”
The veteran biologist attributes the increase to bass anglers’ affinity to practice catch and release and the addition of an increased size limit years ago.
Indiana went from no size limit to 12 inches in 1990 and from 12 to 14 in 1998. The result has been a lot of bass swimming in Hoosier lakes.
That’s a good thing, right?
It is, to a point.
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By Louie Stout
The Michiana Boat and Sport Show opens Friday and runs through next Sunday at the South Bend Century Center.
Admission is $8 for adults and free to kids under age 13. Hours are noon to 9 p.m. Friday, 9-9 Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.
The show features boat dealerships, ATVs, Canadian Lodges/fishing charters, and booths representing local sportsmen clubs. More than a dozen boat dealers exhibiting fishing, power and pontoon boats will be on hand.
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By Louie Stout
Angler’s Challenge: Fishin’ Muskies and Collecting Antique South Bend Tackle
Randy Whiteman loves a challenge.
That’s why he loves fishing muskies and has devoted his time collecting antique fishing tackle produced by the former South Bend Bait Company.
Randy Whiteman with a nice muskie“Muskies and antique South Bend Baits share something in common – they are both hard to find,” joked the Wakarusa angler. “If something is easy, I tend to lose interest.”
He’s had quite a bit of success at both. He’s caught several 50-inch muskies from Indiana waters and has one of the rarest, if not most extensive South Bend Bait collections in the country.
From the early 1900s until the early 60s, South Bend Baits were among the most coveted by anglers. The company was best known for its Bass-Oreno, but other popular items include the South Bend Minnow, Fish-Oreno, Pike-Oreno, to name a few.
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By Louie Stout
With 2018 behind us, what will the New Year deliver for Michiana sportsmen?
As we look back at the previous year’s issues and ahead to a more promising year, we’re left with some questions of what sportsmen might encounter, including questions leftover from 2018.
Here are some of the things for you to ponder:
Perhaps one of the most burning questions – one that has lingered for nearly seven years – is whether the public will ever get a new boating access on Eagle Lake. Although land has been purchased and a DNR plan in place, the Eagle Lake Improvement Association has fought the Michigan agency in courts where the issue has festered for years. The lake association apparently is willing to spend whatever it takes to prevent the access and the DNR continues to drag its feet. Last summer, the DNR stopped parking on its grassy lot due to complaints from the township.
Have Lake of the Woods walleyes grown up? A DNR Survey two years ago showed a good population and those fish should be well above the keeper size this year.
Will we have an ice fishing season that lasts more than a couple weeks, or will we have a late winter that encroaches into a more desirable spring open-water fishery?