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By Louie Stout
The Indiana DNR takes a lot of heat about the weed treatments conducted by lake groups on northern waters.
While some of it may be justified, anglers should know that district fish biologists are aware of the key role that aquatic plants play in fish habitat.
Just look at the Kokomo Reservoir, where fisheries officials are trying hard to establish plant life in the aging lake east of Kokomo, Ind.
In 2020, we wrote about plans to get submergent plants like spatterdock and water lilly to grow in some of the mud-bottom flats. The project was requested by local anglers in a public meeting where fishermen expressed concern about the lack of habitat.
Biologist Tyler DeLauder said the DNR efforts appear to be working. They created fenced enclosures (to keep the carp out) and in some areas, the plants are beginning to expand beyond those areas. The DNR also has added some artificial structures in the lake as well.
“The ultimate purpose is for big and little gamefish and insects to utilize these areas,” he said. “We’re hoping the plant growth is exponential to help overcome carp issues.”
The reservoir lies on the southern most border of what we call Michiana and at the bottom of DeLauder’s district, but the DNR efforts and successes are notable. Kokomo serves as a test lake.
“We want to give it 5 or 6 years to see what works and what doesn’t,” he said. “Once we do, we may look for different bodies of water, including some glacial lakes. We have a few in the north without any vegetation.”
The fishery
The reservoir covers nearly 500 acres and is fed by Wildcat Creek which meanders out of Greentown, Ind. where one small, albeit shallow impoundment exists before narrowing westward and ultimately forming the Kokomo Reservoir that is dammed on the western end.
Despite the abundance of carp and turbid water, the lake has remained a pretty good fishery, hosting weeknight and weekend bass tournaments. Delauder said the lake contains crappie and bluegill as well.
Years ago, the state stocked tiger muskie but most of those fish have disappeared. But, in 2022, Muskies Inc. were permitted to purchase and stock purebred muskies on the Greentown end of the lake and have continued to do so with about 483 fish annually. The fish averaged 12 inches; some 30-plus inchers, likely part of the first stocking, have been caught.
The state also stocks walleye fingerlings annually, and Kokomo Tribune outdoors writer John Martino says they are being caught as well.
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Michiana Sportsman Spotlight
Hometown: Edwardsburg, Mich.
Occupation: Clear H2o store manager
Favorite species and biggest fish of that species: crappie, 16 1/2inches.
Favorite Michiana lake: Wawasee
Hobbies when not fishing: Deer hunting
If you only had one lure and why: Ice fly. It catches big ones.
Favorite rod and reel: HT Ice Blue, 24-inch ultralight ($6) and Schooley reel ($14).
Best tip to give a new Michiana angler: Safety aside, have a sonar to know there are fish below you.
By Louie Stout
You probably know Brian Hensley best for his successes as a tournament bass angler or the expertise he offers as store manager at Clear H2o Tackle.
He’s still an avid bass angler, but during the wintertime, he spends his time hammering panfish through the ice on lakes across southern Michigan and northern Indiana.
He’s not a conventional ice angler. He’s one of the best you’ll find when it comes to fishing ice flies through hard water and even makes and sells his creations at Clear H2o.
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Michiana Sportsman Spotlight
Hometown: Dowagiac, Mich.
Occupation: Enrollment Marketing Specialist, Goshen College
Favorite species and biggest fish of that species: Largemouth bass, 10.5, in Texas
Favorite Michiana Lake: two…tournament lake is Diamond, but latest is Austin Lake
Hobbies when not fishing: Movies
If you only had one lure and why: Jig, it gets bigger bites and versatile throughout the year.
Favorite rod and reel: Powell 7-3 medium heavy. Lew’s Hyper Mag Baitcaster
Best tip to give a new Michiana angler: Don’t overcomplicate it, during summer only have 2 or three baits. Find cover like grass or docks. You don’t need a lot of baits and keep it simple to natural colors.
By Louie Stout
Nobody made more money fishing Michiana team tournaments last season than Bill Mathews. The Dowagiac, Mich. angler fished more than 40 tournaments, some of which qualified him for regional championships.
He and teammate Kris Iodice won the Stars and Stripes Classic on Kentucky Lake last November, proving he was a pretty good angler outside this region as well. For the season, Bill and his partners (Iodice or Dan Baerwald) won more than $20,000.
In addition, he won a lot of that by fishing baits he created for his own lure company, BAFA (By Anglers for Anglers), that includes a skirted jig and a lead head jig with more jig-style baits coming this spring.
Here is a Q&A we did with him:
MON: What’s been the key to your success?
Mathews: I guess I would say I’m good at keeping my mind in the game, not getting spun out even if I lose a big one. Seems like if we don’t have a bass in the first few hours of a tournament, I find a school. I thrive on figuring out what adjustments I need to make.
MON: So, what is your process for finding those schools?
Mathews: Obviously, people think it’s the forward-facing sonar, but honestly, I don’t even turn my graphs on during most summer tournaments. I kinda focus on shallow water and getting away from the crowd to find something different. Now, when shallow isn’t panning out, I will move offshore and try different baits – baits that I don’t think the fish have seen.
MON: When fishing shallow, other than around docks, what do you key on?
Mathews: Every lake is different. Big fish go to the grass patches, but not always to the big grass beds. We caught 24 pounds with A-rigs and Chatterbaits on Webster Lake by fishing little turns in shallow vegetation that was 3 to 5 feet deep. We try to find something different in vegetation, like the edge, a hole or a point that falls into deeper water.
MON: What made you get into the bait business?
Mathews: I have a lot of bait ideas. My first was the Primal Jig; I wanted a jig that had a better bait keeper and a quality skirt that won’t rot out or fall down. I found a manufacturer to make the jig, but I am hand-tying the skirts myself and only sell the skirt colors that anglers want around here. I am selling the jigs for $5.89.
I also wanted a jig head that would hold soft plastic minnows without slipping down the shank. I designed the FB jig and did the prototyping, so the bait swam horizontally all the time. I’ve been really happy with it. We sell it three to a pack of painted heads for $7.99 or $6.99 unpainted.
I’m working on a finesse jig and a swim jig for the spring.
You can find my baits at BAFAfishing.com
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Sponsor Spotlight
By Louie Stout
It’s not exactly the Lunker’s from yesteryear, but JB Propane and Tackle is a bait and tackle store that would surprise you as to the fishing gear selection that this inner-city business has to offer.
And while propane sales are a big part of the business, the tackle shop offers more tackle for all types of anglers than most people realize.
The Mishawaka, Ind. propane store first opened in the late 1970s by Blaine Pickavet’s grandfather, but the avid angler decided to add the fishing division around 2010. It’s located at 423 S. Spring Street.
And it’s been growing steadily.
“We’ve steadily expanded the amount of gear that we offer,” says Pickavet. “We used to have only one aisle of gear, now we have three and the walls are covered with pegboard full of fishing items. There’s no place in town where you can get the fishing gear that we try to offer. I’m trying to serve the people of this community.”