Tournament News Powered By Lake Drive Marine
Friday, June 12, 2026
Friday, June 12, 2026
Thursday, June 11, 2026
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By Louie Stout
Shafer Lake doesn’t get as much attention from Michiana anglers, but it might be worth putting on their radar.
Indiana fisheries personal were there last fall to get a snapshot of the walleye and hybrid striped bass (aka wiper) that the DNR stocks annually.
The district fisheries team used electro-fishing for the walleyes and gill nets for the wipers and fair numbers of both species turned up.
In two hours of shocking one week and another two hours the next week, the survey turned up 67 walleyes with youngsters comprising 40 percent of the catch.
That’s pretty strong since DNR considered 6 per hour as a successful stocking.
“We only found 1 per hour when we were there in 2006, so that’s a good sign that the numbers appear to be improving,” says District Biologist Courtney Weldon. “I’ve been hearing from anglers that they are doing better with walleye and this survey suggests they should be.”
Indiana stocks about 130,000 spring fingerling walleye annually in the 1,400-acre reservoir lake located in White County and it sits below Lake Freeman. Both dammed reservoirs are fed by the Tippecanoe River.
Weldon said they caught walleye up to 18.2 inches, and the biggest fish was five years old.
The wiper survey didn’t turn up as good of numbers, but the nets did capture a hybrid that measured 29.7 inches, the largest ever been trapped by the DNR during Northwest Indiana surveys.
Indiana stocks about 13,000 wiper fingerlings there each year.
“Most of what we caught were around 14 inches, slightly on the smaller side, but healthy,” she says. “We did catch a mix of 16 to 21 inches.”
Incidental catches included sauger, native to the Tippecanoe River flowage, between 19-21 inches, white bass up to 17 inches and “a lot of healthy channel cats.”
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Mercury Report
Many boaters are hesitant to do more to care for a life jacket or personal flotation device (PFD) than occasionally spraying it down with water. This streamlined approach is often due to a fear of damaging the life jacket. But the truth is that proper cleaning actually helps maintain the integrity of a life jacket and can extend its life.
Cleaning and sanitizing life jackets serves several purposes. Doing so helps to get rid of mold, mildew, sunscreen and other contaminants that may break down the life jacket’s materials over time. Second, it encourages you to inspect each life jacket for rips, tears and other signs of wear that would indicate it needs replacement.
Finally, a clean, attractive, odor-free life jacket is simply more likely to be worn.
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SJRVFF Report
The St. Joseph River Valley Fly Fishers will conduct a seven-week class designed to build on and expand the skills of the beginner level tier.
The club will cover tools, materials and techniques needed to tie proven fly patterns for the local area and beyond.
Classes will be held once a week, on Tuesday evenings for seven weeks starting on February 3, and ending on March 17. Class will start at 6:30 pm and be held at the Near Northwest Neighborhood Community located at 1013 Portage Ave. South Bend, In. 46616.
The cost for non-members of St. Joseph River Valley Fly Fishers (SJRVFF) is $40. For members of SJRVFF the class cost is $10. The class is limited to 15 people.
This is an intermediate level class, so some basic fly-tying experience is necessary to be successful.
SJRVFF will supply all tools, vises, materials, a syllabus and in-person instruction aided by close-up video. If you have your own vise, tools and light, please bring them and use them for the class, as it’s always the best practice to use and familiarize yourself with your own vise and tools.
To register for the class with please text or email Don Reber at donreber@gmail.com / text 574-286-0157.
Questions, contact Jeff Stanifer/ Email: helltrout1@gmail.com or cell, 574 876 2710. Text messages are preferred.
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Mercury Report
When Ed Bieber was growing up on a family farm in little Lena, Wisconsin, he learned to work hard — and play hard, too. The family owned a few boats over the years, and Bieber spent countless happy hours fishing, waterskiing, and kneeboarding.
“As I kid, I would take a mask and go underwater, holding my breath,” Bieber remembers.
His love of underwater exploring, combined with his interest in fishing, led to him becoming known as “Ed the Diver” on social media. He now has nearly 200,000 followers across multiple platforms, and millions of people have viewed his content.
A New Social Media Star
As a young adult, Bieber didn’t never considered that he might find his calling in the water. He worked factory jobs, got married, and after his divorce, raised his son and daughter, who are now 19 and 17 years old.
A hands-on dad, Bieber frequently took his kids fishing at Stephenson Island in the Menominee River, which runs between Marinette, Wisconsin, and Menominee, Michigan. Part of fishing is losing lures, and in addition to losing their own, they often came across those lost by others.
“I kept saying, get those, they’re expensive!” he recalls with a laugh.
And so, in 2017, Bieber’s Underwater Recovery was born. It started with a cheap diving mask, swim trunks, and an old pair of gym shoes.
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By Louie Stout
Don’t forget that both Indiana and Michigan fishing licenses need renewed April 1.
Licenses are available at some tackle retailers or online.
For Indiana, visit: https://www.in.gov/dnr/fish-and-wildlife/licenses-and-permits/.
For Michigan, visit: https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/things-to-do/fishing/license-info.
Here are the fees for both states:
Michigan:
Resident all species $26
Non-resident all species $76
Daily $10
Indiana:
Resident $23 plus trout and salmon $11
Non-resident all species $60
Daily $15
Resident Senior $3 (includes trout and salmon)