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By Louie Stout
Chris Peabody with 31.5-inch brown trout
The Tippecanoe River is teeming with good fish.
The famous northern Indiana river accounted for seven of Indiana’s 2020 Fish of the Year Awards.
The Indiana DNR awards are open to anyone who catches a big fish and submits the details in an online form at www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/9453.htm.
Rivers produced several of the top fish in northern Indiana last year. Of course, many of those would be considered as “rough fish” to some anglers, but not everyone.
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IDNR Report
The Indiana DNR Division of Fish & Wildlife is seeking public comment on proposed wildlife rule changes.
Those changes include updates to rules regarding legal equipment for turkey hunting, muzzleloaders for deer hunting, and beaver trapping season starting and ending times. For a complete list of proposed amendments with additional information about each proposal, see wildlife.IN.gov/2362.htm.
There are three ways to comment on the proposed changes. A virtual public hearing will be held at 6 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Feb. 9 using WebEx.
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IDNR Report
Indiana Conservation Officers responded Wednesday to a report of three fishermen who had fallen through the ice on Big Turkey Lake in Steuben County.
At approximately 3:30 p.m., the†county communications center received a 911 call that the fishermen had fallen through the ice near the 10200 West block of County Road 475 South.
Brad Levitz, 61, of LaGrange and his son, Bradley Levitz, 40, of Hudson, were attempting to walk on the ice to go fishing when the incident occurred. Brad Levitz, realizing the danger, began to return to shore when his son fell through the ice approximately 200 yards from shore.
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IDNR Report
Indiana Removes Eagles from Endangered and Special Concern Species List
The Indiana Natural Resources Commission (NRC) has removed the bald eagle from Indianaís list of state endangered and special concern species due to evidence of successful recovery.
The recovery of the bald eagle is one of the greatest conservation success stories in Indiana. Habitat loss, the hat-making trade, and persecution once caused dramatic declines in eagle numbers, leading to the last eagle nest being found in Indiana in 1897. Nationwide, bald eagle populations continued to decline throughout the 1950s and 60s because pesticides, like DDT, interfered with their ability to reproduce.
A combination of legislative changes and conservation efforts put bald eagles on the road to recovery. The U.S. Congress passed the Bald Eagle Protection Act in 1940 to prevent the killing of bald eagles. DDT was banned nationwide in 1972. In 1973, bald eagles were one of the first species listed as federally endangered under the Endangered Species Act. State agencies began restoration efforts to meet conservation goals for eagles as a result of this listing.
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IDNR Report
Hoosiers Can No Longer Take Cisco Fish from Indiana Waters
Beginning Dec. 17, it will be unlawful to take or possess the cisco species of fish from Indiana waters.
The change is a result of action taken this fall by the Natural Resources Commission (NRC). Previously, this native fish was listed as a species of special concern.
Cisco (Coregonus artedi) is the only native fish from the salmon family found in Indiana waters other than Lake Michigan. It is a cold-water species that requires exceptional water quality to thrive. The glacial lakes of northern Indiana represent the southernmost extent of the species' range in North America.