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IDNR Report
As autumn settles in, fewer anglers on the water means more opportunities for you to reel in big bass. Cooler temperatures and clearer streams make fall an ideal time to fish your favorite local river or stream.


If you head out this season, the DNR would love to hear about your experience. During the past year, biologists have been gathering data on stream black bass, including smallmouth, largemouth, and spotted bass, to better understand fishing pressure and population trends.


Whether you land a trophy catch or come up empty-handed, your trip still provides valuable insights. The survey collects river or stream location, time spent fishing, and the sizes of fish caught.


Your participation helps us protect and enhance Indiana’s bass fisheries for seasons to come. You can find your survey at https://www.in.gov/dnr/fish-and-wildlife/fishing/indiana-fishing-reports/.
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IDNR Report
This spring, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) completed its annual stocking of waterways with walleye and saugeye.
These fish are known for being excellent table fare and for the skill it takes to catch them.
Because these fish don’t reproduce naturally in most of Indiana, DNR spawns and stocks them.
Spawning operations from late March to early April, which are organized at Brookville Lake, resulted in 32.2 million fertilized walleye eggs. The eggs yielded 18.9 million walleye fry, 487,304 walleye fingerlings (average 1.4 inches), and 156,725 saugeye fingerlings (average 1.4 inches). Fry were stocked at the end of April, and walleye and saugeye fingerlings were stocked at the end of May.
Additional walleye fingerlings are being grown in state hatcheries for fall stockings.
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IDNR Report
Hunters can now apply for Indiana’s state land reserved hunts online using the Division of Fish & Wildlife Activity Hub at GoOutdoorsIN.com.
Reserved hunts included in this round include Fish & Wildlife Area (FWA) dove, Indiana Private Lands Access (IPLA) hunts, youth deer and National Wildlife Refuge deer hunts.
The online application method is the only way to apply for the hunts listed. No late entries will be accepted. Applicants must possess a hunting license that is valid for the hunt for which they are applying. A $1 tech fee is charged for each hunt application purchased.
Applications must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. ET on Wednesday, July 30. More specific hunt information for individual properties can be found at on.IN.gov/reservedhunt.
An important note about the applying for a hunt:
In December 2024 a new license system, the Activity Hub, replaced the former system. To purchase a license or apply for a reserved hunt, follow the instructions below. We recommend leaving yourself plenty of time to log in and learn how the system works.
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IDNR Report
The Indiana DNR East Fork State Fish Hatchery recently completed its annual stocking of striped and hybrid striped bass.
More than 21,000 striped and 147,000 hybrid striped bass fingerlings were added to 12 lakes around the state. The fingerlings averaged 1.5 inches in length.
The breakdown of stockings by lake, with the respective counties listed in parentheses, follows.
- Worster Lake (St. Joseph) – 3,270 hybrids
- Gilbert Lake (Marshall) – 370 hybrids
- Cedar Lake (Lake) – 7,810 hybrids
- Lake Shafer (White) – 12,910 hybrids
- Nyona Lake (Fulton) – 1,040 hybrids
- Lake Freeman (Carroll and White) – 15,470 hybrids
- Clare Lake (Huntington) – 420 hybrids
- Shadyside Park Lake (Madison) – 1,000 hybrids
- Cecil M. Harden Lake (Parke) – 20,600 striped bass
- Monroe Lake (Monroe and Brown) – 53,750 hybrids
- Hardy Lake (Scott) – 1,000 striped bass and 7,000 hybrids
- Patoka Lake (Dubois, Crawford, and Orange) – 44,000 hybrids
Indiana anglers can look forward to continued quality striped and hybrid striped bass fishing opportunities in the coming years as a result of these stockings.
To learn more about striped and hybrid striped bass fishing, see bit.ly/striped-hybrid-bass-fishing.
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IDNR Report
So far this year, Hoosier anglers have submitted 59 entries with 32 different species of fish to compete for the 2025 Fish of the Year title.
There is still plenty of time to get out and catch a fish big enough to take the win. Some species that have not yet been submitted include brown trout, rainbow trout, saugeye, hybrid striped bass, and striped bass.
Here are the details about how to enter:
Entries must be received electronically by Dec. 15.