Walleye and saugeye stocked

Jul. 22—The Indiana Department of Natural Resources has stocked Indiana waterways with walleye and saugeye — fish known for being excellent table fare, and for the skill it takes to catch them. Because there is no natural reproduction of walleye and saugeye in most of Indiana, the DNR runs a program to spawn and stock the fish every spring across multiple waterways for anglers to catch.

Spawning operations in late March to early April, which are organized at Brookville Lake, resulted in 35.7 million fertilized walleye eggs. The eggs yielded 24.3 million walleye fry (seven to 10 day old fish, less than one inch long), 281,468 walleye fingerlings (average 1.4 inches), and 81,181 saugeye fingerlings (average 1.6 inches). Walleye fry were stocked at the end of April, and walleye and saugeye fingerlings were stocked in late May and early June. Additional walleye fingerlings are being held in state hatcheries to grow for fall stockings.

Stocked bodies of water, with their county in parentheses, include:

* Walleye fry: Bass Lake (Starke), Brookville Lake (Franklin, Union), Mississinewa Lake (Wabash), Monroe Lake (Brown and Monroe), Patoka Lake (Orange, Dubois, and Crawford), and Shafer Lake (White).

* Walleye fingerlings: Cagles Mill Lake (Owen and Putnam), Lake of the Woods (Marshall), Pike Lake (Kosciusko), Prairie Creek Reservoir (Delaware), Shafer Lake (White), Summit Lake (Henry), and Tippecanoe River/Oakdale Dam (Carroll).

* Saugeye fingerlings: Glenn Flint Lake (Putnam), Huntingburg Lake (Dubois), Koteewi Park Lake (Hamilton), and Sullivan Lake (Sullivan).

The statewide bag limit for walleye, sauger, and saugeye is six fish per day, in combination. For walleye, the minimum size limit is 14 inches for waters south of State Road 26 and 16 inches for waters north of S.R. 26. Exceptions to the walleye size limit are Bass Lake (Starke) and Wolf Lake (Lake), where the minimum is 14 inches; Lake George (Steuben), where the minimum is 15 inches; and Wall Lake (LaGrange), where the minimum is 16 inches with a two-fish daily bag limit.

There is no size limit on sauger or saugeye except on Huntingburg Lake (Dubois), Glenn Flint Lake (Putnam), Sullivan Lake (Sullivan), and on the Ohio River, where the minimum size limit is 14 inches. Typically, walleye and saugeye grow to 14 inches after two years and 16 inches after three years.

Griffin Bike Park Trail Openings

The Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the Shepherds of Griffin Bike Park celebrated the opening of several new mountain bike trails at Griffin Bike Park in Vigo County on July 3.

The 5.75 miles of new trail were constructed by the Shepherds of Griffin Bike Park, Inc. with help from a $554,241 Next Level Trails (NLT) grant. The three new mountain bike trails, including the Buffaloes, Lake Loop, and the Foxtrot trails, add to the 8.75 miles of trail at the park which opened last year.

The extensive list of project partners includes Union Health, MacAllister Machinery, NIPSCO, Sunrise Coal, and numerous additional corporate and individual contributors.

"With the support of Next Level Trails and a range of local partners, Hoosiers have lots of options as they're considering new places to make connections—both with communities and with nature," DNR Director Dan Bortner said. "These new trails at Griffin Bike Park are a great destination for outdoor recreation, giving mountain bikers of all abilities a vast new place to explore."

The most recent trail openings include a connection to camping facilities at nearby Fowler Park and 4.5 miles of adaptive mountain bike trail designed to accommodate individuals with disabilities. The project also includes several miles of single-track mountain bike trails for intermediate to expert riders, as well as trailhead facilities with drinking water and restrooms.

"What a privilege it's been to see so many give so much to turn a family's loss into a state's legacy," Gene Griffin, chairman of the Friends of Griffin Bike Park, said. "Our park was conceived to honor and remember those who have given their all so that we might enjoy the precious freedoms and liberty we all enjoy.

"Our vision, from the start, has been to grow to be a world class venue where our next level would be that our park would be considered a memorial park. Thanks to our family, friends, and community, along with this DNR grant, our family's dream has become a reality!"

The NLT is the largest infusion of trails funding in state history. The now $180 million program is administered by the DNR and facilitates critical trail connections within and between Hoosier communities.

Including Griffin Bike Park, 21 of the 75 NLT projects are complete, totaling more than 68 miles of trail built since the program's inception.

Registration For Invasives Workshop

Registration is now open for Upper Wabash Invasives Network's Invasives Field Day and Workshop at Mississinewa Lake to be held from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Aug. 17. The free event will focus on invasive control and habitat management.

The day will start at Mississinewa Lake's U.S. Army Corps of Engineers office, 5613 Mississinewa Dam Road in Peru with a breakfast of coffee and doughnuts.

Participants will then travel around the lake. Aron Showalter, wildlife specialist at Mississinewa Lake, will talk about managing invasive species. A lunch will be provided.

From 12:45 to 1:30 p.m., Geoff Schortgen, ag and natural resource educator with Purdue Extension Wabash County, will give a presentation on water quality and herbicide.

From 1:30 to 2:30 p.m., Vince Burkle, nursery inspector and compliance officer with DNR's Division of Entomology & Plant Pathology, will speak about controlling the spotted lanternfly.

From 2:30 to 3 p.m., Teresa Rody, interpretive naturalist for Mississinewa Lake, will talk about how to identify invasive species.

The Office of Indiana State Chemist will offer Continuing Certification Hour (CCH) credits for those who attend, including five credits for Category 2 — Forest Pest Management, and Category 6, Industrial Weed Management, and four credits for Registered Technicians. Individuals attending and seeking chemical credits must attend the entire workshop.

Advance registration is required by calling 260-468-2127 or visiting www.eventbrite.com/e/invasive-control-and-habitat-management-field-day-tickets-635345323967.

'till next time,

Jack

Readers can contact the author by writing to this publication, or e-mail to jackspaulding@hughes.net.

Contact Aaron Kirchoff at aaron.kirchoff@greensburgdailynews.com