Bluegills are the most abundant and sought-after fish in northern Indiana’s natural lakes, according to state Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Division of Fish and Wildlife statistics. But perhaps most important to anglers, they are catching as many, if not more, big bluegills as they did years ago – despite claims bluegill fishing quality has declined.

“Bluegill fishing in our lakes is as good as we’ve ever seen it,” said Jed Pearson, who at age 60 is the oldest fisheries biologist on the water for the DNR.
Pearson, who grew up on Skinner Lake near Albion in the 1950s and 1960s, has monitored fish populations at hundreds of lakes since the 1970s. His data, along with data from other biologists, show angler catches of seven-inch and larger bluegills has remained steady since the 1980s.

“Years ago anglers caught seven-inch and larger bluegills at an average rate of one per 98 minutes of bluegill fishing. Now they catch them at a slightly faster rate of one per 77 minutes,” he said. “Although that represents a 27 percent increase, the trend is technically not different.”

The statistical variance is because angler catch rates vary widely by lake.
Pearson also has data showing average catch rates of eight-inch and larger bluegills doubling from the early 1980s through 2010. The trend, while positive, is also not technically significant.

“Statistically, we can’t say angler catch rates of big bluegills have gone up, but we can say they haven’t gone down,” he said.

Although big bluegills are still abundant in Indiana’s natural lakes, numbers of small bluegills have declined. Biologists estimate the number of bluegills in a lake based on how many they capture with electro-shocking boats. The typical catch rate is 86 bluegills per minutes of sampling.

Of the catch, 67 percent are 3-6 inches long, 17 percent are 6-7 inches, 12 percent are 7-8 inches and 4 percent are eight inches or larger.

“We’ve seen a significant drop in catches of three- to six-inch bluegills over the years, down from 97 to only 27 per 15 minutes of sampling,” Pearson said.

The decrease may be related to a buildup of largemouth bass, a major predator on small bluegills. Since the 1980s bass numbers have doubled in Indiana natural lakes because of the 14-inch minimum limit on the size of bass taken by anglers.

“Our bluegill populations may be in better balance now than they were years ago,” Pearson said.

Other trends in bluegill fishing at Indiana natural lakes include a slight drop in the percentage of anglers who prefer to fish for bluegills, down from 50 percent to 40. Bluegill fishing effort since the 1980s has remained steady at about 25 hours per 100 acres of water.

The DNR’s weekly Lake Michigan fishing report website takes some of the intimidation factor from fishing the big lake. The rewards of keeping updated are worth an angler’s time.

The website at www.in.gov/apps/dnr/fishing/dnr_fishingreport provides weekly reports on fishing conditions and success on Lake Michigan. It also contains updates about fishing tributaries in northwestern Indiana as well as many of the state’s other public waters. Weekly updates are also available on a voice fishing hotline, 219-874-0009.

The website recaps the previous week’s fishing activities and successes and general information about the Lake Michigan fishery. Data comes from creel surveys done at the various ports along Indiana’s shoreline, as well as from shore and stream anglers.

“Indiana has historically had the earliest and some of the best spring fishing around Lake Michigan,” said Brian Breidert, DNR fisheries biologist for the area.
“Spring fishing can change on a moment’s notice, as can weather, so investigating weather conditions before you travel is the key to success.”
Each spring as Lake Michigan warms after ice-out, catches of Coho salmon, brown trout and the occasional lake whitefish ring in Indiana’s fishing season. As the waters continue to warm, forage fish such as alewife move into the shallow end of the lake, attracting Chinook salmon, steelhead and lake trout.

Breidert said providing updates helps anglers know when to fish and what baits and colors are most successful. The combination of easily available updated information, improving weather and variety and size of fish make Indiana’s Lake Michigan area a prime spring fishing destination.

“Spring is an awesome time to come to Lake Michigan to try something new,” Breidert said. “Planning prior to the trip can reward anglers with big dividends and trophy-caliber fishing opportunities. New anglers can become hooked for life after just one successful trip.”

Adding fishing excitement in the area, the spring steelhead migration is under way on the St. Joseph River. A fishing voice hotline at 574-257-8477 (TIPS) is available through April, and again during summer into fall.

Hoosier fishers need to remember 2010 fishing licenses expired March 31. Now is the time to get your 2011 license and trout and salmon stamps; see www.indianaoutdoor.IN.gov

Family ‘Learn to Fish’ classes have begun
Family Learn to Fish workshops are being offered on the third Saturday of most months at Fort Harrison State Park in Indianapolis beginning April 16. The workshops, which run from 9 a.m.-noon, offer families the chance to learn to fish both in a classroom and while fishing on Delaware Lake, aided by expert instructors.

The DNR’s Go FishIN program provides fishing gear and bait. All workshop fishing is catch-and-release. The required advance registration or more information is available by e-mailing nrec@dnr.IN.gov or calling 317-562-1338.

Participants in the workshop this month may be able to enjoy the 700 rainbow trout stocked in Delaware Lake in late March. The seven-acre lake offers good shoreline fishing access and ADA-compliant fishing facilities.

For more information, contact Clint Kowalik, DNR Go FishIN coordinator, at 317-562-1338 or gofishin@dnr.IN.gov

The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of Farm World. Readers with questions or comments for Jack Spaulding may contact him by e-mail at jackspaulding@hughes.net or by writing to him in care of this publication.