Hoorah for the Michigan Browns! No, not a ball team, but a wonderful neighboring state assist for Hoosiers fishing Lake Michigan – a cooperative arrangement with surrounding states helped save Indiana’s annual stocking of brown trout into Lake Michigan and Trail Creek this year.

Indiana has historically received brown trout from Illinois in return for providing that state with Skamania steelhead. However, production shortages in Illinois this year required Indiana to reach out to Michigan. Michigan has agreed to provide 40,000 brown trout as 6-inch fingerlings in April.

“This type of cooperation is a great way to ensure the mutual success of all states managing Lake Michigan,” said Brian Breidert, Lake Michigan fisheries biologist with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Division of Fish & Wildlife.

Of the 40,000 brown trout, 30,000 fish will be stocked at the East Chicago marina. The remaining 10,000 will be released into Trail Creek, a Lake Michigan tributary.

Indiana will also release up to 75,000 Chinook salmon in 2018, which is up from 60,000 the year before. All the Chinook will have their adipose fin clipped, under the U.S. Fish & Wildlife mass marking program.

The moderate Chinook increase comes as the state has reduced stocking of fingerling steelhead trout in the fall. The fall steelhead fingerlings experienced less-than-desirable survival rates. All other stockings of steelhead and Coho salmon remain unchanged from previous years.

The Chinook increase continues to keep Indiana under the 2016 stocking quotas agreed upon by the state agencies involved in managing Lake Michigan. The consensus-based decision making has been the cornerstone for Lake Michigan management for more than 50 years.

“These stocking alterations will continue to provide a diverse fishery, while maintaining an appropriate predator-prey balance to ensure the long-term health of the lake for Hoosier anglers into the future,” Breidert said.

Walleye at Shriner Lake

Spring and summer anglers can expect to begin catching legal-size walleye in Shriner Lake, northeastern Indiana’s newest walleye lake, located north of Columbia City in Whitley County. To be legal size, walleye must be 16 inches or longer.

In 2016 the DNR stocked 1,200 walleye fingerlings in the 120-acre natural lake to increase walleye fishing opportunities in the area. When stocked, the walleye were 6-8 inches long.

Last fall DNR biologists captured 67 walleye at the lake during two laps around the shoreline with an electro-shocking boat. Although most of them averaged 13 inches long, several walleye measured 15 inches.

“They are growing fast. We expect quite a few will be 16 inches and bigger this year,” said Jed Pearson, DNR fisheries biologist.

The DNR stocked another 1,200 walleye in the lake last fall, so anglers are likely to also catch several walleye below the size limit. “That’s okay. Just release the small ones. They will be fine,” Pearson said.

Based on the sampling results, he explained walleye stocked in Shriner Lake are surviving as well as or better than walleye stocked in other Indiana lakes. “We caught 20 walleye per hour of shocking. That’s more than double the statewide catch rate and similar to the rate at some other walleye lakes in northeast Indiana.”

Multiple fingerling stockings at Crooked Lake in Steuben County have produced an average catch rate of 17 walleye per hour. Catches at Sylvan Lake in Noble County averaged 25 per hour, while catches at Winona Lake in Kosciusko County averaged 13.

“We’ll go back to Shriner this fall to see how the most recent stocking went,” Pearson said. “Eventually we’ll survey anglers to see how many of them fish for walleye and how many they catch. The results will then help us decide whether to continue the stocking program.”

He said the walleye in Shriner Lake were scattered around the shoreline near areas where the bottom drops off. As the summer approaches, he expects many of the walleye will move into deeper water, where temperatures are cooler.

Indiana State Parks National Volunteer Week

From maintaining trails to helping in a nature center, Hoosiers can celebrate National Volunteer Week, April 15-21, by donating their time and talent to Indiana’s state parks.

"Volunteering gives you a great sense of accomplishment,” said Jody Heaston, volunteer coordinator for DNR Division of State Parks. “You know you are helping manage and conserve our natural and cultural resources for future generations to enjoy.”

She hopes many volunteers from National Volunteer Week will “catch the giving-back spirit” and continue to volunteer with state parks. For a complete list of remaining programs this week, visit www.calendar.dnr.IN.gov

Information about how to be a state park volunteer is available at www.stateparks.IN.gov/2443.htm

Take a ‘forest bath’ at Mississinewa Lake

When I first saw the headline of the DNR news release on forest bathing at Mississinewa, I thought to myself, I’ve done a little forest bathing, but I was camping and the bathing was in the river running through the forest.

This is not the case here …

I’ve always known a casual hike through a forest has a great relaxing and calming effect, especially if you flop down with your back to a tree and listen to the wind blowing through the leaves. And, it seems the Japanese became aware of this relaxing state and gave it a name.

Now Hoosiers will have a chance to relax the body and mind with a “forest bath” at Mississinewa Lake on May 5. But don’t bring your bathing suit, because you aren’t going to get wet (unless it rains).

Shinrin-yoku, known as “forest bathing,” is a Japanese term meaning "taking in the forest atmosphere.” Forest bathing is said to relax the body and mind and is used in preventive health care.

Certified forest therapy guide Christy Thomson will lead two sessions at the lake’s Blue Heron Trail in Miami State Recreation Area, with an overlapping lunch presentation from noon-1:30 p.m. – the first session ends with the lunch presentation (9 a.m.-1:30 p.m.) and the second session begins with it (noon-4:30 p.m.).

The program fee is $15 per person, per session, or $25 for two participants per session. You may register by calling 260-468-2127. Participants must be ages 10 and older, and children should be accompanied by an adult. Mississinewa Lake is located at 4673 S. 625 E, Peru, IN 46970.

Shinrin-yoku – who would have thought?

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 may contact Jack Spaulding by email at jackspaulding@hughes.net or by writing to him in care of this publication.