Records are still being set by Hoosiers as Indiana anglers registered two new state record fish in 2008.

Brock Marietta of Terre Haute caught a 2.3-pound Goldeye out of the Wabash River in Vermillion County. The previous record for Goldeye was 2.16 pounds, caught from the Wabash River in 2006. The new record Goldeye was taken on a 1/4-ounce silver and black rattletrap.

Mark Brittain of Petersburg caught a 22.32-pound Longnose Gar out of the East Fork White River in Pike County. The previous record for Longnose Gar was 19.25 pounds, caught from the Wabash River in 2007.

The new record Longnose Gar was taken on a bluegill (wild fish may be used as bait as long as they were caught legally and meet regulations for that species) while fishing from the shore.

During 2008, the Indiana Fish of the Year program received 46 entries. Of those, 22 were accepted as Fish of the Year.

The smallest fish to claim the prize of Fish of the Year was an 11-inch rock bass caught by Ron Kotfer. Kotfer’s record fish came from Lake Michigan. The largest fish to top the list was a 52-inch muskellunge caught by Rodney DeBolt. The monster musky came from Ball Lake.

Evan Dutrow, an eight-year-old Hoosier angler, caught the 2008 Fish of the Year largemouth bass. The fish measured 26 inches in length.

Of the 22 Fish of the Year registered in 2008, eight were caught in rivers, five were caught in Lake Michigan, five were caught from lakes and the remaining four were caught in private ponds.
To submit an entry for a state record fish or fish of the year, fill out the form found on page 26 of the 2009 Indiana Fishing Guide or online at www.fishing.IN.gov

The Indiana Fish of the Year included: a 42-inch Blue Catfish caught by David Mullen from the Ohio River; a 14-inch Bluegill caught by Mark Phillabaum from a private pond in Kosciusko County; a 28-inch Bowfin caught by Lanny Browning from Big Pine Creek;

A 27.5-inch Brown Trout caught by Danny Kotfer from Lake Michigan; a 36.75-inch Buffalo caught by Lloyd Bakian from Lake of the Woods; a 45-inch Carp caught by Randy Stabler from Simonton Lake; a 29.5-inch Channel Catfish caught by Max Neher from a private pond; a 36-inch Chinook by Nicholas Martino from Lake Michigan;

A tie with two 26.5-inch Coho Salmon, caught by Danny Kotfer and Steve Moore from Lake Michigan; an 18-inch Crappie caught by Brad Fiscus from a private pond; a 49-inch Flathead Catfish caught by Karl D. Breeden from the East Fork of the White River; an 18-inch Freshwater Drum caught by Jeremy Canterbury from Lynn Groove Lake;

An 18-inch Goldeye caught by Brock Marietta from the Wabash River; a 28-inch Grass Carp caught by Lindsey Fleshood from the Wabash River; a 26-inch Largemouth Bass caught by Evan Dutrow from Crescent Lake; a monster 52-inch Muskellunge caught by Rodney DeBolt from Ball Lake; a 12.35-inch Redear Sunfish caught by Nicholas Martino from a private pond;

An 11-inch Rock Bass caught by Ron Kotfer from Lake Michigan; a 13-inch Smallmouth Bass caught by Patrick Bates from the White River; a 21-inch Sucker caught by Patrick Bates from Fall Creek; and finally, a 28.5-inch Walleye caught by Mike Fleshood from the Wabash River.

Federal funds for Indiana Fish and Wildlife

The Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will receive more than $11 million from two federal programs established to help states fund fish and wildlife conservation, boater access to public waters and hunter and aquatic education.

“I can’t stress enough the importance of this revenue-generating partnership,” said Glen Salmon, director of the DNR Division of Fish and Wildlife. “Along with license sales, the funds are driving the management of Indiana fish and wildlife.”

Indiana will receive $5,836,724 from the Wildlife Restoration Program, otherwise known as the Pittman-Robertson Fund, and $5,235,357 from the Sport Fish Restoration Program, otherwise known as the Dingell-Johnson Fund. Both are administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

In recent years, the DNR has used allotted funds to stock fish, develop and maintain public boating and fishing access sites, provide hunter education programs, purchase land for public hunting, fishing and wildlife watching, provide aquatic education for youth at its State Fair fishing pond, develop and maintain shooting ranges on fish and wildlife areas for recreational shooting participants and complete many more fish- and wildlife-related projects.

The funds are part of the $740.9 million to be distributed to the fish and wildlife agencies of the 50 states, commonwealths, the District of Columbia and territories. Funding is based on a formula consisting of land area, including inland waters, and the number of paid hunting and fishing license-holders in each state, commonwealth and territory.

The funds come from excise taxes and import duties on sporting firearms, ammunition, archery equipment, sport fishing equipment, electric outboard motors and fuel taxes attributable to motorboats and small engines.

DNR extends emergency
flood relief rule to 2010

DNR Director Robert E. Carter Jr. has extended the emergency rule temporarily suspending permit requirements for certain construction activities and debris removal caused by flooding, for another year.
The original rule was issued last summer in the wake of extreme flooding in southern Indiana but was extended several times to aid flood-damaged counties. The latest extension went into effect April 6 and expires March 31, 2010.

The rule was reauthorized to allow time for the Natural Resources Conservation Service to complete dozens of flood-related projects begun under the Emergency Watershed Protection program. Additionally, time is needed to provide the DNR an opportunity to review and evaluate current rules to determine if changes are needed.

Under normal conditions, the construction activities and debris removal addressed by the emergency rule would require a permit under Indiana Code 14-28-1. The reauthorized emergency rule provides an exemption to the permit requirement for the following types of projects: reconstruction of bridges and culvert crossings damaged by floodwaters; removal of logjams and debris from the channel of a waterway; and stabilization and repair of stream banks eroded by floodwaters.

Scenic Rivers and salmonid streams are not covered by the temporary rule, but projects can be authorized with additional review. Some projects may require authorization from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Indiana Department of Environmental Management.

A complete list of emergency rule guidelines is available at www.in.gov/dnr/water (click on the link marked “Emergency Rule-Flood Extension” or the link marked “Logjam FAQs”).

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 e-mail at jackspaulding@hughes.net or by writing to him in care of this publication.