The temporary fishing rule allowing anglers to take home small bass from Big Lake and Crane Lake in Noble County ends August 31. Anglers may continue to harvest 10- to 14-inch bass through August at the two lakes but must release all bass less than 14 inches long starting Sept. 1.

Angler harvest of bass is approaching predetermined quotas designed to reduce the number of small, over-abundant, and slow-growing bass in each lake. The current rule has been in place since June 3 at the two lakes, located about 7 miles north of Columbia City, and allows anglers to keep up to five bass per day 10 to 14 inches long. After August 31, the standard 14-inch minimum size limit will go back into effect at both lakes.

DNR officials established the temporary rule this summer in hopes of cutting the number of 10- to 14-inch bass. By reducing in half the number of small bass, the DNR hopes to improve growth rates and increase numbers of large bass in the lakes. “There were simply too many small bass in both lakes for the available food supply,” said Jed Pearson, a fisheries biologist with the DNR Division of Fish & Wildlife. “Bass that were not caught should now have more food to eat and get bigger.”

Based on sampling by Pearson last spring, Big Lake contained twice the normal number of small bass found in most northeast Indiana lakes. Crane Lake contained three times the normal number. Bass 10 to 14 inches long made up 75 percent of the entire bass population in Big Lake and 88 percent in Crane Lake. Few were larger than 14 inches.

“To cut the number of small bass in half, we wanted anglers to take out 2,000 bass from Big Lake and 600 bass from Crane Lake,” Pearson said.

During June and July, anglers removed more than 1,700 bass from Big Lake and 480 from Crane Lake, according to DNR harvest surveys.

“We should reach the quotas by the end of August,” Pearson said.
Signs will be posted at the public boat ramps at both lakes to remind anglers of the change on September 1, and conservation officers will step up patrols to ensure anglers return all bass less than 14 inches long.

DNR to clarify possession limits

The Department of Natural Resources has proposed rule changes to clear up ambiguity regarding possession limits for legally taken fish and wildlife with a bag limit, without adversely affecting wildlife species or unnecessarily encumbering legal anglers and hunters.

“There are varied opinions and interpretations of the existing possession limit rule that cause confusion within the fishing and hunting public” said Col. Scotty Wilson, director of DNR Law Enforcement. “Therefore, we’re seeking a rule change to clearly define possession restrictions where a bag limit is established and at what point legally taken wild animals no longer count toward a possession limit.”

The Natural Resources Commission, an autonomous board which must approve rule changes requested by the DNR, granted preliminary adoption of the proposed change at its July 19 meeting. The measure is open for public comment on the NRC website (www.in.gov/nrc/2377.htm), which includes text of the proposed rule language. Public comments will be included in a report to the NRC prior to consideration of final adoption at a future date.

A nine-month review of current regulations by two DNR divisions – Law Enforcement and Fish & Wildlife – prompted the agency to seek the change, which would exempt from the possession limit restriction legally taken wild animals processed and stored at an individual’s primary residence.
Several other state wildlife agencies contacted as part of the review already have adopted similar rules.

The daily bag limit is defined (Indiana Code 14-8-2-18) as the quantity of individual wild animals that may be taken in one day of a specified season or during the entire season. For example, the daily bag limit for Northern pike is three. The daily bag limit for rabbits is five.

Confusion begins with possession limit, which is intended to be twice the daily bag limit. However, common questions asked of the DNR point to the challenge of a universally accepted definition:

•Does possession limit apply only in the field, while at camp, cabin, or hotel?
•Does it include fish and wildlife stored at my home in my freezer?
•Do last season’s rabbits still in my freezer count against this year?
•If I currently have two times the daily bag limit in my freezer, can I hunt/fish for the species again before using some of it?
•If not, what are the requirements for becoming legal? Do I have to eat it, give it away, or simply dispose of it to become “legal”?
•Does part of a wild animal, such as two hind legs of a rabbit, count as a full rabbit?

Current fishing regulations complicate the issue, depending on where fish are caught. Daily bag limits only apply to public waters. Fish taken from private ponds or impoundments may be taken in any quantity.

“This proposal will clarify language that seems to make criminals out of someone simply because he or she is an avid and successful hunter or angler,” Wilson said. The changes would not apply to migratory birds and waterfowl. U.S. Fish and Wildlife authorities interpret possession limit to include processed and stored specimens. Wilson said, “at this time we feel it would be too problematic to have state and/or federal laws that contradict each other on these particular species.”

For more information, call Lt. William Browne, DNR Law Enforcement at 765-509-0207 or email wbrowne@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 write to him in care of this publication.