Urban anglers will have more fishing opportunities this year, thanks to a new program through the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) called Go FishIN in the City.

With the help of local partners, the DNR will stock 5,000 catchable-size channel catfish in the spring and summer, spreading them throughout small lakes in urban areas. Selected lakes are family friendly and located in well-maintained city parks with amenities.

“Many of the better fishing spots tend to be a considerable distance from where a lot of anglers live – in the larger cities,” said DNR fisheries chief Bill James. “Not everyone has the ability to travel long distances to get to a fishing spot, especially kids living in urban areas.”

Go FishIN in the City will debut with a dozen parks in nine Indiana communities: Avon, Carmel, Evansville, Fort Wayne, Indianapolis, Lafayette, New Albany, Terre Haute and Hobart. Among the beneficiaries of the new DNR program are places like Shoaff Park Pond in Fort Wayne, Krannert Lake in Indianapolis and Kiwanis Lake in New Albany.

The catfish are being raised by inmates at Terre Haute’s Federal Correctional Complex as part of a partnership between the DNR and the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

Specific stocking dates are unknown, but the first round of channel catfish are to be delivered to Go FishIN in the City this week, just in time for the first 2013 Free Fishing Day on April 20, when Indiana’s adult residents do not need a license in order to fish. All other general fishing regulations apply. On all other days not designated a “Free Fishing Day” by the DNR, a fishing license is required and general fishing regulations apply. “Fishing is a fun, wholesome, healthy outdoor activity that can be enjoyed alone or with family and friends,” James said.

Fisheries biologists will evaluate the success of the program by conducting angler surveys and fish sampling over the summer. For more about the Go FishIN in the City program, including information about the parks and fish stockings, visit www.dnr.IN.gov/fishwild/7508.htm

Even though the DNR stocked fewer walleye in Sylvan and Winona lakes during the past three years, studies show the reduced stocking had no effect on the number of surviving walleye.

The study shows anglers will find plenty of walleye to catch in the northeastern Indiana lakes. It appears factors other than stocking rates play important roles in determining walleye survival.

From 2001-09, DNR fisheries biologists stocked fingerling walleye annually at the rate of 20 per acre at Sylvan in Noble County and Winona in Kosciusko County. The rate was cut to 15 per acre from 2010 through 2012. Survival rates one year later were generally greater at the lower stocking rate than at the higher one.

Biologists assess walleye survival based on catch rates of age, one year after stocking. Specialized boats equipped with electrical generators are used to capture the fish. The walleye are then measured and scale samples are taken for age analysis. The unharmed walleye are then released into the lake.

From 2002-07, catch rates of Age-1 walleye at Sylvan averaged 21.8 per hour. Catch rates from 2010-12 averaged 29.8 per hour. The study revealed the average catch rate of walleye at Sylvan increased 37 percent when the stocking rate was reduced 25 percent. The highest catch rate came from a stocking of 15 per acre.

At Winona, walleye catch averaged 11.9 when stocked at the higher rate. At the lower stocking rate, catch rates averaged 12.5 per hour. Effectively, anglers harvested 5 percent more walleye despite the DNR stocking 25 percent fewer.

Last fall the stocking rate was cut again at both lakes, to 10 fingerlings per acre. The rate has been successful in maintaining walleye fisheries at Crooked and Wall lakes in Steuben County and at Pretty Lake in LaGrange County.

Since 2001 a total of 140,000 walleye have been stocked into Sylvan. Winona has received 120,000. Adult walleye captured last fall measured up to 20 inches long at Sylvan, and up to 24 inches at Winona. The walleye not stocked in Sylvan and Winona are being transferred to Maxinkuckee in Marshall County and Clear in Steuben County.

To be kept by anglers, a walleye must be at least 14 inches long.

The print version of the 2013-14 Indiana Fishing Regulation Guide contains incorrect information on how fish may be taken below dams on the Ohio River. The rule on page 21 of the guide should state: “A person shall not take fish within 200 yards below any dam on the Ohio River except by fishing pole or hand line.”

The word “except” was dropped inadvertently from a past year’s online version of Indiana fishing regulations, and the incorrect text was carried over to this year’s print version.

Although the print version is incorrect, the language has been updated in the current online version of the guide, at www.dnr.IN.gov/fishwild/2347.htm and www.eregulations.com/indiana/fishing

The updated online version also contains a clarification on the bag limit for sauger. A chart on page 14 now notes the daily limit for sauger, walleye and walleye-sauger hybrid is six fish in any combination of the three species. Size limits are unchanged – minimum 14 inches for walleye and walleye-sauger hybrid (except on the Ohio River and the St. Joseph River in Elkhart and St. Joseph counties), and no minimum size on sauger.

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