Dan Rostecki didn’t catch what he was after while fishing from the Michigan City pier last Saturday, but he did haul in a state-record lake whitefish instead.

“I was out there brown trout fishing on the bottom and thought I had one,” Rostecki said. “It ended up being a whitefish. It’s the first one I’ve ever caught. It was really, really a bonus.”

A record bonus no less

DNR State Record Fish Program coordinator Jamie Smyth certified the record catch on March 30. Rostecki will receive a certificate and patch from the DNR Division of Fish & Wildlife as recognition of the record.

“Congratulations to Dan on his record catch,” Smyth said. “Since this one came so early in the year, perhaps it’s a sign that we’re in for a great year of fishing in Indiana.”

Rostecki’s catch from Lake Michigan weighed 5 pounds, 8 ounces and topped the previous Indiana record by more than a pound. He had an inkling it might be a contender after a friend caught one a week earlier weighing 3 pounds, 6 ounces.

“She said something a couple days later about the record being 4-6,” Rostecki said. “That’s crazy.”

Rostecki used squid and nightcrawler for bait.

“It’s a good combination for brown trout,” he said. “The squid has a nice oil smell, and the brown trout kind of dial in on it. My friend caught a couple last week using it and a couple more this week.”

Lake whitefish is a relatively new category in the DNR’s State Record Fish Program. The first year it was included was 2012 after DNR fisheries biologists determined an increasing number of lake whitefish in Indiana waters of Lake Michigan required establishment of a daily bag limit of 12 fish.

Scott Nieman set the initial record at 3.05 pounds in 2012, and Donald Hans topped it later in the year with one weighing 4 pounds, 6 ounces.

According to Ken Schultz’s Fishing Encyclopedia, the average size for lake whitefish is in the 1-2 pound range. Different accounts put the line-catch world record at 14 pounds, 6 ounces or 15 pounds, 6 ounces, but the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources website cites one weighing 42.67 pounds caught in Lake Superior in 1918.

“Traditionally they are found in northern Lake Michigan,” said Brian Breidert, Lake Michigan fisheries research biologist for the Indiana DNR. “We’re starting to see a bit of a range expansion and have for about the last four or five years. Illinois is starting to see them as well.”

Indiana’s Record Fish Program began in 1963 and now recognizes 52 species. Visit dnr.in.gov/fishwild/3577.htm for more information on the record fish program and the companion Fish of the Year contest.

Hoosiers score big fish

in King Kat Tournament

On March 28, the Cabela’s King Kat Tournament Trail was on the Pickwick/Wilson Lakes at Sheffield, Ala. In the event, more than 60 top anglers from 10 states were competing for cash, prizes and the opportunity to qualify for the 2015 Cabela’s King Kat East and West Championship.

Taking first place and $3,000.00 was the team of Bruce Faulk of Michie, Tenn., and Brian Vohol of Hermitage, Tenn., with an outstanding weight of 161.82 pounds. Bruce and Brian, the 2009 King Kat Classic Champions, were fishing Wilson Lake anchored in 12 feet of water using skipjack to catch a total of nine fish.

In second place was the team of Sammy Mitchell of Russellville, Ala. and Mike Mitchell of Grant, Ala. with a weight of 152.08 pounds and earning $1,200. Sammy and Mike fished Wilson Lake anchored in 25 feet of water using skipjack to catch only seven fish for the day. The team also had Second Big Fish of the event with a 66.32 pounder. The team caught all their fish early and  their biggest fish at 11 a.m.

Third place went to Nick Dimino of Starkville, Miss., and Adam Long of Amory, Miss., weighing in 151.86 pounds and earning $500. Nick and Adam were fishing Wilson Lake in 70 feet of water using skipjack to land a total of 10 fish for the day.

The team’s two biggest fish both weighed more than 50 pounds.

George Young Jr. of Brookland, Ark., and Ben Goebel of Mt. Vernon, Ind., took fourth place with a weight of 125.94 pounds and earning $300. George and Ben fished on Pickwick Lake around River Front Park drifting in 17 feet of water using skipjack and targeting ledges to land a total of 20 fish.

In seventh place and capturing Big Fish of the event were Daniel Lux of Bedford, Ind. and Robert Douglas of Loogootee, Ind. – earning $600 for their 68.52 pound big fish with a total weight of 114.36 pounds.

The team fished Wilson Lake using Skipjack and shad, in 12-15 feet of water. The team had 10 fish and caught big fish of the event on shad guts in the first 10 minutes of the event.

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.