Thousands of newly stocked rainbow trout are awaiting anglers at 17 lakes throughout Indiana. Since mid-April, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Division of Fish & Wildlife (DFW) has conducted annual rainbow trout stockings for Indiana’s inland lakes, where trout fishing is allowed year-round.

Approximately 24,000 trout were stocked in lakes in 14 counties, ranging from Clark County in the south to Lake County in the north. The trout are 9 inches long. The daily bag limit is five trout, and no more than one may be a brown. The minimum size limit is 7 inches.

Brown trout are present in the Oliver Lake chain in LaGrange County, and several streams. Indiana’s trout stocking plan and a list of stocking locations is online at www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/3622.htm

Indiana’s trout stream season opened at 6 a.m. local time on April 25 and runs through Dec. 31. Approximately 27,000 rainbow trout are annually stocked into 19 streams.

For more details, the Indiana Fishing Regulation Guide is available at most license retailers and online at www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/2347.htm

Trail Creek, Little Cal

now open for fishing

The annual closed fishing season on sections of Trail Creek and the East Branch of the Little Calumet River has been lifted under an emergency rule.

Portions of each stream were previously closed each year from April 1-June 15 to protect recently stocked trout and salmon. Lifting the closure will allow more fishing opportunities for Hoosiers to pursue steelhead, bass, walleye and panfish, without harming the stocking program on Lake Michigan and its Indiana tributaries, according to the DFW.

When the closed season was enacted decades ago, it protected spring yearlings stocked at 7 inches in length, which also was the minimum size limit for inland trout at the time.

The state’s trout and salmon stocking program on Lake Michigan and its tributaries was newly developed back then.

Some anglers were unaware the size limit for trout caught on inland streams and trout caught in Lake Michigan or its tributaries was different.

The closure prevented any confusion from resulting in illegal harvesting of recently stocked fish. The minimum size limit for trout and salmon in Lake Michigan and its Indiana tributaries is now 14 inches.

With the Lake Michigan stocking program well developed, most anglers in the area know the special trout regulations for those particular streams.

Additionally, stocking locations have been moved further upstream to spread out fish and avoid concentrating stocked fish in areas where they are vulnerable to anglers.

Relaxing the regulation puts the streams in line with other Lake Michigan fisheries agencies and Indiana’s St. Joseph River trout and salmon stocking program, which has no spring closure. Tributary restrictions to fishing above and below dams will, however, remain in effect for public safety reasons.

More HRI acres open

The DNR opened to public use an additional 1,166 acres along the Wabash River with the start of spring turkey hunting season. The land was acquired as part of the DNR’s Healthy Rivers INitiative.

HRI was launched in 2010 to secure permanent conservation protection of nearly 70,000 acres along Sugar Creek, the Wabash River and the Muscatatuck River. The new lands are:

•245 acres in Sullivan and Vigo counties to be managed as part of Fairbanks Landing Fish & Wildlife Area.

•815 acres in Vermillion and Vigo counties to be managed as part of the Wabash River Conservation Area.

•106 acres in Vigo County to be managed as part of Wabashiki Fish & Wildlife Area.

The parcels will be managed in accordance with the rules for their associated fish and wildlife properties. For more information on Fish & Wildlife Areas and Conservation Areas, visit www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/3077.htm

The three openings increase the acreage HRI has opened to public use since the conservation project began, to 28,425 acres. An additional 4,128 are enrolled in conservation easements, bringing the total of permanently protected land to 32,553 acres.

The lands have been protected through a combination of acquisitions from willing sellers, conservation easements and Wetlands Reserve Program enrollments.

Ouabache wildflower

day, garlic mustard pull

Learn about Ouabache State Park’s wildflowers and an invasive species threatening them on May 9. All activities start at the Trails End Shelter.

From 9:30-11 a.m., park visitors can learn folklore and how to identify many of the park’s wildflowers, through pictures and an easy hike.

From 12:30-2 p.m., participants will have the opportunity to pull invasive garlic mustard.

Garlic mustard crowds out native wildflowers and prevents tree seedlings from growing.

Work gloves are recommended.

At 2:30 p.m., enjoy an edible wildflower hike ending with a taste of some of the plants.

Participants may come to all or some activities. Activities are free after paying the standard gate fee of $5 per in-state vehicle or $7 per out-of-state vehicle. Participants pulling mustard will be allowed into the park at no charge. Participants should sign in at the gatehouse by 12:30 p.m.

Ouabache State Park is located at 4930 E. St. Rd. 201, Bluffton, IN 46714.

Tunnel at Clifty Falls

temporarily reopens

Brough’s Tunnel at Clifty Falls State Park will reopen to public exploration, but only between May 1-Oct. 31. The closed season, Nov. 1-April 31, coincides with bat hibernation in the tunnel and is an effort to prevent the spread of white nose syndrome (WNS).

WNS is caused by a fungus and has resulted in an unprecedented number of bat deaths.

The fungus does not affect humans, but when they enter caves or tunnels where the fungus may be present, they pick up spores from the fungus on their clothing or gear and spread it to new locations. Bats also spread the fungus when they come in contact with the spores.

If visitors have been to caves immediately before visiting the tunnel, they should follow the national decontamination protocol, described at www.whitenosesyndrome.org

Visitors who plan a trip to a different cave after entering the tunnel during the open season should also follow the protocol.

Brough’s Tunnel is accessible from Trail 5. It is a remnant of a railroad system never completed. The tunnel was closed in 2009 as a precaution against the spread of WNS. Clifty Falls State Park is located at 1501 Green Road, Madison, IN 47250.

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.