By JACK SPAULDING
Spaulding Outdoors 

Invasive Asian carp are knocking on Lake Monroe’s door, and Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) officials are warning anglers not to let them in. Silver and bighead carp (collectively referred to as Asian carp) have been found in Salt Creek, directly below the Monroe Lake dam. The dam prevents the carp from entering the lake.

Fisheries biologists with the DNR Division of Fish & Wildlife are concerned anglers who are collecting baitfish from Salt Creek might mistake juvenile Asian carp for gizzard shad and introduce the carp into Lake Monroe. Using live gizzard shad is a common way to fish for hybrid striped bass at Lake Monroe.

The method is legal at Lake Monroe as long as the fish were collected in the lake. Collecting live gizzard shad in Salt Creek and using them at Lake Monroe is against the law. It is also difficult to distinguish gizzard shad from juvenile Asian carp.

In September, DNR researchers cast a net in Salt Creek below the dam to determine the prevalence of Asian carp, and how easy it would be to catch them while targeting gizzard shad. In just six casts, they caught 52 juvenile Asian carp.

Anglers fishing Lake Monroe are reminded to collect their bait fish in Lake Monroe only. Do not transport fish from one body of water to another. Anglers also should dispose of all unused baitfish, including fish parts, on shore, in a trash can. Never release bait into the water.

Asian carp can cause enormous damage to native species by outcompeting existing fish for food, specifically plankton. By consuming so much plankton, the carp affect the entire aquatic food chain, including sport fish dependent on plankton-eating fish.

The regular-season waterfowl dates and late-season Canada goose dates for Indiana have been finalized. Season dates for ducks, coots and mergansers are:

North Zone: Oct. 24-Dec. 13 and Dec. 19-27

Central Zone: Oct. 31-Nov. 8 and Nov. 21-Jan. 10, 2016

South Zone: Oct. 31-Nov. 8 and Nov. 28-Jan. 17

The daily bag limit for ducks in all zones is six, including no more than four mallards (of which no more than two may be hens), three scaup, three wood ducks, two pintails, two redheads, two canvasbacks, one black duck and one mottled duck.

The daily bag limit for coots is 15. The daily bag limit for mergansers, separate from ducks, is five, of which no more than two may be hooded mergansers. The possession limit is three times the daily bag limit.

For Canada geese, white-fronted geese, brant and light geese, season dates are:

North Zone: Oct. 24-Nov. 22 and Dec. 12-Jan. 24

Central Zone: Oct. 31-Nov. 8 and Nov. 21-Jan. 24

South Zone: Oct. 31-Nov. 8 and Nov. 28-Jan. 31

The bag limit for all dark geese (Canada, white-fronted and brant) has changed this year. The new limit is five, no more than three of which may be Canada geese. The possession limit is three times the daily bag limit.

The daily bag limit for light geese (snow, blue and/or Ross’ geese) is 20, with no possession limit for light geese.

The late season for Canada geese is Feb. 1-15. The counties open during the late season are Adams, Allen, Boone, Clay, DeKalb, Elkhart, Greene, Hamilton, Hancock, Hendricks, Huntington, Johnson, Kosciusko, LaPorte, LaGrange, Madison, Marion, Marshall, Morgan, Noble, Parke, St. Joseph, Shelby, Steuben, Starke, Sullivan, Vermillion, Vigo, Wells and Whitley.

The daily bag limit during the season is three Canada geese, with a possession limit of nine.

The light goose conservation order is Feb. 1-March 31 statewide, except for the counties having a late season on Canada geese. For the counties with a late season on Canada geese, the proposed light goose conservation order season is Feb. 16-March 31.

The light goose conservation order has no bag or possession limit.

A free permit is required. Details will be available later in the winter.

Dates for youth waterfowl season are:

North Zone: Oct. 17-18

Central Zone: Oct. 24-25

South Zone: Oct. 24-25

Bag and possession limits are the same as the regular seasons. The youth waterfowl season is open to youths age 15 and younger, accompanied by an adult.

Dates for extended falconry season for ducks, coots and mergansers are:

North Zone: Sept. 27-30 and Feb. 15-March 10

Central Zone: Oct. 24-30 and Feb. 18-March 10

South Zone: Oct. 24-30 and Feb. 18-March 10

Public comments on the DNR Division of Forestry strategic plan for 2015-19 are being accepted online through Oct. 31. A comment form is available at www.in.gov/dnr/forestry/2856.htm

The strategic plan is available to review under the "Annual Reports & Forest Strategic Plans" at www.in.gov/dnr/forestry/3605.htm

Indiana’s DNR Forestry has broad responsibilities, including managing approximately 158,000 acres in 15 state forests and state recreation areas; managing more than 700,000 acres of private woodlands in the Classified Forest and Wildlands program; growing and selling 3 million seedlings per year; and administering a statewide urban forestry program.

State forests are managed for multiple uses and benefits – camping, fishing, hiking, horseback riding, hunting, mushroom hunting, picnicking and more. Other benefits include certified timber production, conservation of air, soil and water resources, wildlife habitat and protection of cultural resources.

One way the proposed strategic plan differs from previous ones is an emphasis on increasing and improving recreation opportunities on state forests. The plan seeks to support the activities with user fees, something DNR Forestry has done for years on three properties, but now intends to apply across the entire state forest system.

Also new to the plan is support for private lands woodland management, with fees paid by people who use the services of district foresters. The services and fees are currently undecided, and the division is looking for public input and direction on how to carry out the program.