Indiana Fishing Forums

Week focuses on stopping spread of ash tree killer

Event Description
Ash trees are dead and dying throughout Indiana by the thousands, costing Hoosiers millions and marring the landscape.

The killer is tiny, elusive and resilient. The emerald ash borer beetle, EAB for short, can fly, but not far. Its rapid spread is caused by humans moving the firewood in which the beetles thrive.

Memorial Day weekend travel traditionally coincides with a more sinister happening—more spread of this killer by unwary humans on summer vacation trips and weekend outings.

To remind Hoosiers and visitors to Indiana to protect forests by not moving firewood, Gov. Mike Pence has declared May 19-25 as Emerald Ash Borer Awareness Week in Indiana.

The Indiana Department of Natural Resources regulates the types of firewood that can be brought onto State lands. The purpose is not only to stop spread of EAB, but also to fight the next invasive pest, which will likely travel in firewood, too.

The DNR requires all firewood entering state properties to: (1) be accompanied by a state or federal compliance stamp allowing such movement, or (2) be kiln-dried scrap lumber, or (3) be completely debarked if brought from home within Indiana.

To fight EAB, if you plan to have a campfire, the best option is to buy firewood close to where you will burn it; don’t bring it from home. Burn wood completely before leaving your site—don’t leave wood for the next person. Buying packaged firewood bearing a state or federal compliance stamp also helps.

Extensive information about the bug and the laws regarding firewood movement is at dnr.IN.gov/entomolo/3443.htm.

Suspected EAB infestations outside of the quarantine boundaries should be reported to DNR’s toll-free Invasive Species Hotline, 1-866-NO-EXOTIC. Insecticide treatments are available to protect individual trees from EAB. Many are cost effective. See eabindiana.info.
Contact Information:
Name: Marty Benson
Phone: (317) 233-3853
Email: dnrnews@dnr.in.gov

Happy Birthday Charlie,, its a good week to be born. Me, Sam and you were born this week!!!!

Happy Birthday Charlie !!!
Site was down or I'd of ent it earlier !
  HOPING YOURS IS THE BEST EVER !!

 This page was last updated on MAY 15 2013 02:44 P.M.
Cecil M. Harden Lake (Raccoon Lake)

For more information about the lake please click on the lake name above.
Description:


Fish

    Blue catfish

        Description:

            Like other catfish, the blue catfish has a smooth scaleless skin and barbels on its face resembling cat whiskers. The barbels help the blue taste and feel objects and enable it to locate food in dark and turbid water. The blue catfish has 30-35 anal fin rays, its anal fin margin is straight and the caudal fin is deeply forked.

        Bait: Worms
        Depth: Bottom

        Comments about fish:

            Catfishes rank second only to Buffalos as freshwater commercial fish. Catfishes take a wide variety of food, including clams, insect larvae, and crustaceans. They are also scavengers. Worms seem to be the most productive bait here at Cecil M. Harden Lake. The South end of the beach, off of the South point is one of the more productive areas in the lake for catfishes. If success is limited you may try an alterative bait such as a commerical blood bait, or some tainted chicken livers.

    Largemouth bass

        Description:

            Sunfishes include some of the best-known fish in Indiana. Bluegill, redear sunfish, black and white crappie, largemouth, spotted and smallmouth bass are all members of the sunfish family. On the largemouth bass, the upper jaw extends beyond back of eye, differentiating the fish from the smallmouth bass. The largemouth bass commonly reached six pounds.

        Bait: Various Crank Baits
        Depth: Varies

        Comments about fish:

            Often called on of the finest fresh-water game fish of Indiana. The largemouth Bass often feeds upon crayfish and other smaller fish.

    Redear sunfish

        Description:

            Sunfishes include some of the best-known fish in Indiana. Bluegill, redear sunfish, black and white crappie, largemouth, spotted and smallmouth bass are all members of the sunfish family. The redear sunfish has an opercle flap (ear) that is tipped with a red or orange margin.

        Bait: Jiggs or bee moths
        Depth: Shallow Water

        Comments about fish:

            Also know as the "Shellcracker" grows to a length of about 7" in Cecil M. Harden Lake. This fish is a transplant from the Mississippi basin from Illinois south, and is most abundant in the south where it grows to near 10 inches.

    Smallmouth bass

        Description:

            Sunfishes include some of the best-known fish in Indiana. Bluegill, redear sunfish, black and white crappie, largemouth, spotted and smallmouth bass are all members of the sunfish family. The last rays on the dorsal fin of the smallmouth bass are separated from the rest of the fin. Also, the upper jaw does not extend beyond back of eye, as it does with the largemouth bass. The smallmouth bass commonly reaches 3-4 pounds.

        Bait: Various Crank Baits
        Depth: Varies

        Comments about fish:

            Smallmouth bass are not typically associted with Cecil M. Harden Lake to a great extent. Although we do have a Smallmouth bass population.

    Striped bass

        Description:

            These bass belong to the temperate bass family. Temperate basses include the true fresh water basses, white and yellow bass, and the striped bass, which originally lived in the Atlantic Ocean but can live its entire life in fresh water. Temperate basses often school far from shore and feed on schooling fish. Hybrid striped bass are a cross of white and striped bass. The striped bass has tooth patches on back of tongue in two parallel patches, first stripe below lateral line complete to tail, stripes above lateral line are unbroken.

        Bait: Various Crank Baits
        Depth: Below 15'

        Comments about fish:

            Striped bass were introduced to Cecil M. Harden Lake in 1995 as a means to control a exploding Gizzard Shad population. Striped bass seem to be one of the more popular sporting fishes as they will fight aggressively to get off of an angler's line. As the summer temperatures sky rocket the Striped bass will typically seek out the deeper, cooler waters. Fishing Hint: try fishing straight out off of points into deep channels. Raccoon has the Indiana State record for Striped Bass @ 39.08 lbs (caught in 2010).

    Walleye

        Description:

            Indiana anglers have long since sought perch for their tasty flavor. The yellow perch, walleye and sauger are members of this popular family. The walleye has no spots on its dorsal fin and a dusky spot at the rear of its spiny dorsal fin, lower tip of tail and anal fin are white.

        Bait: Various Crank Baits
        Depth: Varies

        Comments about fish:

            Walleye is not commonly fished for at Cecil M. Harden Lake. Although Walleye are no longer stocked at the lake, biologist netted walleye that have naturally reproduced.

    White bass

        Description:

            These bass belong to the temperate bass family. Temperate basses include the true fresh water basses, white and yellow bass, and the striped bass, which originally lived in the Atlantic Ocean but can live its entire life in fresh water. Temperate basses often school far from shore and feed on schooling fish. Hybrid striped bass are a cross of white and striped bass. The white bass has a single tooth patch on back of tongue, first stripe below lateral line not complete to tail.

        Bait: Jiggs or minnows
        Depth: Varies

        Comments about fish:

            White bass are often over looked at Cecil M. Harden as a sporting opportunity. In the spring and fall of each year White bass can be found in the upper Big Raccoon Creek entering the lake at Portland Mills. White bass will also school with the crappie throughout the entire lake.

    White crappie

        Description:

            Sunfishes include some of the best-known fish in Indiana. Bluegill, redear sunfish, black and white crappie, largemouth, spotted and smallmouth bass are all members of the sunfish family. The white crappie has six dorsal spines, black side markings forming vertical bars rather than random spots and anal fin rays.

        Bait: Jiggs or minnows
        Depth: Varies

        Comments about fish:

            Two species, the Black crappie and White crappie inhabit about the same regions.

Comments about body of water:

    Current lake level is 77.73 (15.51 feet over summer pool). All boat ramps are currently closed due to high water, excluding the main ramp located in Raccoon SRA. Please use caution while boating, as flood debris is present. Note- Summer pool is 62.22. Good fishing.

Game bird habitat development funds available for landowners

Event Description
Private landowners looking to improve wildlife habitat on their property may qualify for financial assistance through the DNR Division of Fish & Wildlife, particularly if they want to benefit bobwhite quail and ring-neck pheasants.

Bobwhite quail and ring-neck pheasant are prized game birds. However, populations of both have suffered from permanent habitat loss or lack of maintenance on existing habitat.

“It used to be that farming practices created and maintained a lot of the habitat that quail and pheasants needed,” said Gary Langell, private lands program manager for DNR Fish & Wildlife. “More ground was typically disturbed each year than what was planted and harvested. Many of those disturbed areas would remain idle for two or three years in a row before being disked up again and provided ideal nesting and winter cover. It is this type of habitat that we are lacking today, but it requires landowners to create and maintain it.”

The DNR Fish & Wildlife’s Private Lands Unit works with landowners to restore quail and pheasant habitat. A district wildlife biologist will meet with the landowner, inspect the property and prepare a detailed management plan. The biologist will also discuss financial assistance programs that are available through the DNR Fish & Wildlife to help offset the cost of habitat restoration or maintenance. Qualified landowners are reimbursed for finished work in the amount agreed to by DNR Fish & Wildlife. Enhanced cost-share assistance is available to landowners in any of the Division’s quail or pheasant priority areas.

“Each district wildlife biologist has a quail or pheasant priority area,” said Josh Griffin, south region private lands supervisor for DFW. “The more pheasant and quail habitat we can create or restore in these areas, the greater the potential for these birds to disburse into other areas of good habitat and maintain sustainable populations.“

To determine if your land is in a quail or pheasant priority area, see dnr.IN.gov/dnr/wild/2352.htm.

For more information on quail or pheasant priority areas, or for information on developing wildlife habitat on your property, contact your local district wildlife biologist. A directory is at dnr.IN.gov/fishwild/2716.htm.
Contact Information:
Name: Josh Griffin
Phone: (812) 526-8475
Email: dnrnews@dnr.in.go