IN. angler survey results

[river scum]

hey indiana brothers, i found the results of an angler fishing survey. if any of you participated in this survey,i would like to thank you myself. looks like catfish are gaining popularity in our state. we still need to keep sending letters and e-mails and calling our state officials. if we keep pushing for stiffer regulations on big fish we will all benefit in the future. our state has very laxed regulations for cats,compared to our surounding states,and they are very vulnerable. i for one like the new regs put in place in ohio for flatheads! if you havent seen these regs there is a thread in the ohio area,go check it out. ill stop rembeling now guys and list the results,enjoy.


the numbers represent the # of anglers selecting that species

1- bluegill--1386
2-crappie--1355
3-largmouth bass--1352
4-smallmouth bass--1199
5-walleye--910
6-channel catfish--780
7-yellow perch--661
8-striped bass--634
9-sunfish--575
10-northern pike--557
11-rock bass--533
12-blue catfish--528
13-flathead catfish--436
14-white bass--390
15-muskellunge--349
16-spotted bass--344
17-white perch--295
18-inland rainbow trout--279
19-steelhead--252
20-lake trout--237
21-brown trout--247
22-sauger--232
23-coho salmon--230
24-chinook salmon--205
25-freshwater drum--60
26-roughfish--28

p.s. catch photo and release all the big fish for the future,its proven to work! only we can keep our fisheries alive and well,or doom them through ignorence.

thx for reading brothers n t/c-tim

[zappaf19]

That survay was very interesting. I reviewed the law and if I am right on this there is no limits at all on cats or gills.
Bill
P.S
Thanks for the time and work you put in! :thumbsup:

[river scum]

well zappaf,the limits are as follows.

all cats have the same regulations

: in lakes & res. its 10 fish bag limit and no minimum size

: in rivers & streams its no bag limit & 10 in. minimum size

these regulations in my opinion are just plain STUPID! come on who wants to keep a catfish under 10 inches? the regs we have allow me ( or any other dern fool) to lay wast to a good streatch of water. the small rivers i fish could be wipped out literally of all large cats in one or two years of hard fishing. the laws need to be updated for cats in this state! the INDNR doesnt see catfish as a sport fish in need of protecting,from what i gather. they are more interested in trout bass n muskies. i for one would rather go out and catch 20 flatheads over 20# in a night oposed to one 20# musky. dont get me wrong i do fish for all kinds of fish and like what they have done with the regs for most. when it comes down to protecting cats all i would take is a regulation change. trout n muskies are stocked and that takes money n lots of it. new catfish regs would cost nothing. think about it,trophy fish for nothing,hum what a deal eh?

like i said send letters call n e-mail them with your concerns,please!

thx4reading tim

[slimcat]

I agree with you river scum, the states of kentucky and indiana have the WORST regulations of any states around. They do not care about catfish, if its not a bass or crappie they could care less. Hopefully one of these days, this low life state I live in will wake up and smell the coffee, Catfish are sportfish just like those stinkin bass and crappie. I guess that is the reason I fish in other states such as Kansas and Missouri, they respect there fish more.

[Fishgeek]

Well, I'm not sure where River Scum got ahold of those results but I'm glad they're out there!

Jim & Bill, I really appreciate you taking the time to complete & return the survey. Like River Scum said, its important for our catfishermen to let the DNR know how we/you feel about the state's current management (or lack of). The squeeky wheels usually get oiled if the squeeking is done in a respectful, non-threatening manner.

Thanks again!

[flathunter]

Good going guys keep pushing them for regs to help prtect them catfish..It's up to us!

[Fishgeek]

The DNR did have open meetings last year (and maybe the year before too) to allow our constituents to comment on proposed regulation changes. The people that attended liked them quite a bit. Prior to sending out the angler survey, we conducted a focus group composed of anglers & outdoor writers in order to pre-test the angler survey. Nearly each of the guys there had attended one of the DNR's public meetings and thought they were a great idea. Unfortunately, not many people (sometimes just 3 or 4) came to the meetings. Consequently, I think the DNR decided that it wasn't worth the time & effort to conduct such meetings -- especially when the number of DNR folks present out numbered the public.

[Fishgeek]

Hear! Hear! Couldn't have said it better myself!

[river scum]

excellent post,timotha nicely said brother!