VIGO COUNTY, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) — The Indiana Department of Natural Resources has announced the rainbow and brown trout stocking plans for the upcoming inland trout fishing season.
According to a release from the DNR, the Division of Fish and Wildlife will be stocking 35 bodies of water across 21 counties in the state with a total of about 63,000 trout being stocked into Hoosier waterways.
The release also notes that all of the bodies of water will be stocked before opening day. inland stream fishing begins on April 27, “Most of the lake stockings of rainbow trout were done last month, starting the week of March 11. Anglers don’t have to wait to fish for those, as trout fishing on inland lakes is open year-round.”
Streams across the state will be stocked leading up to opening day and several will get additional rainbow trout stocking through Memorial Day weekend. And in May, 10 sites will get additional brown trout stockings.
Several bodies of water across the Wabash Valley will recieve trout stocking in preparation for the spring fishing season.
The following data shows the number and species of trout being stocked in waterbodies in the Wabash Valley:
- Vigo County:
- Maple Ave. Park Lake | 1,150 | rainbow trout
- Greene County:
- Airline Pit | 1,000 | rainbow trout
- Lidland Lake | 1,000 | rainbow trout
- Parke County:
- Harden Reservoir Tailwater | 750 | Rainbow Trout
The full list of DNR trout stocking plans for Indiana 2024 is below:
When it comes to trout fishing, DNR notes that the most popular lures tend to be natural options, “Trout will bite on a variety of artificial baits such as spinners and flies, but natural baits such as worms and bee moths tend to be the most popular,” the release said.
For anglers, the bag limit is five per day with a minimum size of seven inches, other than Lake Michigan and its tributaries and no more than one of the angler’s catch can be a brown trout.
“There is no size limit for trout on inland lakes except for harvested brown trout caught below the Brookville Lake tailwater or from Oliver, Olin, or Martin lakes, which must be 18 inches or larger,” the release said.
For anglers under 18 who want to fish this spring season must have a fishing license and a trout/salmon stamp. To purchase a license for this year visit DNR’s online license system.
