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Posts: 1060
Location: Palm Coast, FL | http://www.indystar.com/article/20110927/L...24;IndyStar.com
May be a few years in the making but you have to start somewhere! |
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Posts: 1060
Location: Palm Coast, FL | Also a report from the Indiana DNR:
[DNR] Muskies to be stocked in Eagle Creek Reservoir
Start Date: 9/26/2011
End Date: 9/26/2011
Entry Description
The Indiana Department of Natural Resources will introduce muskellunge, commonly called muskies, to the 1,350-acre reservoir late this fall. Muskies are popular sport fish native to Indiana, yet there are limited opportunities to fish for them in the central part of the state. Stocking muskie in Eagle Creek Reservoir is intended to provide anglers with a unique sport fishing opportunity while using the abundant population of gizzard shad.
In the most recent fish community survey of the lake, gizzard shad and other non-sport fish that muskie commonly prey upon accounted for 40 percent of the fish collected. When shad densities are high they can have a negative impact on the survival and growth of sport fish. Muskie diet studies have documented that muskie feed heavily on gizzard shad and seldom prey upon largemouth bass, bluegill or crappie.
Indiana muskie populations are dependent upon stocking. The DNR Division of Fish & Wildlife currently stocks the species in 12 Indiana lakes. Eagle Creek Reservoir will be stocked at a rate of one fish per acre, which is less than the traditional five-fish-per-acre stocking rate in other Indiana muskie lakes.
The DNR will closely evaluate the survival and growth of stocked muskellunge and the entire fish community in coming years to assure that stocking muskellunge does not negatively impact other sport fish in the reservoir. Eagle Creek Reservoir will continue to be stocked annually with fingerling walleye at the rate of 100 fish per acre.
Eagle Creek Reservoir is operated and managed by Indy Parks.
Contact Information:
Name: Rhett Wisener or Aaron Cole
Phone: (765) 342-5527
Email: [email protected]
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Posts: 462
Location: Syracuse, Indiana | Give some props to the Indiana DNR staff who have worked for years to make this happen. The potential of a viable muskie fishery literally within Indianapolis' corporate limits is truly amazing. I grew up a short bike ride from Eagle Creek Reservoir. Always a good crappie lake, but overrun with shad and carp. In the future, I may have to haul my boat when I visit my mom! |
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Posts: 1224
Location: Okoboji | wish we could get more lakes in mn stocked....what can i do besides wishing to make this happen? |
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| Also have to give props to the Hoosier Muskie Hunters who have been talking with the DNR about this for about five years or so...
Just goes to show that being a part of a Muskies Inc group means something!
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Posts: 1086
| This is awesome news! And I know it's been talked about and wished upon for years. Being that I live in Indy...this will make things much easier for simple day trips to go fishing, possible once again!
I have a question about this, maybe this isn't the place to ask this question?
Being I've been so far removed from anything to do with Eagle Creek Res for many years now, last I knew, there was/is a 10 hp motor limit on that Reservoir. Is that still indeed the case? Meaning...could we muskie anglers, that have boats with motors that exceed the size of the 10hp limit, even be allowed to launch our boats into that lake? Even knowing we could not run the boat wide open, but even if we were to motor across the lake at idle/trolling speeds? Or would we need to be finding a smaller boat with a 9.9hp motor on the back of it to be able to fish this lake?
Edited by MACK 9/28/2011 8:15 AM
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Posts: 64
| Moid - 9/28/2011 7:37 AM Also have to give props to the Hoosier Muskie Hunters who have been talking with the DNR about this for about five years or so...
Just goes to show that being a part of a Muskies Inc group means something!
I agree, Props to the Hoosier Muskie Hunters! Indiana has great muskie fisheries. Muskies, Inc. clubs go a long way just like in my home state of Michigan, the Michigan Muskie Alliance has done a great job of working with the DNR to provide Michigan with some very high quality muskie fisheries. |
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Location: Grand Rapids, MI | Can't wait to fish Eagle Creek in 4-5 years.
Mack - Pretty sure they still allow a boat with a 9.9 kicker to be used on the lake as long as the main motor is never used. |
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Posts: 1086
| Sounds like I'll need to find myself a 9.9 kicker for my boat then just to be able to fish this lake. Never considered having a kicker motor for my boat.....until now...if that means that's the only way for me to fish this lake using my current boat. I guess it'd be good to have a kicker for when fishing lake Mich for salmon as a back-up motor too...for that "just in case" scenario.... |
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Posts: 462
Location: Syracuse, Indiana | The Hoosier Muskie Hunters deserve much credit for the introduction of muskies into Eagle Creek Reservoir, and for much more. Proud to be an MI member! Mack - last I knew the enforcement of the <10 HP limit was strict. |
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Posts: 20248
Location: oswego, il | Glad to see that another lake is getting stocked but they are discontinuing 2 musky lakes. I hope these are not this fish that were aloted for those two lakes. |
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| I believe those two lakes were on the chopping block with or without Eagle Creek. The DNR was just able to stock those lakes a little longer because they had surplus fish they weren't putting into Glen Flint and Plover Pit for a few years. Now, Plover gets fish again and Eagle Creek gets the same numbers that used to go in Glen Flint (just at 1 per acre on a bigger lake instead of 5 per acre on a smaller lake).
All in all, not a bad choice for fishermen in Indiana. Those lakes got a few muskie fishermen, and that's about it. The potential gain for having a fishable muskie population in a lake near the Indy metro area would be immense. More muskie fishermen means more stocked lakes and more business for guides and tackle shops. People get into Muskie fishing in Indy then want to go to the Webster area to try it out there, which is a good thing for that area as well. Basically, the positives outweigh the negatives. |
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Posts: 1086
| I don't mean to derail this thread, but just another curious thought/question came to mind to me today when thinking about this Eagle Creek being stocked with Muskies. I apologize if I haven't been to the Hoosier Muskie Hunter club meetings in the past several years, I've really pulled away from all that is Muskie fishing these past several years simply just due to not enough time to do it all while having two young kids at home that receive my time when I'm not at work.
Correct me if I'm wrong, as I'm sure I may very well be wrong in not knowing the full facts in what I "heard" years ago. And I may have heard wrong too. I'm just looking for clarification.
I thought I had "heard", years ago, that the IDNR had tried to stock Walleye into Eagle Creek, but that the Walleye stocking efforts didn't take and wasn't a successful program. Is that correct, or not? If it is correct, why wasn't that walleye stocking successful?
Is it that the lake's biological make-up couldn't support that species? Or did they wash over the spillway/dam and go down river/stream?
Reason I'm asking is...is there any concern that if the Walleye stocking efforts failed in this body of water, that the Muskie stocking efforts could potentially follow suit?
Of course I would hope not. I'm "assuming" there's some factual science backing up the IDNR's studies in regards to Walleye's not making in that body of water but that it could support Muskies.
If I'm way off base, and Walleye's have indeed been successfully stocked in that body of water and are continuing to be stocked, then my question is all a moot point.
Again...since I've had kids...I just haven't had the time to keep tabs on everything going on around in my local area and body's of water.
Edited by MACK 9/28/2011 4:01 PM
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Posts: 462
Location: Syracuse, Indiana | My understanding is that walleye stocking continues. |
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Posts: 20248
Location: oswego, il | I think a lake or even more than that near indy is a great idea. One thing to look at though is escapement, I hope it is minimal but it will probably be something that needs to be dealt with. I will miss the two lakes that were cut.
Edited by ToddM 9/28/2011 6:43 PM
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Posts: 538
Location: northern indiana | ToddM - 9/28/2011 6:25 PM
I think a lake or even more than that near indy is a great idea. One thing to look at though is escapement, I hope it is minimal but it will probably be something that needs to be dealt with. I will miss the two lakes that were cut.
Those lakes still have fish in them  |
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Posts: 1060
Location: Palm Coast, FL | David and Mack...from the DNR:
"Eagle Creek Reservoir will continue to be stocked annually with fingerling walleye at the rate of 100 fish per acre. " |
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Posts: 1086
| Oh...cool. Thanks Vince. Wow....still putting them in there....AND at 100 fish per acre. Nice.
Man...do I wish I still had my 'lil 14' Pike Attacker boat with that little Johnson outboard! Perfect size boat for fishing Eagle Creek. Dag.... |
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| The walleye stocking has exceded expectation |
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Posts: 1086
| That's great to hear. Thanks for all of the clarification. Like I had said...I'm sure I had heard wrong years ago. |
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Posts: 4080
Location: Elko - Lake Vermilion | Eagle Creek has a GREAT Golf Course that I have played about 30 times, and always a good test for accuracy and length...
I will fish this lake , once it gets established,But the golf is pretty good there right now!
Jerome |
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Posts: 81
Location: Van Buren, Indiana | Another good choice especially for any troller's is Brookeville. In Nov. of '09 at our Hoosier Muskie Hunters State of the State Muskie update, Bill James showed us a photo of a awesome Fat Girl they netted in the walleye nets. They did not measure her but, but she looked about 45 or 46 and fat from shad!! The picture was in April down near the Dam. Bill said trolling deep like the guys do for the Stripers is a productive way to go at them. Brookville always has received the surplus, 1,000-5,000, but last year it recieved 27,923 pellet reared 5.57" fish. Then this year another 2,700 8-11" fish. I give all the props to our IN DNR for an outstanding job supporting our muskies. We did lose Ball & Loon, Loon did receive it's 5/acre stocking last year so it will be good for years to come. One of the main reasons for dropping was lack of catch rates and angler interest. If you have any luck when you fish the lakes, drop them an e-mail, or if you come down to the Boatshow stop and talk to them. They told us that with the way the funds are going if they do not get good feedback, it is hard to get new lakes going. Come on down and do some trolling! |
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Posts: 315
| good job guys...always exciting news!!! the hard part is the wait for them to get to trophy sizes. |
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