New Rules and Regs for 2015

This list was just released today and these changes are just proposals for now. They still have to be approved before being able to be enforced later this year. You can click on the link and read all of the proposed changes. Here are the two major fishing changes that would affect the most of us.

312 IAC 9-7-9: Adds a 9-inch minimum size requirement to harvest crappie at Dogwood Lake in Daviess County and Hardy Lake in Scott County. Research indicates that a 9-inch minimum length limit on crappie at Hardy and Dogwood lakes should improve crappie fishing and make these standout lakes in Indiana.


312 IAC 9-7-10: Establishes a statewide daily bag limit of 25 (in aggregate) for all species of sunfish (Lepomis spp. – which includes bluegill, redear, warmouth, pumpkinseed, green sunfish, and others). In recent years, technology has greatly increased fish-catching efficiency. Having a sunfish bag limit in place at times when fish are highly vulnerable would help maintain long-term fishing quality.

DNR: Rule/Regulation Changes

Haven't they proposed this like the last 3 or 4 years?

I like these changes.

I think it is time to make these changes. The size and numbers are going down at Dogwood. It is not hard to figure out when people take hundreds of fish during one extended trip and there are dozens of campers doing the same thing from ice thaw to freeze up. Not against keeping some but being reasonable should be rule one. Once saw a lake almost die because of over harvest of bass and crappie. It is finally coming back after almost 20 years.

2 key words here that, to me anyway, just cause confusion, Proposed and if approved. Those words mean nothing has changed as of yet, however I'm not saying the changes aren't needed. I very hardly keep any fish anyway.

There not in effect now! They are just being proposed click on the link says that if they go to these changes it wouldn't be till LATE summer or fall OF 2015!

Make it state wide on the crappie size. If it is good for one lake wouldn't it be a good for most other lakes?

Maybe they are doing this for a small test? If they like the results then they will make it state wide?

These changes wouldn't affect me because

1. I don't keep any Crappie under 9"
2. There are usually 2 of us in the boat and we can't seem to catch 50 fish.

I agree on making it statewide, or if not put a special rule in place at Patoka/Monroe. I wouldn't even mind to see a slot limit introduced at those two lakes, just something to help bring the quality back that they once had. Our state has too many good resources for them to be in the shape that they are. We could learn a lot from Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Arkansas on lake mgmt IMO.

I thank it should be state wide and a 10" min. Size just my 2cents

Quote:

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Originally Posted by bigarm

Make it state wide on the crappie size. If it is good for one lake wouldn't it be a good for most other lakes?

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last summer I had a CO,at Patoka, check me and he told me that we should keep ANY crappie we catch regardless of size, if they're too small throw them out because there is too many and they're not growing.

nice reads... I'm all for promoting Indiana crappie & what's best for crappie. This discussion comes up each season. There's some good contributions & scientific results in another earlier thread- it's a "sticky" at the top of the IN Forum. I believe the title is "Size Limits" or something like that. It seemed the one factor that influenced proposed regulation in IN was our northern location in regards to crappie size/growth season in comparison to the southern states.

If over-harvest is identified as the root cause, then that's a horse of a different color. Over-harvest can't be cured by size limits- only enforcement of limits. The over-harvesters are counting on escaping without being caught, so the crappie's size makes little difference whether they are within the legal size limits.

It's kinda like the debate on gun laws (and other things)- more laws can be made, but when no one follows them and there's no enforcement of the laws... guess what happens???

A crappie less than 9" isn't worth cleaning anyway. As far as the panfish total. Should have done this long ago. I've watched many great panfish lakes take a dive. Catching 100 big gills in a day while on the nest is nothing. And in the long run that hurts. As far as Patoka, it holds good fish, but they are way smarter than me. I don't think that lake will ever recover from the runts running wild in there.

i agree that the 9" min. on craps should be state wide. not enough meat on them under 9" anyhow.

the bluegill limit is useless, IMO. i have seen them on beds 4 different times, throughout the year, some years. plenty of recruitment there. there are lakes around here that have given up buckets of gills, all year long, for as long as i can remember. they still produce to his day just fine. i dont know why they would even consider such a reg.

let them go and they will have everything as screwed up as the deer herds are now! the herds around here are well below half what they were 4 years ago.

lets see them shut down the trophy catfish raping, from the pay pit IDIOTS, if they want to do something good.

also said, they need to enforce the regs we have. just not enough money to pay more COs. i hardly ever see any greenies out and about. regs dont mean a thing to the ones over harvesting already!

I think it is hard to make a state wide regulation on crappie. What will work for one lake will not work for another. Some people fish for numbers and other people like to go out and catch slabs. I think the best state wide reg. would be keep all you want to filet under 9in but only allow 12 over 9in. To me 12 fish over 9 is plenty for a good meal and most of those guys will be out again the next day to catch 12 more. I think not keeping anything under 9 will just leave a lake full of smaller fish. I think it is kind of funny that people want to catch bigger crappie but they dont want limits on bigger fish.

if you make a 9" limit on a lake that is over populated then you'll be lucky to find any over 9"

I'd like to see the 25 limit on Sun fish but wonder how that would effect the size of fish on some lakes after some years go by. After all Sun fish are terrible about quickly over populating and stunting in size.

So much good information in the thread so far and all of it has been respectful in nature. I believe that its really comes down to better management on a lake by lake basis with proper enforcement from the green pants. I fish in Michigan quite a bit and get checked fairly regular for license and limit. I've only had one check in Indiana in 4 years and that was at a state park. It all comes down to us as fisherman being vigilant to how we fish and what we keep. Just because the law says we can keep 100 bluegills per day, doesn't mean its he right thing to do. Maybe some lakes can support this type of harvest, but I've seen great lakes go to good and then to bad, after watching people take them out by the bucketful.