OUTDOOR INDIANA HAROLD W. HANDLE Governor CRAWFORD F. PARKER Lieutenant-Governor and Commissioner of Agrictlture INDIANA CONSERVATION COMMISSION James M. Tucker, Paoli, Chairman Dr. Harry J. Reed, Lafayei Kenneth M. Kunkel, Indianapolis William Shaw, Knox Edwin K. Martin, Director Kenneth R. Cougill, Assistant Director, Paul F. Brady, Legal State Parks i Heine Moesh, Administrative Assista Mrs. lone F. Harrington, Assistant nten Jhn W. bster, Superintendent, State Parks (Hotels and Inns) Indiana nservation Officers Wm. B. Barnes, Fish and Game Frank N. V lace, Entomology Ralph F. Wilcox, State Forests Homer R. .Brr),Oil and Gas Charles H. Bechert, Water Resources Henry C. Prango Engineering Dr. Charles F. Deiss, Geological Survey Wm. Burjnsurchasing John V. Sellers, Public Relations Harold B. Smith, Accounting CONTENTS "H OT " FISH IN G SPOTS ..................................................... 1 THE GROUNDHOG ................................................... 6 NEW SOGRAM .......................................... 7 GUARDIANS OF OUR NUT TREES................................... 9 ELM ER ...................................... ................................ 12 IS YOUR TACKLE TIP-TOP? ....... ....................... 13 INDIANA'S PREHISTORIC MONSTERS................................ 16 MEN WHO SOLVE UNUSUAL PROBLEMS........................ 22 MEET YOUR CONSERVATION OFFICER......................... 26 STATE PARKS THROUGH A "GUIDE"............................ 29 W. L. THOMPSON, Editor JEAN CARPER, Associate Editor MAC HEATON, Art Editi Officer DUANE E. DUKE, Photographer OUTDOOR INDIANA Vol. 1, No. 9 March, 1958 Published monthly by the Indiana Department of COVER Conservation, 311 W. Washington St., Indianapolis 9, Indiana. Subscription price $1.50 a year. "Here's how!" Conservation Officer Charli Second-class mail privileges authorized at Indian- apolis, Indiana. Black of Porter County explains casting to Permission for reprinting material from this issue is young angler. Photo, Duane Duke. hereby given with a request that proper credit be given. 13 "HOT" Fishing Spots For '58 Predicted from success BY KEEPING a close watchare onable last to year's com- of '57 season by fishing hot spots we pile a pretty accurate thermometer of districts and counties where Hoosier fishermen can expect the big catches this year. While we list the following as "hot" spots, we also encourage Hoosiers not to neglect the deep holes in the small creeks that run through their back woods and the 42,000 stocked farm ponds that cover Indiana. In addition, the Department of Con- servation has released over one and three- fourths millions of fish, ranging from fin- gerlings to legal size. This restocking pro- gram should add to the summer harvest. Central Marion: Geist Reservoir - good blue- gills and crappies, channel catfish. MnccHL~ro Hamilton: Morse Reservoir-good smallmouth and pan fish. Johnson and Shelby: Flatrock and Blue River-excellent catches of cat- fish and crappies and smallmouth. March, 1958 OUTDOOR INDIANA * Page 1 Northeast DeKalb and Allen: Some streams stocked with trout.* Elkhart: Hunter Lake-good bluegills, redears in spring. St. Joseph River-goc rock bass, smallmouth, northern pike, channel cat, walleye pike. Elkhart River- good rock bass, smallmouth, largemouth, northern pike, bluegills from mill por south of Goshen to the intersection of St. Joseph River in city of Elkhart. Litt Elkhart River and Emma Creek-two of the state's best rainbow and brown troi streams. Huntington: Wabash River-good channel cat. Salamonie River-good chann cat, largemouth and smallmouth. Clair Lake-stocked with rainbow and brow trout. Kosciusko: Caldwell and Spear Lakes-good bluegills in summer. Chapma Lakes-good largemouth, bluegills, perch. Dewart Lake, Hoffman Lake, Pale, tine Lake, Wabee Lake-all good for largemouth and bluegills. Pike and Ridingo Lakes-good northern pike, largemouth, bluegills. Shock Lake-stocked wit rainbow trout. Syracuse Lake-good largemouth, bluegills, redears, percl Tippecanoe Lake-spring and fall good for largemouth and smallmouth, bluegill redears, silver bass, channel cats, perch, cisco netting. Wawasee Lake-go largemouth and smallmouth, rock bass, bluegills, redears, perch, northern pik crappies. Webster Lake-good largemouth, bluegills, redears. Winona Lake- good largemouth, bluegills, silver bass. Tippecanoe.River-good largemouth an smallmouth, rock bass, channel cats, northern pike. A few streams are stocke with trout.* LaGrange: Atwood Lake-good largemouth, bluegills. Cedar Lake-good large mouth. Dallas Lake-good largemouth, smallmouth, northern pike, good cisc netting, also stocked with rainbow trout. Fish Lake-good cisco netting, stocke with rainbow trout. Big Long Lake-good bluegills, largemouth, perch. Prett Lake-stocked with rainbow trout. Royer Lake-good largemouth, bluegill crappies, redears. Little Turkey Lake-good largemouth, bluegills, northern pike North Twin Lake-good largemouth, smallmouth, bluegills, stocked with rair bow trout. South Twin Lake-good largemouth, northern pike, stocked wit rainbow trout. Wall Lake-good large mouth. Westler Lake - good crappie: Pigeon River and Fawn River - we stocked with rainbow and brown trou Most streams in LaGrange are stocke with trout.* * List of streams stocked with trout is avai able from the Department of Conservation. m Miami: Wabash and Mississinewa Rivers--good channel cat. Eel River-good rock bass and smallmouth and largemouth. Noble: Baugher Lake-good bluegills. Bixler Lake-good crappies, spring and fall, good largemouth, spring and summer. Bushong Lake-good bluegills year around. Gordy Lake-good bluegills and largemouth, summer. High Lake- good largemouth. Jones Lake-good crappies. Knapp Lake-cisco netting, stocked with rainbow trout. Little Long Lake-stocked with rainbow trout. Lower Long Lake and Upper Long Lake-good largemouth and bluegills. Port Mitchell Lake-good northern pike, largemouth, bass, bluegills, crappies. Smalley Lake-good largemouth, bluegills. Sylvan Lake-good largemouth, bluegills, crappies. Several streams in Noble County are stocked with trout.* Steuben: Brown and Jimerson Lakes-good largemouth, bluegills, redears. Clear Lake-good largemouth and smallmouth, bluegills, redears, perch, cisco netting. Crooked Lake, Fox Lake, Lake Pleasant-good largemouth, bluegills, perch. Eaton Lake-good bluegills in summer. Golden, Otter and Silver Lakes-good largemouth, bluegills. Hamilton Lake-good largemouth, bluegills, northern pike, crappies. Hogback Lake-good northern pike, largemouth, bluegills. Lake Gage-good northern pike, walleye pike, largemouth and smallmouth bass and large rainbow trout, cisco netting. Lake George-good northern pike, largemouth, bluegills, perch. Lake James-good northern pike, smallmouth and largemouth, bluegills, perch, crappies, cisco netting. McLish Lake-cisco netting, rainbow trout. Big Otter Lake-good largemouth, bluegills, cisco netting. PleasantLake- good largemouth, bluegills, stocked with rainbow trout. Snow Lake-good north- ern pike, largemouth, bluegills, cisco netting. Big Turkey Lake-good large- mouth, northern pike, bluegills, crappies. Several streams in Steuben County are stocked with trout.* Wabash: Long and Round Lakes-good bluegills, largemouth. Luken's Lake- good northern pike, largemouth, bluegills. Salamonie River-good channel cat. Whitley: Blue Lake, Goose Lake, Loon Lake, Shriner Lake-all good for large- mouth and bluegills. Cedar Lake, Crooked Lake, Round Lake, Troy Cedar Lake, Wilson Lake-all good for largemouth, bluegills and redears. In addition, Crooked and Shriner Lakes are stocked with rainbow trout. Southeast Jackson: Starve Hollow Lake-good bluegills, crappies, largemouth. Union: Whitewater Park Lake-good bluegills, crappies, largemouth. Also Blue River, East Fork, White River, Muscatatuck River, Driftwood River, Whitewater River, Big Indian Creek-all good for smallmouth and largemouth and early spring sucker fishing. n Northwest LaPorte: Pine Lake-largemouth bass with spinning and casting baits and bluegill with live bait. Marshall and Fulton: Tippecanoe River-northern pike, smallmouth bass ani rock bass. Marshall: Lake Maxinkuckee-bluegills and bass. Newton: Willow Slough-bluegills and crappies with worms, minnows and flies Starke: Bass Lake-silver bass with minnows and casting baits. St. Joseph: St. Joseph River-smallmouth bass taken by fly and bait casting. White and Carroll: Lakes Shafer and Freeman-channel catfish and silver bas with worms, minnows and soft crawfish. also Tippecanoe River from Lake Freeman to Wabash River-channel catfish wit] live and prepared baits and smallmouth bass. Wabash River from Logansport down-channel catfish. Lake Michigan off Michigan City-jumbo perch with minnows. Lake Michigan off Lake and Porter Counties' shores-smelt with nets and seines Southwest Clay: Strippers-very good for largemouth and bluegills. Eel River-channels an( most native species. Dubois: East Fork-rough fish. Jasper Lake-very good bass and pan fish. Gibson: White, Wabash, Patoka Rivers-fine trotline for all native species. Greene: West Fork, White River-good trotline and hand line for channels Strippers in Linton area-famous for largemouth, bluegills, redears and crappies Also, lakes and pits in Shakamak and Greene-Sullivan Forest. Knox: White River, both forks, and Wabash River-good trotline for all native species. Some old beds produce sport fish. Page 4 * OUTDOOR INDIANA March, 1951 Lawrence: Indian Creek-very good smallmouth and rock bass. East Fork, White River-very good trotline for