# Indian Lake Spillway/ your thoughts



## Buckeye Mike (Jan 4, 2007)

with all of the saugeye that are caught below the spillway at Indian, where do you think that they come from ? i have heard both ways that
1. they get washed out of the lake over the spillway, during high water.
2. that they migrate up stream, and stop at the spillway.
all i know, is that 2 years ago when everybody was catching them below the spillway, that the DNR said they got washed out of the lake. I can belive that a few might have got washed over, but not the numbers that were caught that year.
Whats everyones thoughts on this ?


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## Big Joshy (Apr 26, 2004)

its true ALL of them have been washed out of the lake........at some point when they were young.


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## jmenchhofer (Jan 12, 2007)

Not trying to hijack your thread, but the same question always comes up in my neck of the woods regarding walleye caught in Beaver Creek below the Grand Lake St. Marys spillway. I subscribe to the theory that the fish come from the lake, while others argue that they come from somewhere downstream. Maybe a little bit of both? Joshy makes a good point, though, maybe they were initially introduced to the stream from the lake, and now they move up and down the stream with the seasons and water level fluctuations...


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## fished-out (Dec 20, 2005)

Here's a question for the experts: are they "migrating", or have they just learned that more bait washes over the spillway in high water and they move to the "dam" to have first dibs on the stunned bait fish?


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## Mushijobah (May 4, 2004)

Either way, they originated in the lake. Final answer.


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## chrsvic (Apr 20, 2005)

The fish come from the lake, but apparently the fish below the tailwaters are a combination of both those recently washed out of the lake, and those that have been washed in the stream for some time, and then migrated to the spillway.

Check out this article:

"Movement of reservoir-stocked riverine fish between tailwaters, streams, and rivers"

http://ael.osu.edu/ael-eamanimalmov.html

I've caught saugeye in streams that are miles from stocked lakes, such as the Stillwater River. (they can swim up that from the Great Miami River.)


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## outdoorsjunkie08 (Dec 4, 2006)

are they gettin anying eyes rigth now,I deff soudl say they coem over from the main lake when they are really small and the water is up.


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## 1catdaddy1 (Jan 29, 2007)

fished the lake today-nasty chocolate milk. 8:00-2:00 only one fish between two of us and one missed.yes the fish below come from the lake,ask any old timer that does it yearly when the big rains come. have spoke to a few lately- they did well right after the rain,when the water is rising,but once it starts to recede i am told the bite slows pretty quick.right now the water is still up but not sure of anyones catches.


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## Big Joshy (Apr 26, 2004)

the fish seem to have come from the lake but I would argue that you are catching fish that are swimming upstream because of the rise in water flow. It triggers a migratory response. Knowing its easier to migrate up or down stream during high water. The bite dies off for two reasons. Alot of the fish that are prevented from going any further by the dam are caught and removed. Then once the flow begins to slow the fish move down stream searching for deeper holes where they are more comfortable and not as crowded with thier fellow fishy friends. This is how I beleive and I won't beleive otherwise until I See a adult saugeye swim over the spillway. If they were coming over the spillway as adults then you would likely have good fishing on the lake side of the spillway during high water, catching fish that were waiting their turn to swim over the spillway. I don't think that happens.
I guess the Only way to prove it is to put a net across the spillway during high water and see if the adult saugeye show up. then you would know where they were from.


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## misfit (Apr 5, 2004)

it is a fact that adult,as well as young fish go over/through dams on the lakes during high water periods.they also will migrate up/downstream depending on season/conditions.if anyone thinks only young fish go through,you're dead wrong.i don't tink indian is any different in this respect,than any other lake/spillway.if only young fish got through,it would be impossible to catch fish there that have been tagged in the lake as adults,as has happened in studies


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## Big Joshy (Apr 26, 2004)

i would like to see that study. not because I don't belive you. Ive just always wanted an answer to this. I also wonder what percentage etc...


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## misfit (Apr 5, 2004)

josh,i don't have anything handy right now,but if youdo some research on the different dnr studies,i think you'll find it.i do know that tagged fish have been caught below hoover recently,as was reported last year during the studies there.i think this is why the best fishing seems to come during the cold weather months when excess water is released,and to a lesser degree at other times of the year when excess water is released.


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## fishslim (Apr 28, 2005)

Hey big Joshy i am with misfit on this one you are right saugeyes are current freaks in rivers and streams high water will have them swimming up all high water tributaries till they get stopped,but as mentioned fish of all sizes come over or thru the spillway tubes when high releases happen. Perfect example is at Alum Creek just this week many stunned Saugeyes were seen floating in water below dam from coming thru the release. Point is high water means concentrated fish at dam faces or holes just below they will stay there till water recedes and as you said then spread back out. Delaware dam this week was releasing hard and was there other day with fish swimming on top each other in a certain area snaggers haven soon as water goes down very few fish remain there.


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## DoubleD (Jan 3, 2008)

I have been a die hard winter spill way fisherman for the last 25 years or so. Take Alum creek. More times than I can count, I have seen 5 lb. Plus saugeye floating down stream after coming out of the shoot during heavy discharge. Muskie too. I also believe that the fish that are moving up steam this time of year during high water are making a pre stage spawing run. Even though saugeye can not reproduce, they still try!


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## Big Joshy (Apr 26, 2004)

I give up!!!  Im not a hardcore spillway fishermen so ive never seen a stunned saugye. The spillway at Indian is quite a bit different and is a true spillway. maybe the reason the fishing can be so hot there is because the fish that go over it are not beat to death like they are on the big dams. I wonder also if it take a more major flood event to encourage fish to go over the spillway at indian, whereas they can easily go through at any time on the bigger dams. I guess it makes sense because I would think that river raised saugeye would have a slimmer shape, but ive caught some fat slobs at deer Creek.


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## misfit (Apr 5, 2004)

i don't believe the fish generally go over/through the dams/spillways by choce.this is just theory based on my little knowledge and a little guesswork.i think during cold water periods,the fish will head to deeper water in lakes,where they spend much of their time when not coming up to feed on shorelines,etc.
usually some of the deepest water in a lake is directly above the dam,which is why those are popular winter fishing spots.when high water/outfow occurs,some of those fish just get caught up in the power of the current and get washed through or over,whichever the case may be.from there,they eventually disperse downstream when conditions are not favorable in the spillway areas.i.e. low water,o2 levels etc.
late winter/early spring then drives them back up due to the spawning urge.these are the reasons that nov.-april were always my favorite spillway fishing times


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## fishhook01 (Apr 9, 2004)

misfit i have seen them floating down spillway at alum touched them with my rod fish took off never saw them agian happened one day 4 or 5 times the fact that i did not see them again makes me think they made it all nice keeper fish.


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## Buckeye Mike (Jan 4, 2007)

Big Joshy, me and you are thinking a like.
1 reason that i have a hard time believeing that most of the saugeye at IL come over the spillway, is that if a saugeye/ walleye can swim upstream against a heavy current when they migrate, why cant the saugeye above the spillway swim out or away from the spillway before they get washed over?


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## misfit (Apr 5, 2004)

> Big Joshy, me and you are thinking a like


but you're both thinking wrong 
now,seriously,can someone tell me the closest lake below indian,where all those saugeyes migrate from?i'm not that familiar with the great miami,but not aware of any lakes below indian or on any gmr tribs that would account for those fish.and i'm not aware of any stockings in the river either.i know they will migrate upstream,but where are they coming from,if they are not coming from indian,and there are no stockings below?


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## fishslim (Apr 28, 2005)

Guys indian also has a small pump as well just above spillway which backs up water to it not all i feel go over at dam but thru pumping area,also have you ever looked at indian when flooded? Water spills out elsewhere that is how trailer park and houses on other end of lake get flooded fish get out in the ditches and end up in the river as well. Just another thought. I do think though some fish were stocked in river down by sydney in past as well those fish will come up river in high conditions till they get stopped.


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## Buckeye Mike (Jan 4, 2007)

misfit said:


> but you're both thinking wrong
> now,seriously,can someone tell me the closest lake below indian,where all those saugeyes migrate from?i'm not that familiar with the great miami,but not aware of any lakes below indian or on any gmr tribs that would account for those fish.and i'm not aware of any stockings in the river either.i know they will migrate upstream,but where are they coming from,if they are not coming from indian,and there are no stockings below?


You are Right, there are no lakes down stream from IL, but the Great Miami does flow Into the Ohio River, and the last that i herd the Oh. River has Saugeye.
So maybe Big Joshy and I aint so Wrong after all.


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## misfit (Apr 5, 2004)

i doubt those fish migrate 170 miles to spillway though 
there is no doubt that lots of fish go over/through dams.this is not to say that some may not also migrate upstream from somewhere to some extent.but 170 mile trip from the ohio is less likely than washing over the dam.
i think if you ask any state biologist,they will tell you the same thing.


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## Big Joshy (Apr 26, 2004)

im not saying that the fish dont come from indian lake. Im guessing that 99% of the fish old or young come from the lake. 
Im just of the opinion that less fish (especially adult fish) go over the small spillway at indian when compared to other larger dams. If there is a hole that is opened during high water to increase the flow that may account for more of the fish in the river.
I just know it takes alot of rain for there to be a good (more than an inch or two) flow over the spillway. It makes alot more sense if they have a way of getting through it rather than over it.


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## Big Joshy (Apr 26, 2004)

maybe that is the reason that indian spillway fishing is boom or bust, and the lake Is filled to the rim with eyes that dont easily get out.


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## misfit (Apr 5, 2004)

josh,i tink you hit it.i'm sure there are always some fish in the river,but the hot bite is not a regular thing and for the most part,coincides with high water when the lake spills fish into the spillway.fish that escape anglers then may move downstream to deeper holes when the water drops.fish that remain downstream may then move back up in spring when the spawning urge hits them.i am not saying it is impossible that fish could come upstream from somewhere else,but that the majority(of all sizes) come from the lake.
my observations are based on fishing for spillway saugeyes since they were first introduced in the 70's.they were first stocked in the lakes and not streams,but it didn't take long till most every spillway of these lakes povided great fishing which was a result of fish escaping from the lakes above.now they are stocked in various streams and can be found in many places they didn't exist 20 years ago.
muskingum river is a prime example.20 years ago there were no saugeyes in that river.today,they can be caught in good numbers elow most dams due to stocking efforts.


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## Toolman (Jun 8, 2004)

In my experience the best spillway fishing tends to be after an extended period of above normal flow. I'd say it's obvious that the a very high &#37; of the fish that are caught below the spillway come from the adajacent lake-especially at IL. I think the opportunities are better in mid winter and even later in the winter/early spring as the fish tend to move upstream with the increased flow until they reach a barrier. My uneducated guess is that 75% or more (that end up in a river) flush thru as juveniles, become residents and grow up in the river systems. This obviously depends on the specific system. I've seen larger fish that appear to have been recently flushed through (swimming erratically near the surface) but I think that is the exception rather than the rule. 

What streams are stocked with saugeye by the ODNR, or are you referring to the fact that in many cases they can move upstream from the impoundments unimpeded (or downsstream if the flush through)?

Tim


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## misfit (Apr 5, 2004)

> What streams are stocked with saugeye by the ODNR, or are you referring to the fact that in many cases they can move upstream from the impoundments unimpeded (or downsstream if the flush through


tim.is that directed at me?if so,the muskingum is one that gets stocked for sure.
i don't know if the dnr has an avable list of streams,but there could possibly be others,though i doubt many.


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## Toolman (Jun 8, 2004)

Rick,

Yah-meant to head that question with "Rick". I didn't realize that they actually stocked any streams directly, but it's obvious that many get some "indirect" stocking. I can think of 7 or 8 lakes that are in the MWCD that recieve annual suageye stocks. 

Tim


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## misfit (Apr 5, 2004)

i kinda read between the lines,tim,LOL.i'm not sure of others,but the muskingum definitely got stockings.but i was doing some research and came across something that mentioned they stopped stream stocking outside of impoundments in 05 though,for fear of upsetting things in the ohio.if that's the case,there should be nothing but good keeper fish there now.don't know if that's true or not though,cause there's a lot of river and several dams from the ohio up to the last dam on the muskingum.i think they also mentioned the miami as getting stocked in the past at some point.
though i haven't read anything to that effect,i wonder if they don't stock the spillway below dillon because you don't hear of eye catches in the lake,but from the spillway downstream is good fishing.


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## riverKing (Jan 26, 2007)

the dnr no longer stocks saugeye directly into any rivers, they used to stock both the muskingum and the great miami. anymore any saugeye you catch in a river are fish that came though a dam. i highly doubt any of the saugeye we catch below dams swim up from downstream. otherwise we would catch large numbers of sauger below some of the dams wich i dont see very often. also in the summer we catch very few saugeye below the dams. though fewer come though because of the low water the conditions below the dams are usually some of the best wintering areas, not good summer areas, so the fish stay put as compared to disapearing downstream.


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## joe01 (Apr 16, 2004)

So here is my question. What happens to all the eyes below the spillways when summer comes and the water levels drop. Do they stay in the river?


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## misfit (Apr 5, 2004)

depending on water levels, o2 levels, etc., they can be anywhere from the spillway to deeper holes downstream.they have no choice but to stay in the river,as it is not easy to swim back over/through the dams


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## seethe303 (Dec 12, 2006)

the day the saugeye start swimming back over the dams/spillways is the day I welcome our new saugeye overlords. 

in the mean time, I will do my best to cull the population to insure a future for our children, and our children's children, free of oppressive saugeye populations.


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## Buckeye Mike (Jan 4, 2007)

Big Joshy said:


> im not saying that the fish dont come from indian lake. Im guessing that 99% of the fish old or young come from the lake.
> Im just of the opinion that less fish (especially adult fish) go over the small spillway at indian when compared to other larger dams. If there is a hole that is opened during high water to increase the flow that may account for more of the fish in the river.
> I just know it takes alot of rain for there to be a good (more than an inch or two) flow over the spillway. It makes alot more sense if they have a way of getting through it rather than over it.


Makes sense to me. I didnt know that the spillway had a hole or pipe in it.


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## jmenchhofer (Jan 12, 2007)

seethe303 said:


> the day the saugeye start swimming back over the dams/spillways is the day I welcome our new saugeye overlords.
> 
> in the mean time, I will do my best to cull the population to insure a future for our children, and our children's children, free of oppressive saugeye populations.


That's some funny stuff right there! I'll gladly join you in preserving the future, one saugeye at a time!


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## Saugeygator Hunter (Jan 15, 2008)

I just wanted to give my opinion on the spillway being a good spot for Saugeye. I live here at Indian Lake and fish every chance that I get, along with my brother we continually have contests to see who can discover the best spot from the shore. Obviously one day is different from the next when you are chasing the elusive beasts, but one thing that seems to remain present everytime he drags me to the spillway is this-You are better off to just walk to the edge and dump your entire tackle box in the river than you are to try and catch one of those eyes. Part of the problem with fishing it is that it is so shallow and i don't particularly enjoy snaging a monster and having to release it because I didn't catch it. There are plenty of other places at the Lake to fish from the shore that are just as successful espically if they are biting down there. Just some food for thought, hope that this is help at all. If you want any more info about the lake let me know fishing surely shouldn't be a secret and no one sure as heck is going to steal the fish i am after!! happy hunting :F


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## Redhunter1012 (Feb 6, 2006)

Saugeygator Hunter said:


> I just wanted to give my opinion on the spillway being a good spot for Saugeye. I live here at Indian Lake and fish every chance that I get, along with my brother we continually have contests to see who can discover the best spot from the shore. Obviously one day is different from the next when you are chasing the elusive beasts, but one thing that seems to remain present everytime he drags me to the spillway is this-You are better off to just walk to the edge and dump your entire tackle box in the river than you are to try and catch one of those eyes. Part of the problem with fishing it is that it is so shallow and i don't particularly enjoy snaging a monster and having to release it because I didn't catch it. There are plenty of other places at the Lake to fish from the shore that are just as successful espically if they are biting down there. Just some food for thought, hope that this is help at all. If you want any more info about the lake let me know fishing surely shouldn't be a secret and no one sure as heck is going to steal the fish i am after!! happy hunting :F


That's a refreshing post. Most people on here won't even post their results till well after the bite is finished. I have been guilty of this as well on smaller bodies of water though, so I won't be too hypocritical.


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