# What's in the future for Clear Lake (formerly known as Indian Lake)



## Bohanan66

It now looks to me like we have a brand new and permanent water condition at my favorite lake, being an underwater visibility of 3-5 feet. My three questions are (1) how did it happen, (2) how is it going to affect fish and vegetation in the future and (3) how do we adjust our fishing techniques in response? Please weigh in, guys.


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## BrandonMiller526

Bohanan66 said:


> It now looks to me like we have a brand new and permanent water condition at my favorite lake, being an underwater visibility of 3-5 feet. My three questions are (1) how did it happen, (2) how is it going to affect fish and vegetation in the future and (3) how do we adjust our fishing techniques in response? Please weigh in, guys.


I have a limited knowledge of some of this as I considered marine biology at one point. First off, Zebra mussels both filter the water and eat plankton in the process. Zebra mussels are most active throughout the summer and become dormant through the late fall early spring. Plankton is one of the top food sources of most types of shad, and in lakes like Indian Lake Shad is one of the primary foods of predatory fish. If I understand correctly in most cases zebra mussels allow for vegetation to grow heavier, meaning weeds at Indian Lake will most likely get worse. So, Zebra mussels are giving shad less food but also possibly more cover for the summer months. Saugeye thrive in dirty water because they have excellent eye sight, meaning if your on a boat planer boards should become more useful the cleaner the water gets(not something I know to be a fact, just makes sense logically). Fishing should become worse throughout the day and better at dusk till dawn. So technique changes? Lighter line during the day, especially for crappie and an emphasis on getting on the water during low light levels. (I might have no idea what I'm talking about I took one class at a community college ) There are plenty of other lakes that have documented changes from zebra mussels, highly recommend looking at Lake Michigan among others.


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## BrandonMiller526

BrandonMiller526 said:


> I have a limited knowledge of some of this as I considered marine biology at one point. First off, Zebra mussels both filter the water and eat plankton in the process. Zebra mussels are most active throughout the summer and become dormant through the late fall early spring. Plankton is one of the top food sources of most types of shad, and in lakes like Indian Lake Shad is one of the primary foods of predatory fish. If I understand correctly in most cases zebra mussels allow for vegetation to grow heavier, meaning weeds at Indian Lake will most likely get worse. So, Zebra mussels are giving shad less food but also possibly more cover for the summer months. Saugeye thrive in dirty water because they have excellent eye sight, meaning if your on a boat planer boards should become more useful the cleaner the water gets(not something I know to be a fact, just makes sense logically). Fishing should become worse throughout the day and better at dusk till dawn. So technique changes? Lighter line during the day, especially for crappie and an emphasis on getting on the water during low light levels. (I might have no idea what I'm talking about I took one class at a community college ) There are plenty of other lakes that have documented changes from zebra mussels, highly recommend looking at Lake Michigan among others.


Something else to keep in mind.... Saugeye are stocked and depending on size are spending little to no time of their life eating plankton( not aware of what size they are at stocking)


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## BrandonMiller526

BrandonMiller526 said:


> Something else to keep in mind.... Saugeye are stocked and depending on size are spending little to no time of their life eating plankton( not aware of what size they are at stocking) Also freshwater drum are one of few fish known to eat plankton, I don't know if its enough that they could have an actual impact on the population, but someone who makes a lot of money will have to decide that.


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## Cobe24

Spring saugeye did not seem to be affected at all or shy to bite even during the day. Crappie were still very catchable during the spawn but got tough during pre-spawn this year imo. I think we have to wait and see what the fall looks like. If still this clear, I think the fishing could become pretty tough through the winter.


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## Cobe24

I have been focusing a lot more this spring on main lake water that would get blown dirty by the wind and boat traffic for a more consistent bite than the channels and boat basins that were so effective in previous years.


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## Sgirl

BrandonMiller526 said:


> I have a limited knowledge of some of this as I considered marine biology at one point. First off, Zebra mussels both filter the water and eat plankton in the process. Zebra mussels are most active throughout the summer and become dormant through the late fall early spring. Plankton is one of the top food sources of most types of shad, and in lakes like Indian Lake Shad is one of the primary foods of predatory fish. If I understand correctly in most cases zebra mussels allow for vegetation to grow heavier, meaning weeds at Indian Lake will most likely get worse. So, Zebra mussels are giving shad less food but also possibly more cover for the summer months. Saugeye thrive in dirty water because they have excellent eye sight, meaning if your on a boat planer boards should become more useful the cleaner the water gets(not something I know to be a fact, just makes sense logically). Fishing should become worse throughout the day and better at dusk till dawn. So technique changes? Lighter line during the day, especially for crappie and an emphasis on getting on the water during low light levels. (I might have no idea what I'm talking about I took one class at a community college ) There are plenty of other lakes that have documented changes from zebra mussels, highly recommend looking at Lake Michigan among others.


HI anglers,
Zebra mussels deplete lakes of everything over time. Hargus Lake had to be completely drained several years ago. Most mussels are brought in from Lake Erie. They get on the bottom of boats and travel from Lake to Lake so if your fishing Indian be sure to clean boat bottom between trips to other lakes.


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## walleyedave

Caught several mussels while fishing a week ago. Also caught a snail larger than a golf ballon a jig while wind trolling. It actually had the hook under its foot--shocking.


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## Bohanan66

walleyedave said:


> Caught several mussels while fishing a week ago. Also caught a snail larger than a golf ballon a jig while wind trolling. It actually had the hook under its foot--shocking.


I had the same experience


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## Sgirl

Sgirl said:


> HI anglers,
> Zebra muscles deplete lakes of everything over time. Hargus Lake had to be completely drained several years ago. Most muscles are brought in from Lake Erie.
> 
> They get on the bottom of boats and travel from Lake to Lake so if your fishing Indian be sure to clean boat bottom between trips to other lakes.



Hargus used to be a great little lake, caught a few of mpb there. Small mouth and large. Caught mpb muskie there. I feel it never really bounced back after mussels


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## Freedomfisher

Should be nice for bass fishing. .


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## saugmon

Bohanan66 said:


> (1) how did it happen, (2) how is it going to affect fish and vegetation in the future and (3) how do we adjust our fishing techniques in response? Please weigh in, guys.


1)Ice on the lake and wind can't stir it up.It gets pretty clear prior to memorial day weekend.Spring storms were few and far between.Less pleasureboaters because of the covid-19 issue.
2)Trolling will be impossible.You'll be pulling off weed every 30 seconds.
3)Slip bobber time or bust.Fish earlier in the season.It's the major reason I moved my vacation time to early june instead of late june.

Brandon: Saugeye are stocked as fingerling (finger size) or Fry. Once they get to the fingerling stage at the hatcheries,they start to eat each other.The fry stockings are said to be more successful. Fingerling stocking quota is 500,000 for Indian.Fry wise,5-8 million per season.

Sgirl, the zebras have been there since I owned my boat,which is a 2000.They kinda disappeared but lots of reports of snagging clusters this year including myself.

Walleye dave: The snails in the lake are fast.You need to troll faster, LOL!!! I'll snag a few live ones and a lot of dead ones every season.You'll see a few of the dead ones floating.

We faced this issue in 2011.They didn't know if it was normal American watermilfoil or Eurasion watermilfoil, which is invasive and reproduces by fragmentation.Most of us had buckets in the boat just in case it was the eurasion stuff and tossed it in those buckets to get rid of on the bank..This time that year,it was impossible to troll.They purchased a mower for it and a plan to treat the lake.Not sure if they did anything about it this year.On the side note,2012 was a record year and the quality was over 18" each.I was tossing back 17"-18" shorts on many trips.


Indian needs the pleasureboaters.It needs the big flooding storms.They are the ones that keep the weeds in check!!!


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## Sgirl

saugmon said:


> 1)Ice on the lake and wind can't stir it up.It gets pretty clear prior to memorial day weekend.Spring storms were few and far between.Less pleasureboaters because of the covid-19 issue.
> 2)Trolling will be impossible.You'll be pulling off weed every 30 seconds.
> 3)Slip bobber time or bust.Fish earlier in the season.It's the major reason I moved my vacation time to early june instead of late june.
> 
> Brandon: Saugeye are stocked as fingerling (finger size) or Fry. Once they get to the fingerling stage at the hatcheries,they start to eat each other.The fry stockings are said to be more successful. Fingerling stocking quota is 500,000 for Indian.Fry wise,5-8 million per season.
> 
> Sgirl, the zebras have been there since I owned my boat,which is a 2000.They kinda disappeared but lots of reports of snagging clusters this year including myself.
> 
> Walleye dave: The snails in the lake are fast.You need to troll faster, LOL!!! I'll snag a few live ones and a lot of dead ones every season.You'll see a few of the dead ones floating.
> 
> We faced this issue in 2011.They didn't know if it was normal American watermilfoil or Eurasion watermilfoil, which is invasive and reproduces by fragmentation.Most of us had buckets in the boat just in case it was the eurasion stuff and tossed it in those buckets to get rid of on the bank..This time that year,it was impossible to troll.They purchased a mower for it and a plan to treat the lake.Not sure if they did anything about it this year.On the side note,2012 was a record year and the quality was over 18" each.I was tossing back 17"-18" shorts on many trips.
> 
> 
> Indian needs the pleasureboaters.It needs the big flooding storms.They are the ones that keep the weeds in check!!!




They will never go away on their own. They were in Hargus for a few years. Ohio state did a big study on them and at the rate the mussels were clearing the lake it was determined that the whole lake would be depleted of nature that' makes a lake healthy in a few more years so that's why they drained it. You can read about the study by Google search. Zebra mussels at Hargus lake. Not sure the size difference of Indian compared to Hargus but the main concern was boaters passing them from one lake to another. By the time they drained Hargus it was common for every fish to be covered in them.


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## HookSet Harvey

Fish covered in zebra mussels?


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## Sgirl

HookSet Harvey said:


> Fish covered in zebra mussels?



Yes Harvey, it was strange. Was also common to hook in to a big ball of just mussels.


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## Steve9930

BrandonMiller526 said:


> I have a limited knowledge of some of this as I considered marine biology at one point. First off, Zebra mussels both filter the water and eat plankton in the process. Zebra mussels are most active throughout the summer and become dormant through the late fall early spring. Plankton is one of the top food sources of most types of shad, and in lakes like Indian Lake Shad is one of the primary foods of predatory fish. If I understand correctly in most cases zebra mussels allow for vegetation to grow heavier, meaning weeds at Indian Lake will most likely get worse. So, Zebra mussels are giving shad less food but also possibly more cover for the summer months. Saugeye thrive in dirty water because they have excellent eye sight, meaning if your on a boat planer boards should become more useful the cleaner the water gets(not something I know to be a fact, just makes sense logically). Fishing should become worse throughout the day and better at dusk till dawn. So technique changes? Lighter line during the day, especially for crappie and an emphasis on getting on the water during low light levels. (I might have no idea what I'm talking about I took one class at a community college ) There are plenty of other lakes that have documented changes from zebra mussels, highly recommend looking at Lake Michigan among others.


I used to do lots of small mouth fishing out on the Lake Erie Islands. The Zebra Mussels did a great job of clearing up the water. However the weed growth was everywhere. Lake Erie has one advantage Indian Lake does not, Sheep Head. Sheep Head eat the Zebra Mussels. With a shallow lake like Indian Lake having Zebra Mussels is a curse and not a blessing. This is not going to help Indian Lake. One adult Zebra Mussel will filter 1 liter of water per day. One adult Zebra Mussel can produce 30,000 possible new Zebra Mussels. Do the math. Not good for a shallow lake.


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## Saugeyefisher

Oldie but a goodie. 
I remember when zebra mussels started showing up at alum. It was the end. 
Well it it wasn't.
Hargus is still a great crappie lake a catfish lake. With the chance of having a good day bass fishing. And by some(small group of very good big fish bass hunters) under the right conditions is considered a trophy bass lake. Zebra mussels did not kill hargus lake.
Will wait and see what happens at Indian. I believe it will be fine as well. Just have to change things up and figure out how to fish the weeds effectively.


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## BrandonMiller526

Saugeyefisher said:


> Oldie but a goodie.
> I remember when zebra mussels started showing up at alum. It was the end.
> Well it it wasn't.
> Hargus is still a great crappie lake a catfish lake. With the chance of having a good day bass fishing. And by some(small group of very good big fish bass hunters) under the right conditions is considered a trophy bass lake. Zebra mussels did not kill hargus lake.
> Will wait and see what happens at Indian. I believe it will be fine as well. Just have to change things up and figure out how to fish the weeds effectively.


I was there last night, I think it will make fall-spring fishing even better. Lots of weekend warriors who are not willing to adapt, harvest from June-September should drop significantly. I tried a few spots last night, couldn’t keep the catfish and tiny yellow perch off.


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## TomC

Last few trips up i couldnt find a catfish at all and thats all i was looking for.


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## Steve9930

BrandonMiller526 said:


> I was there last night, I think it will make fall-spring fishing even better. Lots of weekend warriors who are not willing to adapt, harvest from June-September should drop significantly. I tried a few spots last night, couldn’t keep the catfish and tiny yellow perch off.


Average depth of the Lake compared to Indian Lake?


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## BrandonMiller526

Steve9930 said:


> Average depth of the Lake compared to Indian Lake?


Little confused what you’re asking? We are talking about Indian lake.


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## Steve9930

BrandonMiller526 said:


> Little confused what you’re asking? We are talking about Indian lake.


Alum lake depth to compared Indian Lake Depth? Is Alum deeper? I see where the Zebra Mussels devastated Hauger Lake. Seems like Alum benefited.


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## BrandonMiller526

Steve9930 said:


> Alum lake depth to compared Indian Lake Depth? Is Alum deeper? I see where the Zebra Mussels devastated Hauger Lake. Seems like Alum benefited.


Alum can’t really be compared, it is 60+ feet deep. Indian from my understanding might have a couple 12 foot deep spots at most, but averages 4-5 feet.


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## TomC

Indian deepest theres a few 14 to 16ft holes but mainly 6 to 9ft with qlot of shallow water


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## Steve9930

BrandonMiller526 said:


> Alum can’t really be compared, it is 60+ feet deep. Indian from my understanding might have a couple 12 foot deep spots at most, but averages 4-5 feet.


That is what I thought also. Depth of the water and the impact of Zebra Mussels is directly related. While Alum benefited I doubt Indian Lake will. I've been on an off Indian Lake since the middle 80's. This is the first time I have seen the lake water this clear. Its also the first year there are no shad up in the shallows by our docks here at Beatley's. Weed growth is a major problem and could keep the weed eater busy 24/7. Zebra Mussels feed on the plankton just like the shad. With no natural predator for Zebra Mussels they are going to multiply like crazy. I had heard but not confirmed Sun Fish eat Zebra Mussels and the state may start dumping them into the lake. I know the Sheep Head in lake Erie eat the critters. Last year about August it was darn near impossible to go through Black Hawk and Lucy's Pond area because of the weeds. Time will tel what happens but I don't believe it will be positive from what I've seen so far.


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## DHower08

I don't know anything about indian but I can tell you what happened. It's the same exact thing that happened to all out lakes up here in the north east part of the state. Zebra mussels cleaned the water and the lake is going to become extremely weedy. The good thing is the weeds will introduce high amounts of oxygen helping during the hotter months. The bad news is you will have to change your tactics. And theirs no going back unless the lake was drained 100% and left to completely dry for an extended period of time to 100%kill all the zebra muscles. Welcome to the clear water world.


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## ress

Deep water reservoir here used to have plenty of shad. So many there would always be a winter kill. ZM came in heavy and for the past 10 yrs not one shad seen. 

Sent from my Pixel 4a using Tapatalk


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## DHower08

All the lakes I fish that have zebra muscles are full of giant shad


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## ErieEye

ress said:


> Deep water reservoir here used to have plenty of shad. So many there would always be a winter kill. ZM came in heavy and for the past 10 yrs not one shad seen.
> 
> Sent from my Pixel 4a using Tapatalk


Copper sulfate applications are what killed off the shad in the upgrounds. It kills off the food sources for them.


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## Steve9930

ErieEye said:


> Copper sulfate applications are what killed off the shad in the upgrounds. It kills off the food sources for them.


Do they use the copper sulfate to control the weeds?


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## ress

brown alga here. always been said to wait a week or so before fishing again. they applied it a lot for many years


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## ErieEye

Steve9930 said:


> Do they use the copper sulfate to control the weeds?


As Ress said they apply copper sulfate to control the algae. However it will also kill off any weed beds with prolonged use. It's also very hard on fish populations.


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## Gottagofishn

Saugeyefisher said:


> Oldie but a goodie.
> I remember when zebra mussels started showing up at alum. It was the end.
> Well it it wasn't.
> Hargus is still a great crappie lake a catfish lake. With the chance of having a good day bass fishing. And by some(small group of very good big fish bass hunters) under the right conditions is considered a trophy bass lake. Zebra mussels did not kill hargus lake.
> Will wait and see what happens at Indian. I believe it will be fine as well. Just have to change things up and figure out how to fish the weeds effectively.


I am in the bucket of “It will become a non issue”.
Nothing to do except change tactics. People adapted at Erie. If it doesn’t destroy the fish population all it will mean is you might not be able to catch them the way you have in the past… you’ll have to catch them the new way.
Nothing else to do unless the population diminishes.


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## odell daniel

ErieEye said:


> As Ress said they apply copper sulfate to control the algae. However it will also kill off any weed beds with prolonged use. It's also very hard on fish populations.


look at Upper Sandusky, they sprayed for weeds a fews years back, really hurt the big bass, haven't fished iot in a while I heard its back to good.


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## BrandonMiller526

odell daniel said:


> look at Upper Sandusky, they sprayed for weeds a fews years back, really hurt the big bass, haven't fished iot in a while I heard its back to good.


This might be true, but I think it’s safe to say the priority of Indian lake management is saugeye. Got this thick 17 incher the other day saugeye fishing. Indian lake bass are highly underrated.


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## Jim white

Nice bass Brandon thanks for sharing the picture. if the freshwater drum eat zebra mussels why not put some of them in Indian Lake. And clean water in a Shallow Lake like that it will definitely affect the fish population.


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## fshnmaster

BrandonMiller526 said:


> This might be true, but I think it’s safe to say the priority of Indian lake management is saugeye. Got this thick 17 incher the other day saugeye fishing. Indian lake bass are highly underrated.
> View attachment 472082


I gill fished this morning and saw 4 nice sized bass swim by within 30 minutes


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## Southernsaug

I had a thought, why is water clarity considered a problem for a lake. There was a lot of consternation over Lake Erie when Zebra mussels invaded and what impact they'd have as algae filters. Well we all know how that turned out. Many lakes gain there cloudy water color from either suspended solids (soil erosion) or excessive algae blooms. Biologically, beneficial algae and zooplankton exist in adequate numbers to support healthy fish populations in clear lakes. Lack of water clarity is often a symptom of excessive nutrients. I don't think I'd panic quite yet. The biggest impact will probably be fishing tactics will need to change. Is that what the concern is, " I will have to find a new way to catch fish here"? 

I have seen a couple lakes clear up and the results were increased plant growth, weed beds. There are days I can't troll these lakes because of the plant debris. That is my problem as an angler, not a fish health problem. It's called adapting. In these lakes I have only seen good things happen for the fish.


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## crittergitter

A lake has x amount of nutrients! If there are no plants then algae blooms and uses those nutrients. As more plants grow in they use the nutrients and there are less for algae. Ideally, you want more plants and less algae in a healthy lake!


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## float4fish

Has drainage around the lake changed? Less sediment run off due to natural filtration, less sediment going into the lake? Filtered run off will also decrease algae blooms, less sediment build up decreasing the need for dredging. Also hasn’t it been shown in Erie that both walleye and perch eat zebra mussels? The weeds are a human issue. Is it a mere coincidence that the perch are growing in population and size? Even though it appears there are a lot of short saugeye, is that just a sign that the future is bright for more big saugeye? Will the weeds increase survival of the millions of stocked fry? Will the forced change in tactics result in a couple years of less15 inch fish being taken? There are a lot of questions that only time and biologist will be able to answer, but I just don’t see a need for the panic button.


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## BrandonMiller526

I honestly think the stocking from this year is the only thing to be remotely panicked about.


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## fshnmaster

Southernsaug said:


> I had a thought, why is water clarity considered a problem for a lake. There was a lot of consternation over Lake Erie when Zebra mussels invaded and what impact they'd have as algae filters. Well we all know how that turned out. Many lakes gain there cloudy water color from either suspended solids (soil erosion) or excessive algae blooms. Biologically, beneficial algae and zooplankton exist in adequate numbers to support healthy fish populations in clear lakes. Lack of water clarity is often a symptom of excessive nutrients. I don't think I'd panic quite yet. The biggest impact will probably be fishing tactics will need to change. Is that what the concern is, " I will have to find a new way to catch fish here"?
> 
> I have seen a couple lakes clear up and the results were increased plant growth, weed beds. There are days I can't troll these lakes because of the plant debris. That is my problem as an angler, not a fish health problem. It's called adapting. In these lakes I have only seen good things happen for the fish.


You can barely even fish from the bank at indian gill fishing let alone casting for sauegye ect. Ive done extremely well thr past month or so on panfish but most spots are unfishable!


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## odell daniel

Cobe24 said:


> Spring saugeye did not seem to be affected at all or shy to bite even during the day. Crappie were still very catchable during the spawn but got tough during pre-spawn this year imo. I think we have to wait and see what the fall looks like. If still this clear, I think the fishing could become pretty tough through the winter.


winter is the best fishing on Indian, we will have to wait and see how the clear water effects the shad population, as long as the lake has shad the fish will be there. ODNR has put 50 million saugs in there in the last 5 years.I heard a couple years ago one of their saugeye tanks had to be drained so they dumped an undisclosed number of saugeye in the lake, over and above normal stocking...just something I heard, not sure if its fact.


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## Saugeyefisher

odell daniel said:


> winter is the best fishing on Indian, we will have to wait and see how the clear water effects the shad population, as long as the lake has shad the fish will be there. ODNR has put 50 million saugs in there in the last 5 years.I heard a couple years ago one of their saugeye tanks had to be drained so they dumped an undisclosed number of saugeye in the lake, over and above normal stocking...just something I heard, not sure if its fact.


I've heard that about multiple lakes. And I hear it every spring at a trout pond I fish. I think it's similar to the divers finding catfish bigger then small cars when diving the dam of "insert any dam name here"....


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## Southernsaug

odell daniel said:


> I heard a couple years ago one of their saugeye tanks had to be drained so they dumped an undisclosed number of saugeye in the lake, over and above normal stocking...just something I heard, not sure if its fact.


I can pretty much assure you that did not happen. It's just not how things are done. All stockings are recorded, in the last 20 years the ODW has used a stocking data base to record all movement of fish. Much of this is documentation to support receiving Federal Aide Monies from USFWS. Undocumented stockings just do not happen, unless some individual at a hatchery grossly disregards policy on his own initiative, and that person would be jeopardizing their job. 

If an emergency stocking happened it would still show in the data base and I checked the data base and there are no such stockings. All are program stockings. Even if a hatchery had a problem it would show as a stocking with a note. If it was fry in a tank they'd be transferred to another hatchery, in a pond they might be drained and stocked, but not on the sly. It just doesn't happen anymore....trust me I know.


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## odell daniel

Southernsaug said:


> I can pretty much assure you that did not happen. It's just not how things are done. All stockings are recorded, in the last 20 years the ODW has used a stocking data base to record all movement of fish. Much of this is documentation to support receiving Federal Aide Monies from USFWS. Undocumented stockings just do not happen, unless some individual at a hatchery grossly disregards policy on his own initiative, and that person would be jeopardizing their job.
> 
> If an emergency stocking happened it would still show in the data base and I checked the data base and there are no such stockings. All are program stockings. Even if a hatchery had a problem it would show as a stocking with a note. If it was fry in a tank they'd be transferred to another hatchery, in a pond they might be drained and stocked, but not on the sly. It just doesn't happen anymore....trust me I know.


kind of sounded a little fishy when the guy told me that, thanks for clearing it up.


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