INDIAN LAKE

1997-1998 CREEL SURVEY RESULTS

As part of fish management activities at Indian Lake, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife periodically conducts a survey of anglers and their catches. A creel survey from July 1997 through May 1998 was conducted primarily to evaluate the saugeye fishery. Information on angling pressure, catch rates, and size of fish harvested was collected for all species.

HOW MUCH TIME WAS SPENT FISHING AT THE LAKE?

An estimated 335,561 hours were spent fishing by anglers during the creel survey period. Boat anglers accounted for 55% of the time spent fishing and shore anglers the other 45%. Anglers seeking saugeye accounted for 43.7% of the time spent fishing, followed by anglers seeking anything that bites - 20%, crappie - 13.3%, largemouth bass - 10.2%, catfish - 6.8%, sunfish - 4.7% and all other species - 1.3%. Months with the highest fishing pressure were May (83,003 hours), April (64,125 hours), March (38,217 hours), and July (32,670 hours). High angling pressure also occurred in June but it was not sampled. The lake was divided into four areas plus the tailwaters (area below the spillway). The southwest area received the most fishing pressure with an estimated 101,614 hours fished, followed by the southeast 92,508 hours, northwest 72,293 hours, and northeast with 67,535 hours. The remainder of the time was spent fishing in the tailwater.

WHAT KIND OF FISH WERE CAUGHT AT THE LAKE?

Anglers caught an estimated 330,546 fish during the creel period at Indian Lake, an estimated 171,142 were harvested and 159,404 released. The following table summarizes by species the estimated fish harvested, released, and total caught.

Species	Harvested	Released	Total Caught
Bluegill	40,808	49,780	90,588
Sunfish (except bluegill)	3,625	6,676	10,301
Crappie (black and white)	64,038	34,492	98,530
Channel Catfish	11,506	11,004	22,510
White Bass	1,284	4,324	5,608
Largemouth Bass	1,075	16,898	17,973
Saugeye	45,250	32,461	77,711
Yellow Perch	3,221	2,481	5,702
Carp, Suckers, Bullheads	335	1,288	1,623
Total (All Species)	171,142	159,404	330,546

HOW LONG DID IT TAKE TO CATCH A FISH?

The following table indicates how long it took an angler seeking a species to catch that species and how long it took to catch a fish of that species large enough to harvest. For largemouth bass, only the amount of time to catch a fish is included since most bass are released regardless of size. Numbers indicate the hours to catch a fish.

Species	Hours per Fish Caught	Hours per Fish Kept
Bluegill	0.46	1.0
Sunfish (except bluegill)	0.43	0.95
Crappie (black and white)	0.65	0.92
Channel Catfish	2.86	3.85
Largemouth Bass	3.33	---
Saugeye	2.17	3.33

The table indicates that bluegill and sunfish are caught at a rate of about two per hour with one keeper being caught per hour. An angler will spend on average 3 hours and 20 minutes to catch a keeper saugeye, the most sought after fish in Indian Lake.

WHAT WERE THE SIZES OF HARVESTED FISH?

The following table includes the average length, the smallest and largest fish measured by the creel clerk during the survey for certain species.

Species	Number Measured	Size in inches
		Average	Smallest	Largest
Bluegill	279	7.2	6.0	9.1
White Crappie	171	9.2	6.5	12.2
Black Crappie	323	9.2	6.6	11.2
Channel Catfish	105	14.5	10.5	22.0
White Bass	9	11.8	10.6	13.0
Largemouth Bass	10	13.8	11.8	16.9
Saugeye	988	14.7	8.7	25.6

MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES AND FISHING OPPORTUNITIES

The Division of Wildlife will continue to recommend stocking saugeye at 100 per acre, or 504,000 fingerlings per year. We will continue to periodically survey the fishery using creel surveys, trap nets, and electrofishing equipment. A few very large saugeyes are available in Indian Lake. In the spring of 1997, the Division observed a state record saugeye in a trap net along South Bank. For more information, please feel free to contact the Fish Management Section at:

Division of Wildlife

District One

1500 Dublin Road

Columbus, OH 43215

614-644-3925