Reply With QuoteCheck the map box at the South End Parking lot at Blue Grass Pit. It's just North of Boonville New Harmony Road and East of the Natural Gas Plant which is on the South side of that road. The parking lot will be on your left as you travel East from I-69. There should be some maps in the box. If not then wait and from time to time the IDNR will put in some more maps in the box. But most of the smaller pits are East of the Main pit both to the North and to the South of that area. Zoar Church Road/St John's Road and Stevenson Station Road all lead South to the other smaller pits. They all run North and South. East West roads are Kansas Rd and a few other that I can' remember their names. They run East West between the Two North South county roads out there. To the East on Boonville New Harmony road is Bird Dog Pit which has no natural connection to the Ohio River, Pigeon Creek or Bluegrass Creek all of which flood into most all the other pits on the East Side of the property. Bird Dog Pit thus has a much better water quality and possibly better growth rates of the fish there. I'm not sure why that it other than it may be a more natural lake and not formed by the digging up of the coal seams. Areas where the coal was dug out are contaminated with coal fines and there is a lot of iron in the water as I was informed by one of the retired Mead Johnson Companies Chemists who fished out there a lot. Something in the water causes the HIGH CONDUCTIVITY in the water as stated by the IDNR Fishery Biologist Dan Carnahan in many of his earlier fishing study reports. He reported that the growth rates of the fish in Bluegrass and the other pits that are typical of old stripper pits are lower than average. Which is why the fish were stunted in the early years. He recommended more fishing pressure to help remove the stunted fish and to help improve the growth rates of the remaining fish IIRC. The more fish the less food for each fish. Less fish and more food per fish which should improve the growth rates of the remaining fish. That's how I understood what he was trying to say. There is still a liberal size and length limit on the White Crappie that exit in these pits. LMB is a totally different story and they are managed for more quality fishing. Size limits are 18" on the two main pits and only one or two 18" fish or larger can be kept as that is the daily bag limit. Most people return these fish back to the water immediately to help them live another day so that someone else can catch them at a later time. Evidently the system is working as I have seen pictures of lots of big bass coming out of these waters. Catch and release is a good program IMHO.Originally Posted by Redbeard1
Please clean up after yourself and haul out your trash if you go to these Fish and Wildlife Areas and keep the area nice for everyone.
http://www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/3590.htm
