Dogwood sure is FUN........

[GeoFisher]

My partner and I caught over 40 today. No real size, maybe 4 that would have kept, but **** it sure was fun.

BEATS going to Hoosier Nat or Deam, and catching 1 or 2.

Later,

Geo

[SteveM4A1]

My partner and I caught over 40 today. No real size, maybe 4 that would have kept, but **** it sure was fun.

BEATS going to Hoosier Nat or Deam, and catching 1 or 2.

Later,

Geo

You're spot on about that. I went to Celina and caught 5 keepers, but I had to work my butt off for them. Too much pressure and water is so clear they can see you from the other end of the lake.

[redearhoosier]

As an avid Hoosier fisherman, I would like to see the state build a unique lake in Southern Indiana. The typical Southern Indiana fisherman doesn't have a lot of GOOD options when it comes to catching crappie, bluegill or redear. It's easy to argue that point and say that Patoka, the Forestry Lakes, Dogwood, Hardy etc., offer good fishing but that's not really a true statement anymore.

I originally wanted to see one or two nice size lakes opened up in the Army Ammunition Plant near Charlestown. There's thousands of acres in the plant and the state could easily open up a couple of 500 acre lakes to provide recreation for the ever growing Falls City Area of Jeffersonville, Clarksville and New Albany. This would be a nice plan and it's long overdue IMO.

What recently popped onto my radar is something even bigger than the above...by a longshot. The Jefferson Proving Grounds in Madison is actually five or six times bigger acreage wise than the old powder plant is. The state could put in a lake that would surpass Monroe or Patoka in terms of size and potential.

I personally know dozens of AVID fisherman who choose to take their hard earned money and spend it in other states. Kentucky gets the biggest benefit from Hoosier anglers and so does Mississippi and Alabama. I would be very curious to know how much money Hoosier families and anglers spend on those trips to Barkley, Kentucky Lake, Weiss Lake or any of the four big ones in Mississippi...not to mention Table Rock or other places.

Me and my family will spend about 3 grand this year on the three seperate trips to Barkley Lake. It's about time the state of Indiana gives us our Barkley, even if it's only 20,000 acres instead of 50,000 acres. There's plenty of room in the Proving Grounds to build a sizeable lake that would really BOOST the local economies.

[SteveM4A1]

Yea unfortunately we are never going to be a good fishing state IMO.

[GeoFisher]

As an avid Hoosier fisherman, I would like to see the state build a unique lake in Southern Indiana. The typical Southern Indiana fisherman doesn't have a lot of GOOD options when it comes to catching crappie, bluegill or redear. It's easy to argue that point and say that Patoka, the Forestry Lakes, Dogwood, Hardy etc., offer good fishing but that's not really a true statement anymore.

I originally wanted to see one or two nice size lakes opened up in the Army Ammunition Plant near Charlestown. There's thousands of acres in the plant and the state could easily open up a couple of 500 acre lakes to provide recreation for the ever growing Falls City Area of Jeffersonville, Clarksville and New Albany. This would be a nice plan and it's long overdue IMO.

What recently popped onto my radar is something even bigger than the above...by a longshot. The Jefferson Proving Grounds in Madison is actually five or six times bigger acreage wise than the old powder plant is. The state could put in a lake that would surpass Monroe or Patoka in terms of size and potential.

I personally know dozens of AVID fisherman who choose to take their hard earned money and spend it in other states. Kentucky gets the biggest benefit from Hoosier anglers and so does Mississippi and Alabama. I would be very curious to know how much money Hoosier families and anglers spend on those trips to Barkley, Kentucky Lake, Weiss Lake or any of the four big ones in Mississippi...not to mention Table Rock or other places.

Me and my family will spend about 3 grand this year on the three seperate trips to Barkley Lake. It's about time the state of Indiana gives us our Barkley, even if it's only 20,000 acres instead of 50,000 acres. There's plenty of room in the Proving Grounds to build a sizeable lake that would really BOOST the local economies.

I saw a guy at Hoosier Nat a few days ago with TWO coolers full of big ears and gills. You tell me......WHY does he need so many fish. He and 3 others harvested will over 100 solid fish.

I SAW THEM myself.......so know they were caught.

Later,

Geo

[redearhoosier]

Well two things, first of all, you're correct, that man doesn't need that many fish IMO. The only credible answer he could give you is if he were planning a fish fry for thirty or forty friends and family...that would be about the only acceptable answer IMO.

Number two, you say they were big bluegill and big redear. What's big?? If you're talking eight inch bluegill and nine inch redear, that doesn't impress me much. I went to Barkley Lake in the spring and we threw back nine inch redear while routinely catching 11, 12 and a couple of monster 13in redear. That was my point of the original post, create a lake that's big enough to become a trophy lake. Ky Lake and Barkley Lake are trophy lakes and both are HUGE bodies of water as are the Mississippi crappie lakes that are trophy lakes. A twenty or thirty thousand acre body of water is massive. They old saying big lake ='s big fish is actually true.

Indiana fisherman deserve better or we'll continue to travel out of state with our money.

[GeoFisher]

Well two things, first of all, you're correct, that man doesn't need that many fish IMO. The only credible answer he could give you is if he were planning a fish fry for thirty or forty friends and family...that would be about the only acceptable answer IMO.

Number two, you say they were big bluegill and big redear. What's big?? If you're talking eight inch bluegill and nine inch redear, that doesn't impress me much. I went to Barkley Lake in the spring and we threw back nine inch redear while routinely catching 11, 12 and a couple of monster 13in redear. That was my point of the original post, create a lake that's big enough to become a trophy lake. Ky Lake and Barkley Lake are trophy lakes and both are HUGE bodies of water as are the Mississippi crappie lakes that are trophy lakes. A twenty or thirty thousand acre body of water is massive. They old saying big lake ='s big fish is actually true.

Indiana fisherman deserve better or we'll continue to travel out of state with our money.

They were 8 and 9 inchers......maybe smaller, but tell me how they are ever going to get to the "solid" size you figure we should be managing for?

Personally, I'd love to see people simply stop being ignorant about the resource, and managing it a little better themselves.

Those bodies of water produce pretty good fish. For years, Ferdinand produced slab crappie. I mean BIG ONES. A few people decimated that population in a few years.

I saw multiple pontoons loaded with people POUNDING the crappie there. Under lights, they were taking hundreds of them.

IGNORANCE is bliss, I guess.

[SteveM4A1]

I saw a guy at Hoosier Nat a few days ago with TWO coolers full of big ears and gills. You tell me......WHY does he need so many fish. He and 3 others harvested will over 100 solid fish.

I SAW THEM myself.......so know they were caught.

Later,

Geo

You should have gave him an earful.

[redearhoosier]

Ferdinand's a pretty good lake, I've caught several one pound bluegill out of it and that's a BIG bluegill for these parts as you very well know. My opinion on these lakes I guess is that they're simply not big enough to handle the demand put upon them.

My wife, son and I camped out down at the Forestry in the fall of 2010 and the camp host told me about people from Kentucky coming over from Brandenberg and Hardinsberg. One group of seven people kept over one thousand gills/ears/crappie from Tipisaw. Of course it's not just Kentucky people doing this, I've got some in my very own family who practice these same methods...and they're smart enough to know better. But they do fry most of the thousands of fillets up at family, friends and political events, so it's not like they're wasting these fish.

I go back to the theory of building that spectacular lake up in the Proving Grounds. Patoka could be a VERY good panfish lake if it was managed properly but we all know it's managed as a Largemouth Bass destination. Build a lake up in the Proving Grounds that could compete, at least size wise, with Cumberland or Dale Hollow. I'm thinking 20-25 thousand acre lake would do it. You would have to get the local politicians on board for this to ever happen.

[SteveM4A1]

Ferdinand's a pretty good lake, I've caught several one pound bluegill out of it and that's a BIG bluegill for these parts as you very well know. My opinion on these lakes I guess is that they're simply not big enough to handle the demand put upon them.

My wife, son and I camped out down at the Forestry in the fall of 2010 and the camp host told me about people from Kentucky coming over from Brandenberg and Hardinsberg. One group of seven people kept over one thousand gills/ears/crappie from Tipisaw. Of course it's not just Kentucky people doing this, I've got some in my very own family who practice these same methods...and they're smart enough to know better. But they do fry most of the thousands of fillets up at family, friends and political events, so it's not like they're wasting these fish.

I go back to the theory of building that spectacular lake up in the Proving Grounds. Patoka could be a VERY good panfish lake if it was managed properly but we all know it's managed as a Largemouth Bass destination. Build a lake up in the Proving Grounds that could compete, at least size wise, with Cumberland or Dale Hollow. I'm thinking 20-25 thousand acre lake would do it. You would have to get the local politicians on board for this to ever happen.

Too bad it will never happen. Where would the money come from? Considering they already don't use our angler taxes for our hobby! It is sad since we have to spend our money elsewhere.

[gregsayers2000]

What recently popped onto my radar is something even bigger than the above...by a longshot. The Jefferson Proving Grounds in Madison is actually five or six times bigger acreage wise than the old powder plant is. The state could put in a lake that would surpass Monroe or Patoka in terms of size and potential.

Me and my family will spend about 3 grand this year on the three seperate trips to Barkley Lake. It's about time the state of Indiana gives us our Barkley, even if it's only 20,000 acres instead of 50,000 acres. There's plenty of room in the Proving Grounds to build a sizeable lake that would really BOOST the local economies.

Unfortunately, the vast part of the proving grounds is going to be unusable for many, many years due to unexploded ordinance. Building a lake of that size is far more money than the State could ever think of using for sportsman use. Heck, they can not even keep up the roads we have.

I would be as tickled as anyone for this to happen, but it never will for the reason I mentioned.

[slipbobber]

Going to the Wood next week for a couple weeks. Hope to get in on some crappie action. With the cooler nights hope temp of lake goes down.