indiana is awful! where do you rate it?

[olducker]

I guess it sums it up when you live 45 minutes from Patoka but would much rather driver 2.5 hours to Barkley or Ky.

Charlie

I'm with you just 1.5 hours to Barkley or KY FOR ME

Kentucky # 2 Tennessee #3 FLorida #1 Indiana #5 That's all I Fish eH

[Jim_H]

wkerber, were you a conservation officer? I also fished the Eel and Wabash as a kid and still do once in awhile, and I remember a conservation officer name Kerber, just curious.

[MikeAxsom]

This discussion is of particular interest to me from a resource management professional perspective. For those here who may not know me, I work in a county management agency that receives no revenue from the state. But many of the issues are the same no matter who is running things.

One such constant seems to be a direct correlation between user satisfaction and fee levels in many minds. While I agree that fees should not be excessive, and that fees for recreation resource use should never be used to fund any other public services; I have to wonder about a few of the comments I read here and some I hear in the field.

Can anyone here state what IS the correct price for license/boating/launch fees? And if the fees were lower would that make up for what you feel to be poor service and insufficient opportunity? I don’t mean that to be a smart aleck question either. I would like to hear exactly how tight is the connection between cost and value perceptions in these types of discussions.

Conversely, if an agency, state or local, were to develop a plan to drastically improve management of a fishery, build new facilities and increase overall production and service, would you recommend that fees be raised then to cover the real and actual cost of all that?

One of the common complaints we get where I work, at West Boggs, is also about fees. But we are often taken to task because some of our fees are higher than the state’s, and or that state permits are not accepted here. When we try to explain that we do not accept state passes because the state does not share that money with us, many people actually seem to think we are ripping them off like they were lied to when they bought the state pass.

Another thing we see often is that some of the loudest and rude complaints about fees come from people who obviously spend a lot of money on boats, trucks and RVs. It is not unusual to have a person in a $40K truck pulling a $50K boat spend ten minutes raising sand and berating a gate attendant that does not make any rules about having to pay a $5 launch fee when they already have a state permit. We hear about how stupid the governor and all the legislature are, how crooked IDNR is and how bad fishing is all over this state.
Then one of the next few vehicles in will be a young family in a 10 year old car blowing oil and with kids hanging out all the windows. Sometimes those folks are counting quarters to get the entry fee, but they are almost always happy and think a day fishing for $5 for the family is a great deal.

Anyone here know why that is?

[ttwigg]

The deer hunting has picked up over the last few years. It seems like the fishing just stays the same. I stay in Indiana to fish and go south to catch.

[silver seeker]

Sorry I don't have any input about Indiana.(only there once & it was not to fish)
But Moose1am Eagle Lake was my early stompin grounds, we used to fish there when I was just a boy. I live in a city close to Toronto, fished all my life, but I cannot seem to get that lake outa my head.
I have two boys now, The first is three the other is one, I just would like to know what the fishing is like there now? I remember great smallmouth, huge boulders, and you don't see a soul.....But the Black Bears...

[zorki1]

I agree with most of the statements here. I will add that I would like to see us get rid of that dumb trout program.We are a warm water state and they just dont last, yeah , you hear of an occasional survivor caught thats grown to 18 inches. I think that program should be dumped and take that money and invest it in a large smallmouth program stocking the more fishable creeks. Imagne White Water creek heavily stocked,after a couple of years it could be like the Elkhorn in Ky drawing lots of fishermen into the area bringing their cash to the local economy and perpetuating the fishery.Dont get me wrong, Im a flyfisherman and trout are my number one target, I go out of state.Its just not realistic to pay for all those trout, the majority of which wont survive, just to have a "trout season" for a couple of weeks.We could keep the trout program up in the northern part of the state as they do a little better and that could be the attraction for that area. I would also like to see a little more creek access also, just some simple inexpensive flat pull offs with gravel to park.With all the popularity of kayaks now a little more access for shuttling vechicles would also get people out more to fish for all our upgraded streams.

[Dakota Kid]

I travel from Louisville to Patoka as often as I can. Fish the lower third of the lake and most always have good luck. Very few short fish in comparison to the keepers that are caught. I don't have much of a problem with traffic on that end either. I personally have better luck there verses Rough or Taylorsville or even Nolin. And I have had some outstanding days at Nolin.

[MikeAxsom]

I’m sure there are people in all categories in this issue, but from my many years of dealing with anglers there is some inverse correlation between the amount of money spent on boats, gear and toys, and the level of satisfaction in the individual. If what I see is in part correct it may be the ultimate example of the adage that money can’t buy happiness.

[psprowler]

I'd rate Indiana just slightly below "doing the best it can with what is available". Until IDNR becomes its own entity politrix will always have to be dealt with.

If you are strictly a lake fisherman then Indiana doesn't have nearly as much to offer as surrounding states. Flowing water - this state can hold its own. I've stepped foot in over 70 different streams/rivers in this state and I'm not even close to seeing/fishing all that's available.

Mike: do you seriously believe that about the working man spending all that cash to chase the dream? I know you probably see it everyday and I'm not doubting that. The reason I ask is that I couldn't fathom spending that kind of money on truck, boat, and tackle with the belief that someday I'll be flippin' with the big boys. That's a lot of investment with a very minute chance of any return.

[MikeAxsom]

Mike: do you seriously believe that about the working man spending all that cash to chase the dream?

Yes, I do believe it. Obviously there is no single model for this sort fo thing, as people are individuals with a wide range of situations. But the manufacturers and wholesales who sell to the tournament industry spend a great deal of money to keep create that dream and keep it alive. Does anyone think Wal-Mart, Ranger, Mercury, etc., etc., would continue to spend the money they do for marketing if the only people in the ones winning and the ones who just fish for fun? Have you ever seen a marketing campaign from any of those companies that said "Odds are you'll never win big, so just have fun and don't ever spend more than you can afford."?

[stratosjoe]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder....Schafer smallmouth are great 5 smallmouth won a tourney 23-24lbs. Brookville in the early spring smallmouth / stripers are fun...Raccoon Lake fishing period is fun for stripers /smallmouth... maybe not the quality of ky or tn which I love both but still other than the tax on a tax Indiana fishing is better than Illinois. Illinois has some good spots too though..

[YAZ]

I wasn't going to reply to this, as it seems it has turned into another "we are paying too much for what we get thread". But............

What everybody has to realize is Indiana is a agricultural state (corn is king). Our location on the globe, our topography, and our soils allows us to be an agricultural state. Therefore the state government has to focus on that because that is a large chunk of our income. That is the way it has always been, and the way its always going to be. Because of that, agriculture is the biggest culprit on our poor water quality here in the state. I know we have several programs to help combat this, including LARE, but its all about spending money that the Indiana gov. won't spend. Silt, pesticides, herbicides, nitrates, organics, etc. are going to be a continual problem here.

We do not have a strong IDNR compared to most of the states that this thread is comparing Indiana to. I'm not saying the individuals here are not qualified, because I believe they are. We just don't have the resource to manage to justify a bigger DNR. What I am saying is the big wigs in Indianapolis will not support or fund any more programs to IMPROVE what we currently have. The southern states depend on the wildlife and fisheries, and quality of the water to derive income for that state, much like Indiana does corn. So their programs, funding, and staffing have to be better.

We are very limited on space (woods and water) for recreation here in Indiana. Without actually looking, I'm sure we have more people wanting outdoor recreation per square mile than Ky and Tn. That puts a lot more people competing for the same space on the lakes and woods in Indiana. Which in turn, puts a lot more pressure on our fisheries, and also puts a lot more wear and tear on the public properties. That costs more money to keep things presentable to the public.

Do I think there are some things that can be improved....yes. Do I think there will be any big changes or improvements....no. Do I think the cost of recreation is too high at state owned facilities...no. Do I think it will get higher.....most certainly.

It may seem like a gloom and doom prediction for us outdoorsmen and women here in Indiana, but, it is all we have. We have to make the best of it, and all do our part to help take care of it.

Yaz