Hey all I saw some outdated threads and thought creating a new one would be the best. I moved back here(Evansville) from Alaska in July. Just getting settled and was curious if anyone down here flyfishes and or ties flies. Looking for any help on what kinds of flies work best and if there is a winter fishery.
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Fly fishing southern Indiana
- Thread starter DocEd
- Start date
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My first question for you is "WHY?" indiana over alaska?
In the anchorage airport, you'll notice two black marks 3" wide, about 2 ft apart that run the length of the concourse... those are marks my boots made as my wife dragged me to the airplane to bring me back to the lower 48!
There's certainly no Kenaii nor Iliamna around here, but they stock the tailwaters below Brookville Lake (near Cincinatti) with trout that may be your best bet.
In the anchorage airport, you'll notice two black marks 3" wide, about 2 ft apart that run the length of the concourse... those are marks my boots made as my wife dragged me to the airplane to bring me back to the lower 48!There's certainly no Kenaii nor Iliamna around here, but they stock the tailwaters below Brookville Lake (near Cincinatti) with trout that may be your best bet.
Ohh that was you? Lol yeah family issues have forced me to move here. It wasn't my choice. Have you fly fished any bass? I heard that there was striped bass in the Ohio river. I like to tie flies as well. Any suggestions on fly selections?
eldirector
Grandmaster
This group is up in Indy, but has tons of local info:
Home - Indianapolis Fly Casters
My FIL is a long-time member, and I swear knows every fly fisher in the state. I enjoy it, but am about as far from an expert as you can get!
As for Bass flies, my little box is full of white, black, or yellow foam spiders, and little white or yellow poppers. That about all I know....
Home - Indianapolis Fly Casters
My FIL is a long-time member, and I swear knows every fly fisher in the state. I enjoy it, but am about as far from an expert as you can get!
As for Bass flies, my little box is full of white, black, or yellow foam spiders, and little white or yellow poppers. That about all I know....
Winter bass seem to like small stonefly patterns. Favorite is a stonefly bugger. These work further north in the smaller rivers not sure about the Ohio. Another fish growing in popularity is "freshwater bonefish" Alright they are carp but they can really be fun and challenging.
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I'm a CO native, so these indiana fish aren't my specialty, but like ElDirector, I use foam poppers on our neighborhood ponds and the bluegill suck them down with abondon, then I hand the rod off to one of the neighborhood kids to haul them in. We've got some good-sized bass that have been known to swallow the 'gills on the way in as well for some excitement.
I've caught some smallmouth on the White River using small crawdad patterns, and have caught carp using yarn eggs in green or purple when berries were dropping into the water. Also, white yarn eggs that I frayed out to look like Cottonwood tree fluff has worked.
I've caught some smallmouth on the White River using small crawdad patterns, and have caught carp using yarn eggs in green or purple when berries were dropping into the water. Also, white yarn eggs that I frayed out to look like Cottonwood tree fluff has worked.
I found that flys for largemouth bass almost work better than traditional bass bait. I just spin some deer hair onto a bass hook and make sure that the fly has a tail, and its as simple as that. It catches bass great and they really strike hard on them too. Around the Ft. Wayne area there aren't much trout so I don't know any tips for Indiana trout. Hope I helped.
hammer24
Master
I haven't cast flies during this time of year, but in the spring and summer I love fly-fishing for smallies. They are a blast and they are quite plentiful in many of the skinny waters in S Indiana. I catch quite a few on woolly buggers and hair bugs. Catching bluegill on little white poppers is one of my favorite ways to spend a day.
Northwest Indiana has a good winter fishery. Trail creek, Salt creek, east branch of Little Calumet, and St. Joseph river have winter runs of steelheads. Egg pattern flies are your best bet.
There are three warm-water discharges on the shoreline of lake Michigan, the Sate Line Generating discharge, BP, and Northern Indiana Service discharge. They will hold steelhead, Browns, Coho, and walleye. But live bait like night crawlers, frozen smelt, and spawn will work best in these areas
There are three warm-water discharges on the shoreline of lake Michigan, the Sate Line Generating discharge, BP, and Northern Indiana Service discharge. They will hold steelhead, Browns, Coho, and walleye. But live bait like night crawlers, frozen smelt, and spawn will work best in these areas
If you drive hwy 66 all the way to Derby yo will see various spots you may want to try and this spot would make for a nice place to practice and just get out "unmolested" by crowds, river currents or too much wind. Great camp ground too, mostly used by locals and horse campers. My favorite place to camp in Indiana. This is called German Ridge camp ground, it is public land. Check out Poison Creek and Oil Creek in general.
https://maps.google.com/maps?q=evan...ear=Evansville,+Vanderburgh,+Indiana&t=h&z=17
German Ridge
http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/hoosier/recreation/recarea/?recid=41522
All the fly guys I knew in Indy liked to hit Brookville below the damn, I always fished on the lake itself (from my boat) but you can also go on over into Southern Ohio and hit a few streams there for Musky.
Another nice stream is the east fork of the White around Shoals and Martin State Forest there has a nice campground and some ponds as well. All areas you can fish or combine fishing, with camping, hunting, shooting etc....
https://maps.google.com/maps?q=evan...ear=Evansville,+Vanderburgh,+Indiana&t=h&z=17
German Ridge
http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/hoosier/recreation/recarea/?recid=41522
All the fly guys I knew in Indy liked to hit Brookville below the damn, I always fished on the lake itself (from my boat) but you can also go on over into Southern Ohio and hit a few streams there for Musky.
Another nice stream is the east fork of the White around Shoals and Martin State Forest there has a nice campground and some ponds as well. All areas you can fish or combine fishing, with camping, hunting, shooting etc....
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Now let me get this straight, Indiana can offer me the chance to do the most miserable, and my personal favorite, type fly fishing wich would be that of the winter steelhead? Maybe this state isn't as bad as I thought.
If you get seeeeeerious look at Racine, WI and fishing the Root River.
They fish from the bay to the DNR fish ladder in town at Lincoln Park right in the middle of town. Actually they fish up to below the damn of the reservoir too. I use to have some video I took of the fish ladder viewing window. Holy crap,almost made me a fly fisherman just seeing that.
Root River Steelhead Facility - WDNR
There is also Salmon-a-rama in July
Salmon-A-Rama Online
And in town at the bay, out on the causeway they have the best looking free fish cleaning station I have ever seen. Since Insinkerator is based here, I thnk they donated the equipment that makes quick work of the guts and bones etc...
On Youtube there are lots of videos on fishing the Root river. Most of those are from stretches of river right in town. I am a big fisherman but not a Trout guy but I have plenty of alewives in my freezer. We just live 2 doors off the lake shore and the dog and I go down in late spring and scoop up some bait. She eats them, I put them in my pocket.
People catch tons of trout from the North and South shore walks on the main bay, spring and fall runs.. During Salmon-a-rama in July it is a Salon Orgy and people even set up camp on spots along the shore walk from Gateway Tech all the way along the south walk to the inlet. They leave shelters set up all week and even spend day and night out there shore fishing, the ones with no boats.
Trout Mafia
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQJxUizwWS0[/ame]
I marked a few spots in Racine on google for you. Kenosha and Milwaukee shores and streams are also good in general but they Racine is #1.
A: Dam
B: DNR Fish ladder and most of the stretches of river you see in youtube clips
C: Shoreline and parking in front of Gateway tech
D: South shore leading to bay inlet, you can easily see North walk out as well that starts from North Beach. (We live north of the Zoo)
https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=Rapids+Ct&daddr=Domanik+Dr+to:Gateway+Technical+College,+Racine,+WI+to:Christopher+Columbus&hl=en&ll=42.737116,-87.798443&spn=0.049298,0.077162&sll=42.737116,-87.798443&sspn=0.049298,0.077162&geocode=FehXjAIdnevD-g%3BFWMOjAIdHhXE-g%3BFQ_jiwIdlpXE-iGJXicVIx27ain36x4mf0MFiDGJXicVIx27ag%3BFUQJjAIdVq_E-g&oq=gateway+technical+college&t=h&mra=ls&z=14
Good fishing forums here for each great lake
http://www.lake-link.com/
They fish from the bay to the DNR fish ladder in town at Lincoln Park right in the middle of town. Actually they fish up to below the damn of the reservoir too. I use to have some video I took of the fish ladder viewing window. Holy crap,almost made me a fly fisherman just seeing that.
Root River Steelhead Facility - WDNR
There is also Salmon-a-rama in July
Salmon-A-Rama Online
And in town at the bay, out on the causeway they have the best looking free fish cleaning station I have ever seen. Since Insinkerator is based here, I thnk they donated the equipment that makes quick work of the guts and bones etc...
On Youtube there are lots of videos on fishing the Root river. Most of those are from stretches of river right in town. I am a big fisherman but not a Trout guy but I have plenty of alewives in my freezer. We just live 2 doors off the lake shore and the dog and I go down in late spring and scoop up some bait. She eats them, I put them in my pocket.
People catch tons of trout from the North and South shore walks on the main bay, spring and fall runs.. During Salmon-a-rama in July it is a Salon Orgy and people even set up camp on spots along the shore walk from Gateway Tech all the way along the south walk to the inlet. They leave shelters set up all week and even spend day and night out there shore fishing, the ones with no boats.
Trout Mafia
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQJxUizwWS0[/ame]
I marked a few spots in Racine on google for you. Kenosha and Milwaukee shores and streams are also good in general but they Racine is #1.
A: Dam
B: DNR Fish ladder and most of the stretches of river you see in youtube clips
C: Shoreline and parking in front of Gateway tech
D: South shore leading to bay inlet, you can easily see North walk out as well that starts from North Beach. (We live north of the Zoo)
https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=Rapids+Ct&daddr=Domanik+Dr+to:Gateway+Technical+College,+Racine,+WI+to:Christopher+Columbus&hl=en&ll=42.737116,-87.798443&spn=0.049298,0.077162&sll=42.737116,-87.798443&sspn=0.049298,0.077162&geocode=FehXjAIdnevD-g%3BFWMOjAIdHhXE-g%3BFQ_jiwIdlpXE-iGJXicVIx27ain36x4mf0MFiDGJXicVIx27ag%3BFUQJjAIdVq_E-g&oq=gateway+technical+college&t=h&mra=ls&z=14
Good fishing forums here for each great lake
http://www.lake-link.com/
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Yes the Root river is one of the ultimate salmon and trout rivers to fish in the fall. its a little ways north past the Illinois Wisconsin border. I used to fish the dam when I was a kid. I parked at the Holiday inn overlooking the dam and started at the dam and waded a mile or two down river. I always did very well there and caught lots of big King Salmon. The last one I caught was 39 inches long. I never fished ther during the winter but heard the steelhead are in there all winter.
The majority of Coho salmon that are stocked by Indiana, Illinois, and Michigan will stage in the southern tip of the lake in the spring. Boatfishing will begin right when the ice melts Feb.-Mar. We troll thin-fins, thundersticks, rapalas, spoons, spinners, dodgers and flies. Most of the fish we catch are Cohos but we've also caught browns, steelhead and Chinook salmon.
Slawburger
Master
Louisville KY and Southern Indiana group:
Derby City Fly Fishers - Louisville KY
January 26th, 2013
9am to 5pm
Fern Valley Inn and Conference Center
2715 Fern Valley Road
Louisville, KY
The Derby City Fly Fishers will host the eighth annual Kentuckiana Fly Fishing Show on Saturday, January 26, 2013, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. at the Fern Valley Inn and Conference Center located at 2715 Fern Valley Road. Admission is $7 each with active military and children 12 and under free. Also, there is no charge for parking at the Fern Valley Conference Center!
Derby City Fly Fishers - Louisville KY
January 26th, 2013
9am to 5pm
Fern Valley Inn and Conference Center
2715 Fern Valley Road
Louisville, KY
The Derby City Fly Fishers will host the eighth annual Kentuckiana Fly Fishing Show on Saturday, January 26, 2013, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. at the Fern Valley Inn and Conference Center located at 2715 Fern Valley Road. Admission is $7 each with active military and children 12 and under free. Also, there is no charge for parking at the Fern Valley Conference Center!
Well I'll be a cats uncle. You my friend are like an angel. Or at least until I go and blow all my money on a setup I probably don't need. But until then,
