In the natural lakes of Indiana, fishing rates as one of the most popular type of catch that anglers target these days, ranking above even salmon, trout, muskies, and stripers.

In fact, only largemouth bass still seem to outrank the as a favorite in the area. Of course, just a few years ago, Indiana fishing had almost come to a dead halt, ranking so low on the list that it almost wasn't even considered.

This is because, while there were places that could be found, they were few and far between. However, stocking programs have been put into place at several locations that are both innovative and aggressive, and the population has begun to flourish throughout the state.

Perhaps it is the fact that waters in Indiana are slightly warmer than those normally preferred by walleyes, which tend to reside in the Great Lakes and further north into Canada, where the lakes and rivers remain fairly chilly year round.

While grow much more quickly in warmer climates, they also have a much shorter lifespan than in cooler waters where they grow more slowly; this could contribute to smaller and sparser populations. Whatever the reason, natural

walleye populations in Indiana have never faired well, and without stocking programs, it may have become highly likely that the species completely disappeared from the state.

With stocking programs at Crooked, Sylvan, and Winona Lakes well into their second decade, Indiana fishing has experienced a huge boost, and some anglers have become fishermen solely of this largest member of the perch family.

While previous attempts to establish a population included both fingerlings (tiny just past the egg stage) and fry (even tinier than fingerlings), new stocking ideas have taken over. What was found in the initial attempts to use these smaller, less expensive specimens is that these small fish were being eaten by larger fish at a high rate, making it impossible for a large enough sample of these tiny fish to grow and breed significant numbers of walleye. This was an investment that was costing too much considering the poor results, and some other idea was needed to boost the population for Indiana fishing.

Unfortunately, the idea of stocking lakes with larger specimens was extremely costly and had been ruled out initially. However, when stocking with larger fish, a greater number will survive and reproduce, saving on the number of fish needed to stock the lake and reducing the initial cost a bit.