Indiana Ag Connection - Brookville Lake Tailwater Gets Bonus Trout Stocking

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Brookville Lake Tailwater Gets Bonus Trout Stocking
Indiana Ag Connection - 09/25/2017

Fishing for rainbow trout in the Brookville Lake tailwater got a boost for this fall.

Last week, the DNR stocked an additional 2,500 rainbow trout averaging 6 inches in length into the tailwater, which is on the East Fork of the Whitewater River in Franklin County. The tailwater is typically stocked only in spring with 1,500 rainbow and 2,600 brown trout averaging 8 inches in length.

The trout for the fall stocking are surplus fish produced by the Wolf Creek National Fish Hatchery in Jamestown, Ky., and were donated to the DNR Division of Fish & Wildlife.

Heavy fishing pressure in the tailwater often results in reduced numbers of rainbow trout available for anglers by fall. Anglers are encouraged to take advantage of this bonus stocking this fall and winter, as it will not be an annual occurrence.

The fall-stocked rainbow trout are expected to grow quickly to the minimum length limit of 7 inches; however, because the stocked fish will initially be below the limit, trout anglers are encouraged to follow best practices for catch-and-release angling.

Best practices include minimizing time that the fish is out of water, minimizing time reeling in and unhooking the fish, and wetting hands before handling the fish. Catch-and-release anglers who hook a trout in a sensitive area, such as the gills, gut or throat, are encouraged to leave the hook in the fish and cut the line at the hook eye. Fish often shed hooks quickly, and this method increases their chances for survival.

Indiana has a statewide catch-and-release-only season for trout from Jan. 1 to April 14.

Special trout regulations for the Brookville Lake tailwater include a 7-inch minimum length limit for rainbow trout and an 18-inch minimum length limit for brown trout. The daily bag limit is five trout, of which only one can be a brown trout.

A fishing license and trout stamp are required to harvest trout.

The Brookville tailwater is cooler than most southern Indiana streams during the summer months through controlled releases of water from the depths of Brookville Lake. The cooler temperatures allow stocked trout to survive for multiple seasons and grow larger than trout in other stocked waters in southern Indiana.

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