Conference Committee has been set according to the state's website. I just sent 7 e-mails out, one to each of the appointed members expressing my concern with HB 1279, the proposed Geist Conservancy District. I'd urge everyone to do the same to at least a couple of the members listed below. Keep it short, courteous and simple. Google any of the names below to pull up their website and links to contact any of them via e-mail, or leave a phone call message if you prefer.
House advisors appointed:
Doug Miller; Assistant Majority Whip | District 48 Michael Aylesworth; Representative | District 11 State Rep. Pat Boy State Rep. Sue Errington tate Rep. Carolyn B. Jackson
House conferees appointed:
David A. Wolkins; Representative | District 18 State Rep. Sheila Klinker
I've also learned that there will be a hearing downtown on Wednesday, April 17, by the bills author. I believe that initiative is covered well at this point, though I have offered my help in that regard to those attending.
There were three documented crappies over 3 pounds caught out of Eagle Creek Reservoir back during the 30 year span of the Indpls. Star's Big Fish contest. All of them were caught in the 1980s, and I'm pretty certain I witnessed one of those catches. Not certain if we'll ever see another or not, but they featured two of them in the paper at the time.
Some of the right people are starting to notice and voice opposition. This is what it will take both in committee as well as once this (likely) hits the NRC to make a difference at this point. It's still complicated as the bill and the District attempt are separate and yet tied together to a degree at the same time. Pay attention to developments and be willing to write a letter or e-mail or even attend a meeting in your area when the time comes, starting with a phone call or email to your local representative now as stated in the last paragraph of the letter.
Despite being created back in 1943, Geist Reservoir remains one of the more popular bass fishing spots in the central Indiana area. Given all the discussion currently around the proposed Geist Conservancy District, I thought it might be fun to look back at fishing during the earliest days of the reservoir.
I recently came across an angler survey that was taken over 3 days in 1958, and it is pretty interesting to look back and see some of the stats that were captured from that short time period. It makes for a good window into the fishery and popularity of the lake back then, some 54 years ago. I will also add some other facts about Geist from "The Encyclopedia of Indianapolis."
The survey took place over Memorial Day weekend (Fri.- Sun.) in 1958, and was carried out by Conservation Officers Roy White and Robert Boots, with assistance from sportsmen Albert Toule and Clarence Lowe. The highs that weekend were in the upper 70's, but Saturday and Sunday were rainy and breezy which limited angler traffic. Scattered storms moved through the area leaving 0.1 in of rain on Saturday, and 0.3 on Sunday. Winds were predominantly out of the south on Friday and Saturday, switching to the west early on Sunday as the storms moved through in the early morning hours. Barometers slowly fell through Sunday morning, then began to rise again later that afternoon. To set the mood and get a feel for the time period and the weather, I found this old 8mm video from the same weekend just a little to our north in Grayling, MI. Even there you can see the gray skies and wet pavement from the weekend weather.
Personnel met anglers who were in the process of fishing, or who were headed out to fish and gave them a postal creel card which was to be filled out and returned in the mail. In total, they handed out 270 cards, 100 on each of the first two days and another 70 on Sunday. The cards were coded so that they could differentiate between those fishing in Hamilton County or those fishing Marion County, as well as whether they were in a boat or fishing from shore.
All told, 173 anglers filled out and returned the cards. From that response, biologists were able to gather some interesting information:
> 334 anglers fished 1,692 hours and caught 992 fish.
> The average trip lasted 5.1 hours, and each angler averaged 0.6 fish per hour, or 3 fish per trip.
> Each party averaged 2.1 anglers, and caught an average of 6.3 fish. Overall, more than 64% of all parties were successful in catching at least one fish.
> Sixty-four percent of the fish caught (636 fish) were crappie, followed by bluegill which comprised 31.4% (311 fish). There were 15 largemouth bass caught over the 3 days, as well as 3 smallmouth bass.
> Men accounted for 77.5% of all anglers, with women making up 13.5% and children 9.0%.
On the afternoon of May 31 between the hours of 3 and 5 PM, a survey was taken to count the number of anglers fishing the entire reservoir that day to get an idea of the fishing pressure. They came up with 73 boats out on the lake, 57 of which were in the Marion County portion of the lake, and 16 of which were over in Hamilton County. All boats combined had 166 anglers fishing in them. From the shore, there were 428 anglers, 275 of which were fishing the banks in Marion County and 153 of them in Hamilton County. The number of shore anglers is particularly interesting, as it suggests just how undeveloped and open to the public the land around the reservoir was at the time. It was still Water Company owned, but the next survey taken in 1983 would mention how there was almost no shoreline angling taking place at the reservoir due to nearly all of it being bought and held as private property. It remains that way to this day.
One other interesting comment from the survey report was that there was or recently had been a 10" limit on bass at the time, and a 5" limit on panfish. Only 51 of the reported 992 fish fell under these size limits and were considered "short", having to be released.
A few other notes on early Geist Res:
In the 1940s and 1950s, motor boats and swimming were not allowed in/on the reservoir. The boats mentioned in the survey then had to have been row boats anglers were using. Bank fishing was very popular, and the lake was noted for its big crappie and catfish. The Indianapolis Sailing Club was also in place back then.
1961 was the year the Water Company decided to convert the property around the lake to private subdivisions, transferring 2,782 acres to its Shorewood subsidiary. This would close all the land to bank fishing or picnicking.
The Marion County Council at the time was headed by a gentleman named John Kitley, who also happened to be an angler and frequent Geist Reservoir fisherman. He moved the council to use eminent domain to obtain the land around the lake and convert it into a public park, but the fair market value of the land came back at just under $4 million, and the motion was rescinded.
Bank fishing was prohibited after 1961, but there was a public fishing dock, and they did start allowing motors up to 5hp on the lake.
In 1970, the water company bought the rights to control boating and fishing on the lake. The docks were renovated, and in 1971, the lake was opened to unlimited horsepower and water skiing. That same year, the governor stated he was working with the Corp of Engineers on a multi-million dollar project to expand the reservoir by adding two dams and doubling the size of the lake. This tied up any development along the lake for several years, when in 1978, then U.S. Senator Birch Bayh refused to support the project. This led to the beginning of the housing development boom starting around 1980.
Needless to say, things at the reservoir have changed considerably over the past 50 years, but the basic fishery as far as species composition seems to still be pretty much the same. Interestingly though, fishing pressure is probably much less now days than back in 1958 when taking into account both bank and boat angling totals.
Headed out to Raccoon Saturday for some crappie fishing. Graphed loads of them on the main lake, but struggled to get them to bite. Finally went a little shallower and put something together. However, recent reports the past few days appear to suggest we were on the wrong end of the lake, as lots of nice limits of what appear to be good size fish are being posted. Not a fan of big idle zones, but might have to reconsider next time...
Looking back at my records, I believe the last time I fished Geist for bass was December 2015 with Jacob before he moved to Tennessee. So when I got the oppotunity to tag along with Josh Ray, it seemed like a good excuse to make the drive over there. The lake was pretty stained, if not muddy in some areas, and water temps seemed pretty consistent from 51-53 degrees about everywhere we went. There had also been a lot of chatter in the news about an apparent fish kill going on over there, so I wasn't sure exactly what to expect. It turned out better than I thought.
First spot I pull up to, second cast, and a small keeper comes to the boat. Next area, just a handful of casts in, and something near 4.5 pounds or so also comes aboard. We'd go on to catch several other solid keepers to go along with a couple Josh had already boated before I got there (I arrived just after 1:00 PM).
No surprise, I'm sure, but Rat-L-Traps, shallow cranks and jigs all caught fish. As usual, there was quite a bit of traffic on the lake, many guys practicing for events that were happening this weekend. We also managed to snatch a couple bonus fish; Josh with a big channel and me with an oversized carp I struggled to hold for a shot.
Was a fun trip, and it was also neat to see everything that had changed since I last visited, as well as the many spots I used to catch fish from that hadn't.
Picked up just over 50 this afternoon. Water temps 51-53, about 4" of visibility. They had 3 gates open and pulling hard. Could see vortices behind our buoys on the main lake. Should get better quick once things settle down a bit. About 10 rigs in the lot when we pulled up at 1:45PM. Stayed until about 6:15PM. Back to bass fishing later this week.
