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Places to Stay


Lake Properties Eight
740-881-5750


Oak Island Cottage
937-308-0701


Frontier Cottages
937-622-0361



Newland's Resort Cottages
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Islandview Cottage
937-308-0701 or 937-843-4232

WEED REPORT
Algae blooms Report - The Indian Lake Development Corporation has been working to keep the lake clean for over 20 years now. It is an effort that has made the lake a showcase for the rest of the state. At the 2015 Dredge event a report on keeping phosphorous out of the lake is shown through studies of the microcystin levels in the lake water. The microcystin levels of Grand Lake this summer was 78 parts per billion, while the level in Indian Lake was .082 parts per billion. Health officials say contaminated water can start to pose a risk at 20 parts per billion. Thank a farmer for their efforts to keep phospherous out of the lake.

FISHING LICENSE
Anglers 16 years of age and older are required to have a valid fishing license to take fish, frogs or turtles from Ohio waters. An Ohio fishing license cos $19 a year for residents. Ohio residents born on or before December 31, 1937 can obtain a free fishing license at any license vendor. Residents age 66 and older who were born on or after January 1, 1938 are eligilable for $11, an amount that later can be applied toward the cost of an annual fishing license. Fishing licenses are available at bait and tackle stores, outdoor outfitters, major department stores, as well as on the Internet at wildohio.com.

2010-1011 - The crappie limit is 30 a day with a 9 inch minimum.

New in 2011. Point of sale fishing and hunting licenses.
The Division of Wildlife has entered into a contract with The Active Network, Inc. to build and implement a Web-based license sales and game check system. The new system will replace the existing hunting, fishing and trapping license/permit sales system on March 1, 2011. more...

4-13-10 - Ohio Wildlife Council passed a 15-inch minimum size limit on walleye, sauger and saugeye. This regulation is designed to improve the number and size of walleye, sauger and saugeye populations which means better fishing for Ohio’s anglers.
All rules go into effect on March 1, 2011.

Blackbird Basin (Lucy's Pond) More Fish Project

Upper Valley Joint Vocation School’s (UVJVS) Environmental Occupations Class is helping to improve fishing at Indian Lake’s Blackbird Basin (also known locally as Lucy’s Pond). more....

Fishing Events
Click here for Kids Fishing Derby Photos

Saugeye Stocking Report 2011 - Ohio Division of Wildlife
Our standard annual request for stocking of saugeye at Indian Lake is 100 fingerlings per acre. Fingerlings are fish that are about 1-2 inches long. Each year, a total of 503,660 fish are requested based on a lake size of 5,036 acres. In... some years, we have surplus and can stock more than the requested amount. During the past two years, we have encountered fish production shortfalls in our hatcheries that prevented us from completely meeting requests. As a result, stocking rates where lower at a few of our lakes during these years, such as Indian, and in a small subset of lakes we could not stock saugeye at all. We have revised our operating procedures to address these issues and adjustments will be made statewide to prevent this from happing again. That said, Indian Lake is a high priority stocking lake for saugeye and is scheduled for an allocation of 503,660 fish this spring.
Saugeye Stocking Report 2010 Indian Lake received 104,013 fingerlings on 5/19/10 and 127,516 on 5/20/10. Indian total was 231,529 saugeye

INDIAN LAKE - 265, 310 saugeyes stocked by ODNR in 2009.

ODNR/DOW 2008 stocking of IL ...595,083 saugeye fingerlings ODNR/DOW 2007 stocking of IL

688,807 Saugeye fingerlings on 5 different dates (May to June) year/2007 per Wildinfo_Fish

Ohio Fishing Licenses

Licenses can be purchased at:
State Park Office - State Route 235 N
Indian Lake Outfitters - State Route 366 S
Lakeview Hardware - State Route 33
Bud's Marine - County Road 38

LICENSES ARE VALID FROM MARCH 1, 2011 TO FEBRUARY 29, 2012.
License Fees

Resident Fishing License. .................................................. $19.00 For persons age 16 through 65 who have resided in Ohio for the past 6 months.

One-Day Fishing License ................................................... $ 11.00

The One-Day Fishing License may be exchanged for credit towards the purchase of an annual fishing license (minus writing fee).

Senior Fishing License
...............................................$10.00
For persons age 66 and older born on or after January 1, 1938 who have resided in Ohio for the past 6 months.

Annual Nonresident License .............................................. $40.00

3-Day Nonresident Tourist's License .................................. $19.00

A reissued license may be obtained from any license vendor for a fishing license that has been lost, stolen, or destroyed. The cost is $3.00.

ALL ABOVE COSTS INCLUDE A $1.00 WRITING FEE.

License Requirements
A fishing license is required to take fish, frogs, or turtles from Ohio waters. Persons fishing in privately owned ponds, lakes, or reservoirs to and from which fish do not migrate, are not required to have a license to take fish, but must have one to take frogs or turtles. Persons fishing in privately owned ponds, lakes, or reservoirs that are open to public fishing through an agreement or lease with the Division ofWildlife are required to have a fishing license. Anglers must have their license in their possession while fishing and must show the license to anyone on request.

The following Ohio residents are eligible for a free license:

Ohio residents born on or before December 31, 1937 can obtain a free license at any license outlet or online.

The following Ohio residents are also eligible for a free license, available by calling 1-800-WILDLIFE:

• Persons who are mobility imparied and require the assistance of another person to cast and retrieve
• Residents of state and county institutions
• Holders of “Veteran” license plates displaying the international wheelchair symbol
• Certain veterans who are permanently disabled
• Former prisoners of war

License Exemptions

A fishing license is not required of persons who are:

Less than 16 years of age
Giving assistance to an angler who is physically disabled, provided the two persons together are using only one line
Fishing in a private pond
Fishing on land and water which they or their parents own
Fishing on land and water where they or their parents are tenants on which they reside and from which they derive the majority of their income from agricultural production on that land (except state owned lakes)
Members of the U.S.Armed Forces on annual leave or furlough.

Catfish Tips
Anglers use a variety of scented baits since a catfish’s sense of smell and taste is excellent. The most effective baits include cut shad, prepared blood bait, chicken livers, shrimp, and nightcrawlers. Keep tackle simple. When fishing on the bottom use a fixed or slip sinker and when fishing the surface or suspended, try either a slip or fixed float. Hook sizes range from size 4 to 6/0 depending upon the size of fish you are seeking and the size of bait that you are using. Having a strike indicator is a good idea for catching catfish. Catfish do not “hit and run” like other fish, instead moving very slowly away with baits.

Crappie
Crappies are usually situated around structure including points, drop offs, creek beds, and cover such as brush piles, fallen trees and stumps. If crappies are in the area and the bite is slow, a change in jig color may increase the bite rate.

Saugeye
* Although saugeye are a cross between walleye and sauger, they often behave differently than walleye, so methods can vary. Saugeye are not likely to suspend off the bottom, unlike walleye, so present lures close to the bottom. * Consider water color when determining how deep to fish. In clear water fish deeper, and in darker or muddy water, fish shallower. It is not uncommon to catch saugeye in less than six to eight feet of water. It’s never too muddy for a saugeye, but in dark-water conditions, try black jigs and twister tails. * Checking good overhead cover in shallow lakes may be important, too. Saugeye have even been known to hide under brush or lily pads like bass. * From “ice-out” until water temperature reaches about 55-degrees, try a stop-go method when casting and retrieving crankbaits and don’t be surprised if saugeye inhale the lure on the pause.

Sunfish
# Keep moving fishing different areas and fishing different depths until you find a school of sunfish. Use a slip bobber to easily fish different depths and to consistently fish the same depth once the fish are located. # Fish near structure (cover). Sunfish like to hold near any type of structure including vegetation, submerged trees or brush, rock piles, and drop offs or old road beds. # Look for spawning beds in spring. # Fly fishing especially in evenings during mid summer is very effective.

Bass
Smallmouth bass use pools to rest and feed and will move to runs and riffles below pools when most actively feeding. When a bass strikes raise the tip of the pole to prevent the fish getting to cover. Cast past your target and retrieve bait to intended area.

ICE FISHING TIPS

• Fish with a buddy! Wear a Coast Guard-approved life jacket or float coat if you are on the ice. 3" of good quality ice is recommended for safe walking. Life vests provide excellent flotation. Carry a rope and a whistle or other noisemaker to alert people that you are in distress. Remember ice thicknesses vary. Beware of aerators near shore lines. Watch for geese gatherings because there is usually open water near.

Old Fishing Tips

"Remember, the best day to fish was yesterday. "Not doing much today but you should have been here yesterday...." Scooter

"If the winds out of the WEST fishing is the best! If the winds out of the EAST fishing the least! If the winds out of the SOUTH they open their mouth! If the winds out of the NORTH don't leave port!" Water Dude

"wind from the northeast, fish will no -more feast." Special Indian Lake addition to the conventional wisdom....Homebrew

"Fish shallow, fish swallow, Fish deep, in for defeat
Frog"

Fishing Tips by Bill Dance (video)
It's a hoot!
New! Bill's Classic bloopers

Awards

Indian Lake Award Winners

Ty Hunt - March 21, 2009
Fish Ohio Award Winner for Saugeye at 22 inches and 5.25 pounds.
Caught it tightlining with minnows in the Old Field Channel.
Click here for photo.

May 2006 -Adam Stayman caught this 13.5 inch crappie for his third Fish Ohio Award in 2 years! Click here for photo.

March 27, 2004 - Indian Lake Record Bass caught by Barry Clayton. 24 3/4 inches long and had a 16 3/8 girth. The weight was 8lbs 5oz. The fish was released after measurements and pictures were taken. Click here for photo.

Lonnie Stayman captured this fish Ohio award winner on Feb 11, 2003. A 9.5" Bluegill through the ice.

Lonnie Stayman - February 2003, 9.5 inch Bluegill. " Click here for photo

Mark Garmon and Lonnie Stayman from Forest, Ohio caught these 14" Fish Ohio Award winners on March 3, 2001. Click here for photo.

New in 2011. Point of sale fishing and hunting licenses. The Division of Wildlife has entered into a contract with The Active Network, Inc. to build and implement a Web-based license sales and game check system. The new system will replace the existing hunting, fishing and trapping license/permit sales system on March 1, 2011. Benefits of the new system License sales and game-check transactions would be performed in real time and available during holidays when many license sales outlets/check stations are closed. Faster and easier, more efficient, reduced waiting times for customers. Will save hunters and anglers on fuel costs, time, and frustrations with closed license sales outlets/check stations, which equates to more time in the field. Helps to ensure customers are properly licensed. The system will not sell to those under license suspension or other restrictions. Would allow biologists and law enforcement to electronically gather data to manage wildlife and enforce Ohio’s hunting regulations.

Blackbird Basin (Lucy's Pond) More Fish Project Upper Valley Joint Vocation School’s (UVJVS) Environmental Occupations Class is helping to improve fishing at Indian Lake’s Blackbird Basin (also known locally as Lucy’s Pond). The Blackbird Basin More Fish Project is a large scale conservation partnering project between the Ohio Bass Anglers Sportsman Society (B.A.S.S.) Federation Nation (OBFN), UVJVS, Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Parks and Recreation, and ODNR Division of Wildlife.  Blackbird Basin is a protected 23-acre bay on the west shoreline that provides critical habitat for bass, crappie, sunfish, catfish and other wildlife. The effort is part of the second and final phase of the project to preserve and improve this crucial habitat. The first phase was completed in 2009 when over 3,000 feet of riprap rock was placed to prevent erosion along the basin’s shoreline that borders the open waters of Indian Lake. The Environmental Occupations Class has been learning about bass populations, life history, spawning and habitat requirements for the past two years in order to restore fish habitat in Blackbird Basin. Their research culminated in the hands-on construction of Spawning, Attraction, and Fry Enhancement Structures (SAFES) that combine nesting and fish attracting habitat. The structures can be used by bass and other gamefish for spawning in the spring and as cover the rest of the year. The class will finish their conservation assignment by placing the SAFES in Blackbird Basin on September 10. “With UVJVS involved in enhancing the bay’s habitat, the project is providing hands-on education to youth that represent our conservation future,” said Rich Carter, Fish Management Supervisor for the Division of Wildlife District 1. “The bass anglers of the OBFN have given something back to the resource with the Blackbird Basin More Fish Project. They helped save and restore the basin, and in doing so have preserved this precious fish and wildlife resource for future generations to enjoy”. The OBFN received a $57,000 More Fish Partnership Fund grant from the national B.A.S.S. Federation Nation and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to complete both phases of the project. The grant money was donated to the ONDR Divisions of Wildlife and Parks & Recreation who are providing matching dollars and/or labor to complete the project. The donation is the largest ever given by an angling group to the ODNR.  Written by: ODNR Division of Wildlife 9/3/2010