Indiana’s Bear Lake Offers Good Bluegill Fishing
OutdoorHub 05.21.12
Bear Lake in Noble County has long been a favorite lake among northeast Indiana bluegill anglers, and a fish survey conducted there last summer by DNR biologists confirmed why.
Bear Lake is a 136-acre natural lake located seven miles southwest of Albion.
Among all fish caught in last summer’s Bear Lake survey, bluegills ranked first in number and overall weight. Largemouth bass ranked second in number and overall weight. Sport fish made up 93 percent of the total catch and 78 percent of the total weight.
But what impressed biologists the most was the percentage of large bluegills.
Eight-inch and larger bluegills accounted for 25 percent of adult bluegills. Bluegills that size usually make up only 5 percent of the population in most lakes.
Based on the survey catch, 84 percent of the bluegills in Bear Lake were 7-inch and larger, a size anglers generally consider big enough to eat.
While some area lakes and farm ponds are plagued with small fish, bluegill size at Bear Lake has apparently increased over the past 25 years.
Biologists have conducted standard fish population surveys at Bear Lake four times since the 1980s. Each time the percentage of big bluegills has increased.
In the most recent survey, biologists used an electrofishing boat, gill nets and trap nets to capture 345 bluegills at Bear Lake during three days of sampling in mid-June 2011.
In addition to bluegills and bass, Bear Lake also provides fishing for crappies, perch and bullheads.
Although the DNR stocked northern pike in the lake many years ago, none were found during the latest survey.
A DNR public fishing site with a boat ramp is located on the lake’s east side.
