Catch the Right Fish, and Go to BASS PRO on the IDNR!

Do you like to bass fish in Indiana?  Do you like to buy new hunting and fishing gear at Bass Pro Shops? In the next few months, catching the right bass may get you some spending money at Bass Pro.

During the late summer and early fall of 2013, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources will tag and release 500 legal size black bass in central and northern Indiana streams and rivers. They'll be releasing largemouth, smallmouth, and spotted bass in hopes of patterning their travels from these streams. Studying these patterns will improve their management of these species in Indiana waters.

I think even hooking a tagged fish alone would be pretty cool, but it gets better, the IDNR has added a reward to turning in the tags when the fish are caught.  Each tag will be a different monetary value, but all will be gift cards to Bass Pro Shops. The tags will be $5, $10, and $25, but in order to received the gift cards, the angler must call and turn in the tags.  Each tag has a phone number that the anglers will call to tell the IDNR where they caught the fish, if they're keeping or releasing the fish, date caught, tag#, and length of the fish.  When this process is over, the DNR will coordinate getting their tag, and hooking the angler up with their gift card.

Doesn't sound like too bad of a deal, and it may end up that you're getting paid to fish! The next question is where should you target these tagged fish?  The IDNR is planning to release the fish in the West Fork White River (Hamilton, Marion, and Madison Counties), St. Joseph River (St. Joseph and Elkhart Counties), and the Eel River (Wabash, Miami, and Cass Counties). Again, these fish will be released in late summer and early fall. Get your spinnerbaits, shad raps, and shakeyheads ready, cause it's about time you get paid to catch fish! 

If you catch one of these bad boys, send a picture of you with the tagged fish to willowpineoutdoors@gmail.com, and I'll send you a free Rapala crank bait.