WINONA LAKE – A state Department of Natural Resources survey to estimate the number and size of northern pike and walleyes in Winona Lake will start in early April. Fisheries biologists will set six traps daily at various near-shore locations at the 562-acre natural lake. Each captured pike and walleye will be measured, marked with a fin-clip and then released. By placing “marked” pike and walleyes in the population, biologists can estimate the number of fish of both species in the lake. “We know Winona Lake had a pretty good pike population in the past, but we don’t know how many pike are there now, how big they are, or how many are caught by anglers,” said Steve Donabauer, DNR research biologist, in the department’s announcement Monday. Donabauer’s work at Winona is part of a regionwide DNR pike study. The number and size of pike in Indiana natural lakes are indicators of the quality of fish habitat. “Pike do best in moderately clear, cool-water lakes with ample vegetation,” he said. “Where pike habitat declines due to manmade changes within and around a lake, the number of large, trophy-size pike often declines as well.” Pike can reach lengths of more than 40 inches. They are predator fish that typically hide in dense plant beds and ambush prey. Pike can help control gizzard shad and other forage fish species. The state record northern pike was caught in 1992 at Clear Lake in Steuben County, weighing 30 pounds, 2 ounces. According to Donabauer, northern pike are native to many lakes in the area. Pike reproduction, however, can vary from year to year and lake to lake depending on weather and habitat conditions. Loss of adjacent wetlands and natural shoreline areas can be especially harmful to pike reproduction. As Donabauer focuses on pike, he also will check the lake’s walleye population. The DNR has stocked several thousand 6- to 8-inch walleye fingerlings in Winona each fall since 2001. Although walleye fingerling survival has been good, biologists don’t have a good handle on the number and size of adult walleyes. The same traps used to capture northern pike will also catch walleyes. “Once we’re done with our spring trapping, we will begin a summer-long angler survey,” said Donabauer. He said a creel clerk will be present periodically to count fishermen and examine their catch. The data will then be used to estimate total fishing effort and harvest. In June, the DNR will also conduct a general fish population survey to check the number and sizes of all fish in the lake.
