Ind. Admin. Code tit. 312, r. 9-7-13 – Trout and salmon

Sec. 13. (a) Except as provided in subsections (b) and (c), an individual must not take or possess a brook trout, rainbow trout, or brown trout from a stream or river except as follows:

(1) The trout is at least seven (7) inches long.
(2) Not more than five (5) trout are taken per day, of which not more than one (1) may be a brown trout.
(3) The trout are taken from the last Saturday of April after 6 a.m., local time, through December 31.
(4) If brown trout are taken from the East Fork of the Whitewater River downstream of Brookville Reservoir in Franklin County, the brown trout are at least eighteen (18) inches long.

(b) An individual may fish for brook trout, brown trout, lake trout, or rainbow trout from January 1 through April 14 on streams or rivers provided that all fish are released in accordance with 312 IAC 9-6-4.

(c) Notwithstanding subsection (a), an individual may fish for brook trout, brown trout, lake trout, or rainbow trout in the following streams and rivers in Elkhart County provided that all fish are released in accordance with 312 IAC 9-6-4:

(1) The Little Elkhart River from County Road 43 downstream to County Road 16, except for waters along Riverbend Park from County Road 16 upstream to the pedestrian footbridge.
(2) Solomon Creek from County Road 33 downstream to its confluence with the Elkhart River.
(3) Cobus Creek from Old U.S. 20 downstream to its confluence with the St. Joseph River.

An individual may use artificial lures and artificial flies. Fishing with live or natural baits, food products, or chemical attractants is prohibited.

(d) An individual may take and possess a trout or salmon from a lake only as follows:

(1) At any time of year.
(2) Not more than five (5) trout or salmon are taken per day, of which not more than one (1) may be a brown trout.
(3) The brown trout are at least eighteen (18) inches long if taken from Oliver Lake, Olin Lake, or Martin Lake in LaGrange County.

(e) An individual must not take or possess a trout or salmon taken from Lake Michigan or its tributaries unless as follows:

(1) The fish is at least fourteen (14) inches long.
(2) Not more than five (5) trout and salmon are taken in aggregate under this subsection per day, of which not more than three (3) shall be lake trout.
(3) The individual possesses not more than a single day's bag limit identified in this subsection while fishing on Lake Michigan.

Exempted from this subsection, however, are trout or salmon taken from the St. Joseph River in St. Joseph and Elkhart counties and its tributaries upstream from the Twin Branch Dam.

(f) The areas closed to trout and salmon fishing under this section are in addition to areas closed to all fishing under 312 IAC 9-6-6.

(Natural Resources Commission; 312 IAC 9-7-13; filed May 12, 1997, 10:00 a.m.: 20 IR 2720; filed May 28, 1998, 5:14 p.m.: 21 IR 3722; filed Dec 26, 2001, 2:40 p.m.: 25 IR 1540; readopted filed Jul 28, 2003, 12:00 p.m.: 27 IR 286; filed Sep 23, 2004, 3:00 p.m.: 28 IR 550; filed Feb 27, 2007, 2:25 p.m.: 20070328-IR-312060262FRA; readopted filed Nov 24, 2008, 11:08 a.m.: 20081210-IR-312080672RFA; filed Jul 6, 2010, 1:55 p.m.: 20100804-IR-312090616FRA; filed Mar 15, 2013, 2:33 p.m.: 20130410-IR-312120403FRA; readopted filed May 20, 2014, 9:43 a.m.: 20140618-IR-312140017RFA; filed Oct 24, 2017, 8:46 a.m.: 20171122-IR-312170262FRA; readopted filed Sep 18, 2019, 1:16 p.m.: 20191016-IR-312190325RFA; readopted filed Mar 25, 2025, 9:50 a.m.: 20250423-IR-312240574RFA)