Authority: IC 14-10-2-4; IC 14-22-2-6

Affected: IC 14-22

Sec. 16. (a) This section governs fishing on the Ohio River, excluding all bays and tributaries.

(b) An individual must not take fish except by any of the following:

1. (1) Fishing pole or hand line.
2. (2) An unlimited number of free-float lines.

3. (3) Not more than two (2) setlines, throw lines, or trotlines per individual. Each setline, throw line, and trotline shall:

   1. (A) have not more than fifty (50) hooks:

      1. (i) placed not closer together than eighteen (18) inches; and
      2. (ii) having no more than one (1) single or multibarbed hook;
   2. (B) be tended at least once every twenty-four (24) hours;
   3. (C) have at least one (1) legible tag affixed with the name and address of the user or the individual's customer identification number issued by the department; and
   4. (D) be set not less than three (3) feet below the surface of the water.

(c) An individual may take an exempted species of fish as defined in 312 IAC 9-6-10 or any Asian carp, sucker, carp, gar, bowfin, buffalo, or shad by the methods prescribed in subsection (b) or according to the following methods:

1. (1) Long bow, including compound bow, or crossbow with an arrow having one (1) or more barbs and a line attached. An exempted species of fish without scales shall not be taken with bow and arrow or crossbow during nighttime hours (from one-half (1/2) hour after sunset until one-half (1/2) hour before sunrise).
2. (2) Gigging from February 1 through May 10 with any pronged or barbed instrument attached to the end of a rigid object. A person must not take fish by gigging from a boat or platform.
3. (3) Fish spear.
4. (4) Spear gun.
5. (5) Underwater spear.

(d) An individual must not take fish under this section by means of a hook dragged or jerked through the water with the intent to snag fish on contact.

(e) An individual must not take fish within two hundred (200) yards below any dam on the Ohio River except by fishing pole or hand line.

(f) An individual must not take minnows from the Ohio River except by:

1. (1) a minnow trap not to exceed three (3) feet long and eighteen (18) inches in diameter nor having a throat opening greater than one (1) inch in diameter;
2. (2) a dip net not to exceed three (3) feet in diameter;
3. (3) a minnow seine not to exceed thirty (30) feet long and six (6) feet deep nor having mesh size larger than one-fourth (1/4) inch bar mesh;
4. (4) a cast net; or
5. (5) lawful fishing methods provided in this section.

(g) An individual may take fish in the Ohio River only by sport fishing methods authorized under this section as follows:

(h) Nothwithstanding subsection (g), an individual may take no more than one (1) each per day of a:

1. (1) channel catfish that is at least twenty-eight (28) inches long;
2. (2) blue catfish that is at least thirty-five (35) inches long; and
3. (3) flathead catfish that is at least thirty-five (35) inches long.

(Natural Resources Commission; 312 IAC 9-7-16; filed May 12, 1997, 10:00 a.m.: 20 IR 2720; errata filed Nov 24, 1997, 4:30 p.m.: 21 IR 1347; readopted filed Jul 28, 2003, 12:00 p.m.: 27 IR 286; readopted filed Nov 24, 2008, 11:08 a.m.: 20081210-IR-312080672RFA; filed Aug 28, 2009, 3:39 p.m.: 20090923-IR-312080886FRA; filed Jul 6, 2010, 1:55 p.m.: 20100804-IR-312090616FRA; filed Feb 22, 2011, 1:13 p.m.: 20110323-IR-312100501FRA; filed Mar 15, 2013, 2:33 p.m.: 20130410-IR-312120403FRA; readopted filed May 20, 2014, 9:43 a.m.: 20140618-IR-312140017RFA; filed Nov 4, 2015, 1:10 p.m.: 20151202-IR-312140510FRA; filed Oct 24, 2017, 8:46 a.m.: 20171122-IR-312170262FRA; readopted filed Sep 18, 2019, 1:16 p.m.: 20191016-IR-312190325RFA; filed Oct 29, 2020, 9:53 a.m.: 20201125-IR-312200081FRA; errata filed Nov 17, 2020, 12:31 p.m.: 20201125-IR-312200081ACA; readopted filed Mar 25, 2025, 9:50 a.m.: 20250423-IR-312240574RFA)