* By Steve Ford
* October 25, 2009 at 12:39 a.m.
Fishing and the real estate business have this much in common: It all starts with location, location, location.
Sure, once you get to a location with plenty of fish it helps to know how to extract them, but even the best anglers can't score where there's nothing in the water.
That's why the most-frequently-asked question I get is: "Where can I go catch some fish?"
Dwinn Carbone, a recent transplant to the Evansville area from Florida, recently sent an e-mail wanting some spots to fish for bass, crappie and bluegill.
"Do bluegill even exist up here?" he asked, then continued. "Lakes and ponds were in surplus where I came from and I don't know where to begin here. I don't have a boat, so I'm guessing the (Ohio) river is out."
Here's my reply.
"Yes, there are plenty of bluegill in Indiana, Kentucky and Illinois. It happens to be my favorite eating fish, at least it was when I could still eat fried food.
"Actually, the Ohio River can be good from the bank in several areas. Look wherethere's shoreline structure like the Evansville riverfront, Pigeon Creek (just downstream), area boat ramps where the current washes over rip-rap and area dams at Newburgh and Uniontown.
"Unfortunately, the best places to fish both those dams from the bank is on the Kentucky side, but you can fish it with an Indiana license as long as you stay in the main stem. Just look at a map and you can find your way as you can see them from many miles off in the distance.
"For smaller water fishing there is a state fish & wildlife area close to Evansville just east of I-164 called Blue Grass (it's named after a nearby creek). There are several old strip mine lakes there that have bank access. Also, start working area farmers and landowners for permission to private ponds and look in the state fishing guide for public water like Scales Lake in Boonville and Lincoln City State Park, both of which are good, productive lakes.
"They are hard to fish from the bank, though. Make sure you have a license because the public areas are patrolled often by conservation officers. That should get you started. Let me know if that helped. Tight lines...Steve."
That was just a little over a week ago, so I suspect Carbone hasn't had enough time to give me a review. But after reading the exchange again it occurred to me there were more options.
Just in the Evansville area, a bank angler can go to Garvin Park, Diamond Valley (northeast of Diamond and Kratzville), Moutoux Park and Reflection Pond at the University of Southern Indiana.
With the new walkway added, there are several areas along Pigeon Creek that offer bank access and surprising fishing for a variety of species, including bass, crappie, catfish and an assortment of rough fish.
And even though much of the riverbank on the Wabash and Ohio rivers is private, there are some interesting options on public ground that offer surprising fishing.
The Old Dam near New Harmony on the Wabash is a really interesting spot that offers good fishing and spots like Big Creek in Posey County, that's no more than a channelized ditch now, that produce big catfish when the water is up, even in winter.
If you don't mind getting in the car, I have a real weakness for the tailraces at area dams, including Newburgh and Uniontown.
The first sauger I ever caught or striper I ever hooked in my life were both off the weir at Uniontown. I've also seen guys fill buckets with crappie from the rocks at Newburgh Dam.
The banks in the area are not the best places to fish in the area, but they can be productive.
Give them a shot.
Comments