First Catch of the Season
Hullo all! Its March! To some it may still seem a tad too cold to go fishing, but a true fishing nut will be out there anyway. Right? I'm crazy enough to be out there at least. So I've been fishing three times now this month. Twice I went down to the Monroe Dam and Salt Creek tail-water, but today I decided to try something far closer to home than Monroe. What is that you ask? Weimer Lake (or to some, Lake Wapehani). This little lake is located directly across highway 37, from where I live. So why not try it? When gas is $3.60 and rising it seems to be the prudent thing to stay closer to home.
Now I've always grown up thinking Weimer was just some weeded up pond. Turns out it isn't. Indiana DNR actually just keep tabs on the lake. According to the DNR the lake is safe to harvest fish from. Sunfish are the only fish the Indiana DNR actually have listed for the lake, and they are a grade 2 in terms of eating. That means they are safe to eat.
Most places you can harvest fish are either grade 1 or 2. That said, I'd imagine there's more than just Sunfish in that lake. I am certain I saw a couple bigger fish jump out in the middle of the lake, which means most probably bass are in the lake. I also saw a massive school of minnows fleeing something on the opposite end of the lake. They were jumping around for some 10 minutes or so and moving further and further down the shoreline.
Located right off of Indiana Highway 37. Take Tapp Road east to Weimer road. Go north on Wemier until you reach Wapehani Road. Then just follow it to the little parking area. The area itself, Waphani that is, is a mountain biking facility. It was established in 1990, but I'm unaware how well used it is. As for the fishery, I don't think I've seen more than one or two people fish the spot over the years. Seems to be a well kept secret.
Given the current fishing conditions which aren't exactly great, I did manage to catch a few Sunfish. They appeared to me to be keepers as well. They weren't huge slabs or anything, but they would've made some good fillets. Despite the weather, the two Sunfish that I caught put up pretty good fights too. Gotta say I enjoy having a fighter at the end of the line, no matter how big or small! I may do a follow up on the lake tomorrow as it'll be far warmer and sunnier. I've still got plenty of warms and plenty of time on my hands.
Like I said; not big, but definitely edible. Certainly bigger than some of the stuff I've gotten at Lake Monroe when shore fishing for Sunnies.
-William
Now I've always grown up thinking Weimer was just some weeded up pond. Turns out it isn't. Indiana DNR actually just keep tabs on the lake. According to the DNR the lake is safe to harvest fish from. Sunfish are the only fish the Indiana DNR actually have listed for the lake, and they are a grade 2 in terms of eating. That means they are safe to eat.
Most places you can harvest fish are either grade 1 or 2. That said, I'd imagine there's more than just Sunfish in that lake. I am certain I saw a couple bigger fish jump out in the middle of the lake, which means most probably bass are in the lake. I also saw a massive school of minnows fleeing something on the opposite end of the lake. They were jumping around for some 10 minutes or so and moving further and further down the shoreline.
Located right off of Indiana Highway 37. Take Tapp Road east to Weimer road. Go north on Wemier until you reach Wapehani Road. Then just follow it to the little parking area. The area itself, Waphani that is, is a mountain biking facility. It was established in 1990, but I'm unaware how well used it is. As for the fishery, I don't think I've seen more than one or two people fish the spot over the years. Seems to be a well kept secret.
Given the current fishing conditions which aren't exactly great, I did manage to catch a few Sunfish. They appeared to me to be keepers as well. They weren't huge slabs or anything, but they would've made some good fillets. Despite the weather, the two Sunfish that I caught put up pretty good fights too. Gotta say I enjoy having a fighter at the end of the line, no matter how big or small! I may do a follow up on the lake tomorrow as it'll be far warmer and sunnier. I've still got plenty of warms and plenty of time on my hands.
Like I said; not big, but definitely edible. Certainly bigger than some of the stuff I've gotten at Lake Monroe when shore fishing for Sunnies.
-William
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