Wabash river condition report

[bigr]

Yesterdays catch included 3 channels and a skipjack. Not what I was hoping for but could have came home with a nice meal.

[bherr24]

Waded a new section last evening and got a mixed bag. 3 drum..1 smallie...1 channel cat and 2 sauger. Brought the saugers home with me. One was a nice 18 incher. The walleye are being stubborn for me right now.

[bherr24]

looks like river is up a little now thanks to the rain. Fishing has been tough the last 2 weeks for me. 2 saugers and one 17 inch eye is all i had to show for several trips. Ready for the temps to cool and the fall bite to kick in...hopefully the river will be in good shape then.

[Jig_Head]

How big do the sauger have to be to keep? Is it 16" like the walleye? Or all the walleye 14" there? Wheres that cutoff again? Hwy 24?

[fishinator]

26

[bherr24]

correct...no size limit on sauger. Was fishing  a couple weeks ago and had 2 saugers on my stringers about 15 inches or so. Was leaving the river to go try a different spot and some other guy hollers at me " you know theres an 18 inch limit on them fish". I bluntly told him he better re check his reg books he was wrong on 2 different accounts lol. No size limit on saugers first of all and walleye is 16 not 18.

[Jig_Head]

Thanks

[bigr]

Don't forget about a combination fish and squirrel hunt float next time your on the river. Weather is has been getting right for bagging a few tree rats. Sept 1st brings in early goose and teal as well as dove. Don't forget a cooler to store your game and fish.

[billyex99]

Don't forget about a combination fish and squirrel hunt float next time your on the river. Weather is has been getting right for bagging a few tree rats. Sept 1st brings in early goose and teal as well as dove. Don't forget a cooler to store your game and fish.

Question, if you shoot a squirrel and it ends up on shore can you legally retrieve your game?  Reason I ask is about 15 yrs. ago a coworker did this and evidently the landowner reported it and a CO was waiting for him where he got out. Made him so mad he sold his boat for $100. (I use it a lot. lol)

[bherr24]

I got out last evening and ended up with 4 smallies and one sauger. Lost another fish that was good size that felt like another sauger or walleye. Still a pretty slow bite overall though for the time i put in.

[Spooled85]

Don't forget about a combination fish and squirrel hunt float next time your on the river. Weather is has been getting right for bagging a few tree rats. Sept 1st brings in early goose and teal as well as dove. Don't forget a cooler to store your game and fish.

early goose season does not start till September 14th

[billyex99]

billy that depends on whether its a navigable river and if the rat lands within the visible high water line. read up on that.

fishogger, Thanks for pointing me to that and also confusing me more. According to the statute that was published in 2008, the Tippy river is navigable from where it joins the Wabash up to the Pulaski/Fulton county line where it says   No waterway has been declared navigable or nonnavigable.

[bigr]

Thanks for the correction spooled.

[fishinator]

There is a lot of conflicting information. I am the president of a nonprofit that cleans garbage and logs jams from a local river. We were told by dnr that all land contained in the normal high water mark along navigable bodies of water was "land held in trust by the state, for use of the public, for non destructive activities "  We were also told that a body of water did not have to be designated as navigable for this to apply. If the body of water was in fact navigable,  then it was in law considered navigable. Regardless of water levels. Meaning if you could throw a kayak in it and float, even occasionally,  then it is navigable.
  But then again I have seen dnr signs saying certain creek bottoms were owned by property owners and wade fishing was trespassing.  Very confusing.

[bigr]

I won't get out of boat to take a shot and won't pursue game that I will have to retrieve past a reasonable high water mark guess. I think most land under the water as well as dry is owned per the land survey/deed. I know of a few sections of two different rivers where the land owners have the river posted.(A--Holes) but that's there right as owners. You can still fish the areas but just can't attach or wade.