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Wabash River Survey Fishing

Indiana River MapResults of Indiana Wabash River Survey Finalized and Released

After compiling and analyzing data, DNR fisheries biologists have released the results from the entire 466-mile long Wabash River Survey.

Using equipment that sends electric current through the water to temporarily stun fish, biologists conducted the first-time-ever survey to produce a snap-shot of the fish community throughout the entire Wabash waterway. The project was a massive, week-long undertaking completed in early July 1999 by 10 three-person crews that each sampled five mile-long sections of the river.

Here is a quick review of what the biologists found.

  • Crews working the river below Terre Haute reported large numbers of gar. Near the confluence with the Ohio River, a survey crew netted a longnose gar that was 54 inches long and weighed 22.5 pounds. That's about as large as longnose gar get.
  • Near Markle, Ind., biologists discovered a 3.6-inch young-of-the-year walleye. This normally would not be unusual, except none of the stocked walleye in the upper Wabash reservoirs should be this large yet, which could mean some low level natural reproduction is occurring in the Wabash River. 
  • The largest flathead catfish was found seven miles upstream from the Ohio River near Mt. Vernon. It weighed around 50 pounds.
    Freshwater drum, sometimes called white perch, showed up in several samples. The freshwater drum is a popular gamefish and good to eat. It often reaches over 10 pounds in weight. The largest collected was 21 inches long near Covington. Twenty-seven drum were also collected above Huntington Reservoir. This is believed to be the first confirmation of the presence of drum above the reservoir since it was built.
  • Paddlefish were collected at three stations, six at two lower river stations near New Harmony and one near Lafayette. Fisheries personnel have previously collected paddlefish in the lower Wabash, but the Lafayette collection confirms that at least some paddlefish are present in the higher reaches of the Wabash.
  • One American eel was seen, but not collected, near Cayuga. It is not surprising that the eel was not collected, since they usually are not stunned by the electrofisher. Indications are that the American eel population has declined in recent years. Only female eels migrate upstream from salt water. They spend from 7-20 years in fresh water then migrate to the Sargasso Sea to spawn, picking up a male at the mouth of the Mississippi River on the way.
  • Biologists netted dozens of blue suckers in the river. This species is currently listed as a species of special concern. The fact that so many were caught may indicate that the species is making a comeback.
  • Biologists sampling in the rivers upper reaches occasionally had to pull electrofishing boats through the water since the river level was low. The crew working in the upper-most reaches of the river near the Ohio state line had to use a barge electrofisher instead of a boat shocker. They wore rubber chest waders while carrying electrodes and dipnets. This crew faced the challenge of wrestling two 20-pound flathead catfish into the barge while wearing chest waders with electrical current running through the water around them.
  • Fish population, aquatic habitat, and public access information collected during the survey will help biologists improve public use of the tremendous Wabash River resource.