A Portage man on Wednesday was cited for catching and keeping undersized steelhead trout, in addition to littering, after tossing a plastic bag containing the small fish into the grass when he spotted an officer approaching him on a trail, according to the DNR.
The DNR says that Lake Michigan tributaries in several northwest Indiana locations are periodically stocked by the Indiana Division of Fish and Wildlife with steelhead trout, which ultimately will grow to be very large and strong fish. The size limit for these fish is 14 inches and any small fish must be immediately returned to the water.
The DNR also says that these are different from the rainbow trout that are stocked in select inland streams and have a 7 inch minimum size limit. The inland trout season opens at 6:00 a.m. on the last Saturday of April.
More information on the regulations for fishing Lake Michigan and its tributaries and information on the inland trout season can be found at eregulations.com