Trout Fishing at Greene-Sullivan

Well, it is once again trout season in Indiana; before you all go running out into the streets screaming… realize that I may be one of the few Hoosiers who actually look forward to April 1^st each year. I love trout, love catching them, love fishing for them, love tying flies for them…and, even love eating them.

If you are looking for an opportunity to catch a trout then look no further than the Greene-Sullivan State Forest. For those of you who don’t know the forest is located in and around the town of Linton which lies southwest of Monroe County. There are two lakes that have been stocked with trout; Midland Lake, which is located in the Hillenbrand FWA. You can find Midland by driving either south or north on highway 59; north from Linton or south from Jasonville. About halfway is the little burg of Midland, an easterly turn just north of the church located on 59 will put you paralleling Midland Lake. The other opportunity to catch trout is Airline Pit. Airline is located in the old portion of Greene-Sullivan. You can find Airline by driving west on highway 54. When you go through downtown Linton and the highway turns north, stay straight. You will go straight at the Rental Store. At the next ‘T’ turn left, go over the railroad tracks and take a sharp right (you will stay on the main road). At the first 4-way stop you can stop in and see Chris Corbin at the Old School Trading Post (the folks there can help in directing you to Airline and give you tips on many of the lakes). Continue due west to the next 4-way stop; this particular 4-way is sort of famous as there has been a bait shop there for many years and I can remember stopping in there as a kid. At this 4-way stop take a left, go about ½ a mile and turn left on Truck Rd. In less than a mile you will come to the north boat ramp…continue another piece down the road and you will arrive at the south ramp.

If you aren’t familiar with Greene-Sullivan and are a fisherman…then you are missing out on a great opportunity to fish literally hundreds of lakes most of which are full of bass, bluegill, crappie, catfish, (even musky) etc…My good friend and former teaching colleague, Ken Mitchell and I both think that there are several lakes with double digit bass and maybe even one with a new state record bass lurking in it.

To watch a video of my recent fly fishing trip, click here.

This past weekend while dodging rain storms I stopped in on the Property Manager for the state forest; Steve Siscoe. Steve has an Ellettsville connection as he is brother-in-law to Tom Cornman; Tom is truly one of the good guys in my book! Steve was generous enough to talk to me a bit about the Narrow Lake Campground and the building project that they have going on.

Truth is that I have been camping at Narrow Lake for some time now. Narrow Lake Campground lies about a mile west of the 4-way bridge bait shop listed above. Its western most edge butts up against Indiana Highway 159. If you were to go to Dugger and turn south on 159…you would wind up at the same spot in about 5 miles. By the way…the Greene-Sullivan State Forest Office is also located on 159 about halfway between Dugger and Narrow Lake on the east side of the road.

Narrow Lake has always been primitive camping but Steve and the good folks at GSSF are really putting a ‘shine’ on the place. They now have several electric spots, with more to come. I don’t mind the primitive camping so much but the one I love…she likes electricity (especially her coffee pot in the morning). Not only is Steve adding electric spots but they have already added a good number of camping cabins. If you are looking to camp and don’t want to sop around in a tent…then these cabins are just what the doctor ordered. They are very sharp looking and Steve has strategically placed these cabins in locations that only heighten the outdoor experience. I saw one that was diagonally placed and had what I would call “lake-front” property; on the front porch was a big-two person swing which appealed to my need to sit and look at water.

The cabins run $39.20 (including taxes, etc…); to reserve one of these cabins or one of the electric spots I spoke about above, you need to go to the Indiana campgrounds web site or call at 1-866-622-6746. If you need additional info you can call Steve or his staff at 812-648-2810. In fact it might be a good idea to call and get a copy of the cabin description and user rules so you will know what is provided and what you will need to bring along. For less than forty bucks you can have an outdoor experience and get to do some fishing at the same time.

As for trout fishing; you will need your Indiana Fishing License as well as an $11 trout stamp. You are allowed to keep 5 trout per day while fishing. If you haven’t ever experienced landing a trout…you are in for a real treat as these little silver bombshells fight like no other fish. If you are looking for an easy, quick and effective way to clean your trout; click here for my video on cleaning a trout. I put the video on my sight because many years ago I was shown a simple way to clean and filet a trout…and anytime you can make the cleanup easier that is a good thing.

I guess the only question is…what are you waiting for? Fire up your computer or call the number listed and go give Steve and his staff a visit. The next month or so is going to be prime-time for all the fish to start turning onto about any presentation or lure. If you haven’t ever tried fly fishing…there is no better time to learn than right now. You can find casting lessons and many other great tips on my website. It’s all up to you…get up, get going and Enjoy the Great Outdoors.