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Indiana

Fishing

Fishing

Fish of the Year

FOTY Anglers Submit 55 Species in 2022

Indiana’s Fish of the Year (FOTY) program continues to be popular, with 71 anglers submitting 139 entries in 2022.

The longest fish of 2022 was a 56-inch longnose gar caught by Hayden Baker in Aikman Creek in Daviess County. The smallest FOTY winning entry was a 3-inch mottled sculpin caught by Greg Porter in the Big Blue River in Henry County. Anglers collectively submitted entries for 55 different fish species. Smallmouth bass was the species that received the most entries from anglers in 2022. Several species made their first appearance to the program, including blue tilapia, emerald shiner and mottled sculpin. Notable species that did not receive entries in 2022 were muskellunge, Northern pike and white crappie.

The Tippecanoe River had more winning entries than any other body of water in 2022. Winning entries for the Tippecanoe River included bigmouth buffalo, blue sucker, gizzard shad, hybrid striped bass, quillback, rock bass, smallmouth bass, smallmouth buffalo and white bass. Other popular bodies of water with multiple winning entries included the Wabash, White, and Ohio rivers, and Lake Michigan.

Anglers who plan to submit entries in 2023 must remember that to be eligible, they are required to submit a photo showing the full length of their catch while on a measuring board or tape.

If you think you’ve caught a winner, there are three easy ways to enter: online, U.S. mail, or email.

  • For online entries, enter the required information using the online entry form (found at fishing.IN.gov; click Record Fish) and submit a photo of the fish showing the measurement and a copy of your fishing license (if you are required to have one) to [email protected].
  • For mail entries, print and complete an entry form (found at fishing.IN.gov; click Record Fish) and include a photo of the fish showing the measurement and a copy of your fishing license (if you are required to have one) to Record Fish Program, Division of Fish & Wildlife, 402 W. Washington St., Room 273, Indianapolis, IN 46204
  • For email entries, submit an electronic version of the entry form and attach a photo of the fish and a copy of your fishing license (if you are required to have one) to [email protected].

Winners are notified by mail and receive an award certificate and a commemorative patch.

2022 Fish of the Year Contest Winners

Family

Species

Length (inches)

Location (County)

Angler

Black Bass

Largemouth Bass

22.0

Loon Pit (Warrick)

Matthew Kiefer

Smallmouth Bass

21.3

Tippecanoe River (Pulaski)

Alex Deneau

Spotted Bass

14.5

Wabash River (Tippecanoe)

Liu He

Sunfish

Black Crappie

16.0

Elk Creek Lake (Washington)

Ray Bateman

Bluegill

11.0

Private Pond (Newton)

Anthony A Talarico Jr

Green Sunfish

8.8

Private Lake (Henry)

Michele Porter

Hybrid Sunfish

12.0

Private Pond (Dubois)

Sam Sermersheim

Pumpkinseed (tie)

9.3

Clear Lake (Steuben)

Sally Pagorek

Pumpkinseed (tie)

9.3

St. Joseph River (Elkhart)

Bruce Buteyn

Pumpkinseed (tie)

9.3

Lake Michigan (Lake)

Anthony A Talarico Jr

Redear Sunfish

12.4

Private Lake (Putnam)

Will Lloyd

Rock Bass

11.0

Tippecanoe River (White)

Liu He

Warmouth

9.0

Clear Lake (Steuben)

Roger Voirol

Catfish

Brown Bullhead

17.0

Private Pond (Johnson)

Gregory Zentz

Channel Catfish

33.0

Private Pond (Huntington)

Dan Bickel

Perch

Sauger

18.5

Wabash River (Tippecanoe)

Liu He

Saugeye

23.0

Sullivan Lake (Sullivan)

Wayne Witkowski

Walleye

30.0

Sylvan Lake (Noble)

Kenneth Barden

Yellow Perch (tie)

14.0

St. Joseph River (Elkhart)

Aaron Voirol

Yellow Perch (tie)

14.0

Lake Michigan (LaPorte)

Greg Saylor

Trout/Salmon

Brown Trout

25.0

Lake Michigan

Sean Allwardt

Chinook Salmon

40.5

Lake Michigan (LaPorte)

Kenny Barden

Coho Salmon

33.3

Lake Michigan (LaPorte)

Jeff Brown

Lake Trout

36.5

Lake Michigan (Lake)

Bryan G Odom

Lake Whitefish

22.0

Lake Michigan (LaPorte)

Hogir Saeed

Rainbow Trout (tie)

19.0

Strip Pit (Greene)

Steven Kellett

Rainbow Trout (tie)

19.0

Lake Gage (Steuben)

Micheal Grime

Steelhead

32.0

Trail Creek (LaPorte)

Liu He

True Bass

Hybrid Striped Bass

30.0

Tippecanoe River (Carroll)

Hao Wu

Striped Bass

15.5

Cecil M. Harden Lake (Parke)

Liu He

White Bass

16.5

Tippecanoe River (Carroll)

Liu He

Minnow

Common Carp (tie)

30.0

Wabash River (Tippecanoe)

Jonah Switzer

Common Carp (tie)

30.0

Wabash River (Tippecanoe)

Liu He

Creek Chub

10.1

Crooked Creek (Porter)

Max Odom

Emerald Shiner

3.4

Otter Creek (Vigo)

Steven Kellett

Golden Shiner

10.3

Airline Lake (Greene)

Travis Rowe

Grass Carp

30.5

Ohio River (Clark)

Joe Johnson

Silver Chub

6.4

Ohio River (Clark)

Joe Johnson

Striped Shiner

8.5

Fawn River (Steuben)

Greg Enyart

Sucker

Bigmouth Buffalo

24.0

Tippecanoe River (Carroll)

Liu He

Black Buffalo

26.8

Kankakee River (Starke)

Mark Holbrook

Blue Sucker

27.0

Tippecanoe River (Carroll)

Liu He

Golden Redhorse

20.3

Kankakee River (Starke)

Mark Holbrook

Northern Hogsucker

15.5

White River (Lawrence)

Ron Anderson

Quillback

18.0

Tippecanoe River (Carroll)

Liu He

River Carpsucker

17.0

Ohio River (Clark)

Joe Johnson

Shorthead Redhorse

18.0

White River (Lawrence)

Ron Anderson

Silver Redhorse

19.5

Ohio River (Clark)

Joe Johnson

Smallmouth Buffalo

26.0

Tippecanoe River (Carroll)

Liu He

White Sucker

20.8

Lake Michigan (LaPorte)

Anthony A Talarico Jr

Other

Gizzard Shad

18.0

Tippecanoe River (Carroll)

Liu He

Goldeye

17.0

Wabash River (Tippecanoe)

Liu He

Skipjack Herring

16.0

Wabash River (Tippecanoe)

Liu He

Bowfin

30.0

Pine Lake (LaPorte)

Ronald Ryba II

Freshwater Drum

23.5

Wabash River (Tippecanoe)

Liu He

Longnose Gar

56.0

Aikman Creek (Daviess)

Hayden Baker

Shortnose Gar

28.0

White River (Greene)

Jeffrey Kellett

Blue Tilapia

17.5

Dowling Park (Lake)

Eric Alegre

Mottled Sculpin

3.0

Big Blue River (Henry)

Greg Porter

Shovelnose Sturgeon

31.0

Wabash River (Tippecanoe)

Joe Johnson