New Access created for Indiana Steelheaders!

[Fishaholic]

Just in from the Indiana DNR:

Salt Creek Public Fishing Area opens
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New fishing access site ready for summer steelhead


The new Department of Natural Resources Salt Creek Public Fishing Area in
Porter County is open and ready for the summer Skamania steelhead run.

The 75 acres of natural land northwest of Valparaiso provides anglers with
nearly 6000 feet of access to a high-quality steelhead trout and salmon
fishing stream and protects a section of Salt Creek's watershed.

Salt Creek PFA anglers, birdwatchers and nature enthusiast should park in
the newly constructed parking lot off County Road 500 North on the north
side of the property.

Salt Creek flows from south to north through upland and bottomland hardwood
forest and fallow farm fields at Salt Creek PFA. The public property is
similar to the DNR's nearby 76-acre Chustak Public Fishing Area along Salt
Creek. Chustak PFA opened in 2001 and has a parking area off County Road 600
North.

Salt Creek PFA was bought in 2004 with funds provided from the sale of state
fishing licenses. Salt Creek is a tributary to Lake Michigan, and generally
offers excellent small-stream trout and salmon fishing as these fish swarm
out of Lake Michigan on seasonal spawning runs.

During mid to late June, depending on water temperatures and water levels in
the tributaries, summer-run adult Skamania steelhead trout return to Indiana
tributaries where they were planted as fingerlings.

Most Skamania will "stage" near the mouths of Lake Michigan tributaries,
with fish rushing upstream -- especially after a heavy rainfall -- to begin
the run. By mid-August (depending on tributary temperatures and water
levels), good numbers of Indiana Skamania have entered home tributary
streams.

Skamania will continue to enter tributaries throughout the fall and winter
months until March. Chinook and coho salmon return to Lake Michigan
tributary streams to spawn from late August to early November. Winter-run
steelhead should be in the stream from November to mid-April.

Salt Creek is small to medium-size stream flowing north through Porter
County in northwest Indiana. Salt Creek joins the Little Calumet River near
Portage, which flows into Lake Michigan near Burns Harbor.