Is it safe to fish on the White River between Anderson and Indianapolis?
Fisheries surveys and reports from anglers suggest that the White River suffered a serious setback with the fish kill of December 1999. While the state can stock a limited number of sportfish species that are available from state or commercial hatcheries, the majority of the 72 species that provide diversity and forage for the upper West Fork White River fish community are nongame species that are not raised in hatcheries. These fish must recover through migration and natural reproduction over a number of years. The Department of Health has indicated that anglers can return to using the fisheries advisories which were placed on this stretch of river prior to the 1999 incident. More information on fish consumption advisories is located on the web. The DNR strongly urges all anglers to practice catch and release within the section from Anderson to Indianapolis. This will allow the population to retain larger sportfish for spawning and repopulating the area. Small streams that feed this s
