Rainbow trout to be stocked in Fayette County lake

Indiana DNR, working in conjunction with the Connersville Parks Department, plans to stock 1,000 rainbow trout an average of more than 7 inches long into Smalley’s Lake on Nov. 2.

The trout for the fall stocking are surplus fish produced by the Curtis Creek Trout Rearing Station, a DNR facility in LaGrange County.

The DNR also stocks Smalley’s Lake annually with channel catfish; however, fishing opportunities for other species are somewhat limited by the lake’s low nutrient levels. This trout stocking is being done to increase fishing opportunities at the lake when most native fish are reducing their activity due to falling water temperatures. 

Smalley’s Lake is at the southern edge of Connersville in Fayette County on the east side of State Road 121 within the John Conner Nature Preserve Trail Park as shown on the DNR’s Where to Fish interactive map at on.IN.gov/where2fish.

For more information on the lake, contact the Connersville Parks Department at 765-825-5244 or [email protected].

A fishing license and trout stamp are required to harvest trout, and both can be purchased at on.IN.gov/INhuntfish. There is a 7-inch minimum length limit and a daily bag limit of five trout. There is no closed season for taking trout from inland lakes.