Big Indiana Bass

Going back in time again with today's post, back to some of my old "stomping grounds," places that I spent a lot of time at when first starting to bass fish. We've covered several of the old tackle shops, so today we'll move in a little different direction and look at some favorite fishing holes at the time. For this we're going to center our attention on the Eagle Creek area using some historical maps.

 

Let's Start with this old map from 1959 (above). You'll notice there was no reservoir then, that wouldn't come for another decade. Interstate I-74 was "under construction" and not completed yet, and some of the first gravel operations had begun in the area (circled in the picture). Some may remember hearing or reading about "the big flood" which hit that area to the north (Trader's Point) at this same time, which became the original impetus for building the reservoir in the first place, and lead to the demolition of much of the old town of Trader's Point right up near where Lafayette Rd. and I-65 now cross the reservoir.

 

By 1970, the reservoir was newly created and had just opened to fishing. You'll also notice the extent of the gravel operations which, by now, had grown considerably. I first started fishing the reservoir as a little kid at this point, my father taking me in the early 70s to fish cane poles and minnows for crappie off the overlook and parking area that was created off Dandy Trail. We'd walk down to the riprap along the reservoirs banks and float minnows under bobbers trying to land the tasty panfish. oftentimes we'd be successful and leave with a nice stringer of crappie for the dinner table.

 

By the time this next map of the area was created around 1980, the final shape of the larger existing pits had largely been determined. These would quickly become privatized as places like Fisherman's Village and Waterfront Pt. Apts., as well as the Waterfront Plaza Hotel would quickly develop the area. Look a little closer to the reservoir though along Dandy Trail and you'll see two new pits had been created (in purple). The larger one to the ESE would become Dandy Trail Pay Lake. There sat a little office and bait shop, in front of a large chain link fence, where you'd pull up on a gravel/dirt road to access. It wouldn't stay in business long though, and I only ever fished it one time that I can recall. The other side, though, would become my favorite fishing area from the next several years.

The smaller pit to the north/west of Dandy Trail had a small road (Salt Cr.) that lead back to a house. Just passed that house you'd hit a guardrail, stopping you from going any further. At that point we'd park and have access to the entire river below the reservoir, with a trail system through the woods that would take you all the way up to I-74 and near the dam outflow. I can't count the number of trips we took there over the years. At the same time, the smaller pit basically was treated as public land, and the hard gravel land surrounding it made it a favorite fishing stop also. It was easy to launch a small boat and trailer off the harder substrate, so it was where we did some of our earliest boat fishing. It also had a path that went the entire way around the pit, and I'd frequently have my parents drop me off with a fishing pole and small tackle box to spend a few hours fishing there for bass when they'd make the trip into Lafayette Sq. mall to do their shopping. It was this pit where I caught my first bass on plastic worms, my first bass on crankbaits, and where I first found out how effective a small hair jig could be.  

 

This satellite view of the area from 1993 gives you  another perspective. By then, commercial interests had bought the land around the larger pit, closing the old pay lake and bait shop and becoming The Islands apartment and housing addition which still resides there to this day. However, on the other side of the street, you can still see the way the smaller gravel pit was laid out and accessible. You'll notice the name "Windham Lake" given to that pit, and it wouldn't be but another year or two before that pit was partially filled in, and the Windham Lake condominiums would get built. They would also buy out and demolish the old house that sat there for years, and that area would become commercial office space. As such, access to the pit and the river would become almost non-existent.

 

This 1998 map image shows that by that time, everything in the way of development that you see there now had largely come to pass. Even the old Dandy Trail overlook parking area had been completely renovated and removed in the process, and Rick's Café Boatyard would soon follow. Below are a couple more screen shots to what the entrance to The Islands and Windham Lakes looks like today. Almost unrecognizable to those of us who spent so much time fishing that area before all the development came.

GRAVEL PIT ROAD and EC River (Windham Lakes)

DANDY TRAIL PAY LAKE (The Islands)

The one good thing that came out of this was the creation of the overlook parking area on the west side of Eagle Creek Res. at 56th St. that occurred. The old iron bear statue still stands there, put in place by Galyan's (their logo) when they were a force in the Indpls. sporting goods market. Most of my fishing attention got shifted over to the reservoir as these former grounds got taken away. The number of bass and crappie I've caught from walking the causeway and fishing back in the old timber filled creek arm (west side) just north of 56th over the years is uncountable, and would serve as the majority of my earliest bass fishing education.