Gizzard shad still dominate the fish population and are the main forage species. Electrofishing catch rate of shad larger than six inches was 125 per hour in 1999 compared to 105 per hour in 1991. Gill-net catch rate was only 17 per lift in 1999 compared to 84 per lift in 1991. White crappie are the target of the majority of anglers on Salamonie Reservoir. While gill-net catch rate decreased slightly from 36.5 to 31 per net lift, the electrofishing catch rate increased from 9.7 to 11.8 per hour.
Many anglers complain about the small size of crappies and request a ten inch size limit.
It takes three years for the crappies in Salamonie to reach eight inches. It would take five to six years for them to reach ten inches. Channel catfish remain the third most abundant species. Gill-net catch rate decreased slightly from 34 per lift to 28.6 per lift but electrofishing catch rate remained at 15.3 per hour both years. Catfish are probably an underutilized resource.