(Provided by IDNR)

A new boat ramp and larger parking area are now available for anglers at a public access site on Bixler Lake in Noble County.

The improvements at the 117-acre lake were made possible through an agreement between the DNR and the Kendallville Park Department.

The DNR leased an existing access site on park property off Sherman Street. Last fall, the agency replaced the ramp with funds generated from fishing license sales and taxes on boat fuel.

Additional upgrades scheduled for this spring include paving the parking area, designating space for accessible parking, installing a loading pier, and signage.

The site brings to 24 the number of public access sites provided by the DNR Division of Fish & Wildlife in Noble County. No fees are charged for using access sites provided by the DNR Fish & Wildlife.

An additional site, managed by the DNR Division of State Parks, is available inside Chain OíLakes State Park, near Albion.

Many Noble County DNR access sites are on lakes connected to other lakes by boat-able channels. In all, the DNR provides boating access to 41 lakes that represent 3,234 acres of water and 70 percent of the surface area of all lakes in the county.

The Kendallville Park Department also provides a fishing pier next to the Bixler Lake access site. Plenty of shoreline areas are also open to fishing in the park.

Based on a DNR fish survey conducted last summer, Bixler Lake is considered a good fishing lake. Bluegills, largemouth bass and yellow perch are the main sport fish. A few walleyes, channel catfish and northern pike are present.

Carp, a less-desirable non-native fish, are also abundant and ranked second in the survey by weight.

In the 1970s, carp were so abundant that biologists eradicated the entire fish population and restocked the lake. The DNR will continue to monitor the carp population and may consider options in the future to keep their numbers in check.