STEUBEN COUNTY, Ind. (WANE) -- While staff at the Indiana Department of Natural Resources' (DNR) fish hatcheries are working year round, October represents an especially important as many important fish stockings take place during the month. Two of the DNR's fish hatcheries -- Curtis Creek Trout Rearing Station and Fawn River State Fish Hatchery -- are located in northeast Indiana and play a vital role in providing anglers with fish species that struggle to naturally reproduced in the state. Fawn River State Fish Hatchery For more than 90 years, Fawn River State Fish Hatchery has been a key establishment for rearing fish, whether it has been through the DNR or the property's original owner: the Orland Conservation Club. In 1939, the Town of Orland and the Orland Conservation Club donated the hatchery to the State of Indiana. The property is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places. A DNR official places walleye fingerlings in a bucket to prepare for transport Friday, Oct. 11, 2024. The DNR stocked these walleye Friday at Loon Lake in Whitley County. While the fish hatchery used to raise different types of bass and sunfish, the facility now focuses on walleye and muskellunge, commonly known as "muskie." Both of these species have trouble naturally reproducing, making the work done at Fawn River essential for anglers looking to catch these fish. The facility also helps raise rainbow trout. "Our main reason for growing these fish is to provide additional angling opportunities," said Dave Clary, the property manager at Fawn River who has worked with the DNR for more than 40 years. While the facility can stock fish statewide if needed, Clary said fish from Fawn River are mostly stocked in waters in northern Indiana. Clary said cooling air and water temperatures make October a great time to stock walleye and muskie. Clary also noted that stocking muskie, which mainly happens in lakes across Kosciusko County, also brings in anglers from outside the Hoosier State. "Muskie fishermen are fanatics ... it's just a different breed of fishermen and it attracts more people," Clary said. "It does even bring in a lot of out-of-state anglers, so we're very happy with the program." People can also walk the grounds of the fish hatchery, and part of the facility is adjacent to the Orland Town Park. Curtis Creek Trout Rearing Station Located in Howe in northeast LaGrange County, Curtis Creek Trout Rearing Station maintains a steady supply of rainbow trout and brown trout that are stocked year-round across Indiana. While other DNR fish hatcheries do stock trout in Lake Michigan, Curtis Creek is responsible for all inland trout stockings. The facility dates back to 1956 and expanded in 1981 to hold more fish. The facility uses surface water from Curtis Creek and groundwater pumped from wells to keep the facility's water at a stable temperature suitable for trout. Riley Schubert, property manager at Curtis Creek, said the facility stocks more than 50,000 rainbow trout and more than 10,000 brown trout each year. Like walleye and muskie, trout struggle to naturally reproduce in Indiana's lakes and streams and survive during warmer months when water temperatures rise. "Natural reproduction for trout is a really high bar, and we don't really have the habitat that's required for that to be sustainable," Schubert said. "There can always be some cases that there's some natural reproduction, but population levels wouldn't be sustainable without stocking." Riley Schubert, property manager at Curtis Creek Trout Rearing Station, holds a brown trout caught during a DNR survey of Pigeon River in Steuben County. (Photo provided by Riley Schubert, DNR) The DNR stocks rainbow trout in Cedar Lake, which is one of the bodies of water that makes up Tri-Lakes in Whitley County, in spring 2024. (Photo provided by Riley Schubert, DNR) While the main focus at Curtis Creek is rainbow trout, the DNR has recently started to raise brown trout in order to produce more fishing opportunities for Hoosiers. Schubert said he expects some of brown trout to be able to survive the warmer months. "In a few of our streams that we have here in the state -- the Little Elkhart and Pigeon rivers especially -- we're expecting some of those fish to hold on for a few years, and that's really just going to give our fishermen some more opportunities to catch some larger fish," Schubert said. The efforts at Curtis Creek can be felt in the Summit City each year through the DNR's urban fishing program where the DNR stocks rainbow trout in ponds and streams within cities, including Shoaff Park and Spy Run Creek in Fort Wayne and Memorial Park in Huntington, during October. Schubert said the program is valuable because it provides a fishing opportunity that is easily accessible, especially to people who may not be exposed to the hobby otherwise. "We want to get people involved, so when people get the opportunity to catch a fish in an urban setting, we're hoping they'll take that experience and they'll go out and they'll try some different areas -- streams and different lakes -- and get out in the outdoors," Schubert said.