EAST LANSING, MI -- Now that fishing is

, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources is working to improve angling on campus.

On Monday, the DNR introduced 3,000 steelhead trout to the Red Cedar River on the campus' west side.

Scott Hanshue, fisheries management biologist for the DNR, said his agency took 3,000 steelhead with which it usually stocks the Grand River in Lansing and put them in the Red Cedar River. The steelhead will reproduce and multiply, improving fisheries in the Red Cedar River at MSU, he said.

"These fish will move downstream out to Lake Michigan, then they'll return on their spawning as early as next year," Hanshue said. "They'll imprint on the Red Cedar and make a fishery here."

Fishing returned to MSU's campus after a half-century hiatus when the university's Board of Trustees

to allow hook-and-line fishing on the Red Cedar River between the western edge of Brody Complex and the bridge connecting West Circle Drive to Chestnut Road (sometimes referred to as the Sparty Bridge as the Spartan statue adorns the south end).

A steelhead trout. The DNR stocked 3,000 of them in the Red Cedar River on MSU's campus Monday.

The original ordinance, put in place in the 1960s, was enacted as MSU's campus is considered a preserve, therefore banning hunting, fishing and gathering. There were additional safety concerns about fishing along the riverbank and bridges due to frequently high concentrations of pedestrian traffic.

Fishing within the designated area on MSU's campus is allowed during a three-year test period. The MSU Board of Trustees will have the option to extend fishing at the end of the period.

Hanshue said anglers will find more species than just steelhead in the Red Cedar River. Suckers, as well as steelhead, are prevalent in the spring, smallmouth bass in the summer, salmon in the fall, and many more, he said.

"Get out there and fish for all species," Hanshue said. "The steelhead you'll be able to target next spring and next fall, but there's a lot of opportunity with other species."

Fishing is legal within the designated area at MSU immediately. Those planning to fish along the Red Cedar at MSU will need a fishing license. Anglers planning to target trout and/or salmon will need to purchase an all-species license.

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Follow Brandon Howell on

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