The Little Calumet River is only "little" by name.

This waterway stretches in the east from the Porter-LaPorte county line some 53 miles west to Blue Island, where it flows into the Cal-Sag Channel with a connection to Lake Michigan through Burns Ditch.

"It is an interesting thing that in most people's lifetime Burns Ditch has always been here," said Brian Briedert, Fisheries Biologist with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources. "But it is man made. It gave the area access to the lake from the rivers, otherwise the river would flow directly to Illinois."

Burns Ditch in Portage was completed in 1926, which allowed the Little Calumet River and Deep River to flow in a common channel into Lake Michigan.

Upon the completion of Burns Ditch, an east and west branch of the Little Calumet River were created.

The two branches of the river have developed a good mix of fishing.

"There is some diverse fishing opportunities along the Little Calumet," Briedert said. "There is a very nice largemouth bass population in the west branch along with some salmon in the fall. Because there is more of a flow in the east branch smallmouth bass are more prevalent.

"Trout and salmon migrate more to the east branch as well. Steelhead always have a good presence in the river from summer through early spring when they spawn. The trout and salmon stocking program for Lake Michigan wouldn't be what it is if we didn't have the egress to the lake from the river."

Through the Water Resource and Development Act (WRDA) of 1986, the Little Calumet River Flood and Recreation Project began in the early 1990s.

The project provides levees for flood protection, and walking/biking trails also are being created on some of the levees in Indiana. A handful of recreation areas also are being developed on the levees.

Recreation areas have been enhanced or created at Gleason Park and Lake Etta in Gary, and George Carlson Park in Hammond. A new park will be developed in Munster just east of Homan Avenue near the Borman Expressway.

The parks offer a combination of fishing piers, boardwalks, canoe/kayak launches and shelters along with miles of trails.

Completion of the project is estimated for 2009.