- The State of Indiana's Volunteer Angler Surveys
Here is your chance to directly help in fisheries management. The information you provide is essential in understanding this valuable species and helps the Department of Natural Resources monitor harvest and catch data.
Division of Fish & Wildlife staff collect reports as time permits. Only those water bodies with a current report are included.
| Waterbody | Report | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Bruce Lake | Anglers have been catching panfish, with bluegill bedding on most shorelines with shallow flats. Crappies are being caught on drop offs near weeds. Water clarity is poor. Musky fishing has been slow but a few are being caught. While most are targeting panfish, don't overlook the quality largemouth bass population | 6/8/2024 |
| Deam Lake | Water temperature is 78-80 ⁰F. Bluegill and Redear Sunfish over 8 inches are up shallow on beds and Largemouth Bass are around cover in the shallows. Channel Catfish are concentrated around 8 to 12 feet depths. | 6/10/2024 |
| Dogwood Lake | water temp is low to mid 80s, Panfish are in a summer pattern, Slip bobber fishing around 12 feet in timber is popular for panfish. Fishing weedless soft plastics and topwater for bass are popular around near shore weedlines. Spinner baits with gold blades (golden shiner) and chatterbaits are popular in and around the stumps. | 6/28/2024 |
| East Fork White River | River levels have been low prior to the recent storms. Fishing should pick up with the change in water flow. Check out the "Where to Fish " page on the Indiana DNR app to locate all the public access sites for lakes and streams | 6/28/2024 |
| Greene-Sullivan State Forest | Water temps are in the low 80s. The Bass and Bluegill spawn is past peak and fish are moving into a summer pattern. Some Bluegill can still be found on beds Channel Cat fishing is picking up based on the number showing up in the fish cleaning station. | 6/28/2024 |
| Griffy Lake | The new fishing walkway is very popular for anglers. Anglers are targeting Bass, Bluegill, Crappie and Channel Catfish. Parking lot fills quickly so plan on arriving early in the morning or fish late evenings. Water temperature in area lakes are in the low 80s | 6/28/2024 |
| Huntingburg Lake | Crappie are being caught in the open flats from 6 to 10 ft deep on crankbaits and jigs. Channel Catfish are also being caught on stink bait around the dam. Water temperature is around 80 ⁰F. | 6/10/2024 |
| JC Murphey (Willow Slough) | Fish were stocked into the lake in the fall of 2023 with more stocking occurring in 2024. Fish salvaged from the lake before draining have been stocked back into the lake, with some catchable size bluegill, crappie, and largemouth bass. There will be limited angling opportunities for harvestable sized fish in 2024 except for the larger spawning sized fish from the salvage units. Please release these larger fish as they are the spawners for future. More information can be found in the link below. | 5/12/2024 |
| Kickapoo Lake | Biologists conducted a fish survey during the week of 6/5/24. Water temperature was near 76 degrees, and the thermocline was set up around 16 feet. Nice lotus beds rim the lake and bass are being found on the vegetation edge. Several channel catfish over 5 pounds were collected. | 6/5/2024 |
| Lake Michigan (boat) | Coho action has remained red-hot in 65-90 feet, although with recent south winds some colder water can be found shallower than that. A strong thermocline has formed, but could go away if we get sustained north winds this weekend. Coho are very large, with many in the 6 to 8 pound range, and a few topping 10 pounds already. Most anglers are having the best success with Size 0 dodgers, both orange and chartreuse/red dot, with full size flies, and spin doctors with flies. Divers, long lines, and riggers are all working. Spoons on sliders with downriggers have also been good. With cold water near shore and warm stream temps, it may be worth trolling for skamania at the mouth of Burns Ditch or Trail Creek to see if the are staging, before going offshore for salmon. The buoys are deployed for the season, so check water temps (on UGLOS or Seagull sites) before heading out. Perch action was really good from Portage east to the state line by New Buffalo. Most anglers were finding them in 20-30 feet of water, with reports as shallow as 15 feet. Bass are mostly wrapping up their spawn, and anglers in Portage, Hammond, and East Chicago have been catching them on soft plastics. | 6/28/2024 |
| Lake Michigan (shore) | Large waves, rain, and muddy water hampered shore fishing effor this week. A few steelhead were caught at Michigan City later in the week. Lots of drum and catfish are biting as well. Carp anglers are catching some nice sized fish. Be advised that due to heavy construction at the Port of Indiana, the shore fishing site there will be closed through summer 2024. Bass anglers throwing drop shots and ned rigs caught some bass near rip rap | 6/28/2024 |
| Lake Michigan Tributaries (Trail Creek, Little Calumet River, Salt Creek) | Warm water limited steelhead fishing action this week, but now the water temps have cooled off, so the bite should pick right back up. Prior to the warmup, anglers have reported success with spinners, crawlers, shrimp, and skein. Heavy pressure has started, especially at Hwy 20 and Johnson Road sites. Please respect fellow anglers, private property, and please do not litter! For links to stream flow, see the links below the report tables | 6/28/2024 |
| Lake Waveland | A fish survey was conducted on 5/28 - 5/29 with water temperatures in the mid 70s. Bluegill and Redear are shallow. Redear up to 10.7 inches and good numbers of 7-8 inch Blugill were collected. Other fish collected were crappies up to 13.5 inches, several quality sized Largemouth Bass and Channel Catfish up to 10 lbs. | 6/2/2024 |
| LaPorte Area Lakes | Most bluegill are done bedding, and largemouth are in their summer patterns. Think outside weed edges, under docks, on deepwater dropoffs, and in thick vegetation. | 6/20/2024 |
| Lower Wabash River | Catfish are spawning so the bite has been tough. A couple weeks and the post-spawn bite will be on. Temps are in the high 70s as of early last week | 6/15/2024 |
| Monroe Lake | Crappie are being caught in 15-18 feet of water near standing timber. Shad are spawning so using lures that imitate shad is a good idea. Bass are being found in 15-20 feet of water, near timber, and suspended near tree tops. Catfish are being caught on hot dogs, cut bait, and stink bait. Lake level is about 3 feet above summer pool. Anglers are catching wipers in the tailwaters. To find up-to-date information about lake levels and discharge visit https://www.lrl.usace.army.mil/Missions/Civil-Works/Recreation/Lakes/Monroe-Lake/. | 6/5/2024 |
| Patoka Lake | Water temperature is around 78 ⁰F. Hybrid striped bass are being caught around the islands on the main lake by the beach with swimbaits, stickbaits, and crankbaits. Walleye are being caught around the thermocline from 15-20 ft depths on jigging raps, crawler harnesses, and minnows. | 6/10/2024 |
| Robinson Lake (Lake County) | A fish survey was completed on 6/10-6/11. Water temps were mid 70s. Channel catfish collected ranged from 10 to 13.7 inches and were found at varying depths throughout the lake. Largemouth Bass showed a good size distribution present in the lake. The largest bass caught in this survey was nearly 17 inches and weighed 2.5 pounds. By far the most abundant species in the lake are Bluegill with the largest sampled being 7.3 inches. Redear Sunfish, White Crappie, and Black Crappie were also present and measured up to 8.8 inches. Bluegill and Redear were encountered shallow while Crappie were located further offshore. | 6/20/2024 |
| Scales Lake (Warrick County) | Water temperature was 83°F as of 5/20/24 at dusk. Bluegill and Redear Sunfish ranging in size from 8 to 10 inches are up in the shallows on beds. Aquatic vegetation is minimal making it very easy to visually spot beds with fish present. Additionally, Largemouth Bass are also in shallow water in high numbers ranging in size from 10 to 13 inches. Other species found in high numbers in less than 5 feet of water include Warmouth and Yellow Bullhead. | 5/20/2024 |
| Shakamak Lake | Biologists conducted a fish survey the week of 5/13/24 , Water temp was in the low to mid 70s, the thermocline is set up at 8 feet. Bluegill and Redear are bedding near shore. Other fish collected were Channel catfish up to 17 inches and several legal size bass. | 5/17/2024 |
| St. Joseph River (below Twin Branch Dam) | Anglers are catching rock bass, smallmouth bass, catfish, and walleye, along with a pike or two. Minnows or crawlers are catching a mixed bag. Jerkbaits, crankbaits, and soft plastics are also producing. Try ned rigs for smallmouth and rock bass. Cut bait is doing well for catfish. A few steelhead have been moving but not really in fishable numbers yet. Monitor the river temp and flow at the closest USGS gauge in Niles, MI using the links below the report table | 6/14/2024 |
| Summit Lake | Fish biologists recently completed a survey on the lake. Water temps were in the mid-70s, and larger panfish and bass were concentrated near weeds and wood in 6-15 feet of water. Good numbers of bluegill and redear up to 9 inches, largemouth bass up to 5.5 lbs were observed. Crappie, channel catfish, walleye, and white bass were also observed. Please contact the property for lake levels: (765)766-5873. Fishing licenses are available for purchase at the Property Office. Property Office hours are 8:30-4:00 p.m. daily. Summit Lake State Park is located in Henry County, Indiana. | 6/22/2024 |
| West Boggs Lake | – Bluegill and redear on beds. Crappie are still being caught in 8-17 feet of water using minnows. Water temperature is in the mid 70s. | 6/5/2024 |
| Worster Lake (Potato Creek State Park) |
Whispering Winds Fishing dock is not usable at this time. Due to construction of the new Lodge. You can fish the shoreline by boat but do not encroach upon the construction area please. Whispering Winds/West Boat Launch – There may be road closures going to West Boat Launch (Red Barn) and Fish Cleaning Stations. These are not expected to occur on Saturdays or Sundays and are usually for short periods of time. Be Patient. Fish Cleaning Station: We are expecting a closure of the Fish Cleaning Station this week due to planned power outages. Ask at the Main Gate for any current updates. Currently a temporary station without power is set up. Boat Launch stickers are available at our Main Gate when it is open. Yearly Passes: Great value if you plan on going to any state park or reservoir. General Lake Conditions: Overall Worster Lake is clear. Lake temps are stabilizing/rising. SWT – low to mid 70s. Largemouth Bass: The local bass club had a small tourney on 6/23. Winning weight was over 17lbs. Second place was over 16 lbs. Hint: look for schools of shad. Crappie: Minnows and/or tube jigs producing for many. Beetle spins and crappie cranks at daybreak and dusk. Look for fish where they may have dropped back to deeper water. Close to time to use lights over the side of the boat with minnows or jigs for bait. Extremely early trolling (right after daybreak) worked for several people this weekend. Use curly-tailed jigs or paddletails or even a crappie crank within 8 – 12 inches of the surface. Bluegills: Shore and boat fishermen have been finding some. Some good catches from shore and boats happened this week. Most people had trouble this week finding them but when they did, there were good catches. Look for weedline in 4 – 7 feet of water. Waxies; earthworms and crickets have all been working. Wipers: Some wipers over four pounds have been seen recently. Bank fishermen were using nightcrawlers and liver on the bottom for these fish. Boaters using topwater baits; crankbaits and even fishing cut bait have been doing very well. Numbers have fallen off but some are still caught. Bullheads: No news this week but a few channel catfish were reportedly caught. Talking to one of our Conservation Officers recently and he wants everyone to remember to wear their life jackets. Also, make sure your licenses and boat stickers are up-to-date. Enjoy the time fishing and until next time – GOOD LUCK. | 6/23/2024 |
