Indiana Fishing Reports

Fish & Wildlife
Fishing
Current: Indiana Fishing Reports

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. During winter months, angler effort is lower, and fewer fishing reports are received, so the reports may be updated less frequently than during other seasons. Additionally, with changing weather conditions and delays between receiving past reports and the public reading them online, ice reports may be unreliable

Waterbody	Fishing report	Date
Northwest Indiana Lakes	Look for bass and panfish near dark bottoms and cover on warm sunny afternoons. Crappies have been biting on minnows near dock pilings and brush.	3/21/2025
Lake Michigan (boat)	Coho fishing has really picked up across all ports. Many limit catches have been reported. Thin fins and other body baits are best until the water gets a bit warmer. Most anglers were having success near the inland wall and shipping canal in East Chicago, at Gary Light, and near the mudlines at Michigan City and Portage. Some browns have been caught as well. Perch fishing has been decent but starting to slow down a bit. Remember not to sort fish, as barotrauma will cause delayed mortality of fish released after being pulled from deep water. Remember to pay close attention to weather and satellite data this time of year. With floating ice in the lake, ports can get blocked with ice in a matter of hours, leaving boaters stranded.	3/21/2025
Lake Michigan Tributaries (Trail Creek, Little Calumet River, Salt Creek)	A few fresh steelhead have shown up with slightly warmer water and the higher stream flows. Small spawn bags, flies, and jigs/waxworms have been the best baits. Please respect fellow anglers, private property, and please do not litter! For links to stream flow, see the links below the report tables.	3/21/2025
St. Joseph River (below Twin Branch Dam)	The water has warmed up and the steelhead run is on bigtime. This week, 2,063 steelhead went through the South Bend Fish Ladder for a yearly total of 2,675. Try jigs/waxworms and small spawn bags under a float, or casting spoons and spinners. Monitor the flow at the closest USGS gauge in Niles, MI using the links below the report table. Note that the funding partner has discontinued temperature at the end of the year - if you feel strongly about the value of temperature on the St. Joe River, use the link on the USGS site to contact them and request reinstatement.	3/21/2025
Northeast Indiana Lakes	Look for bass and panfish near dark bottoms and cover on warm sunny afternoons. Pike will be in shallow weedy bays thinking about spawning.	3/21/2025
Dogwood Lake,	Dogwood Lake, water temperature is in the mid to high 40s. Anglers are targetting Black Crappie. Note: Dogwood Lake has a 9 inch minimum size limit for Crappie.	3/15/2025
Starve Hollow Lake	Water is turbid brown, with water temp in the Mid 40s.	3/15/2025
Monroe Lake	Anglers are targeting crappie and Bass.	3/15/2025
West Boggs Lake	Water is greenish clear Water temp is in the low to mid 50s.	3/15/2025
Lake Michigan (shore)	Shore action has been getting a bit better but is still hit or miss. The best coho action was reported at Portage Lakefront Park on spawn/skein, although fish have been caught everwhere, including some browns and a few whitefish near Michigan City and Portage.	3/14/2025
JC Murphey (Willow Slough)	As part of the lake renovation, fish were stocked into the lake in the fall of 2023 with more stocking occurring in 2024. Water levels are still being held below full pool to encourage vegetation growth and enhance lake productivity. No ice fishing will be permitted this winter, due to lower lake levels and the desire to protect newly stocked fish, in order to jumpstart fish populations faster. More information can be found in the link below.	1/16/2025

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