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 Reports | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Lake Freeman | Biologists recently conducted a survey on Lake Freeman near Monticello. They saw a lot of white crappie in shallow water. Most crappie were great eating size, 10-11 inches. They also observed several very large flathead catfish, and lots of quality bluegill in the 7-9 inch range. Try worms for bluegill and minnows on small jigs for crappie | 5/6/2026 |
| Northern Indiana reservoirs | Crappies and catfish are biting. Tube jigs/minnows are good bets for crappie, along with fresh cut bait for catfish. | 5/6/2026 |
| Eagle Lake (Noble County) | The lake is giving up steady bass action, mostly in waters less than 15 feet deep. Most bass are on the smaller side, but the action is great. Try using soft plastics, jerkbaits, or small jigs as the bass move up to spawn | 5/7/2026 |
| JC Murphey (Willow Slough) | After the recent renovation, anglers reported catching some 6-7 inch panfish this winter. Fish are growing fast and are thick bodied. Some may approach 8 inches this year. An abundance of smaller bass in the 8-12 inch range, along with some 12-16 inch channel catfish are also available. Some larger fish are available after being held in salvage ponds during the renovation, and released back into the lake after it filled up. | 5/8/2026 |
| Patoka Lake | Wipers are biting. Try chicken liver, lures that imitate shad, or live bait | 5/8/2026 |
| Tri Lakes | The Tri Lakes system Round, Big Cedar, and Little Cedar Lakes in Whitley County is a great spot if you're looking to catch lots of bass, with an especially high number of fish in the 10-12 inch range. These lakes offer steady action throughout the shallows and mid-depth areas, making them perfect for anglers who enjoy consistent bites. | 5/13/2026 |
| Montgomery City Lake/Indian Rock Lake | Indiana DNR biologists recently performed a fish community survey on this small lake in Montgomery, Indiana. Redear sunfish were the most abundant species collected, ranging up to 11.2 inches in length and multiple individuals over 1 pound were collected. Largemouth bass were the second most abundant species collected, but the largest was 15 inches long and the majority were under 14 inches. Bluegill up to 9.5 inches, black crappie up to 12.9 inches, and channel catfish up to 26.1 inches were also collected. | 5/20/2026 |
| Eagle Creek Reservoir | Water temperatures are in the upper 60's. Bluegill and largemouth bass are shallow. Look for areas with structure like wood or rip rap. Crappie spawn is starting to slow down. | 5/21/2026 |
| St. Joseph River (below Twin Branch Dam) | A few early skamania have gone through the South Bend Fish Ladder, but not enough to ensure consistent action. Look to catch walleyes and bass on jigs/minnows, swimbaits, or other slow moving presentations along current seams and in deeper holes. Ned rigs with slightly heavier jighead weight are great multispecies baits. Channel catfish are starting to become active with the high water and warming water temps. Nightcrawlers, fresh cut bait, or stink bait are good options for catfish. Pike are biting in slower and weedier areas on spinnerbaits and live bait. In impounded and slower current areas, crappie and bluegill are shallow and biting on live bait. | 5/21/2026 |
| Dogwood Lake | Indiana DNR biologists recently performed a fish community survey on Dogwood Lake. Bluegill and redear sunfish were the most abundant species collected, with large numbers of bluegill up to 9.3 inches and redear up to 11 inches. Largemouth bass were collected in large numbers as well, including fish up to 17 inches, though most were less than 14 inches. Yellow perch up to 11.4 inches, channel catfish up to 24.2 inches, and black crappie up to 12.2 inches were also caught. The bass and sunfish have moved into shallow water and there was lots of fishing activity and boat traffic. There are lots of stumps out on Dogwood and the high water and abundance of algae can make spotting them difficult, especially under low light conditions. Use caution and drive slow, especially under low light conditions. | 5/28/2026 |
| Lake Michigan (boat) | Some coho and a few steelhead and kings have been caught in the 40-80 foot range, or out past 100. Action for silver fish is not hot and heavy, but there are a few around. Some steelhead are being caught near Michigan City and Portage. Lake trout are still available in many areas in the 65-100 foot depths. Water temps are still in the 50s at depth in shallower water. The perch spawn is starting to conclude, and some have moved shallower, and those that have finished spawning are starting to feed on gobies and alewife. Bass are in various stages of the spawn depending on water temperature and depth | 5/28/2026 |
| Lake Michigan (shore) | Skamania season is here, and nearshore water temperatures are ideal. Some days are giving up good skamania action, other days are slow. They are being caught on spoons, and bait under a bobber at Portage and Michigan City. Bass are being caught near breakwalls in East Chicago, Hammond, and the Port of Indiana. Try using ned rigs or plastics on the bottom. Freshwater drum are showing up as well in big numbers. Live bait or lures are both catching them. | 5/28/2026 |
| Lake Michigan Tributaries (Trail Creek, Little Calumet River, Salt Creek) | There are some skamania in the creeks, but more fish have been caught on the piers than in the creeks. Water temps are cooler in the lake compared to the streams, which usually has fish staging near shore rather than going upstream. It will probably be a couple weeks before decent fishable numbers arrive. Please respect fellow anglers, private property, and please do not litter! For links to stream flow, see the links below the report tables | 5/28/2026 |
| Lake Monroe | Hybrid Striped Bass fishing has been very good off the face of the dam with most fish caught being in the 15-18 inch and 2-4 pound range with occasional larger fish in the 6-8 pound range. Anglers targeting hybrid striped bass have also caught the occasional channel catfish and even some nice bluegill. Largemouth bass have moved up shallow and the spawn kicked off this month, though at the time of this report it is pretty much over with anglers reporting lots of spawned out fish. Water levels continue to remain very high with the recent heavy rains and several roads around Lake Monroe have been flooded. Use caution and plan ahead for closed ramps and marinas. | 5/28/2026 |
| Northwest Indiana Lakes | With warm weather on the way, look for bass and panfish in various stages of spawn and post-spawn. Check the inside and outside weedlines. Live bait for bluegill and crappie, and jerkbaits/plastics for bass are good bets | 5/28/2026 |
