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 |
|---|---|---|
| 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. Anglers are mostly reporting catching 6-8 inch bluegill, with some nearing 9 inches already. 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. | 8/6/2026 |
| St. Joseph River (below Twin Branch Dam) | Smallmouth bass are a good bet, using crankbaits, jerkbaits, ned rigs, and topwater during low light periods. A variety of fish are being caught near the dams on live bait. Look to lower current areas with wood or weeds for panfish. | 8/27/2026 |
| Lake Michigan (boat) | Perch remains hit or miss with the lack of a shallow thermocline to concentrate fish. There have been a few good reports recently out of Portage and Michigan City, but not very many people are fishing. Try covering water looking for schools, and move if you can't find willing biters within a few minutes. Although there is a lot of warm water around, salmon should start thinking about staging for the fall run soon, so keep a close eye on water temperatures. Anglers finding colder water out deeper are catching a mixed bag on a variety of presentations, including meat rigs, Jplugs, and spoons. The Michigan City buoy is deployed for the season, and can be viewed at https://data.freeboard.tech/station/45170/ | 8/27/2026 |
| Lake Michigan (shore) | Few people have been fishing for salmon due to warm harbor and lake temps, but there should be some early salmon showing up at East Chicago, Portage, and Michigan City in the next week or two. Fish during low light or at night with glow spoons or rattling deep diving crankbaits, or skein under a bobber. Bass are still biting in areas with rip rap and cover. Try using ned rigs or plastics on the bottom, and deep diving jerkbaits. Freshwater drum action has slowed, but they are still being caught, along with channel catfish on worms and stinkbait. A few flathead catfish have been caught in Burns Ditch on large live bait (suckers, panfish, etc). Carp are biting on corn, worms, and hair rigs. | 8/27/2026 |
| Lake Michigan Tributaries (Trail Creek, Little Calumet River, Salt Creek) | Streams are running low, and are marginal in temperature for trout and salmon. A few early running kings are coming in, along with a few late skamania. We need some rain and cooler lake temperatures before bigger pushes of salmon happen. Covering water with spinners, or downsizing and fishing good holding areas with skein, small shrimp or spawn bags is another good tactic. Please respect fellow anglers, private property, and please do not litter! For links to stream flow, see the links below the report tables. | 8/27/2026 |
| Lake Monroe | The water level remains high but are slowly receding as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers continues to let out water. Currently, Lake Monroe is about 9 feet above summer pool. The receding water levels have allowed additional public access sites to open, but boaters should still exercise caution and discretion when planning a trip to Lake Monroe, especially as boating activity begins to increase. Anglers have been catching channel catfish, largemouth bass, and hybrid striped bass along with the occasional walleye. | 7/25/2026 |
| Northwest Indiana Lakes | Look for bass in thick cover, under shaded docks, and on outside weedlines. Panfish are on deep weedlines or suspended near thermoclines over open water. | 8/5/2026 |
| Northeast Indiana lakes | Look for panfish suspended over open water, or on deep weedlines. Dropshotting with a redworm is a great technique for bluegill on deep weedlines. | 8/21/2026 |
