Division of Fish & Wildlife staff collect reports as time permits. Only those water bodies with a current report are included.
| Waterbody | Report | Date |
|---|---|---|
| JC Murphey (Willow Slough) | The renovation of J.C. Murphey is in full swing with the lake dewatered. Many fish were moved to waterfowl units for restocking in late 2023/2024. For more information on the renovation see the links below the report tables | 8/17/2023 |
| Lake Michigan (boat) | Very cold water finally moved nearshore, but anglers trolling in the lake reported little success. Those on harbor patrol caught a few kings and coho in Michigan City and East Chicago on deep diving cranks and j-plugs. Lake Michigan buoys are still deployed - they are an amazing resource for real-time information on wind, waves, and water temperatures. See links below table for various southern Lake Michigan buoys. | 9/29/2023 |
| Lake Michigan (shore) | Shore fishing picked up a bit with the rain and cold lake water. A few kings have been caught by anglers in East Chicago, Portage, and Michigan City, along with a few coho and steelhead. Keep an eye on lake temps with the buoys, and stream temps with the USGS stream flow gauges. Cooling water is a trigger for those fish to move near shore and start their spawning run | 9/29/2023 |
| Lake Michigan Tributaries (Trail Creek, Little Calumet River, Salt Creek) | There's been more trash than fish on Trail Creek. PLEASE PACK OUT YOUR TRASH! You brought it with you, you can take it when you are done fishing. Anglers are not reporting fast action, but there are enough fish around that many anglers are catching a few here and there on skein, beads, and spinners. With cooler weather there have been fish in Little Cal and Salt Creek as well as Trail Creek. The Trail Creek broodstock collection is complete and the lamprey barrier is in free passage for the rest of the year. For links to stream flow, see the links below the report tables | 9/29/2023 |
| St. Joseph River (below Twin Branch Dam) | With river temps falling into the mid-60s, steelhead run picked up, with 500 going through the South Bend Fish Ladder in the last week or two. Some coho are showing up as well now. Smallmouth bass action has been good on soft plastics, jerkbaits, and live bait. A few nice channel cats are being caught on live bait. Monitor the river temp and flow at the closest USGS gauge in Niles, MI using the links below the report table | 9/29/2023 |
| Potato Creek State Park | Greetings from Potato Creek State Park, the home of Worster Lake. NEWS: Boat Rental’s last weekend will be next Saturday and Sunday. It has been a good year. Wipers: Slowed down. Surface activity almost non-existent. Try rattle traps and crankbaits with rattles under or near schools/baitballs of shad. Crappie: Tube jigs, Beetle Spins and minnows had some luck but the bite has slowed way down. Bluegills: Redworms are the most common bait with bee moths second. Maybe a good time for crickets? Boat and shore fishermen have caught some. Fish either early or late afternoon. Largemouth Bass: Some success mainly on smaller fish. Did see some pics on 9/24 of a couple of bass between 3 and 5 pounds. CPR was used on these fish. -ALWAYS WEAR YOUR LIFE VESTS – See you on or near the water. Cooler temps are coming and fish will be feeding before winter. Some shad are being seen in bait balls on both ends of the lake. The small shad are a major of food for many of our fish. Work hard and hopefully you hook into a nice fish or two. | 9/25/2023 |
| Summit Lake | Anglers are currently reporting they are catching: Bluegill: up to 9 inches; Channel Catfish: 30+ inches; and Walleye: multiple sizes reported. 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. | 9/26/2023 |