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 |
|---|---|---|
| Waterbody | Fishing_report | Date |
| Lake Michigan (boat) | Fishing has been tough due to the poor water clarity. Those catching more silver fish reported being out near cleaner water in 70-100 feet, although some people scratched out a mixed bag of coho, brown trout, and the occasional king or steelhead fishing near shore. The water is a bit warmer and some dodger/fly action is starting, although spoons and body baits are still taking fish | 4/16/2026 |
| Lake Michigan (shore) | The shore trout and salmon bite remains slow, with beat up lake water and high/muddy tributary water making things tough. Very few people have been fishing as a result. A few bass are being caught near breakwalls in East Chicago, Hammond, and the Port of Indiana. Try using ned rigs or plastics on the bottom | 4/16/2026 |
| Lake Michigan Tributaries (Trail Creek, Little Calumet River, Salt Creek) | Another week, another big rainfall, with the streams high and muddy. There are steelhead spawning throughout the streams, but the bulk of the run is over. Anglers have caught fish farther upstream in areas with spawning gravel, or in pools closer to the lake containing fresher fish. There were recently stockings of smolts into the streams - they will be very aggressive. These fish are the future of the fishery - if you are catching lots of smolts (juvenile trout and salmon), consider changing to a larger bait, or moving locations. Usually there are not aggressive adult steelhead in locations where you are catching lots of smolts. Catching lots of smolts may kill some of them, reducing future numbers of big trout and salmon. Please respect fellow anglers, private property, and please do not litter! For links to stream flow, see the links below the report tables | 4/16/2026 |
| St. Joseph River (below Twin Branch Dam) | Continued rain, along with hot weather, has accelerated the end of the steelhead run. There are still fresh fish coming in, with 894 steelhead going through the South Bend Fish Ladder in the last week. However, with river temps in the low to mid 60s, spawning is going to wrap up very soon. Fish below dams, or near spawning gravel flats to catch steelhead. Beads, or spawn bags are a good bet. Look to catch walleyes and bass on jigs/minnows, swimbaits, or other slow moving presentations along current seams and in deeper holes. Channel catfish are starting to become active with the high water and warming water temps. Use live bait to tempt them. | 4/16/2026 |
| Northwest Indiana Lakes | Warming water temps have pulled panfish nearshore and into lilypad beds, channels/marinas, and shallow bays. Use stealth to fish for them, as they may be skittish in shallow water. Small bobbers with jigs or live bait 18 inches to 4 feet below them are a good tactic. Pre-spawn bass fishing is in full swing, and fish are more active with the warmer water. | 4/16/2026 |
| Northern Indiana reservoirs | Crappies and catfish are biting. Tube jigs/minnows are good bets for crappie, along with fresh cut bait for catfish. | 3/31/2026 |
| 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 | 4/8/2026 |
| Wolf Lake | DNR biologists recently conducted a survey for northern pike, and observed quite a few pike along with a healthy number of walleyes | 3/31/2026 |
| Bass Lake (Greene-Sullivan State Forest) | DNR biologists recently performed a survey for muskie. A total of 13 muskie up to 34 inches were collected. A healthy number of black crappie in the 12-15 inch length group were also collected, including 2 fish greater than 15 inches and 2 pounds. Channel catfish up to 12 pounds and multiple largemouth bass over 3 pounds, including one over 5 pounds, were also observed. Water temperature was 52 degrees at the surface. Anglers headed to Bass Lake should be mindful of potentially flooding and/or water movement across the roadways headed to the boat launch. | 3/19/2026 |
| Dogwood Lake | DNR biologists recently performed a survey Dogwood Lake. Healthy numbers of quality redear sunfish and bluegill sunfish were observed. Water temperature was 50 degrees. | 3/19/2026 |
| Eagle Creek Reservoir | Biologists recently completed a crappie survey on Eagle Creek Reservoir and collected crappie up to 13 inches. Crappie are just starting to move shallow and bigger crappie were seen on the upper end of the lake. Water temps around 50F | 3/21/2026 |
| Loon Pit - Bluegrass FWA | Biologists finished a crappie/muskie survey today at Loon Pit. Nets were ran last week and today (3/16 to 3/25). Nets were set between 3 and 5 feet deep so all fish were caught shallow. Surface water temperature was 50.1° F last Monday and was 57.0° F today. A total of 368 crappie was collected. Both black and white crappie were present. Crappie ranged in length from 5.6 inches to 14.9 inches with the largest being a black crappie that weighed 2.02 lbs. Five total muskie were collected which ranged in length from 20.1 to 31.0 inches with the largest weighing 7.42 lbs. Other notable species collected were multiple 5 lb largemouth bass, many channel catfish over 5 lbs, big spotted gar, and an 8 lb bowfin. | 3/25/2026 |
| Brookville Reservoir | The walleye run has started. DNR biologists will be running gill nets along the dam to collect broodstock walleye to produce fish for future stockings around the state. Please stay away from nets and do not fish near them. | |
| Plover/Sandpiper Pit (Driftwood Public Fishing Area) | Biologists recently completed a crappie and muskie survey on Plover/Sandpiper Pit at the Driftwood Public fishing area. A good number of 9–12-inch crappie were seen along with a few muskie up to 40 inches. Quality bluegill and channel catfish were also observed. | |
| Trout lakes (statewide) | Designated trout lakes were stocked in the past several weeks throughout the state. The trout stocking plan is viewable online at https://www.in.gov/dnr/fish-and-wildlife/files/fw-trout-stocking-plan.pdf | 4/16/2026 |
| Northeast Indiana Lakes | Crappies are biting on minnows, along with bass on jerkbaits and chatterbaits. The crappie bite has really turned on with the warm water, look for dark-bottomed bays and emerging vegetation. | 4/16/2026 |
