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Home › Waters › Indiana › Big Raccoon Creek
Creek · Parke County, the covered-bridge country of west-central Indiana below Cecil M. Harden Lake, running west through Coxville to the Wabash River · Indiana

Big Raccoon Creek Fishing Guides

A Parke County creek in Indiana's covered-bridge country, running below Cecil M. Harden Lake to the Wabash, with flow that depends on what the reservoir above it is releasing.

A wide sand and gravel bar on a slow river below a timbered bank
Gauge location. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Guides on the Big Raccoon Creek

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About the Big Raccoon Creek

Big Raccoon Creek runs through the most photographed rural landscape in Indiana, the covered-bridge country of Parke County, and the scenery is a genuine part of the appeal. It drains the hills west of Greencastle, passes through Cecil M. Harden Lake, and then continues west past Coxville to the Wabash River. That reservoir in the middle of the drainage is the single most important fact about the creek below it, because the flow arriving at the gauge is partly a product of what the Corps of Engineers is releasing rather than simply what has fallen on the watershed.

The gauge at Coxville reports discharge and stage, and reading it alongside the reservoir’s operations tells you most of what you need to know. Release-driven flow is steadier than a free-flowing creek of this size would be, which lengthens the paddling season and keeps the lower creek fishable during dry spells that would leave a comparable stream stranded. It also means levels can change without weather, so a stage that looked right yesterday may not be right today. Sharp rises after regional rain still happen, and the creek carries colour for a day or two afterwards.

The fishing is a solid warmwater mix. Smallmouth bass hold on the gravel and rock through the middle reaches, largemouth take the slower pools and backwaters, and rock bass are abundant wherever there is woody cover. Channel catfish work the deeper holes and flathead catfish reach good size toward the Wabash. Access is helped considerably by Turkey Run and Shades state parks nearby, the reservoir’s own facilities, and the network of bridges and county roads that the covered-bridge tourism has kept in good order. For a visitor combining a day on the water with the county’s bridges and state parks, this is one of the easier Indiana creeks to plan around.

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5. What we may do

We choose which photos to publish and may decline any submission without giving a reason. We may crop, resize, sharpen or colour-correct a photo for display, and we may remove a photo at any time. We will not alter a photo in a way that misrepresents the fish, the water or you.

6. Your details

We keep your name, email address, the credit name, the water and date you gave us, and the network address the submission came from, with the submission record, as our evidence of this license. We hold that record for as long as the photo is published and for the retention period described in our privacy policy. Location data that your camera or phone embedded in the file is removed before the photo is published.

7. Versions

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Reader photo license v1.0 — the short version:

  • You grant Guided Floats, LLC a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to publish, resize and crop your photo on guidedfloats.com and in GuidedFloats’ own social posts and apps. You keep the copyright and can use the photo anywhere else.
  • You confirm that you took the photo yourself, that publishing it does not infringe anyone else’s rights, and that anyone recognisable in it (or a parent or guardian, if they are under 18) is happy for it to appear here.
  • Credit is printed beside the photo wherever it appears on the site, using the credit name you give us. Leave it blank and we use your name; write “Anonymous” for no name. Your email address is never published.
  • Withdrawing is one email to hello@guidedfloats.com naming the photo. It comes off the site within 7 days.
Read the full license

Version 1.0, dated 6 September 2026. Applies to every photograph submitted to GuidedFloats through the contact form, a species page, or the community board.

1. What you give us

By ticking the box on the form you grant Guided Floats, LLC (“GuidedFloats”, “we”) a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to store, copy, resize, crop and display your photograph on guidedfloats.com, in GuidedFloats’ own social media accounts and mobile apps, and in material that promotes the site itself, in connection with the fish, water or community feature you sent it in for. The license lasts until you withdraw it (section 4).

You keep the copyright. The license is not exclusive, so you can use the photo anywhere else and license it to anyone else. We will not sell your photo, license it on to anyone else on its own, or use it in paid advertising for a third party.

2. What you confirm

You confirm that you took the photograph yourself (or otherwise own the rights to it), that you have the right to grant this license, and that publishing the photo does not infringe anyone else’s copyright, privacy or other rights.

If any person is recognisable in the photo, you confirm that they have agreed to its being published here, and that a parent or guardian has agreed on behalf of anyone under 18. Please do not send photographs of other people’s catches, screenshots, or pictures copied from other websites or social media.

3. Credit

We print the credit name you give us beside the photo wherever it appears on the site, and record it as the photo’s creator in the page’s structured data. If you leave the credit blank we use the name you gave us on the form. Write “Anonymous” if you prefer no name at all. Your email address, phone number and the exact spot the photo was taken are never published.

4. Withdrawing the license

You can withdraw the license at any time by emailing hello@guidedfloats.com, or by using the contact form, and telling us which photo you mean. We will remove the photo from guidedfloats.com within 7 days of receiving your message and stop using it in anything new. Copies that are already outside our control — search-engine caches, social posts that have already gone out, printed material already produced — may take longer to disappear or may not be recallable, and we are not responsible for those.

5. What we may do

We choose which photos to publish and may decline any submission without giving a reason. We may crop, resize, sharpen or colour-correct a photo for display, and we may remove a photo at any time. We will not alter a photo in a way that misrepresents the fish, the water or you.

6. Your details

We keep your name, email address, the credit name, the water and date you gave us, and the network address the submission came from, with the submission record, as our evidence of this license. We hold that record for as long as the photo is published and for the retention period described in our privacy policy. Location data that your camera or phone embedded in the file is removed before the photo is published.

7. Versions

The version of this license you accepted is stored with your submission and printed with the photo. A later version does not apply to a photo you have already sent unless you agree to it.

Flow alert

Tell me when the Big Raccoon Creek cfs

Now: 104 cfs, read 4:45 pm CDT, Sun Oct 18, 2026 (USGS 03341300, BIG RACCOON CREEK AT COXVILLE, IN).

We never use this address for anything else and never share it. See the privacy policy.

Access

Coxville - the community at the gauge and the most direct approach to the middle creek.
Cecil M. Harden Lake - the reservoir upstream, with formal ramps, camping and a tailwater access below the dam.
Rockville - the Parke County seat, the base for covered-bridge country with lodging and supplies.
Wabash River confluence - the downstream end west of Coxville, reached by county road.
Turkey Run State Park - nearby state park lands giving additional public access to the area's streams.
Covered bridge crossings - the historic bridges along the creek double as recognised access points.
Private farmland - stretches between the public points are working ground and permission should be sought.

Seasons

Spring: high water and reservoir releases together give the strongest flows, and smallmouth begin feeding as levels fall in May.
Summer: the best season, with release-supported flow keeping the creek paddleable and the bass fishing consistent.
Fall: clear water, light pressure and hard-feeding smallmouth make October the pick of the year for anglers.
Winter: cold and variable with the reservoir drawn down, and fish concentrated in the deepest pools.

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Questions

What is the current flow on the Big Raccoon Creek?

As of Oct 18, 4:45 pm, the USGS gauge BIG RACCOON CREEK AT COXVILLE, IN reads 104 cfs. Conditions update every 15 minutes.

What species can you catch on the Big Raccoon Creek?

Anglers target Black Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish, Common Carp, Flathead Catfish, Largemouth Bass, Longear Sunfish, Rock Bass, Smallmouth Bass, White Sucker on the Big Raccoon Creek in Indiana.

Where can you access the Big Raccoon Creek?

Coxville - the community at the gauge and the most direct approach to the middle creek. Cecil M. Harden Lake - the reservoir upstream, with formal ramps, camping and a tailwater access below the dam. Rockville - the Parke County seat, the base for covered-bridge country with lodging and supplies. Wabash River confluence - the downstream end west of Coxville, reached by county road. Turkey Run State Park - nearby state park lands giving additional public access to the area's streams. Covered bridge crossings - the historic bridges along the creek double as recognised access points. Private farm...

When is the best time to fish the Big Raccoon Creek?

Spring: high water and reservoir releases together give the strongest flows, and smallmouth begin feeding as levels fall in May. Summer: the best season, with release-supported flow keeping the creek paddleable and the bass fishing consistent. Fall: clear water, light pressure and hard-feeding smallmouth make October the pick of the year for anglers. Winter: cold and variable with the reservoir drawn down, and fish concentrated in the deepest pools.

Where are the fishing regulations for the Big Raccoon Creek?

Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the Indiana agency site: https://www.in.gov/dnr/fish-and-wildlife/fishing/fishing-regulations/