Cecil M. Harden Lake Fishing Guides
The Parke County reservoir better known as Raccoon Lake, with reservoir elevation and rainfall on the gauge, in the covered bridge country of west central Indiana.
Guides on the Cecil M. Harden Lake
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About the Cecil M. Harden Lake
Cecil M. Harden Lake impounds Big Raccoon Creek in Parke County, west central Indiana, and almost everyone who fishes it calls it Raccoon Lake. It covers around two thousand acres and was built for flood control on the Wabash tributary system, with recreation and low flow augmentation as secondary purposes. The setting is genuinely attractive country, wooded ravines and farmland in the part of Indiana famous for its covered bridges, and the lake has a long irregular shoreline with plenty of timbered points and creek arms.
The gauge here is more comprehensively instrumented than most reservoir sites. It reports reservoir elevation and rainfall at the dam, and a further set of sensors for water temperature, dissolved oxygen, conductance and chlorophyll is installed but not currently returning values. The elevation record is the one to use. Because the lake is operated for flood control the pool moves, sometimes substantially and quickly after heavy rain in the Big Raccoon catchment, and the rainfall trace at the same site gives advance warning of a rise. Fish shift between flooded cover and main lake structure on exactly that signal.
Largemouth bass are the main fishery, with smallmouth and spotted bass present around rock and the lower creek arms. Crappie are numerous and hold on brush and standing timber, and bluegill and redear sunfish are abundant enough to make a good family trip. Channel catfish are widespread and flathead catfish reach large sizes in the upper arms. The state stocks walleye and saugeye, adding a genuine cool water component that many Indiana reservoirs lack. Raccoon Lake State Recreation Area provides ramps, camping, a beach and extensive shoreline access, and the tailwater below the dam is worth fishing in its own right.
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The photo at the top of this page is not Cecil M. Harden Lake.
It is a regional stand-in, honestly captioned but generic — we will not put a name to a river we cannot prove. Send us a photograph you took here and it replaces the stand-in, with your credit on it.
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Pool right now
- 24 hours-0.03 ft → steady
Reading taken 32 min ago at USGS 03340870, CECIL M. HARDEN LAKE AT FERNDALE, IN. Elevation is the surface of the lake above the survey datum, not depth. Source.
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Access
Rockville - the county seat north, with services, lodging, supplies and the covered bridge festival.
Raccoon Lake State Recreation Area - the state park on the lake, with ramps, camping and a beach.
Cecil M. Harden Dam - the outlet at the west end, with tailwater fishing and bank access.
Big Raccoon Creek - the inflow above and the tailwater below, holding smallmouth and catfish.
Crawfordsville - half an hour northeast, with fuller services and tackle.
Turkey Run State Park - north on Sugar Creek, a good companion destination with stream fishing.
Indianapolis - an hour east, with the nearest major airport and complete outfitting.
Seasons
Spring: the pick of the year, with bass and crappie shallow and the pool typically full.
Summer: warm with bass on deeper structure, good bluegill fishing and strong night catfishing.
Fall: excellent as the water cools and turns over, with bass and crappie feeding hard.
Winter: cold and slow with limited and variable ice, though crappie remain catchable in the deeper timber.
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Questions
What species can you catch on the Cecil M. Harden Lake?
Anglers target Black Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish, Common Carp, Flathead Catfish, Freshwater Drum, Largemouth Bass, Redear Sunfish, Saugeye, Smallmouth Bass, Spotted Bass, Walleye, White Bass, White Crappie, Yellow Perch on the Cecil M. Harden Lake in Indiana.
Where can you access the Cecil M. Harden Lake?
Rockville - the county seat north, with services, lodging, supplies and the covered bridge festival. Raccoon Lake State Recreation Area - the state park on the lake, with ramps, camping and a beach. Cecil M. Harden Dam - the outlet at the west end, with tailwater fishing and bank access. Big Raccoon Creek - the inflow above and the tailwater below, holding smallmouth and catfish. Crawfordsville - half an hour northeast, with fuller services and tackle. Turkey Run State Park - north on Sugar Creek, a good companion destination with stream fishing. Indianapolis - an hour east, with the nearest m...
When is the best time to fish the Cecil M. Harden Lake?
Spring: the pick of the year, with bass and crappie shallow and the pool typically full. Summer: warm with bass on deeper structure, good bluegill fishing and strong night catfishing. Fall: excellent as the water cools and turns over, with bass and crappie feeding hard. Winter: cold and slow with limited and variable ice, though crappie remain catchable in the deeper timber.
Where are the fishing regulations for the Cecil M. Harden Lake?
Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the Indiana agency site: https://www.in.gov/dnr/fish-and-wildlife/fishing/