Salamonie Lake Fishing Guides
A Corps of Engineers flood control reservoir on the Salamonie River in the Upper Wabash chain, gauged for lake elevation, with a large state recreation area and a well-earned crappie and catfish reputation.
Guides on the Salamonie Lake
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About the Salamonie Lake
Salamonie Lake is the middle link in the Upper Wabash reservoir chain in northeast Indiana, impounding the Salamonie River between Andrews and Lagro before it reaches the Wabash. Like its neighbours Huntington and Mississinewa, it was built by the Corps of Engineers primarily for flood control, and that purpose shapes everything about how it fishes. The lake runs long and narrow through wooded ravine country, with clay banks, standing timber in the upper arms and a large seasonal swing in water level.
The gauge reads lake elevation, and on a reservoir operated this way that single number does most of the work. Salamonie is held near summer pool for recreation and then pulled down substantially for winter, exposing broad mudflats and moving the fishable water a long way from the summer shoreline. Reading the elevation before a trip tells you which ramps are in the water, whether the upper timber is flooded and accessible, and how concentrated the fish are likely to be.
Crappie are the lake’s signature fishery, holding on submerged brush, standing timber and the fish attractors the state maintains, and spring is a genuinely busy season for them. Largemouth work the wood and the rock riprap, smallmouth and spotted bass turn up on the harder bottom, and walleye and saugeye are stocked and caught. Channel and flathead catfish are abundant and get large, and white bass run up the river arm in spring.
Access is excellent. Salamonie Lake is part of a large state recreation area with several ramps, campgrounds, a beach and extensive trails, and the Salamonie River tailwater below the dam fishes well for catfish and white bass. Huntington and Wabash both sit close by with tackle and lodging.
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The photo at the top of this page is not Salamonie 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-0.04 ft → steady
Reading taken 2h ago at USGS 03324450, SALAMONIE LAKE AT DORA, IN. Elevation is the surface of the lake above the survey datum, not depth. Source.
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Access
Salamonie Lake State Recreation Area - the state property surrounding the lake, with ramps, campgrounds and trails.
Andrews - the small town near the upper end, the nearest community to the river arm.
Lagro - the village toward the dam end, a useful landmark and access point.
Huntington - the county seat northeast, with full services, tackle and its own reservoir nearby.
Wabash - the town southwest, with services, lodging and access to the Wabash River.
Salamonie Dam - the Corps structure at the foot of the lake, with a tailwater fishery below.
Mississinewa Lake - the neighbouring reservoir in the same chain, worth pairing on a longer trip.
Seasons
Spring: the best season by a distance, with crappie on the brush, white bass in the river arm and bass moving shallow.
Summer: full pool and warm water, with catfish, bluegill and early morning bass the dependable options.
Fall: the drawdown begins and concentrates fish, making this an efficient time to find crappie and bass.
Winter: low pool and cold, with ice fishing in hard years and the tailwater the better open-water bet.
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Questions
What species can you catch on the Salamonie Lake?
Anglers target Black Crappie, Blue Catfish, Bluegill, Channel Catfish, Common Carp, Flathead Catfish, Freshwater Drum, Hybrid Striped Bass, Largemouth Bass, Redear Sunfish, Saugeye, Smallmouth Bass, Spotted Bass, Walleye, White Bass, White Crappie, Yellow Perch on the Salamonie Lake in Indiana.
Where can you access the Salamonie Lake?
Salamonie Lake State Recreation Area - the state property surrounding the lake, with ramps, campgrounds and trails. Andrews - the small town near the upper end, the nearest community to the river arm. Lagro - the village toward the dam end, a useful landmark and access point. Huntington - the county seat northeast, with full services, tackle and its own reservoir nearby. Wabash - the town southwest, with services, lodging and access to the Wabash River. Salamonie Dam - the Corps structure at the foot of the lake, with a tailwater fishery below. Mississinewa Lake - the neighbouring reservoir in...
When is the best time to fish the Salamonie Lake?
Spring: the best season by a distance, with crappie on the brush, white bass in the river arm and bass moving shallow. Summer: full pool and warm water, with catfish, bluegill and early morning bass the dependable options. Fall: the drawdown begins and concentrates fish, making this an efficient time to find crappie and bass. Winter: low pool and cold, with ice fishing in hard years and the tailwater the better open-water bet.
Where are the fishing regulations for the Salamonie 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/