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Cagles Mill Lake Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Oct 23, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Cagles Mill Lake: Indiana's first flood-control reservoir, a 1,400-acre Corps lake at Lieber SRA known to IDNR for walleye, white bass, channel catfish and white crappie.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Water temp
~74 F est.
Air / High
69 / 69 F
Wind
ENE 5 mph

Sources: Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Tap a marker for today's tip
Friday
23
October 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

3/5Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Cagles Mill Lake sits in the sweet spot of the season: active fish and workable weather. Today brings clear skies, wind ENE around 5 mph, steady pressure near 1024 hPa and a high of 69. Water sits around 74 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 10:23 AM-12:23 PM and 10:52 PM-12:52 AM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Largemouth bassGood

The main feeding season after the spawn: work moving baits along weed edges, points and wood, and follow up with a soft plastic where a fish swirls.

Catfish (blue, channel)Good

Spawning season from late May into summer: Iowa DNR suggests drifting bait under a float along riprap and snags where males guard nests in cavities.

WalleyeGood

Summer pattern: nightcrawlers and leeches on rigs or jigs near bottom, trolled crankbaits to find scattered fish, and the shallows after dark in clear lakes.

CrappieFair

Early in this band crappie are spawning in protected coves; afterward they move to docks, brush piles and standing timber near deeper water.

White bassFair

Summer and early fall schooling season over open water; follow the shad, and try live bait on the bottom at night.

Tomorrow: Similar at 70 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Oct 24, 6:30 AMHow this report is made β†’

Before you go

Indiana requires a fishing licence, from $23.00 for residents. What a Indiana licence costs and where to buy it β†’

Chasing largemouth bass here? Check the size and bag limits with DNR before you keep anything. The season dates for Indiana, read off the agency, are on the Indiana seasons page.

Water and weather

Live readings.

No live gauge on this water

Conditions here are modeled from weather, season and the nearest stations. Water readings appear when a USGS gauge is available.

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~74 F now

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp69 F
High / Low69 / 44 F
WindENE 5-7 mph
Pressure1024.1 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset08:06 / 18:57
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (seasonal)~74 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Which day to fish Cagles Mill Lake this week

The best day on Cagles Mill Lake this week looks like Monday Oct 26, at 5 out of 5, against 3 today.

Best day this week: Monday, Oct 26 β€” excellent at 5/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.

Today, Oct 23 β€” Fair

A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Solunar majors
10:23 AM-12:23 PM and 10:52 PM-12:52 AM
Minor period
4:45 AM-5:45 AM
Sun
08:06 to 18:57
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Clear, 6 mph
Rain chance
0%

Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out: how the score is built.

Species guide

The species that matter on Cagles Mill Lake: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Largemouth bass illustration

Largemouth bass

Best: the spring pre-spawn and the fall feed

A warm-water sunfish of lakes, reservoirs, ponds and slow river backwaters that holds tight to cover: weeds, logs, rock ledges and docks. In Texas, TPWD surveys rank it "by far" the freshwater fish anglers most want to catch. The main feeding season after the spawn: work moving baits along weed edges, points and wood, and follow up with a soft plastic where a fish swirls.

Crappie illustration

Crappie

Best: the spring spawn; summer around docks, brush and the thermocline

Two slab-sided panfish, the white crappie and the black crappie, that gather around submerged timber, brush piles, docks and bridge pilings in lakes, reservoirs and slow river backwaters. Texas Parks and Wildlife counts crappie as the state's most popular panfish. Early in this band crappie are spawning in protected coves; afterward they move to docks, brush piles and standing timber near deeper water.

Catfish (blue, channel) illustration

Catfish (blue, channel)

Year-round, best at dusk and after dark

Three big catfish share most of the country's rivers and reservoirs: the channel catfish, the most widespread; the blue catfish, the largest; and the flathead, which hunts live fish. All feed mostly on or near the bottom. Spawning season from late May into summer: Iowa DNR suggests drifting bait under a float along riprap and snags where males guard nests in cavities.

White bass illustration

White bass

Best: the spring run up the tributaries, then summer surface schools

A silvery temperate bass of rivers and large reservoirs, also called sand bass, that schools in open water after shad and runs up tributaries to spawn in early spring. Summer and early fall schooling season over open water; follow the shad, and try live bait on the bottom at night.

Walleye illustration

Walleye

Best: spring and late fall, around dawn, dusk and night

A cool-water perch of large lakes, reservoirs and rivers whose reflective eyes are built for low light, so it feeds most at night and in murky water. The Missouri Department of Conservation ranks it among the continent's most important freshwater game fish. Summer pattern: nightcrawlers and leeches on rigs or jigs near bottom, trolled crankbaits to find scattered fish, and the shallows after dark in clear lakes.

When to come: the Cagles Mill Lake calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Largemouth bass
Crappie
Catfish (blue, channel)
White bass
Walleye
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 74 F (estimated, not a reading).

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~74 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Cagles Mill Lake today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Oct 22

2/5 Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing. Largemouth bass led the card at good. High of 72 F, wind to 5 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Largemouth bass led the card at good. High of 73 F, wind to 5 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Largemouth bass led the card at good. High of 71 F, wind to 4 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
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Before you go

License

Indiana requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Indiana license; statewide rules (walleye 14-inch minimum, per IDNR's survey sheet). State recreation area entry fee, and boats must display an IDNR lake permit.

Access

Lieber SRA ramp and marina, the Cunot ramp, and Cagles Mill Tailwater Park (Corps, bank fishing, no boats). About five miles southwest of Cloverdale via SR 42 or SR 243. Property office: 765-276-0194.

About this water

1,400-acre Corps of Engineers flood-control reservoir (1952) on Mill Creek, Owen and Putnam counties, Indiana.

Fishing Cagles Mill Lake: the full guide

Built for flood control

IDNR says Cagles Mill Lake was built in 1952 as Indiana's first flood-control reservoir, protecting the Eel and White river watersheds. Mill Creek feeds the 1,400-acre lake, and Cataract Falls lies on Mill Creek within the Cataract Falls State Recreation Area. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers owns the lake, which IDNR surveys put at 40 feet deep at most.

IDNR's best bets

IDNR's survey sheets list white bass, walleye, channel catfish and white crappie as the best fishing. Its 2021 survey found gizzard shad making up more than half the catch, which IDNR links to a shortage of larger bluegill; white crappie to 12.7 inches, channel catfish to 28.1 inches, white bass to 14.8 inches and largemouth to 19.1 inches were also sampled.

Walleye

Walleye are stocked every year (84,005 fingerlings in 2024). IDNR's October 2024 survey collected 77 walleye from 6.8 to 25.0 inches and found good survival of stocked fingerlings; walleye here reach the 14-inch minimum length at about age 2.

Lieber SRA facilities

Lieber State Recreation Area has a marina with boat rentals, a dock store and fuel, 115 Class A and 94 Class B campsites, and an aquatic center open Memorial Day to Labor Day. On October 8, 2026 IDNR had a yellow blue-green algae advisory at the Lieber beach: swimming and boating allowed, but avoid contact with algae and keep pets out of affected water.

Common questions

What fish does IDNR rate best here?

White bass, walleye, channel catfish and white crappie.

Is walleye stocked?

Yes, every year; IDNR stocked 84,005 fingerlings in 2024 and found good survival in its fall survey.

Do I need a permit to launch?

Yes: the state recreation areas charge an entry fee, and boats must display an IDNR lake permit.

Is fishing good at Cagles Mill Lake right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Nearby waters

Sugar Creek38 miLake Monroe39 miWhite River41 miGeist Reservoir60 miWabash River65 miPatoka Lake75 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 39.4848, -86.8945 in this water's own timezone. A model, not an observation.
Moon and solunar windows
Calculated on this site
Astronomical calculation from these coordinates and the date, not a third-party feed. How much weight it deserves.
Pages checked
The facts in the written guide were checked against these pages, from the agencies and operators that manage the water, on October 8, 2026. Anything we could not verify was taken out.
The written guide on this page
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
How this page was made. The daily report is computed by our scoring engine from live readings; nobody types it. The written text was drafted with AI assistance from the official pages listed above, and its facts were checked against those pages by automated verification on October 8, 2026; anything that could not be verified was taken out. Pablo Ruiz Quintero sets every guideline, the data-verification system and the minimum standards a page must meet to be published, reviews page structure and approves what goes live; the responsibility is his, and the AI carries out the work. We work this way because it is how one person can keep every page current with named sources. Errors are published in the verification log; the full policy is in the editorial policy.

Readings refresh on a 30-minute window. The full method, with every figure and its source, is on how our reports are made. Something wrong here? Tell us and it goes in the log with the date.