Share your catch

Salamonie Lake Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Northeast Indiana timber water: Salamonie holds crappie, bass and catfish behind a flood-control dam.

3/5
Fair. Fish early or late.Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows.
Flow
4,640 cfs
Air / High
87 / 89 F
Wind
SSE 6 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 03325000, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 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 early or late.Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows.

Salamonie Lake locks in another hot, bright day: the fish know the drill and so should you. The river is running 4,640 cfs, on the rise. Today brings clear skies, wind SSE around 6 mph, steady pressure near 1013 hPa and a high of 89. Water sits around 84 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: plan around them and beat the heat.

The plan, species by species

Catfish (blue, channel)Good

Anchor on 20-30 ft baited holes with punch bait or cut shad. They keep biting through the heat when everything else quits.

Largemouth bassFair

Topwater at first light on points and seawalls, then slide out to 12-25 ft brush and points with a Carolina rig, deep crank or drop shot. The bite is dawn, dusk or deep.

White bassFair

Early schooling action over humps; slabs and small spinners under the birds.

CrappieSlow

Straight down on bridge pilings and deep brush at 15-25 ft. Minnows outfish jigs in hot water; move until the graph shows them stacked.

Tomorrow: Cooler at 83 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings from Wabash River at Wabash (regional).

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 03325000.

1,4863,9616,4374,640 cfs08/0508/1508/2509/04

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp87 F
High / Low89 / 73 F
WindSSE 6-8 mph
Pressure1012.5 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain2% cloud, 4%
Sunrise / Sunset07:12 / 20:10
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~84 F est.

Bite planner

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

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Partly cloudy, 89/73 F, wind 14 mph, rain 4%

Fair or better. A 14 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

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

Largemouth bass illustration

Largemouth bass

Best: spring and fall

The headline act on most American reservoirs. Relates to cover: docks, brush, grass edges and points. Topwater at first light on points and seawalls, then slide out to 12-25 ft brush and points with a Carolina rig, deep crank or drop shot. The bite is dawn, dusk or deep.

Crappie illustration

Crappie

Best: Nov-Mar

Brush piles, bridge pilings and standing timber. The fish fry favorite. Straight down on bridge pilings and deep brush at 15-25 ft. Minnows outfish jigs in hot water; move until the graph shows them stacked.

Catfish (blue, channel) illustration

Catfish (blue, channel)

Good year-round

The most reliable bite on most southern waters. Blues run big; channels fill the cooler. Anchor on 20-30 ft baited holes with punch bait or cut shad. They keep biting through the heat when everything else quits.

White bass illustration

White bass

Best: Mar-May run

River-run spawners and open-water schoolers. Fast limits when you find them. Early schooling action over humps; slabs and small spinners under the birds.

When to come: the Salamonie 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
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 84 F (estimated, not a reading).

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~84 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 Salamonie Lake today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at good. High of 93 F, wind to 14 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

2/5 Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at good. High of 91 F, wind to 11 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at excellent. High of 90 F, wind to 10 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used to send you this water's report each week. No spam, ever.

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. Crappie, bass and catfish limits per current DNR regulations.

Access

Salamonie Lake State Recreation Area ramps, campgrounds and shoreline; tailwater access below the dam.

About this water

A 2,600-acre Corps flood-control reservoir on the Salamonie River, Huntington and Wabash counties, Indiana.

Fishing Salamonie Lake: the full guide

A Corps lake with swings

Salamonie Lake covers about 2,600 acres at summer pool on the Salamonie River in northeast Indiana, a flood-control reservoir drawn down substantially each winter. That annual cycle floods and drains shoreline cover, keeping the fishery productive: crappie, largemouth bass, channel and flathead catfish, bluegill and walleye all swim here, with standing timber in the upper arms.

Crappie and bass

Crappie are the mainstay: they hold the timber, brush and any submerged cover, with spring the peak as fish move shallow. Largemouth relate to the same wood and the rocky shorelines, taking jigs, plastics and spinnerbaits. The winter drawdown exposes structure worth scouting for the following season, a trick local anglers use every year.

Catfish and the tailwater

Channel and flathead catfish grow large in the fertile water, fished with cut and live bait on the flats and channel edges. Below the dam, the Salamonie River tailwater concentrates fish during releases and is a productive shore fishery. The reservoir connects conceptually with nearby Mississinewa and Huntington lakes, all managed together.

Huntington County logistics

Salamonie Lake State Recreation Area provides ramps, camping and shoreline access, with the Corps managing water levels. Winter drawdown drops the lake dramatically, affecting ramp usability from late fall through spring: check current pool. Huntington and Wabash are the nearby towns, with Fort Wayne about an hour northeast.

Common questions

How big is the drawdown?

Substantial: the lake drops dramatically each winter for flood storage, affecting ramps from late fall through spring.

Where do crappie hold?

In the timber and brush, especially the upper arms: spring brings them shallow and produces the year’s best fishing.

Is the tailwater worth fishing?

Yes: releases concentrate catfish and other species in the current below the dam, with easy shore access.

Is fishing good at Salamonie 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 early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows.

Nearby waters

Mississinewa Lake18 miLake Wawasee42 miTippecanoe River50 miGeist Reservoir62 miGrand Lake St Marys62 miSt. Joseph River78 mi
Share your catch