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Salamonie Lake Fishing Report

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

Crappie water on the upper Wabash: Salamonie Lake’s 2,665 acres, with walleye and white bass in the tailwater below the dam.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Lake level
753.41 ft
Air / High
68 / 68 F
Wind
E 7 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 03324450, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
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.

Salamonie Lake lines up a genuinely fishable day across the board. The gauge reads 753.41 ft, easing 0.18 over the week. Today brings clear skies, wind E around 7 mph, steady pressure near 1025 hPa and a high of 68. Water sits around 74 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 10:17 AM-12:17 PM and 10:47 PM-12:47 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 68 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Oct 24, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Before you go

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

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 from Salamonie Lake at Dora, IN.

Water level, last 30 days

USGS gauge 03324450.

755.56759.56763.56753.41 ft09/2310/0210/1210/21

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp68 F
High / Low68 / 39 F
WindE 7-8 mph
Pressure1025.0 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain1% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset08:02 / 18:50
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 Salamonie Lake this week

The best day on Salamonie Lake this week looks like Saturday Oct 24, at 5 out of 5, against 3 today.

Best day this week: Saturday, Oct 24 — excellent at 5/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.

Today, Oct 23 — Fair

A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Solunar majors
10:17 AM-12:17 PM and 10:47 PM-12:47 AM
Minor period
4:40 AM-5:40 AM
Sun
08:02 to 18:50
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Overcast, 9 mph
Rain chance
0%

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

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: 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 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
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 Salamonie Lake today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Oct 22

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Largemouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 70 F, wind to 6 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 68 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 70 F, wind to 5 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 fishing license. See the current Indiana DNR fishing regulations for crappie, bass, walleye and catfish limits.

Access

Five concrete ramps (Dora is the deepest), a marina, and DNR recreation areas at Lost Bridge West and East, Dora-New Holland, Mount Etna and Mount Hope; bank fishing in the tailwater below the dam.

About this water

A 2,665-acre Corps of Engineers flood-control lake between Wabash, Huntington and Marion, Indiana, with 12,554 acres of DNR-managed land.

Fishing Salamonie Lake: the full guide

A flood-control lake

The Corps of Engineers built Salamonie Lake for flood control. The Indiana DNR Division of State Parks manages 12,554 acres of land around the 2,665-acre lake, which sits between Wabash, Huntington and Marion. DNR recreation areas include Lost Bridge West and East, Dora-New Holland, Mount Etna and Mount Hope.

Crappie all year

DNR describes the white crappie fishing as excellent throughout the year. Boat anglers find fish near fish attractors, off points and in wooded inlets; bank spots include the marina cove, the SR 105 causeway, the Majenica Creek bridge, CR 750 E, the Dora cul-de-sac and CR 680 E. Ice fishing runs from late December to late February, with the SR 105 causeway, Dora-New Holland and the beach the popular spots.

The tailwater and catfish

DNR says walleye are rarely caught in the lake itself but come from the tailwater all year, best in spring and fall in the deep holes right below the dam. White bass are sporadic in the lake and good in the tailwater through the warmer months. At summer pool, catfish bite along the shoreline near Pirates Cove Marina.

Winter pool and ramps

The lake drops to winter pool, and DNR pulls the shallow-water markers in late fall. Of the five concrete ramps, Dora is the deepest and the only one that can provide boat access through December at winter pool. Water clarity is best from July to October, and 10 fishing ponds on the property hold bluegill, redear sunfish and largemouth bass.

Common questions

Which ramp works at winter pool?

Dora. DNR says it is the deepest ramp and the only one that can provide boat access through December when the lake is at winter pool.

Where are walleye caught?

Mostly in the tailwater. DNR says walleye are rarely caught in the lake but are taken below the dam all year, especially in spring and fall.

Is there ice fishing?

Yes, from late December to late February, with the SR 105 causeway, Dora-New Holland and the beach the usual spots.

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 the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Nearby waters

Mississinewa Lake18 miLake Wawasee42 miTippecanoe River50 miSylvan Lake50 miLake Freeman59 miGeist Reservoir62 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

River and reservoir readings
USGS 03324450 — Salamonie Lake at Dora, IN
Read from the USGS Water Data API (api.waterdata.usgs.gov). Latest value timestamped 2026-10-21 at 16:45 UTC.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 40.8000, -85.6300 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 5, 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 5, 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.