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Sugar Creek Fishing Report

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

Indiana’s canoe creek: Sugar Creek runs smallmouth past the cliffs of Turkey Run and Shades.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Flow
124 cfs
Air / High
93 / 93 F
Wind
WSW 6 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 03339500, 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 the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Sugar Creek lines up a genuinely fishable day across the board. The river is running 124 cfs, dropping and clearing. Today brings clear skies, wind WSW around 6 mph, steady pressure near 1013 hPa and a high of 93. Water sits around 73 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: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

MuskellungeExcellent

Bucktails and rubber over cabbage and rock bars; moon majors matter here more than anywhere.

Smallmouth bassGood

Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

WalleyeGood

Jig and minnow on rock reefs and points; the evening bite on wind-blown shores is the one to plan around.

Catfish (blue, channel)Good

Drift cut bait across flats near the river channel, or anchor on ledges at dusk.

Tomorrow: Similar at 93 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 Sugar Creek at Crawfordsville.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 03339500.

9062,4644,021124 cfs08/0508/1508/2509/04

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp93 F
High / Low93 / 73 F
WindWSW 6-10 mph
Pressure1012.8 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain2% cloud, 3%
Sunrise / Sunset07:18 / 20:14
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~73 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 · Clear, 93/73 F, wind 8 mph, rain 3%

Fair or better. A 8 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

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

Smallmouth bass illustration

Smallmouth bass

Best: May-Oct

Current and rock. Finds gravel flats, boulders and drop-offs, and fights far above its weight. Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

Walleye illustration

Walleye

Best: May-Jun, Oct

The glass-eyed prize of northern lakes. Low light, wind-blown structure and live bait. Jig and minnow on rock reefs and points; the evening bite on wind-blown shores is the one to plan around.

Muskellunge illustration

Muskellunge

Best: Sep-Nov

The fish of ten thousand casts. Weed edges, rock bars and big-water structure. Bucktails and rubber over cabbage and rock bars; moon majors matter here more than anywhere.

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. Drift cut bait across flats near the river channel, or anchor on ledges at dusk.

When to come: the Sugar Creek 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
Smallmouth bass
Walleye
Muskellunge
Catfish (blue, channel)
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 73 F (estimated, not a reading).

4050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~73 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 Sugar Creek 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 the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Muskellunge led the card at excellent. High of 93 F, wind to 9 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

2/5 Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing. Muskellunge led the card at excellent. High of 93 F, wind to 9 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Muskellunge led the card at excellent. High of 92 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. Smallmouth bass size and bag limits per current DNR regulations; state park entry fees apply.

Access

Shades and Turkey Run state parks, public bridge crossings, and canoe liveries near Crawfordsville.

About this water

A 90-mile creek to the Wabash River through Montgomery and Parke counties, Indiana.

Fishing Sugar Creek: the full guide

A creek through sandstone

Sugar Creek flows about 90 miles across west-central Indiana to the Wabash River, cutting sandstone gorges through Shades and Turkey Run state parks along the way. It is the state’s best-known canoe stream and a genuinely good smallmouth bass creek, with rock bass, longear sunfish and channel catfish filling out the catch.

Smallmouth in the gorges

Smallmouth hold the rock ledges, the bluff pools and the wood in the runs, taken on tubes, small crankbaits, hair jigs and topwater through the warm months. The gorge sections through the state parks hold the most striking water. Fish average creek-sized with genuine larger fish in the deeper pools.

Floating the creek

Canoe and kayak floats are the standard approach, with liveries in the Crawfordsville area serving the popular reaches through Shades and Turkey Run. Spring flows carry boats easily; late summer often drops the creek to a wade-and-drag proposition. Recreational paddling traffic is heavy on summer weekends: fish weekdays.

Montgomery and Parke county logistics

Access is via Shades State Park, Turkey Run State Park and public bridge crossings, with liveries providing shuttles. Crawfordsville is the base town, an hour from Indianapolis. Flows drop through summer: check the Crawfordsville gauge before planning a float.

Common questions

Is it good smallmouth water?

Yes: rock ledges, bluff pools and wood hold smallmouth through the warm months, with rock bass alongside.

Can I float it?

Yes: it is Indiana’s best-known canoe stream, with liveries near Crawfordsville. Late summer often gets too low.

Is it crowded?

Recreational paddling is heavy on summer weekends through the state parks. Fish weekdays or early.

Is fishing good at Sugar Creek 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

Cagles Mill Lake37 miWhite River42 miGeist Reservoir52 miMississinewa Lake69 miTippecanoe River71 miLake Monroe72 mi
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