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White River Fishing Report, Indiana

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

The West Fork of the White River through Indianapolis: smallmouth bass, channel and flathead catfish in a river recovering from the 1999 fish kill.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Flow
1,310 cfs
Air / High
70 / 70 F
Wind
E 6 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 03360500, 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.

White River is in transition: bait on the move and predators following. The river is running 1,310 cfs, on the rise. Today brings clear skies, wind E around 6 mph, steady pressure near 1025 hPa and a high of 70. Water sits around 62 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 10:20 AM-12:20 PM and 10:49 PM-12:49 AM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Smallmouth bassGood

Spring pre-spawn and fall: Iowa DNR notes the larger bass come up to shallow structure, where a shallow-running minnow bait or a spinnerbait just under the surface works.

Catfish (blue, channel)Good

In spring after ice-out, Iowa finds channel cats feeding on winter-killed shad on the shallow, warmer mudflats at the upper ends of reservoirs; cut bait on the bottom works there.

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 smallmouth 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 White River at Newberry.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 03360500.

1,2171,6522,0861,310 cfs09/2310/0310/1310/23

Today’s flow against 98 years of October 23

At 1,310 cfs, the flow at USGS gauge 03360500 (White River at Newberry) is at the 58th percentile for the date: normal. In half of the 98 years of approved record the daily mean on October 23 was below 1,055 cfs; the highest was 12,500 cfs and the lowest 243 cfs.

p10 472median 1,055p90 3,560

Percentiles of the daily mean flow for this date, from the USGS Water Data Statistics API for gauge 03360500; today’s reading is the latest instantaneous value. Classes follow the ones the USGS used on its WaterWatch maps (retired at the end of 2025): below 10th, much below normal; 10th–24th, below; 25th–75th, normal; 76th–90th, above; over 90th, much above.

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp70 F
High / Low70 / 43 F
WindE 6-8 mph
Pressure1024.6 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain4% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset08:03 / 18:54
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (seasonal)~62 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 White River this week

The best day on White River this week looks like Monday Oct 26, at 4 out of 5, against 3 today.

Best day this week: Monday, Oct 26 β€” good at 4/5, 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
10:20 AM-12:20 PM and 10:49 PM-12:49 AM
Minor period
4:42 AM-5:42 AM
Sun
08:03 to 18:54
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Overcast, 6 mph
Rain chance
0%

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

Species guide

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

Smallmouth bass illustration

Smallmouth bass

Best: spring and fall, when bigger fish come shallow

A bronze-brown black bass of clear, cool streams and rocky lakes, with dark vertical bars instead of a side stripe. Michigan DNR says its southeastern coast, from Port Huron to Lake Erie, is known nationally for both the size and the number of its smallmouth. Spring pre-spawn and fall: Iowa DNR notes the larger bass come up to shallow structure, where a shallow-running minnow bait or a spinnerbait just under the surface works.

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. In spring after ice-out, Iowa finds channel cats feeding on winter-killed shad on the shallow, warmer mudflats at the upper ends of reservoirs; cut bait on the bottom works there.

When to come: the White River 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
Catfish (blue, channel)
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 62 F (estimated, not a reading).

4050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~62 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 White River today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Oct 22

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Smallmouth bass led the card at good. High of 73 F, wind to 6 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Smallmouth bass led the card at good. High of 73 F, wind to 4 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

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

Anglers need an Indiana fishing license. DNR's 2020 survey sheet for the Indianapolis reach lists a black bass 12- to 15-inch slot limit with no more than 2 over 15 inches; confirm in the current Indiana Fishing Regulation Guide. Check the Indiana Fish Consumption Advisory before keeping fish.

Access

Southwestway Park (Indy Parks), Indianapolis: shoreline fishing. DNR Fish Management District 4: (765) 342-5527.

About this water

The West Fork White River, about 362 river miles from Randolph County to the Wabash; this page covers the reach through Indianapolis, Marion County. Flow: USGS gauge 03360500, White River at Newberry, well downstream of Indianapolis.

Fishing White River: the full guide

A river through the capital

The West Fork White River runs from its source in Randolph County through Anderson and Indianapolis to its confluence with the Wabash near Mount Carmel, Illinois; an Indiana DNR and IDEM survey team covered 362 river miles of it in 2020. In 1999 Guide Corporation, an Anderson maker of automotive lights, sent toxic wastewater through the city's treatment plant into the river; the U.S. EPA reported that the spill killed more than 100 tons of fish along a 40-mile stretch from Anderson to Indianapolis.

Signs of recovery

DNR's Outdoor Indiana magazine reported in 2022 that the 2020 survey, sampling 62 sites, showed the river trending positive for water quality and for the variety and quantity of fish. At the Southwestway Park station in Indianapolis (river mile 222.1), DNR biologists collected 23 species; smallmouth bass up to 12.8 inches, channel catfish of 15 to 23 inches and flathead catfish up to 38 inches were among them, and the station's habitat score was excellent. Invasive silver carp and grass carp also turned up.

What to fish for

DNR names smallmouth bass, common carp, flathead catfish and channel catfish as the best fishing at the Southwestway Park station, where Indy Parks owns the shoreline and bank fishing is available.

Common questions

Has the river recovered from the 1999 fish kill?

DNR reported in 2022 that its 2020 survey showed the river trending positive for water quality and for fish variety and numbers, two decades after the spill killed more than 100 tons of fish.

Where can I fish from the bank in Indianapolis?

Southwestway Park, owned by Indy Parks, offers shoreline fishing; DNR rates smallmouth bass and catfish as the best fishing there.

What are the bass rules?

DNR's survey sheet lists a 12- to 15-inch slot with no more than 2 bass over 15 inches; check the current Indiana regulations.

Is fishing good at White River 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

Geist Reservoir19 miCagles Mill Lake41 miSugar Creek42 miLake Monroe50 miWabash River59 miBrookville Lake66 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

River and reservoir readings
USGS 03360500 β€” White River at Newberry
Read from the USGS Water Data API (api.waterdata.usgs.gov). Latest value timestamped 2026-10-23 at 18:30 UTC.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 39.7500, -86.2000 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.