James Lake Fishing
This lake lies in Kosciusko County, 286 acres (NHD outline area).
Pick for yellow perchPiscifun Carbon X ultralight spinning reel28% OFFSale $57.99 Photo of Warsaw: Brad P, CC BY 2.0
Taking stock of James Lake
James Lake is a lake in Kosciusko County; its mapped outline covers 286 acres (NHD outline area). Syracuse sits about 7 miles from the lake point, the nearest place on the Census list.
You can launch from 1 boat ramp that the DNR maps.
Acres are the NHD outline area of the mapped lake (USGS National Hydrography Dataset via IndianaMap), not a DNR survey figure. Indiana DNR public lakes layer (county, owner, fisheries district number, location text), read November 5, 2026. Census 2023 places.
What the DNR lake layer records for James Lake
- Owner (DNR)State
- DNR districtDNR fisheries district 3
- Public freshwater lakeon the Indiana list of public freshwater lakes
The attribute text for James Lake above is as the DNR stores it.
Indiana DNR public lakes layer (county, owner, fisheries district number, location text), read November 5, 2026.
Species on the DNR list for James Lake
At James Lake the list mirrors DNR labels; no angler reports went into it.
Indiana DNR lake layer and Fishing Access Sites species fields, Indiana DNR fish stocking dashboard (year, month, water, species, number and average length as listed; repeat stockings summed by DNR), read November 5, 2026; Indiana DNR Indiana Record Fish Program list (keeper: Indiana DNR Division of Fish & Wildlife (Indiana Record Fish Program); angler names left off here), read November 5, 2026.
For the yellow perch herePiscifun Carbon XT ultralight spinning reel25% OFFSale $59.99 Ramps onto James Lake
| Site | Type | Recorded attributes | Managed by |
|---|---|---|---|
| James Lake (Use Grassy Creek Ramp) | boat ramp | other ramp, no fee recorded | Public Freshwater Lake |
More DNR launches that reach James Lake
- Grassy Creek boat rampGrassy Creek (Kosciusko and Whitley Counties), under a mile southwest
- Banning Lake boat rampBanning Lake, 1 mile southwest
- Sechrist Lake (Use Kuhn or Grassy Creek Ramp)Sechrist Lake, 2 miles south
- Oswego Lake (Use Grassy Creek Ramp)Oswego Lake, 2 miles west
- Little Barbee Lake boat rampLittle Barbee Lake, 2 miles south
- Webster Lake (Use Backwater Lake Ramp)Webster Lake, 2 miles east
Indiana DNR Fishing Access Sites layer (shown on the DNR Where to Fish map; attributes as recorded, blank where not recorded), read November 5, 2026.
Mapped depths at James Lake
The DNR has published 1 contour map for James Lake.
Indiana DNR lake depth maps (PDF bathymetry by lake), read November 5, 2026.
Indiana limits in force on James Lake
| Species as printed | Daily limit | Size limit |
|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | Unlimited | no size limit |
| Redear Sunfish | 25 | no size limit |
| Black Bass: largemouth, smallmouth, and spotted bass (in lakes) | 5, any combination of largemouth, smallmouth, or spotted bass | 14 inches |
| Black Bass: largemouth, smallmouth, and spotted bass (in rivers and streams) | 5, any combination of largemouth, smallmouth, or spotted bass | No fish 12 to 15 inches may be kept, and no more than two fish over 15 inches may be kept |
| Black Bass: largemouth, smallmouth, and spotted bass (in Lake Michigan) | 3, any combination of largemouth, smallmouth, or spotted bass | 14 inches |
| Yellow Bass | Unlimited | no size limit |
| White Bass, Hybrid Striped Bass | 12, any combination of white bass or hybrid striped bass | No more than two fish may exceed 17 inches |
| Striped Bass | 2 | no size limit |
| Rock Bass | 25 | no size limit |
| Crappie | 25 | no size limit |
| Walleye, Walleye-Sauger Hybrid (Saugeye), Sauger | 6, any combination of walleye, walleye-sauger hybrid, and sauger | For walleye: 14 inches south of SR 26; 16 inches north of SR 26 For sauger and saugeye: No size limit |
| Muskellunge and Tiger Muskellunge | 1 muskellunge or 1 tiger muskellunge | 36 inches |
| Northern Pike | 3 | 24 inches; no more than one 30 inches or longer |
| Yellow Perch | Unlimited (15 only on Lake Michigan) | no size limit |
| Catfish: Channel, Blue, Flathead (in rivers and streams) | Unlimited | 13 inches; not more than one blue catfish that’s at least 35 inches, one flathead catfish at least 35 inches, and one channel catfish at least 28 inches or longer may be kept |
| Catfish: Channel, Blue, Flathead (in lakes) | 10 | None; not more than one blue catfish that’s at least 35 inches, one flathead catfish at least 35 inches, and one channel catfish at least 28 inches or longer may be kept |
| Bullhead | Unlimited | no size limit |
| Shovelnose Sturgeon | Unlimited | 25 inches (fork length) |
Those statewide guide rows govern James Lake unless a special regulation line says otherwise.
- Walleye size lineWalleye taken from all public waters (lakes, rivers, and streams) south of State Road 26 must be 14 inches or longer. Walleye taken north of State Road 26 must be 16 inches in length or longer, except for: Bass Lake (Starke County) and Wolf Lake (Lake County); minimum size 14 inches Lake George (Steuben County); minimum size 15 inches Wall Lake (LaGrange County); minimum size 16 inches with a daily bag limit of two walleye There is no minimum size requirement for saugeye on all state waters, except for Huntingburg Lake (Dubois County), Glenn Flint Lake (Putnam County), and Sullivan Lake …
Anglers 18 and older carry an Indiana fishing license ($23 a year for residents, $60 for nonresidents).
Statewide limits as printed, 2026-2027 Indiana Fishing Regulations Guide (eRegulations, linked from the Indiana DNR), read November 5, 2026. Indiana DNR license fees (license year April 1 to March 31), read November 5, 2026.
State marks set on James Lake
| Species | Weight as printed | Year | Water as listed | County |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Muskellunge | 42 lb. 8 oz. | 2002 | James Lake | Kosciusko |
Indiana DNR Indiana Record Fish Program list (keeper: Indiana DNR Division of Fish & Wildlife (Indiana Record Fish Program); angler names left off here), read November 5, 2026.
James Lake beside its Indiana neighbours
Tippecanoe Lake covers the most water in this group around James Lake: 840 acres (NHD outline area).
| Lake | Distance | Size | DNR ramps | Stocking rows |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Lake | this lake | 286 acres (NHD outline area) | 1 | 0 |
| Banning Lake | 1 mile southwest | 18 acres (NHD outline area) | 1 | 2 |
| Shoe Lake | 1 mile southwest | 44 acres (NHD outline area) | 0 | 3 |
| Sechrist Lake | 2 miles south | 105 acres (NHD outline area) | 1 | 30 |
| Tippecanoe Lake | 2 miles west | 840 acres (NHD outline area) | 0 | 34 |
| Irish Lake | 2 miles south | 0 acres (NHD outline area) | 0 | 7 |
Indiana DNR lake layer, NHD outline areas, DNR Fishing Access Sites and stocking dashboard; read November 5, 2026.
A Hoosier back-road drive from James Lake
Other lakes a county or two from James Lake
- Banning Lake1 mile southwest
- Shoe Lake1 mile southwest
- Sechrist Lake2 miles south
- Tippecanoe Lake2 miles west
- Irish Lake2 miles south
Grab bait on the way into James Lake
- Ye Olde Tackle Boxbait and tackle shop, North Webster, 2 miles
- Barbee Marinamarina, Warsaw, 2 miles
- Number 1 Stop Bait & Tacklebait and tackle shop, Pierceton, 3 miles
- Socks Marinamarina, North Webster, 3 miles
- Dewart Lake Tackle Companybait and tackle shop, Syracuse, 4 miles
- Griffith's Wawasee Marinamarina, Syracuse, 6 miles
Indiana towns close to James Lake
- Syracuse7 miles
- Warsaw8 miles
- Winona Lake8 miles
The counties James Lake passes through
- Kosciusko Countyseat: Warsaw
Piscifun gear a Hoosier angler might bring to James Lake
Piscifun and Amazon links are affiliate links; the site earns a commission on qualifying purchases.
Telling James Lake fish apart from a photo
Photo: Heath Alseike, CC BY 2.0
Photo: USFWS Mountain-Prairie, Public domain
Photo: Ray Dumas, CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo: USFWS Mountain-Prairie, Public domain
James Lake: questions Hoosier anglers bring up
Which Indiana county is James Lake in?
It lies in Kosciusko County, about 7 miles from Syracuse.
Roughly how big is James Lake, in acres?
About 286 acres (NHD outline area).
Can I tow a bass boat to James Lake?
The DNR maps one: James Lake (Use Grassy Creek Ramp).
What might bite for a Hoosier angler at James Lake?
Look for bluegill, yellow perch, largemouth bass, rock bass, northern pike and muskellunge; the DNR names them.
Which bass rule applies at James Lake?
The statewide lake row reads: 5, any combination of largemouth, smallmouth, or spotted bass, size 14 inches.
Which Indiana license papers cover James Lake?
Anglers 18 and older carry an Indiana fishing license ($23 a year for residents, $60 for nonresidents). Under-18 anglers are exempt.
Can a bank angler without a boat work James Lake?
The access layer records no bank site for it.
Which listed shop can outfit a Hoosier trip to James Lake?
Stop at Ye Olde Tackle Box, about 2 miles away,.
Which Indiana record entry names James Lake?
Muskellunge, 42 lb. 8 oz. (2002), is on the DNR record list for this water; the DNR list shown here leaves out angler names.
Take the county road out to James Lake
Check the limits, then pick a ramp.