Indiana DNR reference
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Indiana Special Regulation Waters
Every lake and stream the Indiana guide gives its own bag, size or gear rule.
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Special waters
The Indiana lakes and streams with their own guide lines
The 2026-2027 Indiana guide singles out 71 waters whose bag, size or gear rule differs from the statewide chart. Some raise a minimum length (crappie at Dogwood and Hardy, musky at three Kosciusko County lakes), some lift a bag (channel catfish at Turtle Creek Reservoir) and others cover brown trout, walleye or bluegill on one lake only.
A water name links to its own page here where one is built; 56 of them are.
71special waters
82rule lines
39counties
All entries
Every special regulation line, water by water
| Water as printed | County | Fish | Rule as printed |
|---|---|---|---|
| All lakes at Tri-County Fish & Wildlife Area | Kosciusko, Noble, Elkhart | Largemouth Bass | 18-inch minimum size limit and two fish daily bag limit |
| Backwater Lake | Kosciusko | Muskellunge and tiger muskellunge | 44-inch minimum size |
| Ball Lake | Steuben | Largemouth Bass | 18-inch minimum size limit and two fish daily bag limit |
| Bass Lake | Starke | Walleye | Minimum size 14 inches |
| Big Blue River | Henry | Trout | Closed April 15 to the last Saturday in April (opening day) on the stocked section while DNR completes trout stockings |
| Big Long Lake | LaGrange | Largemouth Bass | 12- to 15-inch slot size limit, no more than two bass larger than 15 inches |
| Bixler Lake | Noble | Largemouth Bass | 18-inch minimum size limit and two fish daily bag limit |
| Bloody Run | LaGrange | Trout | Closed April 15 to the last Saturday in April (opening day) on the stocked section while DNR completes trout stockings |
| Blue Grass Pit | Warrick | Largemouth Bass | 18-inch minimum size limit and two fish daily bag limit |
| Brookville Lake tailwater (East Fork Whitewater River) | Franklin | Brown Trout | 18-inch minimum size limit |
| Brownstown Pit | Jackson | Black Bass | No minimum size limit |
| Buffalo Trace Lake | Harrison | Largemouth Bass | Bass from 12 to 15 inches may not be harvested; the daily bag limit applies to bass under 12 inches and over 15 inches |
| Burdette Park lakes | Vanderburgh | Black Bass | No minimum size limit |
| Cecil M. Harden Lake | Parke | Largemouth Bass | 16-inch minimum size limit |
| Chandler Town Lake | Warrick | Black Bass | No minimum size limit |
| Cobus Creek | Elkhart | Trout | Closed April 15 to the last Saturday in April (opening day) on the stocked section while DNR completes trout stockings |
| Cobus Creek | Elkhart | Trout | Year-round catch-and-release only, artificial lures or flies only, from Old U.S. 20 downstream to the St. Joseph River |
| Curtis Creek | LaGrange | Trout | Closed April 15 to the last Saturday in April (opening day) on the stocked section while DNR completes trout stockings |
| Cypress Lake | Jackson | Black Bass | No minimum size limit |
| Deming Park lakes | Vigo | Black Bass | No minimum size limit |
| Dogwood Lake | Daviess | Crappie | 9-inch minimum size |
| East Fork White River (Williams Dam to the Huron and Williams Road bridge) | Lawrence | All fish | March 15 through April 20: one single hook per line or one artificial lure; single hooks no more than 1/2 inch point to shank, double and treble hooks on lures no more than 3/8 inch |
| Failing Lake (Gentian Lake) | Steuben | Channel Catfish | 5 per day |
| Failing Lake (Gentian Lake) | Steuben | Largemouth Bass | 2 per day; must be at least 18 inches long |
| Failing Lake (Gentian Lake) | Steuben | Bluegill, redear sunfish and crappie | 15 per day in any combination |
| Ferdinand State Forest Lake | Dubois | Largemouth Bass | Bass from 12 to 15 inches may not be harvested; the daily bag limit applies to bass under 12 inches and over 15 inches |
| Fidler Pond | Elkhart | Channel Catfish | 5 per day |
| Fidler Pond | Elkhart | Largemouth Bass | 2 per day; must be at least 18 inches long |
| Fidler Pond | Elkhart | Bluegill, redear sunfish and crappie | 15 per day in any combination |
| Flat Fork Creek Park ponds A and B | Hamilton | Channel Catfish | 5 per day |
| Flat Fork Creek Park ponds A and B | Hamilton | Largemouth Bass | 2 per day; must be at least 18 inches long |
| Flat Fork Creek Park ponds A and B | Hamilton | Bluegill, redear sunfish and crappie | 15 per day in any combination |
| Garvin Park Lake | Vanderburgh | Black Bass | No minimum size limit |
| Glen Miller Pond | Wayne | Black Bass | No minimum size limit |
| Glenn Flint Lake | Putnam | Saugeye | 14-inch minimum size |
| Graveyard Run | LaGrange | Trout | Closed April 15 to the last Saturday in April (opening day) on the stocked section while DNR completes trout stockings |
| Hamilton Lake | Steuben | Northern Pike | No more than 6 per day; no minimum size limit, with no more than 1 per day more than 30 inches long |
| Harding Run | LaGrange | Trout | Closed April 15 to the last Saturday in April (opening day) on the stocked section while DNR completes trout stockings |
| Hardy Lake | Scott | Crappie | 9-inch minimum size |
| Hayswood Lake | Harrison | Black Bass | No minimum size limit |
| Henderson Lake | Noble | Largemouth Bass | 18-inch minimum size limit and two fish daily bag limit |
| Henry County Memorial Park Lake | Henry | Black Bass | No minimum size limit |
| Hovey Lake | Posey | Black Bass | No minimum size limit |
| Huntingburg Lake | Dubois | Saugeye | 14-inch minimum size |
| J.C. Murphey Lake | Newton | Bluegill, redear sunfish and crappie | Daily bag limit 25 singly or in aggregate |
| J.C. Murphey Lake | Newton | Largemouth Bass | 18-inch minimum size limit and two fish daily bag limit |
| Kiser Lake | Kosciusko | Muskellunge and tiger muskellunge | 44-inch minimum size |
| Krannert Lake | Marion | Black Bass | No minimum size limit |
| Kunkel Lake | Wells | Largemouth Bass | 18-inch minimum size limit and two fish daily bag limit |
| Lake George | Steuben | Walleye | Minimum size 15 inches |
| Lake Sullivan | Marion | Black Bass | No minimum size limit |
| Little Elkhart River | LaGrange, Elkhart | Trout | Closed April 15 to the last Saturday in April (opening day) on the stocked section while DNR completes trout stockings |
| Little Elkhart River | LaGrange, Elkhart | Trout | Year-round catch-and-release only, artificial lures or flies only, from CR 43 downstream to CR 16, except along Riverbend Park from CR 16 upstream to the pedestrian footbridge |
| Little Kankakee River | LaPorte | Trout | Closed April 15 to the last Saturday in April (opening day) on the stocked section while DNR completes trout stockings |
| Little Long Lake | Noble | Largemouth Bass | 18-inch minimum size limit and two fish daily bag limit |
| Loon Pit | Warrick | Largemouth Bass | 18-inch minimum size limit and two fish daily bag limit |
| Martin Lake | LaGrange | Brown Trout | 18-inch minimum size limit |
| Mississinewa River | Randolph | Trout | Closed April 15 to the last Saturday in April (opening day) on the stocked section while DNR completes trout stockings |
| Montgomery City Park Lake | Daviess | Largemouth Bass | Bass from 12 to 15 inches may not be harvested; the daily bag limit applies to bass under 12 inches and over 15 inches |
| Olin Lake | LaGrange | Brown Trout | 18-inch minimum size limit |
| Oliver Lake | LaGrange | Brown Trout | 18-inch minimum size limit |
| Patoka Lake | Orange, Dubois, Crawford | Largemouth Bass | 15-inch minimum size limit |
| Pigeon Creek | LaGrange | Trout | Closed April 15 to the last Saturday in April (opening day) on the stocked section while DNR completes trout stockings |
| Pigeon River | LaGrange | Trout | Closed April 15 to the last Saturday in April (opening day) on the stocked section while DNR completes trout stockings |
| Rainbow Pit | LaGrange | Trout | Closed April 15 to the last Saturday in April (opening day) on the stocked section while DNR completes trout stockings |
| Robinson Lake | Whitley, Kosciusko | Largemouth Bass | 18-inch minimum size limit and two fish daily bag limit |
| Round Lake | Noble | Largemouth Bass | 18-inch minimum size limit and two fish daily bag limit |
| Rowe-Eden Ditch | LaGrange | Trout | Closed April 15 to the last Saturday in April (opening day) on the stocked section while DNR completes trout stockings |
| Ruster Lake | Marion | Black Bass | No minimum size limit |
| Schnebelt Pond | Dearborn | Black Bass | No minimum size limit |
| Solomon Creek | Elkhart | Trout | Closed April 15 to the last Saturday in April (opening day) on the stocked section while DNR completes trout stockings |
| Solomon Creek | Elkhart | Trout | Year-round catch-and-release only, artificial lures or flies only, from CR 33 downstream to the Elkhart River |
| Spy Run Creek | Allen | Trout | Closed April 15 to the last Saturday in April (opening day) on the stocked section while DNR completes trout stockings |
| St. Joseph River (Twin Branch Dam to the Michigan line) | St. Joseph | Trout and salmon | 14-inch minimum size; one single hook or artificial lure; no fishing in the East Race Waterway or from the South Bend and Mishawaka Central Park fish ladders (see guide) |
| Sugar Creek | Montgomery, Parke, Boone, Clinton, Tipton | Black Bass | 20-inch minimum size limit and one fish daily bag limit |
| Sullivan Lake | Sullivan | Saugeye | 14-inch minimum size |
| Turkey Creek | LaGrange | Trout | Closed April 15 to the last Saturday in April (opening day) on the stocked section while DNR completes trout stockings |
| Turtle Creek Reservoir | Sullivan | Channel Catfish | No bag limit |
| Turtle Creek Reservoir | Sullivan | Largemouth Bass | 20-inch minimum size limit and one fish daily bag limit |
| Wall Lake | LaGrange | Walleye | Minimum size 16 inches with a daily bag limit of two walleye |
| Webster Lake | Kosciusko | Muskellunge and tiger muskellunge | 44-inch minimum size |
| Wolf Lake | Lake | Walleye | Minimum size 14 inches |
Special regulation waters as printed, 2026-2027 Indiana Fishing Regulations Guide (eRegulations, linked from the Indiana DNR), read November 5, 2026.
By fish
Which fish the Indiana special lines cover most
By county
Indiana counties holding the most special waters
Photos
Indiana Special Regulation Waters, with Indiana lakes in pictures
Photo: Kyle Hartshorn, CC BY 2.0
Photo: David Wilson, CC BY 2.0
Photo: David Wilson, CC BY 2.0
Photo: Warren LeMay, CC0 1.0
Answers
Indiana special regulation waters: questions
How many waters does the Indiana special regulation list hold?
71 waters with 82 rule lines in the 2026-2027 guide.
Which county has the most special regulation waters?
LaGrange County, with 15 waters.
Does a special rule replace the statewide chart?
Only for the fish and water it names; every other statewide row still applies there.
Where is crappie limited to 9 inches?
Dogwood Lake in Daviess County and Hardy Lake in Scott County.
Which lakes have a 44-inch musky minimum?
Backwater, Kiser and Webster lakes in Kosciusko County.
Is there a lake with no channel catfish bag?
Turtle Creek Reservoir, per footnote 5 of the statewide chart.
Where does the 18-inch brown trout rule apply?
Oliver, Olin and Martin lakes in LaGrange County and the Brookville Lake tailwater (East Fork Whitewater River) in Franklin County.
Are the special lines checked against the guide?
Yes; they are copied as printed in the guide, read November 5, 2026.