Fishing Report For Mississinewa Lake, IN

By Rick Seaman

February 16, 2025

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Fishing Report Mississinewa Lake, IN

Popular Fish Species Mississinewa Lake, IN

Black Crappie - White Crappie

Current Report: Fair To Good
Outlook: Good To Very Good

Crappie fishing has been decent everywhere from the Mississinewa Dam, to the area in front of Hogback Ridge State Recreation Area. Spring is the premiere time to be on the water as crappie move into shallow coves to spawn. Bridge pilings, lay-down wood and around brush are a good place to cast small crappie jigs or live minnows. Light tackle with 4 lb to 8 lb line is ideal. Locals report good success using fish finders to locate schools of crappie, which tend to stack vertically around cover.

Largemouth Bass

Current Report: Good
Outlook: Good To Very Good

Largemouth bass roam the waters of Mississinewa Lake in search of baitfish, bluegill, small crappie, and virtually anything they can get in their mouth. A wide variety of lures are catching nice largemouth bass here, but many tournament anglers are throwing buzzbaits from Spring to early Fall. If the bass aren't cooperative on topwater, vibrating jigs are a go-to bait. Locals report using a stick worm, rigged wacky style, when the bite is really slow.

Channel Catfish

Current Report: Good To Very Good
Outlook: Very Good

Nightcrawlers, cut bait and prepared stink baits are all catching channel cats here. And, again this year the fishing should be good all around the lake - especially on flats just outside coves and pockets and along drop-offs. Fishing for channel catfish is productive around any kind of structure. Fishing late in the day until midnight often produces the best fishing activity as this is prime feeding time for channel cats. Spring, and again in Fall, are some of the better times of year. Submerged road beds, flats, creek channels and rocky points are all good places to begin. Use a slip sinker or Carolina rig setup.

Fish species to fish for...

Guide to fishing for largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, channel catfish, flathead catfish, black crappie, white crappie, walleye, bluegill and white bass at Mississinewa Reservoir in Indiana.

Mississinewa Lake is a 3,200 acre reservoir, with almost 60 miles of shoreline, located in northeast Indiana. Sandwiched between Miami State Recreation Area and Frances Slocum State Recreation Area, the lake offers excellent fishing options. Anglers find fish from boats, or from shore.

Primary fish species residing in Mississinewa Lake

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Today's Weather & Forecast

Fishing Boat Rentals

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Marinas

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Fishing License

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Map - Fishing & Access

Rick Seaman is a fishing enthusiast with over five decades of fishing experience, a retired tournament fisherman, author of numerous published articles on fishing, and co-author of the book "Bass Fishing - It's not WHAT you throw, It's WHERE you throw it".