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Fishing Cagles Mill Lake (Cataract): what the data says
1,400-acre reservoir in Lieber State Park near Cloverdale (Cataract Lake). The lake tops out around 40 ft. The depth chart is built from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the humps, channels and drop-offs you see are measured, not guessed. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.
Largemouth Bass fishing at Cagles Mill Lake (Cataract)
In spring, largemouth bass run shallow here, mostly 2 to 10 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 20 ft, and winter fish settle into 15 to 35 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 5 ft, rated prime for spring largemouth bass. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Crappie fishing at Cagles Mill Lake (Cataract)
Spring crappie on Cagles Mill Lake (Cataract) hold shallow, usually 2 to 8 ft. By summer they slide out to 10 to 25 ft, and by winter most fish are in 15 to 35 ft. The spot to know is Old creek channel, a creek channel in about 20 ft of water that rates prime for crappie in fall. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 10 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Bluegill fishing at Cagles Mill Lake (Cataract)
In spring, bluegill run shallow here, mostly 1 to 6 ft. They move out to 4 to 15 ft in summer and finish the year down in 10 to 25 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 5 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 6 ft | midday & dusk | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 10 to 25 ft | midday | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Channel Catfish fishing at Cagles Mill Lake (Cataract)
In spring, channel catfish run shallow here, mostly 3 to 12 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 25 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 40 ft. Doe Creek inflow is the standout, a inflow / creek mouth at roughly 4 ft, rated prime for spring channel catfish. Best bite is after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | night & dusk | |
| Fall | 10 to 30 ft | dusk | |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | midday |
White Bass & Hybrids fishing at Cagles Mill Lake (Cataract)
In spring, white bass & hybrids run shallow here, mostly 3 to 15 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 10 to 30 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 40 ft. The spot to know is Doe Creek inflow, a inflow / creek mouth in about 4 ft of water that rates prime for white bass & hybrids in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. A jigging spoon or a topwater (when schooling) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Rooster tail / inline spinner, Curly-tail jig (white/chartreuse) |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Jigging spoon, Topwater (when schooling) |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Small blade bait, Jigging spoon |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | midday | Jigging spoon, Blade bait (vertical) |
Flathead Catfish fishing at Cagles Mill Lake (Cataract)
In spring, flathead catfish run shallow here, mostly 5 to 20 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 30 ft, and winter fish settle into 12 to 40 ft. Old creek channel is the standout, a creek channel at roughly 20 ft, rated prime for summer flathead catfish. Best bite is after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | night & dusk | |
| Summer | 8 to 30 ft | night & dusk | |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | night & dusk | |
| Winter | 12 to 40 ft | midday |
Cagles Mill Lake (Cataract) also holds walleye (15 to 35 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Notable structure
- Old creek channel: creek channel, around 20 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 18 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 10 ft
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 7 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 5 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 5 ft
- Doe Creek inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 4 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 2 ft
- Marina / dock area: dock line, around 2 ft
Common questions
How deep is Cagles Mill Lake (Cataract)?
Cagles Mill Lake (Cataract) is about 40 ft at its deepest point. The depth chart here comes from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the contours reflect measured depths.
What fish are in Cagles Mill Lake (Cataract)?
Anglers target largemouth bass, walleye, crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, white bass & hybrids, flathead catfish on Cagles Mill Lake (Cataract).
Where is the best fishing spot on Cagles Mill Lake (Cataract)?
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 5 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Cagles Mill Lake (Cataract)?
For largemouth bass, the summer bite is best in early morning and the evening. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Nearby waters
White River (West Fork) · Raccoon Lake (Cecil Harden) · Griffy Lake · JI Case Lake · Rockville Lake · Shakamak Lake
See how Cagles Mill Lake (Cataract) stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Indiana · best walleye lakes in Indiana · best crappie lakes in Indiana · best bluegill lakes in Indiana
Browse all Indiana fishing maps or every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: state fisheries survey programs. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.