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10,750-acre reservoir near Bloomington. Indiana's largest inland lake; hybrids, crappie and big flatheads. The lake tops out around 54 ft. The contours are modeled from the water's real shoreline and maximum depth. Treat them as a rough guide, and never use them for navigation. Here's the year, species by species, as the scoring engine sees it.
Monroe Lake maps at 10,930 acres behind 109.1 miles of shoreline. A development index of 7.5 means a maze of bays and points: far more casting targets than a round bowl of the same size. Roughly 75% of the water is 15 ft or less as modeled, the band where the food chain lives. Tip to tip the water measures near 11.7 mi with a 6.6-mi widest point. It sits in Monroe County. Its nearest charted neighbour, Crooked Creek Lake, is 8 mi to the northeast.
When the water first warms, largemouth bass slide up into 2 to 10 ft. Summer is an 8 to 20 ft game here, winter a 15 to 35 ft one. Start at Shallow bay flat. It's a weed flat holding about 6 ft of water and rates prime come spring. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. Keep a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Sharp break (11 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (14 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Break off the point (24 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Come spring, look for crappie tight to the bank in 2 to 8 ft. They move out to 10 to 25 ft in summer and finish the year down in 15 to 35 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Old creek channel: a creek channel around 27 ft that scores prime in winter. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 10 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Old creek channel (27 ft) | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Marina / dock area (10 ft) | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Old creek channel (27 ft) | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
When the water first warms, bluegill slide up into 1 to 6 ft. By summer they slide out to 4 to 15 ft, and by winter most fish are in 10 to 25 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 6 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Keep a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 6 ft | midday & dusk | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 10 to 25 ft | midday | Break off the point (24 ft) | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
When the water first warms, channel catfish slide up into 3 to 12 ft. Summer is an 8 to 25 ft game here, winter a 20 to 40 ft one. Start at North Fork Salt Creek inflow. It's an inflow / creek mouth holding about 5 ft of water and rates prime come spring. The feeding windows run after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | North Fork Salt Creek inflow (5 ft) | |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | night & dusk | Old creek channel (27 ft) | |
| Fall | 10 to 30 ft | dusk | Old creek channel (27 ft) | |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | midday | Old creek channel (27 ft) |
Spring puts walleye in skinny water — 4 to 15 ft is the zone. Warm water sends them out to 15 to 35 ft; cold water stacks them in 20 to 40 ft. North Fork Salt Creek inflow is the standout, an inflow / creek mouth at roughly 5 ft, rated prime for spring walleye. Plan around the evening and early morning in the warm months. A crawler harness on bottom bouncer or a deep crankbait (trolled) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | dusk & dawn | North Fork Salt Creek inflow (5 ft) | 1/8 oz jig + minnow, Hair jig |
| Summer | 15 to 35 ft | dusk & dawn | Break off the point (24 ft) | Crawler harness on bottom bouncer, Deep crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 12 to 40 ft | dusk & night | Break off the point (24 ft) | Jigging rap, Jig + big minnow |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | dusk & dawn | Break off the point (24 ft) | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Rattle bait |
Come spring, look for white bass & hybrids tight to the bank in 3 to 15 ft. They move out to 10 to 30 ft in summer and finish the year down in 20 to 40 ft. If you only fish one area, make it North Fork Salt Creek inflow: an inflow / creek mouth around 5 ft that scores prime in spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A jigging spoon or a topwater (when schooling) is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | North Fork Salt Creek inflow (5 ft) | Rooster tail / inline spinner, Curly-tail jig (white/chartreuse) |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (14 ft) | Jigging spoon, Topwater (when schooling) |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (14 ft) | Small blade bait, Jigging spoon |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | midday | Old creek channel (27 ft) | Jigging spoon, Blade bait (vertical) |
Monroe Lake also holds flathead catfish (8 to 30 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Monroe Lake carries 27 mapped structure features, topping out (or rather bottoming out) at Deep basin, about 46 ft down.
Access data: Indiana DNR — Fishing Access Sites. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Indiana waters are set by the Indiana DNR — and special regulations can apply to Monroe Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Indiana fishing regulations →
Monroe Lake is about 54 ft (16 m) deep at its deepest point. The contours here are modeled from the water's real shape and maximum depth, so treat them as a rough guide.
Anglers target largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, walleye, white bass & hybrids, flathead catfish on Monroe Lake.
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. Every other rated spot, per species and season, is on the map above.
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.
Fishing on Monroe Lake is regulated by the Indiana DNR. Check the official Indiana regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Crooked Creek Lake 8 mi · Yellowwood Lake 10 mi · East Fork White River 11 mi · Griffy Lake 11 mi · Lake Lemon 14 mi · White River (West Fork) 21 mi · Spring Mill Lake 22 mi · Starve Hollow Lake 25 mi · Cypress Lake 29 mi · Stone Arch Lake 29 mi · John Hays Lake 30 mi · Delaney County Park Lake 31 mi
See how Monroe Lake 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 see every water on DepthScout. How we build these maps. Fish here with a sonar unit that logs? Send us your depth data and we'll improve this chart, credited to you. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.