Sand Lake Depth Map & Fishing Spots (IN)

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Lake depth chart

Sand Lake, IN

Max 53 ft

Today's read

Where to start

Fall shad migration window is on — see the hatch outlook

Hatch outlook

Fall shad migrationActive window

Typical here: Sep 5 – Nov 15 · the Midwest edition — a ~10° drop off summer temps starts it mid-September and it builds as the water falls through the 60s; gizzard shad tolerate cold, so it outlasts the southern threadfin version

adultall day, best mid-afternoon as the sun warms the bait — the rare pattern where you can sleep in — follow the bait, not the structure: gulls, herons and egrets diving or stacked in a creek mean the shad (and the bass) are there — run and gun until you find flickering bait or surface activity

Concentrates hard but unevenly — whole stretches go empty while one creek loads up. The birds are the map.

Creek-arm run-and-gun: lipless crankbait and squarebill through the flats and ditches, walking topwater over surface schools, a 3/8 oz spinnerbait around isolated cover along the creek channel. Downsize to match the young-of-year shad; jerkbaits are the sleeper.

The event happens over backs of creek arms, pockets and ditches, secondary points on the way in, and main-lake flats where the bait balls roam

Next on this water

Spring crawfish emergence · forageMar 15 – May 31 · in ~5 months

Shad spawn · baitfishMay 1 – Jun 30 · in ~7 months

Bluegill spawn (bream-bed bass) · forageMay 20 – Aug 5 · in ~7 months

Recommendations come from depth structure and seasonal species behavior. Treat them as a starting point, not a guarantee. Contours here are generated from real agency depth surveys; use the survey badge for the provider, dataset, datum and measured coverage. Never use for navigation. Always check local regulations.

Depth · ft

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Recent catches at Sand Lake

Recent public catches load as you reach this section.

Fishing Sand Lake: what the data says

47-acre lake near Albion. The lake tops out around 53 ft. The depth chart comes from Indiana Department of Natural Resources bathymetric survey data, so the contours are survey-derived rather than computer-modeled. Here's the year, species by species, as the scoring engine sees it.

The drawn water covers 50 acres wrapped in 1.5 miles of bank. With a 1.5 development index there's bank structure worth casting at, in moderation. About 25% of the surface sits shallower than 15 ft — that's the weed-and-bait zone. Tip to tip the water measures near 0.6 mi with a 0.3-mi widest point. It sits in Noble County. Rivir Lake sits 1 mi west — the closest neighbouring chart.

Largemouth Bass fishing at Sand Lake

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 feeding flat holding about 1 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 (1 ft)	Spinnerbait, Chatterbait
Summer	8 to 20 ft	dawn & dusk	open water	Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait
Fall	4 to 15 ft	midday & dawn	Main-lake point (1 ft)	Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait
Winter	15 to 35 ft	midday	open water	Blade bait, Jigging spoon

Bluegill fishing at Sand Lake

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 feeding flat around 1 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 (1 ft)	1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings)
Summer	4 to 15 ft	dawn & dusk	Shallow bay flat (1 ft)	Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig
Fall	6 to 18 ft	midday	open water	Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped
Winter	10 to 25 ft	midday	open water	Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon

Yellow Perch fishing at Sand Lake

Start shallow in spring: yellow perch sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. Warm water sends them out to 10 to 30 ft; cold water stacks them in 15 to 35 ft. Top water on the chart: Shallow bay flat, a feeding flat in the 1 ft range, prime in spring. Fish it in early morning and you'll meet the bite. Throw a drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm until the fish tell you otherwise.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	3 to 12 ft	midday & dawn	Shallow bay flat (1 ft)	Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank
Summer	10 to 30 ft	dawn	open water	Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm
Fall	12 to 35 ft	midday	open water	Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader
Winter	15 to 35 ft	midday & dawn	open water	Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small)

Northern Pike fishing at Sand Lake

Come spring, look for northern pike tight to the bank in 2 to 8 ft. They move out to 8 to 20 ft in summer and finish the year down in 5 to 15 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a feeding flat around 1 ft that scores prime in spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage 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 (1 ft)	#5 inline spinner, Spoon (red/white)
Summer	8 to 20 ft	dawn & dusk	open water	Bucktail, Weedless spoon over cabbage
Fall	6 to 18 ft	midday & dawn	Main-lake point (1 ft)	Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), Husky-style jerkbait
Winter	5 to 15 ft	midday	Shallow bay flat (1 ft)	Tip-ups, Large jigging spoon

Notable structure

3 pieces of structure are mapped here — Deep basin, around 51 ft, is the deepest of them.

Deep basin: deep basin, around 51 ft
Main-lake point: point, around 1 ft
Shallow bay flat: feeding flat, around 1 ft

Sand Lake fishing regulations

Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Indiana waters are set by the Indiana DNR — and special regulations can apply to Sand Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.

Check the official Indiana fishing regulations →

Common questions

How deep is Sand Lake?

Sand Lake is about 53 ft (16 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth chart comes from Indiana Department of Natural Resources bathymetric survey data, so the contours are survey-derived rather than computer-modeled.

What fish are in Sand Lake?

Anglers target largemouth bass, bluegill, yellow perch, northern pike on Sand Lake.

Where is the best fishing spot on Sand Lake?

Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a feeding flat in about 1 ft of water that rates prime for bluegill in spring. The interactive chart above rates every spot for each species and season.

When is the best time to fish Sand Lake?

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.

What are the fishing regulations for Sand Lake?

Fishing on Sand 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.

Nearby waters

Rivir Lake 1 mi · Barbara Lake 2 mi · Williams Lake 4 mi · Skinner Lake 5 mi · Lower Long Lake 6 mi · Round Lake 6 mi · Blue Lake 7 mi · Bear Lake 7 mi · Sacarider Lake 8 mi · Diamond Lake 10 mi · Bixler Lake 10 mi · Sylvan Lake 11 mi

See how Sand Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Indiana · best northern pike lakes in Indiana · best bluegill lakes in Indiana · best yellow perch lakes in Indiana

More water nearby: Noble County fishing maps (14 charts). Browse all Indiana fishing maps. See every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry: published agency survey data. 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.