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Fishing The Backwaters: what the data says
153-acre lake near Indiana. The lake tops out around 6 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 The Backwaters
Spring largemouth bass on The Backwaters hold shallow, usually 1 to 6 ft. Summer fish stay in 2 to 6 ft, and winter fish hold in 2 to 6 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 2 ft, rated prime for spring largemouth bass. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 6 ft | dawn & dusk | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 2 to 6 ft | dawn & dusk | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 2 to 6 ft | midday & dawn | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 2 to 6 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Crappie fishing at The Backwaters
Start shallow in spring: crappie sit in 2 to 6 ft that time of year. Summer fish stay in 2 to 6 ft, and winter fish hold in 2 to 6 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Old creek channel: a creek channel around 3 ft that scores prime in fall. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 6 ft | midday & dawn | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 2 to 6 ft | dawn & dusk | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 2 to 6 ft | dawn | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 2 to 6 ft | midday | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Bluegill fishing at The Backwaters
Start shallow in spring: bluegill sit in 1 to 6 ft that time of year. Summer fish stay in 2 to 6 ft, and winter fish hold in 2 to 6 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 2 ft of water that rates prime for bluegill 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 | 2 to 6 ft | dawn & dusk | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 2 to 6 ft | midday | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 2 to 6 ft | midday | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Channel Catfish fishing at The Backwaters
Spring channel catfish on The Backwaters hold shallow, usually 2 to 6 ft. Summer fish stay in 2 to 6 ft, and winter fish hold in 2 to 6 ft. Creek inflow is the standout, a inflow / creek mouth at roughly 2 ft, rated prime for spring channel catfish. Best bite is after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 6 ft | dusk | |
| Summer | 2 to 6 ft | night & dusk | |
| Fall | 2 to 6 ft | dusk | |
| Winter | 2 to 6 ft | midday |
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 6 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 3 ft
- Old creek channel: creek channel, around 3 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 2 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 2 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 2 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 2 ft
- Creek inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 2 ft
Common questions
How deep is The Backwaters?
The Backwaters is about 6 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 The Backwaters?
Anglers target largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill, channel catfish on The Backwaters.
Where is the best fishing spot on The Backwaters?
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 2 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 The Backwaters?
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
Kiser Lake · Webster Lake · Spear Lake · Shock Lake · Big Barbee · Gordy Lake
See how The Backwaters stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Indiana · best crappie lakes in Indiana · best bluegill lakes in Indiana · best channel catfish 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.