Billington Lake Fishing in Porter County, Indiana

• Overview

  Set in Porter County, Billington Lake is an Indiana water. The water sits 633 feet up. About 13 acres of surface, which puts the far bank inside easy sight. Nearest place of any size is Chesterton, 2.1 miles away. It is 37 miles to Chicago, the nearest city. Rules can differ a short way off, since the county line is near.

• Where to Fish on Billington Lake

  Depth is unknown to us, and the shoreline is the better guide. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Survey and observation records for Porter County include gizzard shad, common carp, alewife and rainbow trout. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Treat Billington Lake as a water to read rather than to cover.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical July readings run about 73°F; by January the average is down near 23°F. Four clear seasons, with a proper winter at one end. Ice-out usually falls in mid March, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Average temperatures cross freezing around mid March in spring and again near late December in autumn. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. The season on Billington Lake follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access status is simply unknown for this water. You can leave the car about half a mile from the water. Part of this sits inside or beside J. Timothy Ritchie Nature Preserve, so read the notices. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Ask in the nearest town if you are unsure. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. Morgan Lake sits 0.4 miles off and takes the overflow. Treat access at Billington Lake as something to verify.