Davis Lake Fishing near Ligonier, Indiana

• Overview

  Davis Lake stands in Noble County, Indiana. It sits at 876 feet above sea level. Ligonier lies 2.7 miles from the water. It is 32 miles to Fort Wayne, the nearest city. Others worth noting: Engle Lake out at 1 mile, Indian Lake lies 2.1 miles on, Sparta Lake out at 2.7 miles, Eagle Lake lies 2.7 miles on and Diamond Lake out at 3.7 miles. It sits near the edge of the county, so check which rules apply.

• Where to Fish on Davis Lake

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Records held for Noble County cover bluegill, largemouth bass and warmouth. The list covers the county rather than this water alone, so treat it as a guide. Davis Lake repays a walk before the first cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 72°F, with January the cold end at about 23°F. Winter shuts the surface down for months. Hard water holds through the cold months, breaking up near late March. Average temperatures cross freezing around late March in spring and again near late December in autumn. September and October fish steadily right up to the freeze. On Davis Lake that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  Ownership and access are not documented in what we hold. There is somewhere to leave the car, half a mile off. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Bank access can be seasonal on ground like this. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Should this one be busy, Engle Lake is 1 mile off. None of that is settled for Davis Lake in what we hold.