Fishtrap Lake Fishing near La Porte, Indiana

• Overview

  Out in LaPorte County, Indiana, sits Fishtrap Lake. The bank is 791 feet above sea level. At about 106 acres, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. Bank access stretches around 2.0 miles in total. Nearest town is La Porte, 1.9 miles off. Further out sit Trail Creek (8.1 miles) and Otis (9.4 miles). Rules here are straightforward: one county, one set of rules.

• Where to Fish on Fishtrap Lake

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Fish documented in LaPorte County include shortnose cisco, alewife and rainbow smelt. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. Work Fishtrap Lake in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give July about 73°F and January about 23°F. A hard winter is normal, and the thaw brings a strong few weeks. Expect a solid lid for months and a thaw around late March. Break-up near late March, freeze-up near late December: that is the shape of an average year. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. Fishtrap Lake runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Mapping shows a ramp about half a mile from the shore. Mapping shows parking within half a mile. A pier 170 yards from here gives a platform over deeper water. A toilet block sits half a mile away. Ask in the nearest town if you are unsure. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. The nearest alternative is Horseshoe Lake, 0.7 miles out. Ask locally about Fishtrap Lake if anything is unclear.