Harrison Lake in Bartholomew County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  You will find Harrison Lake in Bartholomew County, Indiana. The surface lies 702 feet up. It runs to roughly 95 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. Roughly 1.5 miles of bank means you can walk to a fresh area when one goes quiet. On our Bartholomew County list it sits near the top for size. Columbus lies 5.8 miles from the water. Indianapolis is the closest city, 41 miles away. This one sits near enough to a boundary to be worth checking.

• Where to Fish on Harrison Lake

  No depth figure appears in our records, so the bank has to tell you. Draw-down through summer strips the margins, so follow the water out. Points where the flooded channel swings in are the reliable ones. County-wide records name longear sunfish, orangethroat darter, bluegill, golden redhorse and johnny darter. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Work Harrison Lake in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 74°F, with January the cold end at about 28°F. The season stretches long at both ends here. Some winters give nothing at all, so plan for open water. April and May are the settled weeks, with October close behind. Anyone fishing Harrison Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. You will be walking about half a mile from the nearest car park. This sits inside Touch the Earth Natural Area, so read the reserve notices first. Bluegill and other panfish take small jigs or worms under a float near any cover. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. South Harrison Lake, 0.5 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Nothing here settles the position at Harrison Lake for certain.