Horseshoe Lake Fishing near La Porte, Indiana

• Overview

  The LaPorte County end of Indiana holds Horseshoe Lake. The water sits 787 feet up. At about 62 acres, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. La Porte at 2.6 miles is the nearest place to stop. After that come Trail Creek at 7.6 miles and Long Beach at 9.3 miles. Within a short drive: Fishtrap Lake about 0.7 miles, Lower Lake 1.4 miles, Clear Lake about 1.7 miles, Pine Lake 1.8 miles and Lily Lake about 2.1 miles. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Horseshoe Lake

  Depth is not on record here, which means reading the ground instead. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Reported across LaPorte County: shortnose cisco, alewife, rainbow smelt and rainbow trout. The county list is broader than any single water. Horseshoe Lake repays a walk before the first cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about 23°F and July at about 73°F, the water has a wide range to work through. The year splits cleanly: hard water, then open water. Break-up comes around late March, and the run that follows is short and strong. The season between ice runs from about late March to late December. September and October fish steadily right up to the freeze. On Horseshoe Lake that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. The nearest mapped parking is half a mile away, so the last stretch is on foot. There is a jetty half a mile off, worth knowing on a busy day. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. The nearest alternative is Fishtrap Lake, 0.7 miles out. Check the current arrangement for Horseshoe Lake.