Kunkel Lake, Indiana: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Out in Wells County, Indiana, sits Kunkel Lake. This is pine and birch ground. Small at around 24 acres: two anglers spread out cover most of it. The town to know is Bluffton, 3.6 miles out. For a city, Fort Wayne is 29 miles off. Nearby, in order: Rainbow Lake a touch under 12 miles, Moser Lake 12 miles, Saddle Lake a touch under 14 miles, Spiker Lake 20 miles and Huntington Lake a touch under 20 miles. It sits near the edge of the county, so check which rules apply.

• Where to Fish on Kunkel Lake

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. Held water runs deepest at the wall and shallows back to the inflow. The old creek line under the surface is the feature worth finding. Open biodiversity records for Wells County list brindled madtom, orangethroat darter, bluntnose minnow, fathead minnow and redfin shiner. County records show what lives in the area; the local agency holds the water-by-water list. Fish Kunkel Lake where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, July reads 73°F and January reads 24°F. A hard winter is normal, and the thaw brings a strong few weeks. Count the season from break-up, usually mid March. Averages place the thaw at mid March and the freeze at late December. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. Plan any trip to Kunkel Lake around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Our records carry no access rule either way. There is somewhere to leave the car, 160 yards off. Someone has mapped a fishing spot half a mile off. You can camp about half a mile away, going by the mapping. Mapping records toilets within half a mile. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. Rainbow Lake sits 12 miles off and takes the overflow. For Kunkel Lake in particular, ask before you travel.