Lake of the Woods in LaGrange County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Lake of the Woods is set in LaGrange County, Indiana. Height above sea level is 942 feet. With some 128 acres of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. The bank runs about 2.1 miles all the way round, so one visit can cover most of it. It is high ground by Indiana standards. Some 8 miles away sits Kendallville, the nearest settlement. The big place round here is Fort Wayne, 29 miles distant. Local rules may differ a few miles either side of here.

• Where to Fish on Lake of the Woods

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. County-wide records name bluegill, rainbow darter, johnny darter, largemouth bass and blackside darter. The list covers the county rather than this water alone, so treat it as a guide. On Lake of the Woods a short move beats a long cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical July readings run about 72°F; by January the average is down near 22°F. Winter shuts things down for a spell, then spring reopens them fast. The lid usually sets by midwinter and gives way around late March. Averages place the thaw at late March and the freeze at mid December. The first weeks of open water and the last are the ones to plan for. That shapes the year on Lake of the Woods.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Nothing in the way of made access shows up nearby: no ramp, no car park, no path. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. Should this one be busy, Goose Pond is 0.2 miles off. Treat Lake of the Woods as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.