Fishing at Painted Hills Lake, Morgan County, Indiana

• Overview

  Indiana holds Painted Hills Lake, in Morgan County. It stands 709 feet above sea level. At about 123 acres, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. The perimeter runs near 3.5 miles, so plan the walk before you start. Among the waters listed for Morgan County, none is wider. The nearest place of any size is Martinsville, 4.8 miles away. Indianapolis sits 28 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. This one sits near enough to a boundary to be worth checking.

• Where to Fish on Painted Hills Lake

  Nothing we hold settles how deep this runs. Points where the flooded channel swings in are the reliable ones. The arms fish better than the open middle whenever the water is up. County-wide records name orangethroat darter, longear sunfish, rainbow darter and greenside darter. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. At Painted Hills Lake the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 74°F in July and bottoms out near 27°F in January. A lid forms in a hard winter only. Some winters give nothing at all, so plan for open water. Spring and autumn carry the year; summer squeezes it into the ends of the day. That is the shape of the year on Painted Hills Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. No made access is recorded, so a short walk in is the likely arrangement. Bluegill and other panfish take small jigs or worms under a float near any cover. State or provincial rules still apply whatever the bank status. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. Little Nebo Lake, 0.7 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Rules at Painted Hills Lake are worth checking on the day.