Fishing at Pratt Lake, Porter County, Indiana

• Overview

  Pratt Lake is one of the Porter County listings for Indiana. Around the bank it is pine and birch. About 7 acres of surface, which puts the far bank inside easy sight. Most waters listed here for Porter County are larger. The town to know is Porter, 0.4 miles out. It is 34 miles to Chicago, the nearest city. No boundary runs near, so the county rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Pratt Lake

  Nothing in our records gives a depth for this one. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Public occurrence data for Porter County names gizzard shad, common carp, alewife, rainbow trout and goldfish. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. On Pratt Lake the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 73°F in July and bottom out at 23°F in January. The year splits cleanly: hard water, then open water. Ice-out usually falls in mid March, and the weeks after it fish hardest. On the long-run averages the water opens up around mid March and starts locking again about late December. The strongest runs come at either end of the open season. Keep it in mind when planning a trip to Pratt Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. A made slipway is half a mile from here, which settles the boat question. You can leave the car about half a mile from the water. There is a mapped landing stage half a mile away. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. If the gate is shut, Lake Charles at 1 mile is the nearest alternative. Check the position on Pratt Lake before loading the car.