Sousley Lake, Indiana: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  The Saint Joseph County entry here is Sousley Lake, in Indiana. Height above sea level is 719 feet. The water covers some 60 acres, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. With 3.4 miles or so of shoreline, boat anglers cover ground the bank cannot. For a base, North Liberty sits 2.8 miles out. It is 12 miles to South Bend, the nearest city. The county edge is within a short distance of the bank.

• Where to Fish on Sousley Lake

  No published figure covers depth, so learn it as you fish. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Saint Joseph County records list bluegill, johnny darter, rainbow darter and rock bass among the fish reported. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. At Sousley Lake light and wind decide more than tackle does.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 73°F; the cold one sits at 23°F. The season turns properly here, and fish follow it closely. Firm cover through the cold months, then open water from mid March. On the long-run averages the water opens up around mid March and starts locking again about late December. Fishing peaks soon after break-up and again before the cold returns. That shapes the year on Sousley Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. There is a pier recorded roughly 0.9 miles away. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. Failing this one, try Kale Lake, 0.9 miles away. Treat Sousley Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.