Spectacle Lake, Indiana: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Out in Porter County, Indiana, sits Spectacle Lake. The surface lies 820 feet up. The water measures roughly 12 acres, so nothing here is far from anything else. Most waters listed here for Porter County are larger. Nearest town is Valparaiso, 2.9 miles off. Further out sit South Haven (4.2 miles) and Shorewood Forest (5.5 miles). No boundary runs near, so the county rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Spectacle Lake

  No published figure covers depth, so learn it as you fish. 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. Reported across Porter County: gizzard shad, common carp and alewife. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. On Spectacle Lake the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, July reads 73°F and January reads 23°F. Winter closes the water for a while, and the reopening is worth catching. Look for the thaw near late March; the fishing lifts straight after. Expect the water usable from around late March until roughly late December. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. That is the shape of the year on Spectacle Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. You can leave the car about 150 yards from the water. A jetty or pier is mapped about half a mile from here. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Season dates differ by species, so read the table. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. Loomis Lake, 0.3 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Check the position on Spectacle Lake before loading the car.