Fishing at Tousley Lake, Bartholomew County, Indiana

• Overview

  Tousley Lake stands in Bartholomew County, Indiana. The surroundings are open valley. Around 30 acres of surface means several distinct areas to work. Roughly 1.4 miles of bank means you can walk to a fresh area when one goes quiet. Cordry Sweetwater Lakes lies 4.9 miles from the water. The big place round here is Indianapolis, 37 miles distant. This one sits near enough to a boundary to be worth checking.

• Where to Fish on Tousley Lake

  Nothing in our records gives a depth for this one. The old creek line under the surface is the feature worth finding. A reservoir gives you a hard edge, a shelf, and not much else. Public occurrence data for Bartholomew County names longear sunfish, orangethroat darter and bluegill. The list covers the county rather than this water alone, so treat it as a guide. The near bank of Tousley Lake is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warmest month averages 74°F, the coldest about 28°F. The swings are modest, so patterns change slowly. It is not guaranteed from one year to the next. April and May are the settled weeks, with October close behind. Tousley Lake fishes to that pattern most years. A cold snap sets things back for several days.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. Formal access is not mapped, so the last stretch is likely on foot. For the panfish, a small hook, a float and a piece of worm outfish everything fancy. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Lost Lake, 1.1 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Where Tousley Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.