Live wading and fishing conditions for 45 Indiana rivers
Every river below is monitored through its USGS streamflow gauges, refreshed every 15 minutes and rated in plain language for wading safety. Select a river for the live dashboard with current flow, trend, weather and community reports.
Sugar Creek
Indiana's most beloved smallmouth stream and the clearest expression of the state's fly-and-float identity — sandstone canyons through Shades and Turkey Run, gravel riffles, and hard-fighting smallmouth. It's the busiest paddling river in the state on summer weekends, so fish it early or on weekdays. Sugar Creek Anglers and a half-dozen liveries call it home.
Region: West-central · Fish for: Smallmouth Bass, Rock Bass, Channel Catfish · USGS gauges: Sugar Creek near Thorntown (upper), Sugar Creek at Crawfordsville (lower)
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Tippecanoe River
One of Indiana's most biologically diverse rivers — 50-plus species, including strong smallmouth, plus genuine pike and muskellunge in the upper reaches. It's largely a float fishery: private banks and daily flow swings from the chain-of-lakes dams limit wading, but the river is nearly always floatable. Below Oakdale Dam it runs 18 miles of warmwater smallmouth water to the Wabash.
Region: North-central · Fish for: Smallmouth Bass, Muskellunge, Walleye · USGS gauges: Tippecanoe River at Winamac (upper), Tippecanoe River near Delphi (lower float water)
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St. Joseph River
Indiana's biggest Lake Michigan tributary — a broad, powerful river running through South Bend and Mishawaka to the fish ladders that pass steelhead and salmon upstream. The state stocks steelhead and coho by the hundred-thousand, and mid-March to mid-April spawning runs put chrome within reach. It's big, hard-wading water: think boat and bank, and duck into tributaries like Baugo Creek when the main stem is high.
Region: Northwest / Lake Michigan · Fish for: Steelhead, Chinook (King) Salmon, Smallmouth Bass · USGS gauges: St. Joseph River at Elkhart, St. Joseph River at South Bend
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Trail Creek
Indiana's premier steelhead stream — a small, intimate freestone creek running through Michigan City to the Lake Michigan harbor. Stocked steelhead (winter-run and summer Skamania), Chinook, coho, and browns pour in on the rains; fish average 6–12 pounds in a stream you can cast across. Six public access sites make it the state's most wadeable salmonid water. Watch flow AND water temperature.
Region: Northwest / Lake Michigan · Fish for: Steelhead, Chinook (King) Salmon, Coho (Silver) Salmon · USGS gauges: Trail Creek at Michigan City
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West Fork White River
Indianapolis's home river — the West Fork White runs from Muncie through the capital's park system down to Centerton and beyond, an urban warmwater fishery with smallmouth, largemouth, catfish, carp, and gar within reach of a million people. Improving water quality and good public access (Broad Ripple, White River State Park) make it Indiana's flagship city fishery. Wade the upper riffles; frame the wider Indy reaches as bank-and-boat.
Region: Central / Indianapolis · Fish for: Smallmouth Bass, Channel Catfish, Largemouth Bass · USGS gauges: White River at Noblesville (upper wade), White River at 16th Street, Indianapolis (urban), White River near Centerton (lower)
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Wabash River
Indiana's state river — the longest free-flowing river east of the Mississippi, running the length of the state to the Ohio. This is big-water catfish, sauger, white bass, and carp country: blue and flathead cats in the deep holes, sauger below the confluences, and spring white-bass runs. Not a wading river — think bank and boat, and judge the gauge as flood-proximity, not wade-safe.
Region: Western / Big River · Fish for: Flathead Catfish, Channel Catfish, Sauger · USGS gauges: Wabash River at Lafayette (upper), Wabash River at Terre Haute (middle), Wabash River at Vincennes (lower)
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Ohio River
Indiana's 350-mile southern border and its biggest big-river fishery — a series of dam pools (Cannelton, Newburgh, Markland) holding trophy blue, flathead, and channel catfish, sauger, hybrid stripers, and white bass. Tailwaters below the dams concentrate the fish. This is pure bank-and-boat water; the gauge reads in the tens of thousands of CFS and means current and flood stage, never wading.
Region: Southern Border / Big River · Fish for: Blue Catfish, Flathead Catfish, Sauger · USGS gauges: Ohio River at Cannelton Dam
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Blue River
Southern Indiana's designated Natural, Scenic & Recreational river — a spring-fed, cave-country smallmouth stream cutting through limestone bluffs to the Ohio. Cool, clear water and good gradient make it one of the state's prettiest floats, with smallmouth, rock bass, and catfish. Note the Cave Country Canoes caveat: the Fredericksburg gauge sits ~20 miles upstream of Milltown, so on-water conditions can differ.
Region: Southeast / Cave Country · Fish for: Smallmouth Bass, Rock Bass, Channel Catfish · USGS gauges: Blue River at Fredericksburg (upper), Blue River near White Cloud (lower)
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Little Calumet River (East Branch)
The East Branch of the Little Calumet is Northwest Indiana's other stocked steelhead-and-salmon stream, winding through Chesterton and Porter toward Burns Waterway and the lake. Summer and fall Skamania returns plus winter steelhead and fall kings make it a genuine alternative to Trail Creek's crowds. A smaller, brushy creek — fish it on the drop after rain, and mind the 100-foot no-fishing zone around the Praxair dam.
Region: Northwest / Lake Michigan · Fish for: Steelhead, Chinook (King) Salmon, Coho (Silver) Salmon · USGS gauges: Little Calumet River at Porter
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Whitewater River
Southeast Indiana's clearest smallmouth river — a gravel-and-limestone stream draining the hill country to Brookville Lake and on to the Ohio drainage. Below Brookville Dam the East Fork tailwater runs cold enough that the DNR stocks trout, and the guides who fish the Brookville tailwater work it for smallmouth and trout alike. Above the lake it's a wadeable smallmouth-and-rock-bass creek.
Region: Southeast · Fish for: Smallmouth Bass, Rock Bass, Channel Catfish · USGS gauges: Whitewater River near Alpine (West Fork, above lake), Whitewater River at Brookville (below dam / tailwater)
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Kankakee River
The channelized-but-recovering Kankakee is a 133-mile National Water Trail across Northwest Indiana — an undammed, sandy, marsh-bordered river holding smallmouth, pike, walleye, catfish, and backwater bowfin. It's a paddler's river: county parks and public accesses string the whole run. The marsh and backwater reaches fish very differently from the sandy main channel, so pick your target water.
Region: Northwest · Fish for: Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, Channel Catfish · USGS gauges: Kankakee River at Davis (upper), Kankakee River near Kouts (middle), Kankakee River at Shelby (lower)
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East Fork White River
The East Fork forms at the Driftwood–Flatrock confluence near Columbus and runs southwest past Seymour, Bedford, and Shoals to join the West Fork — smallmouth and spotted bass up top, then bigger, slower catfish, sauger, and drum water as it widens toward the lower reaches. The upper reaches wade and float; the lower river is bank-and-boat big water.
Region: Southern · Fish for: Smallmouth Bass, Spotted Bass, Channel Catfish · USGS gauges: East Fork White River at Columbus (upper), East Fork White River at Seymour (middle), East Fork White River at Shoals (lower)
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Wildcat Creek
A classic north-central smallmouth stream running from Kokomo down through gravel and limestone to the Wabash near Lafayette. Wadeable riffle-and-pool water with good smallmouth, rock bass, and channel catfish, plus a designated state canoe route on the lower reach. Under-the-radar and pretty — the kind of creek locals keep quiet.
Region: North-central · Fish for: Smallmouth Bass, Rock Bass, Channel Catfish · USGS gauges: Wildcat Creek at Kokomo (upper), Wildcat Creek near Lafayette (lower)
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Eel River
The northern Eel (there are two Eels in Indiana) runs from North Manchester down to the Wabash at Logansport — a quiet, wadeable-to-floatable smallmouth and pike river through farm country and small towns. Good gravel, wood, and undercut banks hold smallmouth, rock bass, pike, and catfish. A honest, low-pressure Hoosier float.
Region: North-central / Wabash · Fish for: Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, Channel Catfish · USGS gauges: Eel River at North Manchester (upper), Eel River near Logansport (lower)
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Mississinewa River
A gravel-and-limestone smallmouth river running past Marion to the Wabash, with a productive tailwater below Mississinewa Reservoir that adds walleye and saugeye to the mix. The upper river near Ridgeville is a small, flashy wade creek; the lower reaches broaden into floatable smallmouth water. A solid, overlooked east-central option.
Region: Central / Wabash · Fish for: Smallmouth Bass, Channel Catfish, Walleye · USGS gauges: Mississinewa River at Ridgeville (upper), Mississinewa River at Marion (lower)
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Driftwood River
Formed at Edinburgh where the Big Blue and Sugar Creek meet, the Driftwood is a short, wadeable-to-floatable smallmouth river that runs down to Columbus and becomes the East Fork White. Gravel bars, riffles, and log jams hold good numbers of smallmouth and rock bass. Low summer flows make it a wader's river.
Region: Central / East Fork White · Fish for: Smallmouth Bass, Rock Bass, Channel Catfish · USGS gauges: Driftwood River Near Edinburgh, In
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Flatrock River
One of southern Indiana's best smallmouth rivers, the Flatrock runs from near Rushville down through St. Paul and Columbus to join the Driftwood. Clean gravel, ledge rock, and long pools make it a wader's and paddler's favorite. Strong smallmouth, rock bass, and channel cat numbers.
Region: Southeast · Fish for: Smallmouth Bass, Rock Bass, Channel Catfish · USGS gauges: Flatrock River At St. Paul, In, Flatrock River At Columbus, In
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Maumee River
Formed at the confluence of the St. Marys and St. Joseph in downtown Fort Wayne, the Maumee heads east into Ohio. The Indiana reach is a big, warm smallmouth, walleye, and catfish river with good spring runs. This is a bank-and-boat river, not a wading stream.
Region: Northeast / Maumee · Fish for: Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Channel Catfish · USGS gauges: Maumee River At Fort Wayne, In, Maumee River At Coliseum Blvd At Fort Wayne, In, Maumee River At New Haven, In
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Big Blue River
The Big Blue rises near New Castle and winds down through Shelbyville to help form the Driftwood at Edinburgh. It's a classic Hoosier smallmouth and rock bass stream - gravel, wood, and undercut banks through farm country and small towns. Wadeable most of the summer.
Region: Central / East Fork White · Fish for: Smallmouth Bass, Rock Bass, Channel Catfish · USGS gauges: Big Blue River At Shelbyville, In
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Patoka River
The Patoka runs across southern Indiana from the hills above Patoka Lake down through bottomland forest to the Wabash. The tailwater below Patoka Lake holds trout, smallmouth, and stripers/hybrids, while the lower river is a slow, snaggy largemouth and catfish stream through the Patoka River NWR.
Region: Southwest · Fish for: Largemouth Bass, Channel Catfish, Smallmouth Bass · USGS gauges: Patoka River At Jasper, In, Patoka River At Winslow, In, Patoka River Near Princeton, In
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Salamonie River
The Salamonie flows out of the hills near Portland down to Salamonie Lake and on to the Wabash near Lagro. The tailwater below Salamonie Dam and the free-flowing lower river hold smallmouth, walleye, and catfish. A quiet, low-pressure Wabash tributary.
Region: Northeast / Wabash · Fish for: Smallmouth Bass, Channel Catfish, Walleye · USGS gauges: Salamonie River At Portland, In, Salamonie River Near Warren, In
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St. Joseph River (Maumee Basin)
Not to be confused with the Lake Michigan St. Joseph, this St. Joe flows south out of Michigan and Ohio into Fort Wayne, where it meets the St. Marys to form the Maumee. It's a clean, gravelly smallmouth, rock bass, and catfish river - the better of Fort Wayne's two forks for wading.
Region: Northeast / Maumee · Fish for: Smallmouth Bass, Rock Bass, Channel Catfish · USGS gauges: St. Joseph River Near Fort Wayne, In, St. Joseph R At Parnell Av At Fort Wayne, In
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Fall Creek
Fall Creek flows from the Anderson area through Geist Reservoir and into the White River in downtown Indianapolis. The tailwater below Geist Dam is a stocked trout and smallmouth fishery, and the lower creek through the city holds smallmouth, largemouth, and catfish.
Region: Central / Indianapolis · Fish for: Smallmouth Bass, Rainbow Trout, Channel Catfish · USGS gauges: Fall Creek Near Fortville, In, Fall Creek At Millersville, In, Fall Creek At 79Th St At Indianapolis, In, Fall Creek At 16Th Street At Indianapolis, In
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Elkhart River
The Elkhart flows from the northeast Indiana lakes down through Goshen to the St. Joseph at Elkhart. It's a warm, weedy smallmouth, largemouth, and pike river with good numbers of rock bass and panfish - a low-key north-central fishery that runs through town and farm country.
Region: North-central · Fish for: Smallmouth Bass, Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike · USGS gauges: Elkhart River At Goshen, In, Nb Elkhart River At Cosperville, In
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Muscatatuck River
Formed where the Vernon Fork and other branches meet, the Muscatatuck is a slow, wooded southeastern Indiana river running through the Muscatatuck NWR to the East Fork White. It's a largemouth, catfish, and rough-fish river with a scattering of smallmouth in the upper gravel.
Region: Southeast · Fish for: Largemouth Bass, Channel Catfish, Smallmouth Bass · USGS gauges: Muscatatuck River Near Deputy, In, Vernon Fork Muscatatuck River At Vernon, In
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Pigeon River
The Pigeon River winds through the lakes and marshes of the Pigeon River Fish & Wildlife Area in far northeast Indiana before crossing into Michigan. It's a clear, cool, weedy river holding smallmouth, pike, and panfish, with trout in some feeder water - a scenic paddle-and-wade fishery.
Region: Northeast / Lakes · Fish for: Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, Rock Bass · USGS gauges: Pigeon River Near Scott, In
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St. Marys River
The St. Marys flows north out of Ohio into Fort Wayne, where it joins the St. Joseph to form the Maumee. It's a slow, warm, often turbid river holding channel and flathead catfish, smallmouth, and rough fish - an underrated urban and farm-country catfish stream.
Region: Northeast / Maumee · Fish for: Channel Catfish, Smallmouth Bass, Flathead Catfish · USGS gauges: St. Marys River Near Fort Wayne, In, St. Marys River At Decatur, In, St. Marys River At Main St. At Fort Wayne, In
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Eagle Creek
Eagle Creek flows south through Eagle Creek Reservoir on the northwest side of Indianapolis to the White River. Above and below the reservoir it's a smallmouth, largemouth, and channel catfish creek, and the park's water is one of Indy's most popular fisheries.
Region: Central / Indianapolis · Fish for: Smallmouth Bass, Largemouth Bass, Channel Catfish · USGS gauges: Eagle Creek At Zionsville, In, Eagle Creek At Indianapolis, In, Eagle Creek At Clermont, In, Eagle Creek Below Reservoir At Indianapolis, In
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Lost River
One of Indiana's most unusual rivers, the Lost River sinks underground into the karst of Orange County and rises again downstream before reaching the East Fork White. Its surface and rise reaches hold smallmouth, rock bass, and sunfish - a quirky, scenic cave-country wade fishery.
Region: Southeast / Cave Country · Fish for: Smallmouth Bass, Rock Bass, Largemouth Bass · USGS gauges: Lost River Near Prospect, In
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Cedar Creek
A designated Indiana Natural, Scenic and Recreational river, Cedar Creek runs through wooded ravines in northeast Indiana to the St. Joseph above Fort Wayne. Clear, gravelly, and fast, it holds smallmouth, rock bass, and one of the state's few naturally reproducing trout populations in its cold upper reaches.
Region: Northeast / Maumee · Fish for: Smallmouth Bass, Rock Bass, Brown Trout · USGS gauges: Cedar Creek Near Cedarville, In, Cedar Creek At 18Th Street At Auburn, In
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Big Raccoon Creek
Big Raccoon Creek flows through the hills of Parke County into Cecil M. Harden Lake (Raccoon SRA) and on to the Wabash near Montezuma. Its gravel-and-rock water holds smallmouth, rock bass, and channel catfish, and the covered-bridge country makes it a scenic west-central wade fishery.
Region: West-central / Wabash · Fish for: Smallmouth Bass, Rock Bass, Channel Catfish · USGS gauges: Big Raccoon Creek Near Fincastle, In, Big Raccoon Creek At Coxville, In
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Clifty Creek
Clifty Creek tumbles through the gorges of Clifty Falls State Park near Madison before reaching the Ohio River in southeast Indiana. Its gravel-and-ledge water holds smallmouth, rock bass, and sunfish, and the scenic canyon setting makes it one of the region's prettiest wade fisheries.
Region: Southeast · Fish for: Smallmouth Bass, Rock Bass, Largemouth Bass · USGS gauges: Clifty Creek At Hartsville, In, Clifty Creek Near Columbus, In
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Iroquois River
The Iroquois drains the flat, sandy country of northwest Indiana, flowing west into Illinois to meet the Kankakee. It's a slow, low-gradient river through farmland holding channel catfish, largemouth, northern pike, and rough fish - a quiet, low-pressure prairie stream.
Region: Northwest / Kankakee · Fish for: Channel Catfish, Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike · USGS gauges: Iroquois River At Rensselaer, In, Iroquois River Near Foresman, In
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Big Pine Creek
Big Pine Creek carves through the rocky ravines of Warren County in west-central Indiana before reaching the Wabash. One of the state's more scenic smallmouth streams, its clear gravel-and-ledge water holds strong smallmouth and rock bass - a favorite of Hoosier wade and float anglers.
Region: West-central / Wabash · Fish for: Smallmouth Bass, Rock Bass, Channel Catfish · USGS gauges: Big Pine Creek At Pine Village, In
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Silver Creek
Silver Creek forms the boundary between Clark and Floyd counties near Louisville, flowing to the Ohio River in far southern Indiana. Its lower reaches hold smallmouth, largemouth, spotted bass, and catfish, with white bass and sauger running up from the Ohio in spring.
Region: Southern Border / Big River · Fish for: Smallmouth Bass, Largemouth Bass, Channel Catfish · USGS gauges: Silver Creek Near Sellersburg, In
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Salt Creek
This Salt Creek runs through Porter County near the Indiana Dunes, joining the Little Calumet in northwest Indiana. It's a small smallmouth and largemouth creek that also sees steelhead and salmon push up from Lake Michigan on fall and spring runs.
Region: Northwest / Lake Michigan · Fish for: Smallmouth Bass, Steelhead, Largemouth Bass · USGS gauges: Salt Creek At Valparaiso, In
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Deer Creek
Deer Creek flows through Carroll County to the Wabash near Delphi in north-central Indiana. A clear gravel-and-limestone stream, it holds smallmouth, rock bass, and channel catfish and is a well-regarded wade-and-float smallmouth creek along the Wabash Heritage corridor.
Region: North-central / Wabash · Fish for: Smallmouth Bass, Rock Bass, Channel Catfish · USGS gauges: Deer Creek Near Delphi, In
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Yellow River
The Yellow River flows across north-central Indiana from near Bremen through Plymouth and Knox to the Kankakee. It's a slow, sandy, low-gradient river holding channel catfish, largemouth, pike, and rough fish - a quiet farm-country stream with better numbers than its size suggests.
Region: North-central / Kankakee · Fish for: Channel Catfish, Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike · USGS gauges: Yellow River At Plymouth, In, Yellow River At Knox, In, Yellow River Near Oak Grove, In
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Cicero Creek
Cicero Creek flows through Morse Reservoir near Noblesville down to the White River in Hamilton County. Above and below the reservoir it's a smallmouth, largemouth, and channel catfish creek - a modest but productive central Indiana tributary.
Region: Central / Indianapolis · Fish for: Smallmouth Bass, Largemouth Bass, Channel Catfish · USGS gauges: Cicero Creek At Tipton, In, Cicero Creek At Noblesville, In, Cicero Creek At Arcadia, In
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Big Walnut Creek
Big Walnut Creek flows through Putnam County past Greencastle toward the Eel and Wabash in west-central Indiana. Its gravel water and wooded banks hold smallmouth, rock bass, and channel catfish - a quiet, scenic wade-and-float creek.
Region: West-central / Wabash · Fish for: Smallmouth Bass, Rock Bass, Channel Catfish · USGS gauges: Big Walnut Creek Near Roachdale, In
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Deep River
A small Lake County stream, Deep River runs through Hobart and Lake George down to the Little Calumet in northwest Indiana. It's an urban-fringe smallmouth, largemouth, and panfish creek with steelhead and salmon reaching the lower reaches on fall runs from Lake Michigan.
Region: Northwest / Lake Michigan · Fish for: Smallmouth Bass, Largemouth Bass, Steelhead · USGS gauges: Deep River At Lake George Outlet At Hobart, In
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Fish Creek
A small, spring-fed creek in far northeast Indiana's Steuben County, Fish Creek is one of the state's cleanest coldwater streams and a rare natural trout and smallmouth fishery. Protected for its biodiversity, it runs clear over gravel toward the St. Joseph of the Maumee.
Region: Northeast / Maumee · Fish for: Smallmouth Bass, Brown Trout, Rock Bass · USGS gauges: Fish Creek At Hamilton, In
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Mill Creek
Mill Creek flows through Putnam and Owen counties into Cagles Mill Lake (Cataract Lake) and on toward the West Fork White in west-central Indiana. Its gravel water holds smallmouth, rock bass, and channel catfish, and the tailwater below Cataract Falls adds variety.
Region: West-central / Wabash · Fish for: Smallmouth Bass, Rock Bass, Channel Catfish · USGS gauges: Mill Creek Near Cataract, In
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Brandywine Creek
Brandywine Creek runs through Greenfield in Hancock County down to the Big Blue River east of Indianapolis. It's a small, gravelly smallmouth and rock bass creek through farm country - a low-pressure central Indiana wade fishery.
Region: Central / East Fork White · Fish for: Smallmouth Bass, Rock Bass, Largemouth Bass · USGS gauges: Brandywine Creek Near Fairland, In
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Little River
The Little River drains the historic Little River valley southwest of Fort Wayne, flowing through Huntington County to the Wabash. It's a slow, ditched-and-natural warmwater stream holding channel catfish, largemouth, and rough fish - a low-key upper-Wabash tributary.
Region: Northeast / Wabash · Fish for: Channel Catfish, Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass · USGS gauges: Little River Near Huntington, In
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