South Bend anglers can reach 10 of the waters in our guide in 75 minutes or less by car — 9 lakes and 1 reservoir. Our records list no fewer than 65 species of fish for them.

Closest to South Bend: Worster Lake, 27 minutes away

Starting from South Bend, the nearest water is Worster Lake, a reservoir, at 27 min (15.3 mi). The drive time is measured to the ramp: Worster Lake West Boat Launch.

Next by drive time:

65 fish species around South Bend

Walleye turns up in more of these waters than any other fish: 5 of 10. Next come Rainbow Trout (4), Largemouth Bass (4), Common Carp (4) and Brook Silverside (4).

The nearest water for each of the leading species:

  • Walleye and Brook Silverside: Eagle Lake, 28 min (17.8 mi)
  • Rainbow Trout: Lake Michigan, 50 min (35.5 mi)
  • Largemouth Bass and Common Carp: Worster Lake, 27 min (15.3 mi)

3 waters at the top of the South Bend list

Ranked by drive time, depth data, species records and access, the first 3 for South Bend are:

  • Lake Michigan: 14,296,859 acres, 62 fish species on record, max depth 902.2 ft (surveyed), 321 ramps and 203,530,924 fish stocked.
  • Diamond Lake: 1,030 acres, 19 fish species on record, max depth 64 ft (surveyed), 2 ramps and 6,935,950 fish stocked.
  • Eagle Lake: 404 acres, 16 fish species on record, max depth 35 ft (surveyed), 1 ramp and 2,400 fish stocked.

Lake Michigan goes down to 902.2 ft

The deepest water in this guide is Lake Michigan: 902.2 ft at its deepest point (surveyed). Other deep spots are Tippecanoe Lake (at least 123.7 ft), Lake Maxinkuckee (80 ft) and Lake Wawasee (75 ft). Maximum depths are known for all 10 waters.

6 stocked waters near South Bend

6 waters here have stocked fish on record, led by Lake Michigan (203,530,924 fish), Diamond Lake (6,935,950 fish) and Klinger Lake (796,714 fish).

Launching near South Bend: 15 ramps

Around South Bend you will find 15 boat ramps and 5 shore-fishing spots on the waters in this guide. Nearest to the center for launching: Worster Lake East Boat Launch on Worster Lake, roughly 10.8 mi as the crow flies.

Camping within reach of South Bend

You can camp next to the water: 8 campgrounds are within reach of South Bend. The closest are Family Campground (10.3 mi, by Worster Lake), Youth Tent Area (10.8 mi, by Worster Lake) and Hildebrandt Semi-Modern Campground (23.5 mi, by Lake Michigan).