James Lake fishing: Northern Hog Sucker, Bluegill, Longear Sunfish

Target species: Northern Hog Sucker, Bluegill, Longear Sunfish

The lake

James Lake covers 270 acres in Indiana, across Kosciusko County. It is a lake: 90.1% of it is 48 feet deep or less; the deepest figure on record is 63 feet (19.2 m), as published by Webster, K.E., McCullough, I.M., Soranno, P.A. LAGOS-US DEPTH v1.0, EDI, doi:10.6073/pasta/64ddc4d04661d9aef4bd702dc5d8984f (CC BY 4.0); Cheruvelil et al. LAGOS-US LOCUS v1.0 (EDI), a figure without a map of the bottom. Our records hold 4 species for this water.

Map of James Lake, Steuben county, Indiana - DPLA - 0dce46786846c948f7d2c27be0d6e41a.jpg
Indiana Department of Conservation, Division of Fish and Game · Public domain

3 target fish, led by Northern Hog Sucker

  • Northern Hog Sucker — Feeding water: 50–70°F.
  • Bluegill — Feeding water: 70–85°F.
  • Longear Sunfish — Feeding water: 70–85°F.

Also recorded here: Yellow Bullhead.

Map of Little Tippecanoe (James) Lake showing depth - DPLA - f19ec9b7e7d8de3ee744d5bce4467c52.jpg
Indiana. Division of Fish and Game · Public domain

Depth and bottom

Deepest figure on record: 63 ft (19.2 m), as published by Webster, K.E., McCullough, I.M., Soranno, P.A. LAGOS-US DEPTH v1.0, EDI, doi:10.6073/pasta/64ddc4d04661d9aef4bd702dc5d8984f (CC BY 4.0); Cheruvelil et al. LAGOS-US LOCUS v1.0 (EDI). We hold no survey map of this bottom, so we show no depth bands. 90.1% of the water is 48 feet or shallower. We hold 35 depth contour lines for this water.

  • 0–3 ft: 15.3% of the water
  • 3–6 ft: 14.3% of the water
  • 6–9 ft: 10.1% of the water
  • 9–12 ft: 7.8% of the water
  • 12–15 ft: 6.4% of the water
  • 15–18 ft: 5.4% of the water
  • 18–21 ft: 4.7% of the water
  • 21–24 ft: 4.2% of the water
  • 24–27 ft: 3.8% of the water
  • 27–30 ft: 3.4% of the water
  • 30–33 ft: 3.2% of the water
  • 33–36 ft: 3% of the water
  • 36–39 ft: 2.7% of the water
  • 39–42 ft: 2% of the water
  • 42–45 ft: 1.9% of the water
  • 45–48 ft: 1.9% of the water
  • 48–51 ft: 1.9% of the water
  • 51–54 ft: 2.1% of the water
  • 54–57 ft: 2.5% of the water
  • 57–60 ft: 3.6% of the water

Water and conditions

Water clarity runs 4.6–9.3 feet on our readings, averaging 6.9 feet, from 46 readings. Our water temperature readings average 85°F; they do not cover the whole year, so this is not a yearly average. pH averages 7.9. These readings span 2017–2024.

Where this data comes from

  • Indiana DNR — Indiana DNR: depth contours: class A, a survey of the bottom.
  • Webster, K.E., McCullough, I.M., Soranno, P.A. LAGOS-US DEPTH v1.0, EDI, doi:10.6073/pasta/64ddc4d04661d9aef4bd702dc5d8984f (CC BY 4.0); Cheruvelil et al. LAGOS-US LOCUS v1.0 (EDI) — LAGOS-US DEPTH v1.0: Lake depth for 17,675 lakes in the conterminous U.S.: class B, a depth figure measured and published by an agency, without a bottom map.