May Fishing in Indiana

The wonderful month of May brings in the best fishing to this State of Indiana. May is the month of months for most Indiana anglers, because this month spans the spawning seasons of several favorite species, a behavioral pit stop that brings many species into shallow water where they become more aggressive in defending their spawn. This puts a lot more fish smack in our angling wheelhouse. Spawning season brings the different species we value catching the most within our reach.

Here are some brief reports for your May fishing pleasure:

1. Crappie: If you cannot catch a crappie at Lake Monroe, you probably can't catch one anywhere. Anglers fishing off docks have been catching dozens of 7 and 8 inch "Lake Monroe crappie" since March. You may see some larger fish too, as about one out of every 10 crappies caught fall in the 11 to 12 inch class. Other good to excellent public crappie lakes in the area include, Cataract Lake and West Boggs Lake. Patoka Lake is loaded with crappie too, although they tend toward the smaller Lake Monroe size. Griffiy Lake is apparently coming on as a crappie lake now. The minnows are always best for the crappies, but the plastic jigs and the tiny spinner baits like Mark Fishes FishNSpin and the old standby Beetle Spin work extremely well. Tip the hook with a bee moth for even a better way for success.

2. Largemouth bass: You do not have far to go to find a good largemouth bass fishing. Lake Monroe still produces big Largemouth, but you have to work for them. Spawning is all over the chart this year, as bass on some smaller lakes have already spawned. As cold as the water was at Lake Monroe, it is no wonder that hey are running a little late there. West Boggs Creek continues to produce good largemouth fishing despite the gizzard shad invasion that ruined the bluegill fishery there. Do not pass up the strips pits in Greene and Owen counties. There are some very large bass in some of those pits, just be prepared to fish early in the morning, before daylight, or in early evening into the night. Water is so clear that catching anything on a bright, sunny day is tough to do.