Bischoff Reservoir

Ripley County, Indiana · IN DNR bathymetric survey

22ft Max
depth

191 acres 4 contours Public access

Paddling Index59Mixedhigh-speed boating prohibited · sheltered geometry

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Depth scale

0510152022

The lake

Survey readout

Bischoff Reservoir is mapped to a depth of 22 ft on the Indiana DNR survey and covers about 191 acres in Ripley County, Indiana. Depths come from the Indiana DNR survey of 2023.

Measured from the Indiana DNR lake bathymetry survey.

Deepest mapped contour: 22 ft
Survey year: 2023
Surface area: 191 acres
Shoreline: 10.5 mi · irregular
Aquatic vegetation: 9% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access: Boat Ramp · Indiana DNR site

Additional depth details4 contours

Contour depths: 0–22 ft
Recorded point soundings: 22 ft

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Location

Ripley County, Indiana · all 2 lakes · tap a dot for that lake

Chart data

Provenance

Sources: IN DNR Lake Bathymetry, USGS 3DEP, USDA NAIP (public domain), OpenStreetMap (ODbL).

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Map details & sources4 sources

All layers registered to one bounding box; positions in WGS 84.

Survey-derived depth contours drape over USGS 3DEP elevation, with a USDA NAIP aerial basemap and OpenStreetMap shoreline. Color shows surveyed depth; dark lines are the survey's own isobaths.

Coordinates: 39.27629, -85.19020
IN DNR lake ID: {090a66ed-aef2-417d-b8a4-59331c4bcd11}
Vertical exaggeration: 2.93×
Basemap: USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size: 2.1 MB

Paddling

Paddling Index methodology v1.0 · calculated 2026-10-08

59 / 100MixedData confidence: High

Bischoff Reservoir has a mixed natural and developed setting, well sheltered geometry, substantial nearby higher-volume roads. Watercraft controls: High-speed boating prohibited.

Why this score?5 components

Included in the index

Component	Rating	Points of weight	Measurement
Natural setting	Mixed	9.3 of 30	39% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (37% forest, 0% wetland; 16% developed)
Geometric wind exposure	Excellent	21.7 of 25	mean fetch 596 m · 33% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · short fetch in most directions
Watercraft controls	High-speed boating prohibited	12.8 of 15	6 hp limit
Public access	Good	12.8 of 15	1 DNR fishing access site · boat ramp
Road isolation	Modest	2.5 of 15	substantial nearby higher-volume roads · 26 INDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 24,136 vehicles/day

Additional paddling considerations

These describe the lake but are not part of the v1 Paddling Index and do not change the number above.

Wake sensitivity: Moderate — narrow in places — wakes would carry across parts of the lake
Aquatic vegetation: Low — approximately 9% mapped coverage · NAIP aerial imagery (NDVI)
Observed motorized activity: Unknown — No lake-level measurement of boat traffic is available. Legal permission to operate motors is not evidence of use.
Wildlife habitat potential: Limited — 37% forest and 0% wetland cover within 150 m of shore

Compare Indiana lakes by Paddling Index →

How this index is calculated. The Paddling Index is a relative composite derived from lake geometry and public environmental, access, roadway and watercraft-control data. It is not a user review, a safety rating, or a prediction of an individual outing. Differences of a few points should not be treated as meaningful — an 84 and an 82 are broadly comparable. Components and weights: natural setting 30%, geometric wind exposure 25%, watercraft controls 15%, public access 15%, road isolation 15%; observed motorboat activity is weighted 0% because no defensible lake-level measurement exists. Where a component has no data the remaining weights are renormalized and the confidence rating is lowered; below Medium confidence no number is shown. Sources: USGS NHD waterbody outline, USGS/MRLC NLCD Land Cover (2021), IN DNR Fishing Access Sites (motor restrictions) (2026-08), IN DNR Fishing Access Sites (2026-08) and INDOT Annual Average Daily Traffic (2021). Conditions change quickly — check current weather and local conditions before going out.

Fish you might catch

from DNR surveys

11 species with recent evidence in this lake — sized relative to each other. Illustrations are AI-generated representative adults in everyday colors, not photographs (provenance).

Gizzard Shad

Golden Shiner

About these fish → the Fish of Indiana guide

Fishing rules for this lake Beta

Size and daily limits for the 11 species found here — 10 open to harvest.

These are hook-and-line size and daily limit rules. The fishing code sets no closed season for these species on inland lakes, but posted property rules can close a water — see the notes. Gear, spearing and bow fishing, netting and bait collection are set by other sections of 312 IAC 9 and are not shown here.

Black BullheadOpen to harvestMinimum size: no size limit · Daily limit: no limit (312 IAC 9-7-14(d) · “Bullhead”)

Black CrappieOpen to harvestMinimum size: no size limit · Daily limit: 25 (312 IAC 9-7-14(a)) Black and white crappie together.

Beta. This panel is newly published. Every value is transcribed from the Indiana Administrative Code (312 IAC 9-7) and checked against the Indiana DNR's 2026-27 Fishing Regulations Guide, but the coverage and wording are still under review. If anything here disagrees with 312 IAC 9-7 or the Indiana DNR's guide, the DNR is right — the Administrative Code is the legal text; the guide summarizes it.

No closed season in the fishing code: 312 IAC 9-7 sets no season for these species on inland lakes (trout and salmon “at any time of year”, 9-7-13(d)(1)). Posted property rules can still close a water or bar entry (312 IAC 8-2-1) and 312 IAC 9-6-6 closes a few named areas, so check the property before you go. The possession limit is twice the daily bag limit (312 IAC 9-1-12.1); fish already processed and stored at your primary residence do not count toward it (312 IAC 9-2-8(d)).

Black BullheadOpen to harvestMinimum size: no size limit · Daily limit: no limit (312 IAC 9-7-14(d) · “Bullhead”)

Black CrappieOpen to harvestMinimum size: no size limit · Daily limit: 25 (312 IAC 9-7-14(a)) Black and white crappie together.

BluegillOpen to harvestMinimum size: no size limit · Daily limit: no limit (312 IAC 9-7-14(d) · “Bluegill”)

Brown BullheadOpen to harvestMinimum size: no size limit · Daily limit: no limit (312 IAC 9-7-14(d) · “Bullhead”)

Channel CatfishOpen to harvestMinimum size: no size limit · Daily limit: 10 (312 IAC 9-7-3(b), (d)) The 10 is catfish in aggregate of any size from a lake or reservoir. Of those, not more than one channel catfish 28 inches or longer, one blue catfish 35 inches or longer and one flathead catfish 35 inches or longer per day.

Gizzard ShadOpen to harvestMinimum size: no size limit · Daily limit: no limit (312 IAC 9-7-14(d) · “Gizzard shad”) No limit on harvest, but live shad may not be kept: live gizzard or threadfin shad may be possessed or used as bait only on eight named waters (Brookville, Cecil M. Harden, Monroe and Patoka reservoirs, Lakes Freeman and Shafer, Hardy Lake, the Ohio River main stem excluding its embayments), and only where collected. Everywhere else shad must be killed immediately (312 IAC 9-6-8(b)–(d)).

Golden ShinerOpen to harvestMinimum size: no size limit · Daily limit: none stated (312 IAC 9-7-15) A minnow under the code’s definition (312 IAC 9-6-1). Minnows may be taken at any time of year by minnow trap, dip net, seine, cast net or lawful sport-fishing methods; the section states no bag or size limit, caps transport out of Indiana at 100 minnows in any 24-hour period (licensed bait dealers, scientific-purposes licensees and those commercially raising minnows in private waters for sale excepted), and requires a bait dealer’s license to sell (312 IAC 9-7-15).

Largemouth BassOpen to harvestMinimum size: 14" · Daily limit: 5 (312 IAC 9-7-6(a), (c)(3)) The 5 is black bass in aggregate — any combination of largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass — not 5 of each.

Redear SunfishOpen to harvestMinimum size: no size limit · Daily limit: 25 (312 IAC 9-7-14(c))

WarmouthRule not confidently resolvedNot named in 312 IAC 9-7 or in the DNR guide's limits table. Please check with the Indiana DNR (317-232-4200) before keeping this species.

White CrappieOpen to harvestMinimum size: no size limit · Daily limit: 25 (312 IAC 9-7-14(a)) Black and white crappie together.

Official rule text for this lake

“An individual may take minnows at any time during the year.” — 312 IAC 9-7-15(a), Indiana Administrative Code

From 312 IAC 9-7 (Sport fishing), Indiana Administrative Code (readopted 2025-03-25), and the 2026-2027 Indiana Fishing Regulations Guide · verified 2026-09-15. Regulations can change — the Indiana Administrative Code (312 IAC 9-7) is the controlling source; verify current regulations before fishing. Official regulations

Compiled from Indiana DNR fishery surveys. Silhouettes are stylized and scaled to typical adult sizes relative to one another. Presence is not a promise — fishing isn’t a sure thing.

Fishery

surveyed 2022

786Fish sampled

11Species

Gamefish Largemouth Bass 53 · Channel Catfish 13

Panfish Bluegill 167 · White Crappie 86 · Black Crappie 73

All survey species11 species

Gamefish

Largemouth Bass53 caught · to 16″

Channel Catfish13 caught · to 20″

Panfish

Bluegill167 caught · to 8″

White Crappie86 caught · to 11″

Black Crappie73 caught · to 9″

Redear Sunfish72 caught · to 10″

Warmouth23 caught · to 8″

Bullhead & catfish

Black Bullhead4 caught · to 14″

Brown Bullhead1 caught · to 11″

Forage & nongame

Gizzard Shad264 caught · to 15″

Golden Shiner30 caught · to 9″

Length is the largest fish netted in the survey, not an angler record. Source: Indiana DNR fish survey (Indiana Data Hub) (counts summed across survey years).

Quick answers

Bischoff Reservoir — common questions

How deep is Bischoff Reservoir?

The deepest contour on the Indiana DNR bathymetric survey of Bischoff Reservoir is 22 ft. That is the deepest depth the historical survey map records, which may differ from the deepest point of the lake itself.

How big is Bischoff Reservoir?

Bischoff Reservoir covers about 191 acres in Ripley County, Indiana.

What fish are in Bischoff Reservoir?

Species with survey, catch or recent-stocking evidence include channel catfish, largemouth bass, black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead. The page lists all 11 species and the evidence behind each.

Is there public access to Bischoff Reservoir?

Yes. The Indiana DNR lists a public access site on Bischoff Reservoir: a boat ramp with a boat dock. The DNR records no fee. DNR directions: "One mile SW of Morris on CR 1350N."

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