Bixler Lake

Noble County, Indiana · IN DNR bathymetric survey

35ft Max
depth

129 acres 7 contours Public access

Paddling Index53Modestsheltered geometry

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Depth scale

05101520253035

The lake

Survey readout

Bixler Lake is mapped to a depth of 35 ft on the Indiana DNR survey and covers about 129 acres in Noble County, Indiana.

Measured from the Indiana DNR lake bathymetry survey.

Deepest mapped contour: 35 ft
Surface area: 129 acres
Shoreline: 2.36 mi · lobed
Aquatic vegetation: 12% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access: Boat Ramp · Indiana DNR site

Additional depth details7 contours

Contour depths: 0–35 ft
Recorded point soundings: 35 ft

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Location

Noble County, Indiana · all 13 lakes · tap a dot for that lake

Chart data

Provenance

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

⚠ Not for navigation

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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: 41.43926, -85.24885
IN DNR lake ID: bixler-lake
Vertical exaggeration: 2.49×
Basemap: USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size: 2.0 MB

Paddling

Paddling Index methodology v1.0 · calculated 2026-09-21

53 / 100ModestData confidence: High

Bixler Lake has a mixed natural and developed setting, generally sheltered geometry, nearby higher-volume roads. No special watercraft restriction is identified in the current source.

Why this score?5 components

Included in the index

Component	Rating	Points of weight	Measurement
Natural setting	Mixed	11.3 of 30	56% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (4% forest, 51% wetland; 40% developed)
Geometric wind exposure	Very Good	17.9 of 25	mean fetch 798 m · 1% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · generally short fetch
Watercraft controls	None identified	7.5 of 15	No special watercraft restriction identified in the current DNR source. Motors permitted, subject to general law.
Public access	Good	12.8 of 15	1 DNR fishing access site · boat ramp · ADA-accessible · fishing pier
Road isolation	Mixed	3.5 of 15	nearby higher-volume roads · 32 INDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 13,509 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: Low — wide enough that wakes disperse over most of the lake
Aquatic vegetation: Low — approximately 12% 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: Moderate — 4% forest and 51% 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

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

Common Carp

White Sucker

Golden Shiner

Brook Silverside

Bluntnose Minnow

About these fish → the Fish of Indiana guide

Fishing rules for this lake Beta

Size and daily limits for the 16 species found here — 12 open to harvest, 1 with a special rule or closed season.

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.

Largemouth BassSpecial rulesLargemouth bass here: 2 per day, at least 18 inches (312 IAC 9-7-6(i)) — not the statewide 5 at 14 inches.

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 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”)

Bluntnose MinnowOpen 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).

BowfinOpen to harvestMinimum size: no size limit · Daily limit: no limit (312 IAC 9-7-14(d) · “Bowfin”) Roe must stay intact inside the fish while on or beside the water and until processing begins; once removed, roe may not be screened, washed, processed, preserved, stored, kept, given away, sold or transported without a roe harvester's license (312 IAC 9-7-14(f), (g)).

Brook SilversideRule 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.

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

Common CarpOpen to harvestMinimum size: no size limit · Daily limit: no limit (312 IAC 9-7-14(d) · “Carp”)

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 BassSpecial rulesLargemouth bass here: 2 per day, at least 18 inches (312 IAC 9-7-6(i)) — not the statewide 5 at 14 inches.

Northern PikeOpen to harvestMinimum size: 24" · Daily limit: 3 (312 IAC 9-7-5(a), (b)) No more than one of the three may be over 30 inches.

PumpkinseedRule 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.

WalleyeOpen to harvestMinimum size: 16" · Daily limit: 6 (312 IAC 9-7-12(b) · north of State Road 26) Walleye minimum here is 16 inches because the lake lies north of State Road 26. The 6 is in any combination of walleye, sauger and saugeye.

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 SuckerOpen to harvestMinimum size: no size limit · Daily limit: no limit (312 IAC 9-7-14(d) · “Sucker”) Greater redhorse is endangered in Indiana (312 IAC 9-6-9) and may not be taken — identify redhorse carefully.

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

Yellow PerchOpen to harvestMinimum size: no size limit · Daily limit: no limit (IN DNR 2026-27 guide, statewide table · 312 IAC 9-7-18 (Lake Michigan only)) The code limits yellow perch only on Lake Michigan (15); the DNR's statewide table prints inland perch as unlimited.

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

“An individual must not take or possess more than two (2) largemouth bass per day, and an individual must not take or possess a largemouth bass unless the largemouth bass is at least eighteen (18) inches long from the following designated waters: (11) Bixler Lake in Noble County.” — 312 IAC 9-7-6(i), 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

450Fish sampled

16Species

Gamefish Largemouth Bass 40 · Northern Pike 2 · Walleye 2 · Bowfin 1

Panfish Bluegill 325 · Black Crappie 27 · Yellow Perch 22

All survey species16 species

Gamefish

Largemouth Bass40 caught · to 17″

Northern Pike2 caught · to 28″

Walleye2 caught · to 19″

Bowfin1 caught · to 18″

Panfish

Bluegill325 caught · to 8″

Black Crappie27 caught · to 11″

Yellow Perch22 caught · to 10″

Pumpkinseed1 caught · to 5″

Warmouth1 caught · to 5″

Bullhead & catfish

Brown Bullhead3 caught · to 12″

Yellow Bullhead2 caught · to 12″

Forage & nongame

Common Carp13 caught · to 24″

Golden Shiner5 caught · to 8″

Brook Silverside3 caught · to 4″

White Sucker2 caught · to 15″

Bluntnose Minnow1 caught · to 2″

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).

Non-native species records

1 record

Plants & algae

Eurasian Watermilfoil

How to identify invasive species in Indiana lakes →

What does non-native mean?

USGS records identify non-native species that have been documented for this lake or its shoreline. Non-native does not necessarily mean invasive, and historical records do not confirm current presence.

Source: Midwest Glacial Lakes Partnership Conservation Planner; underlying nonindigenous species records from the USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species database.

Quick answers

Bixler Lake — common questions

How deep is Bixler Lake?

The deepest contour on the Indiana DNR bathymetric survey of Bixler Lake is 35 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 Bixler Lake?

Bixler Lake covers about 129 acres in Noble County, Indiana.

What fish are in Bixler Lake?

Species with survey, catch or recent-stocking evidence include largemouth bass, northern pike, walleye, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin. The page lists all 16 species and the evidence behind each.

Is there public access to Bixler Lake?

Yes. The Indiana DNR lists a public access site on Bixler Lake: a boat ramp with a fishing pier, a boat dock, restrooms and ADA access. The DNR records no fee. DNR directions: "Lake Park Dr. & Sherman St. in Kendallville."

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