Ferdinand State Forest Lake

Dubois County, Indiana · IN DNR bathymetric survey

20ft Max
depth

40 acres 10 contours Public access

Paddling Index90Excellentaway from major roads · electric motors only · sheltered geometry

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Depth scale

02468101214161820

The lake

Survey readout

Ferdinand State Forest Lake is mapped to a depth of 20 ft on the Indiana DNR survey and covers about 40 acres in Dubois County, Indiana. Depths come from the Indiana DNR survey of 2017.

Measured from the Indiana DNR lake bathymetry survey.

Deepest mapped contour: 20 ft
Survey year: 2017
Surface area: 40 acres
Shoreline: 1.42 mi · irregular
Aquatic vegetation: 16% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access: Boat Ramp · Indiana DNR site

Additional depth details10 contours

Contour depths: 0–20 ft
Recorded point soundings: 20 ft

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Location

Dubois County, Indiana · all 6 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: 38.25464, -86.77530
IN DNR lake ID: 56128699
Vertical exaggeration: 3.0× below the waterline; land at true scale
Basemap: USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size: 1.9 MB

Paddling

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

90 / 100ExcellentData confidence: High

Ferdinand State Forest Lake has a heavily wooded and largely undeveloped setting, well sheltered geometry, little nearby major-road exposure. Watercraft controls: Electric motors only.

Why this score?5 components

Included in the index

Component	Rating	Points of weight	Measurement
Natural setting	Excellent	25.4 of 30	86% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (85% forest, 0% wetland; 6% developed)
Geometric wind exposure	Excellent	23.0 of 25	mean fetch 547 m · 48% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · short fetch in most directions
Watercraft controls	Electric motors only	14.2 of 15	Electric motors only
Public access	Good	12.8 of 15	1 DNR fishing access site · boat ramp
Road isolation	Excellent	15.0 of 15	relatively isolated from major roads · 2 INDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 300 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: Moderate — approximately 16% 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: High — 85% 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

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

About these fish → the Fish of Indiana guide

Fishing rules for this lake Beta

Size and daily limits for the 7 species found here — 5 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 from 12 to 15 inches may not be kept here — a protected slot (312 IAC 9-7-6(e)). Bass under 12 or over 15 inches count toward the 5-fish aggregate.

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”)

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.

Largemouth BassSpecial rulesLargemouth bass from 12 to 15 inches may not be kept here — a protected slot (312 IAC 9-7-6(e)). Bass under 12 or over 15 inches count toward the 5-fish aggregate.

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.

Official rule text for this lake

“An individual must not take or possess a largemouth bass unless the largemouth bass is less than twelve (12) inches long or more than fifteen (15) inches long from the following designated lakes: (2) Ferdinand State Forest Lake in Dubois County.” — 312 IAC 9-7-6(e), 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 2021

342Fish sampled

7Species

Gamefish Largemouth Bass 110 · Channel Catfish 3

Panfish Bluegill 137 · Black Crappie 53 · Warmouth 17

All survey species7 species

Gamefish

Largemouth Bass110 caught · to 21″

Channel Catfish3 caught · to 21″

Panfish

Bluegill137 caught · to 9″

Black Crappie53 caught · to 11″

Warmouth17 caught · to 8″

Redear Sunfish12 caught · to 9″

Bullhead & catfish

Brown Bullhead10 caught · to 17″

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

No non-native species recorded in the available dataset. This does not confirm that no non-native species are present.

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

Quick answers

Ferdinand State Forest Lake — common questions

How deep is Ferdinand State Forest Lake?

The deepest contour on the Indiana DNR bathymetric survey of Ferdinand State Forest Lake is 20 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 Ferdinand State Forest Lake?

Ferdinand State Forest Lake covers about 40 acres in Dubois County, Indiana.

What fish are in Ferdinand State Forest Lake?

Species with survey, catch or recent-stocking evidence include channel catfish, largemouth bass, black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, redear sunfish. The page lists all 7 species and the evidence behind each.

Is there public access to Ferdinand State Forest Lake?

Yes. The Indiana DNR lists a public access site on Ferdinand State Forest Lake: a boat ramp with a boat dock and restrooms. The DNR notes that a lake permit is required. DNR directions: "Six miles east of Ferdinand on SR 264."

More lakes in Dubois County