Hardy Lake

Scott County, Indiana · IN DNR bathymetric survey

39ft Max
depth

757 acres 7 contours Public access

Paddling Index67Mixedwooded shoreline · carry-in access

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Depth scale

0510152025303539

The lake

Survey readout

Hardy Lake is mapped to a depth of 39 ft on the Indiana DNR survey and covers about 757 acres in Scott County, Indiana. Depths come from the Indiana DNR survey of 2022.

Measured from the Indiana DNR lake bathymetry survey.

Deepest mapped contour: 39 ft
Survey year: 2022
Surface area: 757 acres
Shoreline: 17.06 mi · irregular
Aquatic vegetation: 7% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access: Boat Ramp · Carmel Ramp · Indiana DNR site · 3 more

Additional depth details7 contours

Contour depths: 0–39 ft
Recorded point soundings: 39 ft

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Location

Scott County, Indiana · the only mapped lake in this county

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: 38.77565, -85.69172
IN DNR lake ID: 145221518
Vertical exaggeration: 2.35×
Basemap: USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size: 2.2 MB

Paddling

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

67 / 100MixedData confidence: High

Hardy Lake has a mostly natural, lightly developed setting, moderate open-water exposure, some nearby classified 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	Very Good	23.2 of 30	80% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (79% forest, 0% wetland; 7% developed)
Geometric wind exposure	Good	12.9 of 25	mean fetch 1,314 m · 6% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · moderate open-water 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	Excellent	15.0 of 15	4 DNR fishing access sites · carry-in or canoe launch · boat ramp · ADA-accessible
Road isolation	Good	8.3 of 15	some nearby classified roads · 8 INDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 450 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 7% 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 — 79% 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

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).

Flathead Catfish

Common Carp

Channel Catfish

Walleye

Hybrid Striped Bass

Largemouth Bass

Bass

Gizzard Shad

Spotfin Shiner

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, 2 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.

Black CrappieSpecial rulesCrappie here must be at least 9 inches (312 IAC 9-7-14(b)); 25 per day.

White CrappieSpecial rulesCrappie here must be at least 9 inches (312 IAC 9-7-14(b)); 25 per day.

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)).

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.

Black CrappieSpecial rulesCrappie here must be at least 9 inches (312 IAC 9-7-14(b)); 25 per day.

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

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.

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

Flathead 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)).

Hybrid Striped BassOpen to harvestMinimum size: no size limit · Daily limit: 12 (312 IAC 9-7-7) 12 in any combination of white bass and hybrid striped bass, of which not more than two may exceed 17 inches.

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.

Longear SunfishRule 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.

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

Spotfin 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).

WalleyeOpen to harvestMinimum size: 14" · Daily limit: 6 (312 IAC 9-7-12(b) · south of State Road 26) Walleye minimum here is 14 inches because the lake lies south 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 CrappieSpecial rulesCrappie here must be at least 9 inches (312 IAC 9-7-14(b)); 25 per day.

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

Official rule text for this lake

“A crappie taken at Dogwood Lake in Daviess County and Hardy Lake in Scott County must be at least nine (9) inches long.” — 312 IAC 9-7-14(b), Indiana Administrative Code

“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

1,155Fish sampled

16Species

Gamefish Largemouth Bass 39 · Flathead Catfish 15 · Channel Catfish 8 · Hybrid Striped Bass 2

Panfish Bluegill 243 · Redear Sunfish 25 · Longear Sunfish 14

All survey species16 species

Gamefish

Largemouth Bass39 caught · to 17″

Flathead Catfish15 caught · to 24″

Channel Catfish8 caught · to 27″

Hybrid Striped Bass2 caught · to 25″

Walleye2 caught · to 25″

Panfish

Bluegill243 caught · to 7″

Redear Sunfish25 caught · to 10″

Longear Sunfish14 caught · to 6″

Warmouth12 caught · to 7″

Black Crappie8 caught · to 10″

White Crappie1 caught · to 8″

Bullhead & catfish

Yellow Bullhead2 caught · to 11″

Forage & nongame

Gizzard Shad589 caught · to 15″

Bass193 caught · to 10″

Common Carp1 caught · to 16″

Spotfin Shiner1 caught · to 3″

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

Hardy Lake — common questions

How deep is Hardy Lake?

The deepest contour on the Indiana DNR bathymetric survey of Hardy Lake is 39 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 Hardy Lake?

Hardy Lake covers about 757 acres in Scott County, Indiana.

What fish are in Hardy Lake?

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

Is there public access to Hardy Lake?

Yes. The Indiana DNR lists 4 public access sites on Hardy Lake: Carmel Ramp (boat ramp); Wooster Ramp (carry-in launch); Alpha Ramp (boat ramp); Sunnyside Ramp (boat ramp).