Messick Lake

LaGrange County, Indiana · IN DNR bathymetric survey

57ft Max
depth

66 acres 11 contours Public access

Paddling Index67Mixedsheltered geometry · away from major roads

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Depth scale

05152535455557

The lake

Survey readout

Messick Lake is mapped to a depth of 57 ft on the Indiana DNR survey and covers about 66 acres in LaGrange County, Indiana. The Indiana DNR’s published survey record of the same survey gives 56 ft; the 57 ft here is the deepest point in its survey depth grid. Depths come from the Indiana DNR survey of 2018.

Measured from the Indiana DNR lake bathymetry survey.

Two Indiana DNR depths: 57 ft and 56 ft. This map is drawn from the Indiana DNR's survey depth grid from the same 2018 survey, and its deepest point reads 57 ft — the depth the marker shows. The Indiana DNR’s published survey record of Messick Lake gives a maximum of 56 ft. Both numbers are the same agency’s; they come from different products of the same survey, so they need not match exactly. — Indiana DNR Lake Bathymetry, maximum depth published for the 2018 survey of Messick Lake.

Indiana DNR published maximum: 56 ft · 2018 survey
Deepest surveyed depth: 57 ft
Survey year: 2018
Surface area: 66 acres
Shoreline: 1.91 mi · irregular
Aquatic vegetation: 10% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access: Boat Ramp · Indiana DNR site

Additional depth details11 contours

Contour depths: 0–57 ft
Recorded point soundings: 57 ft

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Location

LaGrange County, Indiana · 15 nearest of 27 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: 41.55165, -85.44280
IN DNR lake ID: 155641713
Vertical exaggeration: 1.74×
Basemap: USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size: 2.1 MB

Paddling

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

67 / 100MixedData confidence: High

Messick Lake has a mixed natural and developed setting, well sheltered geometry, limited nearby major-road exposure. 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	11.4 of 30	49% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (2% forest, 47% wetland; 31% developed)
Geometric wind exposure	Excellent	23.6 of 25	mean fetch 516 m · 47% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · short fetch in most directions
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
Road isolation	Very Good	11.6 of 15	limited nearby major-road exposure · 2 INDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 425 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 10% 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 — 2% forest and 47% 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

20 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

Sucker

White Sucker

Lake Chubsucker

Brook Silverside

Logperch

About these fish → the Fish of Indiana guide

Fishing rules for this lake Beta

Size and daily limits for the 20 species found here — 16 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 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”)

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”)

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”)

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”)

Lake ChubsuckerOpen 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.

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.

LogperchRule 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.

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.

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

Rock BassOpen to harvestMinimum size: no size limit · Daily limit: 25 (312 IAC 9-7-11)

Spotted GarOpen to harvestMinimum size: no size limit · Daily limit: no limit (312 IAC 9-7-14(d) · “Gar”)

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.

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.

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 2018

365Fish sampled

20Species

Gamefish Largemouth Bass 66 · Bowfin 2 · Channel Catfish 2 · Northern Pike 1

Panfish Bluegill 204 · Yellow Perch 18 · Pumpkinseed 6

All survey species20 species

Gamefish

Largemouth Bass66 caught · to 19″

Bowfin2 caught · to 24″

Channel Catfish2 caught · to 12″

Northern Pike1 caught · to 29″

Panfish

Bluegill204 caught · to 8″

Yellow Perch18 caught · to 9″

Pumpkinseed6 caught · to 6″

Warmouth4 caught · to 6″

Black Crappie1 caught · to 6″

Redear Sunfish1 caught · to 7″

Rock Bass1 caught · to 6″

Bullhead & catfish

Yellow Bullhead20 caught · to 11″

Brown Bullhead1 caught · to 11″

Forage & nongame

Spotted Gar9 caught · to 25″

Brook Silverside8 caught · to 3″

Common Carp8 caught · to 20″

White Sucker7 caught · to 19″

Sucker3 caught · to 16″

Logperch2 caught · to 5″

Lake Chubsucker1 caught · to 5″

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

2 records

Mussels & snails

Zebra Mussel

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

Messick Lake — common questions

How deep is Messick Lake?

The deepest point in the Indiana DNR's survey depth grid for Messick Lake is 57 ft, which is the depth rendered on the map here. The Indiana DNR's published survey record of the same survey gives a maximum of 56 ft. Both are the same agency's figures, from different products of one survey.

How big is Messick Lake?

Messick Lake covers about 66 acres in LaGrange County, Indiana.

What fish are in Messick Lake?

Species with survey, catch or recent-stocking evidence include channel catfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin. The page lists all 20 species and the evidence behind each.

Is there public access to Messick Lake?

Yes. The Indiana DNR lists a public access site on Messick Lake: a boat ramp with ADA access. The DNR records no fee. DNR directions: "At Wolcottville from SR 9, 3.5 miles west on CR 800S, 2 miles north on CR75W."

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