Oliver Lake

LaGrange County, Indiana · IN DNR bathymetric survey

90ft Max
depth

390 acres 8 contours Public access

Paddling Index52Modestaway from major roads

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Depth scale

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The lake

Survey readout

Oliver Lake has a reported maximum depth of 90 ft, and covers about 390 acres in LaGrange County, Indiana. The Indiana DNR survey maps contours down to 80 ft; the depth between 80 ft and 90 ft is interpolated rather than measured. Depths come from the Indiana DNR survey of 2018.

Measured from the Indiana DNR lake bathymetry survey.

Depth below 80 ft is interpolated. The survey's own contours stop at 80 ft, while it reports a maximum of 90 ft. The basin between those two depths is inferred by the model, not measured — so the shape of the deep hole is an estimate, and the deep-spot marker shows the deepest depth actually surveyed.

Deepest mapped contour: 80 ft
Survey year: 2018
Surface area: 390 acres
Shoreline: 4.74 mi · irregular
Aquatic vegetation: 1% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access: Boat Ramp · Indiana DNR site

Additional depth details8 contours

Contour depths: 0–90 ft
Recorded point soundings: 80 ft

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Location

LaGrange County, Indiana · 15 nearest of 20 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: 41.57130, -85.40486
IN DNR lake ID: 155641399
Vertical exaggeration: 1.4×
Basemap: USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size: 2.0 MB

Paddling

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

52 / 100ModestData confidence: High

Oliver Lake has a mixed natural and developed setting, moderate open-water exposure, 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	8.3 of 30	40% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (1% forest, 39% wetland; 28% developed)
Geometric wind exposure	Good	13.2 of 25	mean fetch 1,254 m · 1% 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	Good	12.8 of 15	1 DNR fishing access site · boat ramp · ADA-accessible
Road isolation	Very Good	10.6 of 15	limited nearby major-road exposure · 1 INDOT-classified segment 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: Low — wide enough that wakes disperse over most of the lake
Aquatic vegetation: Low — approximately 1% 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 — 1% forest and 39% 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

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

Longnose Gar

Common Carp

Channel Catfish

Brown Trout

Rainbow Trout

White Sucker

Brook Silverside

Spotfin Shiner

About these fish → the Fish of Indiana guide

Fishing rules for this lake Beta

Size and daily limits for the 17 species found here — 14 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.

Brown TroutSpecial rulesBrown trout here must be at least 18 inches (312 IAC 9-7-13(d)(3)); still no more than one brown trout in the 5 trout or salmon per day.

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”)

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”)

Brown TroutSpecial rulesBrown trout here must be at least 18 inches (312 IAC 9-7-13(d)(3)); still no more than one brown trout in the 5 trout or salmon per day.

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”)

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.

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

Rainbow TroutOpen to harvestMinimum size: no size limit · Daily limit: 5 (312 IAC 9-7-13(d)) 5 trout or salmon per day in any combination from a lake, of which not more than one may be a brown trout. No minimum size on lakes, and no closed season.

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

Smallmouth 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.

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).

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

“The brown trout are at least eighteen (18) inches long if taken from Oliver Lake, Olin Lake, or Martin Lake in LaGrange County.” — 312 IAC 9-7-13(d)(3), 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 2019

259Fish sampled

17Species

Gamefish Largemouth Bass 29 · Brown Trout 11 · Rainbow Trout 7 · Smallmouth Bass 5

Panfish Bluegill 83 · Warmouth 10 · Rock Bass 6

All survey species17 species

Gamefish

Largemouth Bass29 caught · to 13″

Brown Trout11 caught · to 10″

Rainbow Trout7 caught · to 18″

Smallmouth Bass5 caught · to 12″

Channel Catfish1 caught · to 18″

Panfish

Bluegill83 caught · to 9″

Warmouth10 caught · to 8″

Rock Bass6 caught · to 7″

Yellow Perch5 caught · to 9″

Black Crappie3 caught · to 10″

Bullhead & catfish

Yellow Bullhead2 caught · to 11″

Brown Bullhead1 caught · to 13″

Forage & nongame

Brook Silverside55 caught · to 3″

Spotfin Shiner27 caught · to 3″

White Sucker6 caught · to 20″

Common Carp5 caught · to 29″

Longnose Gar3 caught · to 26″

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

3 records

Mussels & snails

Zebra Mussel

Plants & algae

Holly-leaf Waternymph

Fish

Rainbow Trout

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

Oliver Lake — common questions

How deep is Oliver Lake?

The Indiana DNR reports a maximum depth of 90 ft for Oliver Lake. The survey's own contours reach 80 ft, so the depth below that is interpolated from the reported maximum rather than mapped.

How big is Oliver Lake?

Oliver Lake covers about 390 acres in LaGrange County, Indiana.

What fish are in Oliver Lake?

Species with survey, catch or recent-stocking evidence include brown trout, channel catfish, largemouth bass, rainbow trout, smallmouth bass, black crappie. The page lists all 17 species and the evidence behind each.

Is there public access to Oliver Lake?

Yes. The Indiana DNR lists a public access site on Oliver Lake: a boat ramp with restrooms and ADA access. The DNR records no fee. DNR directions: "Eight miles north of Wolcottville from SR 9 on CR 450S."

Is the depth of Oliver Lake measured or estimated?

The survey contours reach 80 ft while the survey reports a maximum of 90 ft, so the basin between those depths is inferred by the model rather than measured.

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