Rockville Lake

Parke County, Indiana · IN DNR bathymetric survey

22ft Max
depth

81 acres 6 contours Public access

Paddling Index80Very Goodelectric motors only · sheltered geometry · wooded shoreline

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Depth scale

036912151822

The lake

Survey readout

Rockville Lake has a reported maximum depth of 22 ft, and covers about 81 acres in Parke County, Indiana. The Indiana DNR survey maps contours down to 18 ft; the depth between 18 ft and 22 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 18 ft is interpolated. The survey's own contours stop at 18 ft, while it reports a maximum of 22 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: 18 ft
Survey year: 2018
Surface area: 81 acres
Shoreline: 2.71 mi · irregular
Aquatic vegetation: 19% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access: Boat Ramp · Indiana DNR site

Additional depth details6 contours

Contour depths: 0–22 ft
Recorded point soundings: 18 ft, 9 ft, 9 ft, 6 ft, 6 ft, 6 ft

Compare with another lake

Location

Parke 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).

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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: 39.77907, -87.22231
IN DNR lake ID: 155291260
Vertical exaggeration: 2.93×
Basemap: USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size: 2.1 MB

Paddling

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

80 / 100Very GoodData confidence: High

Rockville Lake has a mostly natural, lightly developed setting, well sheltered geometry, some nearby classified roads. Watercraft controls: Electric motors only.

Why this score?5 components

Included in the index

Component	Rating	Points of weight	Measurement
Natural setting	Very Good	20.3 of 30	72% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (68% forest, 3% wetland; 11% developed)
Geometric wind exposure	Excellent	23.9 of 25	mean fetch 491 m · 42% 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 · fishing pier
Road isolation	Good	8.9 of 15	some nearby classified roads · 9 INDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 4,075 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 19% 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 — 68% forest and 3% 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

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

Carp

Channel Catfish

Shortnose Gar

Largemouth Bass

White Sucker

Bass

Hybrid Sunfish

About these fish → the Fish of Indiana guide

Fishing rules for this lake Beta

Size and daily limits for the 13 species found here — 11 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.

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

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

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”)

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

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.

Green 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.

Hybrid 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.

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.

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

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

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”)

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 2015 and 2019

1,244Fish sampled

13Species

Gamefish Largemouth Bass 332 · Channel Catfish 87

Panfish Bluegill 538 · Redear Sunfish 191 · Black Crappie 54

All survey species13 species

Gamefish

Largemouth Bass332 caught · to 21″

Channel Catfish87 caught · to 29″

Panfish

Bluegill538 caught · to 9″

Redear Sunfish191 caught · to 11″

Black Crappie54 caught · to 9″

Green Sunfish14 caught · to 7″

Hybrid Sunfish3 caught · to 8″

Bullhead & catfish

Black Bullhead9 caught · to 14″

Yellow Bullhead3 caught · to 10″

Forage & nongame

Bass7 caught · to 13″

White Sucker4 caught · to 18″

Carp1 caught · to 45″

Shortnose Gar1 caught · to 18″

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

Rockville Lake — common questions

How deep is Rockville Lake?

The Indiana DNR reports a maximum depth of 22 ft for Rockville Lake. The survey's own contours reach 18 ft, so the depth below that is interpolated from the reported maximum rather than mapped.

How big is Rockville Lake?

Rockville Lake covers about 81 acres in Parke County, Indiana.

What fish are in Rockville Lake?

Species with survey, catch or recent-stocking evidence include channel catfish, largemouth bass, black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, green sunfish. The page lists all 13 species and the evidence behind each.

Is there public access to Rockville Lake?

Yes. The Indiana DNR lists a public access site on Rockville Lake: a boat ramp with a fishing pier, a boat dock and restrooms. The DNR notes that an entry fee applies. DNR directions: "North of Rockville 0.5 miles."

Is the depth of Rockville Lake measured or estimated?

The survey contours reach 18 ft while the survey reports a maximum of 22 ft, so the basin between those depths is inferred by the model rather than measured.