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Fishing at Ohio River

Indiana · Perry County, Harrison County, Switzerland County, Posey County, Jefferson County and Spencer County · 272 river miles in Indiana
State
Indiana
Country
USA
Licence
State-issued
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Indiana River 272 river miles in Indiana Public river — navigable water 🌙 Night fishing

About Fishing at Ohio River

Ohio River is a public river in Perry County, Harrison County, Switzerland County, Posey County, Jefferson County and Spencer County, Indiana, managed by State of Indiana (public / navigable water). You can fish it on an Indiana licence; bank access is at road crossings, parks, Indiana DNR fishing-access sites, Fish & Wildlife Areas, state forests and other public land, and riparian owners control the bank on non-navigable reaches. A trout/salmon stamp is required on the Lake Michigan tributary streams. Public access confirmed via marquee water.

The Ohio River along Indiana's southern border — a trophy blue- and flathead-catfish river, with a strong sauger run below the dams in late winter, hybrid striped and white bass, largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass in the tributary embayments, crappie, drum and paddlefish. Fished on an Indiana or Kentucky licence within the reciprocal zone.

It runs roughly 272 miles through the Southern Hills & Ohio River region. Anglers here mostly fish for blue catfish, flathead catfish, channel catfish, sauger; hybrid striped bass, white bass, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass are also on record. Live flow and gauge height come from the Ohio River At Newburgh Lock And Dam, In USGS station shown below. The nearest other mapped waters on PiscaMaps are Little Blue River and English Reservoir.

County
Perry, Harrison, Switzerland, Posey, Jefferson, Spencer
Region
Southern Hills & Ohio River
Length
272 river miles in Indiana
Public access
Public river — navigable water
Managed by
State of Indiana (public / navigable water)
Night fishing
Permitted
Boats
Varies by water

Fish Species at Ohio River

Species from Indiana DNR access and trout-water data.

Access & Rules at Ohio River

Night fishing: No statewide night-fishing closure in Indiana. Many state-park and reservoir properties gate at dark or post hours, and some Fish & Wildlife Area lakes are daylight-only — check the property rules. Trotlines, limblines and bank poles are legal on most warmwater rivers and some lakes (not on trout/salmon water) with the gear tagged; the Ohio and Wabash allow more commercial-style gear under a separate permit.

Boats: Monroe, Patoka, Brookville, Mississinewa, Salamonie, the Ohio and the big flowages (Freeman, Shafer) have no horsepower limit; idle / no-wake zones and 'ski hours' are marked and enforced. Most northern natural lakes have a 10-hp limit or restricted skiing hours, and the smaller DNR and FWA lakes are electric-motor-only. Indiana requires boater education for operators born after 31 Dec 1986.

Bank & bivvy camping: Camp at Indiana state parks and reservoirs (which sit on the best lakes — Monroe, Patoka, Brookville, Mississinewa, Salamonie, Raccoon/Cecil M. Harden, Hardy Lake), the state forests, the Hoosier National Forest around Monroe and Patoka, and the state Fish & Wildlife Areas (primitive camping on several). The Indiana Dunes National Park has camping near the Lake Michigan shore.

Tackle: Statewide black-bass daily limit is 5 (14-inch minimum on lakes; 12-inch on rivers and streams), and Monroe, Patoka and a number of FWA lakes carry a slot limit. Walleye/sauger 6 (14-inch), crappie 25, bluegill and redear generous, northern pike and muskellunge each carry a minimum size and a 1-2 fish limit. Trout/salmon limits are 5 in combination inland, with special rules on Lake Michigan and its tributaries. Check the current DNR fishing guide for this water.

Facilities Near Ohio River

Boat ramps: 20 mapped — Boat ramp, Boat ramp, Boat ramp, Boat ramp, Boat ramp, Boat ramp and others nearby.

Camping: 8 sites mapped nearby — Bryant Creek Peninsula, Buzzards Roost, Ghent RV Park, Salt River Recreation Park, Two Rivers Campground, Campsite 9 and others.

Source: OpenStreetMap contributors.

River Conditions

Loading live flow & gauge height…

Live from USGS gauge 03304300 — Ohio River At Newburgh Lock And Dam, In. Full gauge data →

Fishing Licence for Ohio River

Anyone 18-64 needs an Indiana Department of Natural Resources fishing licence — resident annual is about $23, non-resident annual about $60, and short-term (1-day / 7-day) licences are sold. A trout/salmon stamp (about $12) is required to fish for or possess trout or salmon anywhere in the state; on Lake Michigan and its tributaries that stamp also covers the salmon. Indiana residents 64 and older, and anyone under 18, do not need a licence; a resident 'Lifetime' and a low-cost senior licence are available. A single licence covers the DNR reservoirs (no separate lake permit). Buy from the DNR at on.IN.gov/INHuntFish. An Indiana fishing licence covers navigable rivers. The Ohio River is fished on an Indiana or Kentucky licence within the marked reciprocal zone; the Wabash below Terre Haute is an Indiana-Illinois boundary water fished on either state's licence. A trout/salmon stamp is required on the Lake Michigan tributary streams.

Indiana

Indiana Department of Natural Resources Resident annual: ~$23 Non-resident annual: ~$60 Short-term: 1-day · 7-day · residents 64+ and anyone under 18 fish licence-free · DNR reservoirs need no separate lake permit Buy: on.IN.gov/INHuntFish

Trout/salmon stamp & border waters

A ~$12 Indiana trout/salmon stamp is required (resident and non-resident) to fish for or keep trout or salmon anywhere — the put-and-take lakes, the Lake Michigan fishery and the tributary streams (Trail Creek, the Little Calumet, Salt Creek, the St. Joseph) Inland stocked-trout waters open the last Saturday in April The Ohio River is fished on an Indiana or Kentucky licence within the reciprocal zone; the Wabash below Terre Haute is an Indiana-Illinois boundary water fished on either state's licence

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Frequently Asked Questions

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