Now until 7 amYellow perch
The bite peaks at 96. Water is 59°, close to the 58° yellow perch like best.
Each float is an hour. The deeper it rides, the better the bite. The strip underneath runs daylight, dusk and dark; the red rule marks the best window. Click any hour to read it.
Right now · best window
Yellow perch range 45–70°
From the south
Sunrise 8:12 am
1% chance of rain
NWS hourly forecast
Measured, last 3 hours
Full
Each species is scored against its own water-temperature range and tide preference, then wind, weather and warnings. The rules are Indiana regulations for these waters.
Right in yellow perch's ideal range. Fish feed actively ahead of a pressure drop. Light chop — baitfish active, fish willing to feed. Holds 5–30 ft down.
Open. Keep fish within the limits. Indiana waters of Lake Michigan: 15 a day, no size limit.
Verified Oct 23, 2026 · Indiana
Season here: Mar–Jun, Oct–Jan, from NOAA satellite surface-temperature analysis of the lake, 2023–2025. More on yellow perch
Right in walleye's ideal range. Fish feed actively ahead of a pressure drop. Light chop — baitfish active, fish willing to feed. Holds 10–40 ft down.
Open. Keep fish within the limits. Indiana statewide rule north of State Road 26, Lake Michigan included: 16" minimum, 6 a day (walleye, sauger and saugeye combined).
Verified Oct 23, 2026 · Indiana
Season here: Apr–Jun, Oct–Dec, from NOAA satellite surface-temperature analysis of the lake, 2023–2025. More on walleye
Fish feed actively ahead of a pressure drop. Light chop — baitfish active, fish willing to feed. Inside smallmouth bass's active range. Holds 3–30 ft down.
Open. Keep fish within the limits. Indiana Lake Michigan: largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass combined, 14" minimum, 3 a day.
Verified Oct 23, 2026 · Indiana
Season here: May–Nov, from NOAA satellite surface-temperature analysis of the lake, 2023–2025. More on smallmouth bass
Fish feed actively ahead of a pressure drop. Light chop — baitfish active, fish willing to feed. Inside brown trout's active range. Holds 3–25 ft down.
Open. Keep fish within the limits. Indiana Lake Michigan and tributaries: 14" minimum, 5 trout and salmon a day in total, no more than 3 of them lake trout.
Verified Oct 23, 2026 · Indiana
Season here: Apr–Jun, Sep–Dec, from NOAA satellite surface-temperature analysis of the lake, 2023–2025. More on brown trout
Fish feed actively ahead of a pressure drop. Light chop — baitfish active, fish willing to feed. Above coho salmon's active range (44–58°F) — fish move deep. Holds 10–120 ft down.
Open. Keep fish within the limits. Indiana Lake Michigan and tributaries: 14" minimum, 5 trout and salmon a day in total, no more than 3 of them lake trout.
Verified Oct 23, 2026 · Indiana
Season here: May–Oct. More on coho salmon
Fish feed actively ahead of a pressure drop. Light chop — baitfish active, fish willing to feed. Above chinook salmon's active range (42–58°F) — fish move deep. Holds 15–150 ft down.
Open. Keep fish within the limits. Indiana Lake Michigan and tributaries: 14" minimum, 5 trout and salmon a day in total, no more than 3 of them lake trout.
Verified Oct 23, 2026 · Indiana
Season here: Apr–Oct. More on chinook salmon
Fish feed actively ahead of a pressure drop. Light chop — baitfish active, fish willing to feed. Above steelhead's active range (40–55°F) — fish move deep. Holds 2–60 ft down.
Open. Keep fish within the limits. Indiana Lake Michigan and tributaries: 14" minimum, 5 trout and salmon a day in total, no more than 3 of them lake trout.
Verified Oct 23, 2026 · Indiana
Season here: Oct–Apr. More on steelhead
Fish feed actively ahead of a pressure drop. Light chop — baitfish active, fish willing to feed. Above lake trout's active range (40–52°F) — fish move deep. Holds 30–200 ft down.
Open. Keep fish within the limits. Indiana Lake Michigan and tributaries: 14" minimum, 5 trout and salmon a day in total, no more than 3 of them lake trout.
Verified Oct 23, 2026 · Indiana
Season here: Sep–Jun. More on lake trout
Solunar tables are a popular heuristic. A peer-reviewed test found they don’t predict catch on their own, so here they only nudge the score when the tide or moon already agree. How the score works
Names chinook salmon, coho salmon, lake trout, smallmouth bass, steelhead, which people fish for here. It covers the whole state, so it may not describe these waters.
Licenses and rules: state fishery agencies · fish-consumption advisories
A Lake Michigan beach beside the Michigan City pier and harbor, where Trail Creek enters the lake. Indiana DNR lists coho and chinook salmon, steelhead, brown and lake trout, yellow perch, smallmouth bass and walleye in the catch along Northwest Indiana's shoreline. Trail Creek carries runs of chinook, coho and steelhead, and walleye also turn up at the NIPSCO warm-water discharge in Michigan City.
Public spots within 40 miles, with the same 36 hours of floats.
Yes (anglers age 16 and older). To fish at Washington Park Beach (Michigan City) you need the appropriate state fishing license. See the agency's current rules: the state agency website
Washington Park Beach (Michigan City) is listed on this site for 8 commonly-targeted species: Yellow Perch, Coho Salmon, Chinook Salmon, Steelhead, and 4 more. Which species is currently in season and which is scoring highest today is shown in the per-species ranking on this page.
It depends more on the species and the day's conditions than on a fixed "best hour." Water temperature, weather, and — at tidal locations — the stage of the tide drive activity most. The per-species ranking on this page scores every target species at Washington Park Beach (Michigan City) against today's live conditions, so the fish near the top are your best bets right now; check back as conditions change through the day.
Washington Park Beach (Michigan City) has multiple access types — pier, shoreline, and at least one public boat ramp.
state agency regulations apply at Washington Park Beach (Michigan City). Size limits, creel limits, and seasonal closures are listed per species on each species page. Always confirm against the agency source linked from each regulation block — emergency closures can take effect mid-season.
No. Washington Park Beach (Michigan City) is non-tidal — water level varies with rainfall, seasonal flow, and (where applicable) upstream dam releases rather than tidal exchange.
Press / anywhere to search. Towns list the closest spots.
