Flyfishing Sugar Creek

Flowing over 100 miles through central Indiana, Sugar Creek (near Crawfordsville, IN) is one of the most popular Smallmouth bass rivers in Indiana, with a reputation throughout the entire Midwest. Sugar Creek originates in the farmland of Boone County. It weaves its way southwest through the heavily forested areas and high rock cliffs in the Pine Hills Nature Preserve, Shades State Park and Turkey Run State Park to its confluence with the Wabash river along the Illinois-Indiana border.

Sugar Creek has the three key ingredients to producing trophy fish. Outstanding cover: provided by large boulders, timber down falls and rock ledges that provide great cover and ambush points. Excellent forage base: an abundance of crayfish, minnows and stream born insects to keep the smallies well fed. Last but not least is the abundance of good spawning gravel.

A trophy Smallmouth of over 20” can be just one cast away on Sugar Creek. This is especially since the DNR for the state of Indiana has placed regulations on Sugar Creek that will only allow anglers to keep one fish per day that is over 20”. The numbers and sizes of fish should skyrocket over the next couple years!

We begin our fishing season in April, where cold water temps, swift currents and often uncomfortable fishing conditions are common fishing companions. Having said that however, the fishing can really be worth it! These are often the biggest fish of the year. We fish big streamers with lots of action on sink tips or full sinking lines and dredge the bottom for the early season action.

May brings fast and furious fishing for the next couple months. During the pre-spawn/spawning period these fish will hit aggressively. If you love to fish topwater flies this is the hottest time of year! During the rest of the season we'll fish anything from crayfish to streamers to bass bugs to terrestrials and occasionally even mayfly imitations during whitefly hatches.