Fly Fishing the Brookville Tailwater, Indiana: Sections, Seasons and Trip Plan
Location Details / Indiana / Brookville Tailwater
Fly Fishing the Brookville Tailwater, Indiana: Sections, Seasons and Trip Plan
The Brookville Lake tailwater is the East Fork of the Whitewater River below Brookville Lake Dam in Franklin County, a cool, roughly two-mile run to the West Fork that Indiana DNR stocks with rainbow and brown trout. Wade it from the dam area, the State Road 101 bridge and Brookville Town Park with small nymphs and midges.
Now the honest part: the Fly Fishing Insider Podcast archive has no guest, episode or tip about the Brookville tailwater yet, so the facts below come from Indiana DNR, USGS and local reporting, and every podcast tip on this page is labeled transferable.
Species
Stocked rainbow and brown trout; smallmouth, largemouth, walleye, sauger, white bass and catfish also show up
Best months
Late April to June after stocking, then October to March when the water is cool (our reading)
Character
Short bottom-release tailwater below an Army Corps of Engineers flood-control dam
Nearest town
Brookville, Indiana
Nearest airports
Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky (CVG); Indianapolis (IND)
Rule to know
18-inch minimum size for brown trout on the tailwater; five trout a day, only one brown (DNR inland trout rules)
Brookville Tailwater Section by Section
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers finished Brookville Lake Dam on the East Fork of the Whitewater River in 1974, just north of the town of Brookville. Below it, the East Fork runs only about two miles before it meets the West Fork and becomes the Whitewater River. A paddling guide to that run notes that most of the riverside land is private, Brookville Town Park excepted, so use public sites and respect the rest.
The Dam Pools: Brookville Lake Dam to State Road 101
The top of the tailwater sits just below the dam off State Road 101, beside the two Brookville Lake tailwater shelters listed on Recreation.gov. Releases from the depths of the lake keep it the coldest water on the river. Wade it, stay well below the spillway, and nymph the seams.
The Stocking Water: State Road 101 Bridge
The State Road 101 bridge is one of the two sites where DNR has released brown trout. Our reading: expect company in the first weeks after a stocking, and walk away from the bridge for room. Best for nymphs under an indicator from late April into June.
Town Water: Brookville Town Park
Brookville Town Park is the other DNR stocking site and the one stretch of bank that is plainly public. It is wadeable at normal releases and a good place to swing a small Woolly Bugger or a lightly dressed Clouser through the runs.
Below the Forks: the Whitewater River
Below the West Fork confluence the river turns warmwater. Local reporting lists smallmouth, walleye, sauger, white bass and catfish caught while trout fishing the tailwater, so bring a streamer box.
Reading the Brookville Tailwater Flows
Live USGS gauge: East Fork Whitewater River at Brookville (03276000). The Corps runs the dam for flood control first and can drop the lake when it needs to, so flows change with releases, not just rain. A 2021 Whitewater Publications report on fly fishing the tailwater put the line at 4 feet: above that on the gauge, wading gets difficult and possibly dangerous.
Our reading: under 4 feet, fish the whole run; near 4 feet, stick to the edges; well above it, come back another day. The same report describes local anglers quitting when the water nears 70 degrees on the hottest July and August days. Keep that habit.
When to Fly Fish the Brookville Tailwater
Stocking dates come from the DNR 2026 inland trout stocking plan; the hatch and temperature rows are our reading from local reports, not agency data.
| Target | JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | JUN | JUL | AUG | SEP | OCT | NOV | DEC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stocked rainbows | ||||||||||||
| Stocked browns | ||||||||||||
| Midges | ||||||||||||
| Small mayflies and caddis | ||||||||||||
| Streamers and leeches |
Intensity:LightModerateHeavy
Blank cells mean not worth planning around; in July and August, watch water temperature before you fish.
Brookville Tailwater Rules to Know
- Brown trout size: 18-inch minimum on the Brookville Lake tailwater (East Fork Whitewater River) in Franklin County (Indiana DNR 2026).
- Bag limit: five trout a day in any combination, no more than one brown; 7-inch minimum for other trout in streams (Indiana DNR 2026).
- Stream season: catch-and-release for trout on all inland streams from January 1 through April 14; the stream season opens at 6 a.m. on the last Saturday in April and runs through December 31 (Indiana DNR 2026).
- Trout/salmon stamp: anglers 18 and older need a fishing license plus the trout/salmon stamp to fish for trout.
Plan a 3-Day Brookville Tailwater Trip
Day 1: Wade
The Dam Pools to State Road 101
Base in Brookville. Start just below the dam where the water is coldest; nymph the seams with a midge dropper and fine-tune your weight until the flies tick bottom.
Day 2: Wade
Brookville Town Park
Work the public Town Park water: nymphs in the morning, a small Woolly Bugger or Clouser through the runs in the afternoon. Check the gauge first.
Day 3: Pick by season
Back to the Top or Below the Forks
Cool months: return to the dam pools at first light for midging trout. Summer: skip warm trout water and throw streamers for smallmouth below the confluence.
What to bring: a 9-foot 4- or 5-weight with floating line, 5X and 6X tippet, small indicators and split shot, felt or studded wading boots, a stream thermometer, and an Indiana fishing license with the trout/salmon stamp.
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Book a Local Pro on the Brookville Tailwater
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Tailwater Tips from Podcast Guests
None of these guests fish the Brookville tailwater on the record. Each tip is transferable from similar tailwater or spring creek water.
-
Start managing your drift the instant the flies land
Transferable: fits the slow seams below the dam.
Pat Dorsey, South Platte tailwater guide, Guided EP #22 -
Treat low, clear water as skill-building, not a lost cause
Transferable: for low winter releases.
Pat Dorsey, Guided EP #22 -
Ditch the tapered leader for a stealthy mono nymph rig
Transferable: small nymphs on a short, clear river.
Matt Mccannel, Gunnison Gorge tailwater guide, Guided EP #12 -
Lock a slip strike indicator with a small granny knot
Transferable: quick depth changes between pools.
Mel Hayner, Minnesota driftless-region guide
Browse every tip in the Fly Fishing Tips Library.
Hear Tailwater Tactics on the Podcast
Guided EP #22: Pat Dorsey Tailwater Tactics: the Colorado tailwater guide on fishing tailwaters effectively and his leader setup for spooky fish. Transferable, not about Brookville. Listen to the audio episode or read the episode notes.
Shop the Water: Flies for the Brookville Tailwater
Black Zebra Midge Assortment
Red Zebra Midge Assortment
Pheasant Tail Assortment, Sizes 14-18
Gold-Ribbed Hare's Ear, Size 16
Bead Head Prince Nymph, 6 Flies
Goddard Caddis, Size 16
Hi-Viz Parachute Adams, Size 14
Olive Black Woolly Bugger, Size 8
Brookville Tailwater Fly Fishing Questions, Answered
When does Indiana DNR stock trout in the Brookville tailwater?
The Indiana DNR 2026 inland trout stocking plan lists 1,500 rainbow trout and 2,600 brown trout for the Brookville tailwater in spring, with the browns in mid-May, plus 1,000 more brown trout in mid-to-late October, depending on water temperature. Fish the Brookville tailwater in the weeks right after those stockings for the most trout.
Can trout survive all year in the Brookville tailwater?
Yes, some do. In a 2019 release, Indiana DNR said the Brookville tailwater runs cooler than most southern Indiana streams because summer releases come from the depths of Brookville Lake, so stocked trout can survive year-round and grow larger than trout in other stocked southern Indiana waters. That is why the brown trout limit is 18 inches.
Should you wade or float the Brookville tailwater?
Wade it. The Brookville tailwater is only about two miles long, and the best trout water from the dam to Brookville Town Park is wadeable at normal releases. Check the USGS East Fork Whitewater River at Brookville gauge first; local anglers treat 4 feet as the point where wading turns difficult and possibly dangerous.
Brookville tailwater or Pigeon River: which Indiana trout water should you fish?
Choose the Brookville tailwater in southeast Indiana for cool dam releases, short wade water and a chance at holdover browns. Choose the Pigeon River in northeast Indiana for more stocked stream miles and a mixed bag of trout, smallmouth and northern pike. Both open to harvest on the last Saturday in April.
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Tight lines, everyone!
By Christian Bacasa, host of the Fly Fishing Insider Podcast. Last reviewed November 2026.
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