Proving grounds

[mperry]

Anyone ever fished the proving grounds near Madison. I have been hearing a lot of good things about the fishing over there. I was told you had to get there early because only so many were allowed to fish at a time. Any info would be appreciated.

[Gus]

Have fished there several times. Good numbers of small bass, 12 to 14 inches. I have not encountered any problems as far as numbers of boats but I have not fished there on the weekend either. The drive to the lake can be a problem if you are coming from any direction except south. This is because you must enter and exit the proving at the south end while the lake is 20 miles to the north. This drive adds 40 miles of driving to anyone who is not coming from the south.

[mperry]

Did not even think about the extra drive. Good point though. I would be coming from Scottsburg. My wifes uncle has been fishing there a few times and has had good luck with the crappie and redear. This would probably be what I would go after.

[Celten]

I used to fish JPG all the time, until I moved from Louisville to Bloomington. Now I have to drive from the north and that extra 40 minutes is a killer. If they'd ever open up a north gate, I might go back more often.
Anyway, the difficulty getting into the place is usually only in the spring. It has some nice-sized fish in it, but nowhere near what it used to be like before it opened fully (more or less) to the public.
The main reason I like to get there as early as possible is because you have to be off the grounds by around 4, which further limits fishing time (not to mention that you can only fish it Mondays, Fridays, and every other Saturday).

Louis