Bartlet Reservoir, Nebraska: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Bartlet Reservoir is a Dawes County water, in Nebraska. Everything around it is mixed forest. Surface area runs to about 14 acres — small enough to read in one session. 3.2 miles away sits Chadron, the nearest town. Greeley sits 191 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. No boundary runs near, so the county rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Bartlet Reservoir

  Open data we checked carries no depth for this water. A reservoir gives you a hard edge, a shelf, and not much else. Built water gives depth close in, which suits a bank angler. Species logged across Dawes County include brown trout, brook trout and white sucker. Species recorded across the county may be limited to a few waters. On Bartlet Reservoir that means starting tight and working out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 74°F for July and 23°F for January. Hard water is a season in its own right here. Break-up comes around mid March, and the run that follows is short and strong. Averages suggest open water from about mid March through to roughly early December. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. It sets the rhythm of the year at Bartlet Reservoir.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public data does not answer the access question here. There is no recorded infrastructure here; expect to find your own way in. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. Should this one be busy, Morris Reservoir is 2.7 miles off. Confirm before you fish Bartlet Reservoir.