Fishing Blue Lake in Garden County, Nebraska

• Overview

  Set in Garden County, Nebraska, this is Blue Lake. Land around it is pine and birch. Roughly 298 acres of surface: treat each bay as a water in its own right. Shoreline length is close to 3.3 miles, and each section fishes a little differently. Size puts it in the front rank of our Garden County list. Bridgeport at 34 miles is the nearest place to stop. Beyond it, Alliance at 35 miles and Bayard at 46 miles. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Blue Lake

  Surveys put the deepest water at about 20 feet. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Garden County records list common carp, white crappie, yellow perch, creek chub and fathead minnow among the fish reported. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Work Blue Lake in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July is the warm end of the year here, averaging about 73°F, while January sits near 24°F. The season turns properly here, and fish follow it closely. Look for the thaw near mid March; the fishing lifts straight after. Break-up near mid March, freeze-up near mid December: that is the shape of an average year. The strongest runs come at either end of the open season. On Blue Lake that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. No car park, ramp or path is recorded within easy reach of the shore. Carp respond to sweetcorn or boilies fished patiently on the bottom near feeding areas. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Should this one be busy, Hackberry Lake is 1.6 miles off. Check the position at Blue Lake before loading the car.