Fishing at Bull Lake, Cherry County, Nebraska

• Overview

  The Cherry County end of Nebraska holds Bull Lake. It lies 3,038 feet above sea level. The water covers some 175 acres, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. The shoreline runs about 3.2 miles, so it pays to pick a stretch and stay with it. Supplies mean a trip to Valentine, 32 miles off. The big place round here is Sioux Falls, 221 miles distant. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Bull Lake

  No figure exists for depth, so let the water show you. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Public occurrence data for Cherry County names white sucker, common carp and green sunfish. Species recorded across the county may be limited to a few waters. At Bull Lake the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about 22°F and July at about 73°F, the water has a wide range to work through. The year runs cold to warm and back, with clear transitions. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about late March. Climate averages put the opening at about late March and the closing near early December. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. The season on Bull Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Mapping is blank for access, so scout the approach before committing the car. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Take the rules with you rather than trusting memory. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Packingham Lake at 2.3 miles is the sensible second choice. None of that is settled for Bull Lake in what we hold.