Coffey Lake, Nebraska: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Coffey Lake lies in Cherry County, in Nebraska. Land around it is mixed forest. Roughly 85 acres: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. With 4.2 miles or so of shoreline, boat anglers cover ground the bank cannot. The closest town, Gordon, is 19 miles distant. The nearest city of size is Greeley, 224 miles away. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Coffey Lake

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Cherry County records list white sucker, common carp, green sunfish, rock bass and redfin pickerel among the fish reported. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. Coffey Lake repays a walk before the first cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from 22°F in January up to 72°F in July. Winter shuts things down for a spell, then spring reopens them fast. After late March the shallows warm and the fish move up. The season between ice runs from about late March to early December. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. Plan any trip to Coffey Lake around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. No launch point is recorded nearby, so this is a bank water unless you carry a boat in. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. Failing this one, try Cullison Lake, 3.2 miles away. For Coffey Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.