Harris Lake, Nebraska: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  You will find Harris Lake in Sheridan County, Nebraska. The surface lies 3,875 feet up. The water covers some 53 acres, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. With about 1.3 miles of edge, you can try several depths in one session. It is high ground by Nebraska standards. Alliance sits 25 miles from the bank. Greeley sits 165 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Harris Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Sheridan County records list white sucker, brown trout and rock bass among the fish reported. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. The near bank of Harris Lake is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about 23°F and July at about 72°F, the water has a wide range to work through. Winter closes the water for a while, and the reopening is worth catching. Ice-out usually falls in mid March, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Open water usually runs from mid March until about early December. The middle of summer slows a little, with dawn and dusk carrying it. The season on Harris Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Ownership and access are not documented in what we hold. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Public mapping records no formal access here, so plan for a walk and soft ground. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Ask in the nearest town if you are unsure. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. Should this one be busy, Crowther Lake is 1.8 miles off. Nothing here settles the position at Harris Lake for certain.