Hill Lake Fishing in Cherry County, Nebraska

• Overview

  Hill Lake stands in Cherry County, Nebraska. The surroundings are mixed forest. The water covers some 104 acres, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. Around 1.5 miles of margin, front to back. The closest town, Gordon, is 49 miles distant. Then Martin, 61 miles, and Valentine, 63 miles. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Hill Lake

  Depth figures are not published for this one. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Across Cherry County, recorded fish include white sucker, common carp and green sunfish. County data is a starting point rather than a guarantee. Treat Hill Lake as a water to read rather than to cover.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between 22°F in January and 72°F in July. Winter closes the water for a while, and the reopening is worth catching. Count the season from break-up, usually late March. In an average year the thaw lands around late March and the freeze near early December. Late spring and early autumn carry the year between them. Anyone fishing Hill Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Access points are not mapped for this water, which suits people who like quiet. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. Should this one be busy, Burr Lake is 1.6 miles off. None of that is settled for Hill Lake in what we hold.