Hills Lake Fishing Guide, Sheridan County, Nebraska

• Overview

  Hills Lake is one of the Sheridan County listings for Nebraska. This is pine and birch ground. Roughly 143 acres: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. Bank access stretches around 2.2 miles in total. On our Sheridan County list it sits near the top for size. Alliance lies 19 miles from the water. Greeley sits 155 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Hills Lake

  We hold no depth figure for this one. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Public occurrence data for Sheridan County names white sucker, brown trout, rock bass, yellow perch and green sunfish. Species recorded across the county may be limited to a few waters. On Hills Lake the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, July reads 73°F and January reads 24°F. Winter closes the water for a while, and the reopening is worth catching. Expect a solid lid for months and a thaw around mid March. Expect the water usable from around mid March until roughly early December. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. Hills Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access status is simply unknown for this water. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Access points are not mapped for this water, which suits people who like quiet. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Rules for this water may differ from the county norm. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. If the gate is shut, Old Merrill Lake at 3.1 miles is the nearest alternative. Check the position at Hills Lake before loading the car.