Fishing at Johnson Lake, Gosper County, Nebraska

• Overview

  In Nebraska, Johnson Lake belongs to Gosper County. The setting is pine and birch. Roughly 3.4 sq miles of surface: treat each bay as a water in its own right. Around 8.8 miles of bank, which is a long day on foot. Of the waters listed here in Gosper County, this is the largest. The closest town, Lexington, is 8.4 miles away. Beyond it, Cozad at 13 miles and Gothenburg at 23 miles. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Johnson Lake

  Recorded soundings reach about 30 feet at the deepest point. Rip-rap along the wall holds fish that the open bank never does. Held water runs deepest at the wall and shallows back to the inflow. Reported across Gosper County: flathead catfish, rudd, smallmouth bass and black crappie. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Johnson Lake gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from 24°F in January up to 75°F in July. The year runs cold to warm and back, with clear transitions. The lid usually sets by midwinter and gives way around mid March. The season between ice runs from about mid March to mid December. Spring is short and heavy here; autumn is longer and steadier. The season on Johnson Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. A slipway half a mile out gives trailer access. 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. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Bossung Lake, 1.2 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Treat Johnson Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.