Fishing Kostal-Hawthorne Dam in Hamilton County, Nebraska

• Overview

  You will find Kostal-Hawthorne Dam in Hamilton County, Nebraska. This is lake country bush ground. This is a pocket water of some 19 acres, and every part of it is reachable from the bank. 9.1 miles away sits Aurora, the nearest town. Lincoln sits 75 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 Kostal-Hawthorne Dam

  The records we hold are silent on depth, so plan to find it yourself. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Kostal-Hawthorne Dam fishes better once you know its edges. Note where the bottom hardens and work back along it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The year swings from about 23°F in January to roughly 75°F in July. A solid cap is the normal state through winter. Once it clears, about mid March, the fishing comes on quickly. Break-up sits around mid March on average, with the water closing again about mid December. Early summer and early autumn carry the open-water season. Anyone fishing Kostal-Hawthorne Dam regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public sources are silent on who controls the bank. No made access appears within a short radius, so plan to park on a verge and walk. Rules for this water may differ from the county norm. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. Kostal Reservoir, 0.4 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. For Kostal-Hawthorne Dam, the notice at the access point is the final word.