Fishing at Long Lake, Cherry County, Nebraska

• Overview

  Within Cherry County, Nebraska, you have Long Lake. The country here is mixed forest. The water covers around 353 acres, which puts most of it out of reach from the bank. Some 5.2 miles of bank gives room to move when the wind turns. Size puts it in the front rank of our Cherry County list. The nearest place of any size is Ainsworth, 29 miles away. Sioux Falls is the closest city, 201 miles away. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Long Lake

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Records held for Cherry County cover white sucker, common carp, green sunfish and rock bass. County records show what lives in the area; the local agency holds the water-by-water list. Anyone new to Long Lake should walk it once before setting up.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warmest month averages 73°F, the coldest about 22°F. The year runs cold to warm and back, with clear transitions. Winter fishing happens on the ice here, with open water back around late March. Break-up sits around late March on average, with the water closing again about early December. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. That is the shape of the year on Long Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  We hold no note on access for this one. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. No launch point is recorded nearby, so this is a bank water unless you carry a boat in. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. The nearest alternative is Rat Lake, 1.7 miles out. None of that is settled for Long Lake in what we hold.