Long Lake in Sheridan County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Long Lake sits in Sheridan County, out in Nebraska. Country round the bank runs to pine and birch. Surface area runs to roughly 304 acres, so plan for one area rather than the whole. Around 4.3 miles of bank, which is a long day on foot. It is among the larger waters listed here for Sheridan County. You are 17 miles from Alliance. The nearest city of size is Greeley, 167 miles away. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Long Lake

  Depth is unknown to us, and the shoreline is the better guide. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Records held for Sheridan County cover white sucker, brown trout, rock bass and yellow perch. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. Long Lake repays a walk before the first cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from 24°F in January up to 73°F in July. Seasons are distinct, and each one fishes differently. Once it clears, about mid March, the fishing comes on quickly. Break-up near mid March, freeze-up near early December: that is the shape of an average year. Spring is short and heavy here; autumn is longer and steadier. On Long Lake that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Nothing in the way of made access shows up nearby: no ramp, no car park, no path. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. Dillings Lake, 1.3 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Rules at Long Lake are worth checking on the day.