Fishing at North Twin Lake, Cherry County, Nebraska

• Overview

  North Twin Lake belongs to Cherry County, Nebraska. Height above sea level is 2,723 feet. At about 86 acres, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. Nearest town is Ainsworth, 21 miles off. Valentine is 44 miles and Atkinson 60 miles. Others close at hand: South Twin Lake 0.4 miles away, Rush Lake sits 1.1 miles out, Crystal Lake 1.1 miles away, Skull Lake sits 2 miles out and Long Lake 2.3 miles away. Rules here are straightforward: one county, one set of rules.

• Where to Fish on North Twin Lake

  Depth is not on record here, so the bank has to tell you. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Records held for Cherry County cover white sucker, common carp, green sunfish, rock bass and redfin pickerel. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Fish North Twin Lake where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 74°F in July and bottom out at 22°F in January. The middle months are generous; the ends are demanding. The freeze runs deep into the year, with break-up near late March. Open water usually runs from late March until about early December. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. Time your trip to North Twin Lake by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  Our records carry no access rule either way. The water borders South Twin Lake State Wildlife Management Area, so reserve rules are likely to apply. 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. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. Should this one be busy, South Twin Lake is 0.4 miles off. Check the current arrangement for North Twin Lake.