Oak Middle Reservoir 68-A, Nebraska: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Within Butler County, Nebraska, you have Oak Middle Reservoir 68-A. This is pine and birch ground. The water measures roughly 23 acres, so nothing here is far from anything else. It is the biggest water on our Butler County list. Nearest town is David City, 13 miles off. Seward follows at 14 miles, then Wahoo at 21 miles. The county line runs close by, so rules can change within a short drive.

• Where to Fish on Oak Middle Reservoir 68-A

  Depth is unknown to us, and the shoreline is the better guide. Look for where the old bank line still shows under the surface. Held water runs deepest at the wall and shallows back to the inflow. Across Butler County, recorded fish include common carp, green sunfish, tadpole madtom and black bullhead. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. This water gives up its fish to patience rather than distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 76°F in July and bottom out at 22°F in January. Hard water is a season in its own right here. Look for the thaw near mid March; the fishing lifts straight after. The water is typically free of ice between mid March and mid December. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. That is the shape of the year on this water.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. Redtail State Wildlife Management Area takes in this water; protected-area rules will apply. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Oak-Middle Reservoir 63-C, 2.5 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. None of that is settled for this water in what we hold.