Papillion Creek Reservoir W-4 Fishing near Blair, Nebraska

• Overview

  You will find Papillion Creek Reservoir W-4 in Washington County, Nebraska. The land about it is rolling bush. The water measures roughly 4 acres, so nothing here is far from anything else. It lies lower than most water we list in Nebraska. Nearest place of any size is Blair, 5.7 miles away. Arlington follows at 7.8 miles, then Bennington at 9.2 miles. No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Papillion Creek Reservoir W-4

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Washington County records list common carp, green sunfish, rainbow smelt, black bullhead and bluegill among the fish reported. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. The near bank of this water is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The seasonal spread runs 21°F to 75°F. Winter shuts the surface down for months. Winter locks it down, and mid March brings it back. Break-up sits around mid March on average, with the water closing again about mid December. The strongest runs come at either end of the open season. Plan around that when you fish this water.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. No slipway, car park or made path shows up nearby in mapping, so treat access as rough. Catfish want bait on the bottom: cut bait or worms, a simple running rig, and patience after dark. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Papillion Creek Reservoir W-2 sits 1.1 miles off and takes the overflow. Treat this water as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.