Fishing at Patterson Lakes, Sheridan County, Nebraska

• Overview

  Patterson Lakes is a Sheridan County water, in Nebraska. The setting is pine and birch on every side. At about 93 acres, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. The edge runs 1.8 miles or so, easy to work in an afternoon. Compared with other Nebraska water on our list, it sits high. The nearest town is Alliance, 26 miles away. For a city, Greeley is 163 miles off. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Patterson Lakes

  Depth here is unknown, so count the lead down before committing. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. County-wide records name white sucker, brown trout, rock bass and yellow perch. County records show what lives in the area; the local agency holds the water-by-water list. Anyone new to Patterson Lakes should walk it once before setting up.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 72°F, with January the cold end at about 23°F. The freeze arrives properly here and holds. The open season starts with the thaw, near enough mid March. The water is typically free of ice between mid March and early December. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. Patterson Lakes runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public sources are silent on who controls the bank. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. There is no mapped parking or launch close by, which usually means walking in. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. Stockholm Lake at 1.6 miles is the sensible second choice. None of that is settled for Patterson Lakes in what we hold.