Pelican Lake Fishing near Valentine, Nebraska

• Overview

  Pelican Lake stands in Cherry County, Nebraska. The land about it is mixed forest. Surface area runs to roughly 775 acres, so plan for one area rather than the whole. Around 8.0 miles of bank, which is a long day on foot. It is among the larger waters listed here for Cherry County. Valentine lies 25 miles from the water. Further out sit Ainsworth (41 miles) and Rosebud (50 miles). It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Pelican Lake

  The charted maximum sits at about 9.8 feet. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Public occurrence data for Cherry County names white sucker, common carp, green sunfish and rock bass. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. The near bank of Pelican Lake is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between 22°F in January and 73°F in July. Winter shuts things down for a spell, then spring reopens them fast. Once it clears, about late March, the fishing comes on quickly. Averages place the thaw at late March and the freeze at early December. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. It sets the rhythm of the year at Pelican Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access status is simply unknown for this water. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Formal access is not mapped, so the last stretch is likely on foot. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. The nearest alternative is Whitewater Lake, 1.2 miles out. Check the position on Pelican Lake before loading the car.