Fishing at Pibel Lake, Wheeler County, Nebraska

• Overview

  You will find Pibel Lake in Wheeler County, Nebraska. Beyond the shoreline you have mixed forest. At about 27 acres, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. The closest town, Ord, is 23 miles away. It is 117 miles to Lincoln, the nearest city. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple. One side gets the morning sun and the other the evening.

• Where to Fish on Pibel Lake

  Depth is unknown to us, and the shoreline is the better guide. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Wheeler County records list common carp, bluegill and green sunfish among the fish reported. It is the county picture; the agency list is water-specific. Fish Pibel 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 20°F in January. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. Ice-out usually falls in late March, and the weeks after it fish hardest. The season between ice runs from about late March to early December. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. Pibel Lake runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. A slipway 130 yards out gives trailer access. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. For a change of water, Ericson Lake is 6.5 miles distant. Confirm access to Pibel Lake locally before you travel.