Fishing Pony Lake in Cherry County, Nebraska

• Overview

  Pony Lake stands in Cherry County, Nebraska. Height above sea level is 2,894 feet. It measures about 152 acres, which is a comfortable size for bank fishing. Bank access stretches around 2.3 miles in total. Valentine sits 27 miles from here and is the nearest stop. The nearest city of size is Sioux Falls, 204 miles away. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Pony Lake

  Nothing we hold settles how deep this runs. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Fish documented in Cherry County include white sucker, common carp, green sunfish, rock bass and redfin pickerel. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. At Pony Lake the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The year swings from about 22°F in January to roughly 73°F in July. Seasons are distinct, and each one fishes differently. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about late March. Break-up sits around late March on average, with the water closing again about early December. September and October fish steadily right up to the freeze. The season on Pony Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, so treat access as rough. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Rules for this water may differ from the county norm. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. The nearest alternative is South Marsh Lake, 1.3 miles out. The position on Pony Lake is worth confirming on the day.