Rat Lake, Nebraska: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Cherry County in Nebraska is where Rat Lake sits. The water sits 3,717 feet up. It measures about 157 acres, which is a comfortable size for bank fishing. Roughly 2.1 miles of bank means you can walk to a fresh area when one goes quiet. For a base, Gordon sits 27 miles out. After that come Pine Ridge at 50 miles and Martin at 50 miles. No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Rat Lake

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Open biodiversity records for Cherry County list white sucker, common carp, green sunfish and rock bass. County records show what lives in the area; the local agency holds the water-by-water list. Take Rat Lake a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 72°F; the cold one sits at 22°F. The freeze arrives properly here and holds. The lid usually goes in late March, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. Averages suggest open water from about late March through to roughly early December. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. It sets the rhythm of the year at Rat Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. 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. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Should this one be busy, Braunsweiger Lake is 1.4 miles off. Signs at Rat Lake carry more weight than any list.