Rat Lake Fishing near Martin, Nebraska

• Overview

  Out in Cherry County, Nebraska, sits Rat Lake. Around the bank it is pine and birch. At about 34 acres, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. Shoreline comes to about 0.9 miles, small enough to learn in a day. It is one of the smaller waters we list in Cherry County. The nearest place of any size is Martin, 17 miles away. Then Gordon, 20 miles, and Porcupine, 32 miles. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Rat Lake

  Depth here is unknown, so count the lead down before committing. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Records held for Cherry County cover white sucker, common carp, green sunfish, rock bass and redfin pickerel. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. Rat Lake gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July is the warm end of the year here, averaging about 72°F, while January sits near 22°F. A hard winter is normal, and the thaw brings a strong few weeks. Look for the thaw near late March; the fishing lifts straight after. Climate figures give an open season running late March to early December. Spring is short and heavy here; autumn is longer and steadier. On Rat Lake the same rules apply, with local timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  We hold no note on access for this one. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Nothing is mapped in the way of a ramp or car park within a short radius. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. For a change of water, Spall Lake is 1.9 miles distant. The position on Rat Lake is worth confirming on the day.