Rat Lake Fishing near Gordon, Nebraska

• Overview

  The Cherry County end of Nebraska holds Rat Lake. Height above sea level is 3,415 feet. Surface area is around 97 acres, which gives you real water without needing a boat. The whole outline is near 1.8 miles, and most of it is walkable. Gordon is the closest town at 44 miles. The big place round here is Greeley, 219 miles distant. No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Rat Lake

  Open data we checked carries no depth for this water. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Across Cherry County, recorded fish include white sucker, common carp, green sunfish, rock bass and redfin pickerel. The county list is broader than any single water. Rat Lake fishes better once you know its edges.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 72°F at the top of summer and 22°F at the bottom of winter. Spring and autumn carry the fishing; summer and winter test it. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from late March. On average, late March opens the water and early December closes it again. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. At Rat Lake the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. There is no mapped parking or launch nearby, which keeps numbers down. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. Should this one be busy, Wolf Lake is 1.5 miles off. Check the position at Rat Lake before loading the car.