Fishing at Richardson Lake, Morrill County, Nebraska

• Overview

  In Nebraska, Richardson Lake belongs to Morrill County. The surface lies 3,894 feet up. Roughly 121 acres: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. The whole outline is near 1.9 miles, and most of it is walkable. By elevation it is in the upper part of our Nebraska listings. Alliance at 17 miles is the nearest place to stop. Greeley sits 148 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Richardson Lake

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Across Morrill County, recorded fish include brown trout, rainbow trout, longnose sucker, white sucker and yellow perch. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. Fish Richardson Lake to its features, not to its size.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 74°F in July and bottoms out near 24°F in January. Cold winters and warm summers give a wide working range. The freeze runs deep into the year, with break-up near mid March. Ice clears near mid March and comes back about mid December in a typical year. Fishing peaks soon after break-up and again before the cold returns. Richardson Lake runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Nothing built is recorded close to the bank here. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. For a change of water, Johnson Lake is 0.7 miles distant. None of that is settled for Richardson Lake in what we hold.