Smith Reservoir Fishing in Red Willow County, Nebraska

• Overview

  Smith Reservoir is one of the Red Willow County listings for Nebraska. The bank is 2,362 feet above sea level. It is pond-in-a-field scale, with the far bank a short lob away. You are 7.5 miles from Cambridge. It is 194 miles to Lincoln, the nearest city. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Smith Reservoir

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Red Willow County records list common carp, flathead catfish, rock bass, smallmouth bass and black bullhead among the fish reported. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. Fish Smith Reservoir to its features, not to its size.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 76°F on average, January about 25°F. The year turns gently, without extremes at either end. In milder years the edges alone go, and the middle never sets. Autumn steadies things again once the heat lets go. Plan around that when you fish Smith Reservoir. The week either side of a change of season often fishes hardest.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. Formal access is not mapped, so the last stretch is likely on foot. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. Dry Creek Reservoir 8-B sits 4 miles off and takes the overflow. What applies at Smith Reservoir may have changed since it was mapped.