Fishing at South Twin Lake, Cherry County, Nebraska

• Overview

  Cherry County in Nebraska is where South Twin Lake sits. It stands 3,425 feet above sea level. It runs to roughly 217 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. The edge runs 2.1 miles or so, easy to work in an afternoon. Start from Gordon, 14 miles down the road. Martin lies 22 miles off, Porcupine another 30 miles. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on South Twin Lake

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. 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 and rock bass. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. South Twin Lake gives up its fish to patience rather than distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, July reads 72°F and January reads 22°F. Hard water is a season in its own right here. Ice-out usually falls in late March, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Break-up near late March, freeze-up near early December: that is the shape of an average year. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. On South Twin Lake the same rules apply, with local timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  Our records carry no access rule either way. 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. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Look for a notice board at the entrance. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. Failing this one, try North Twin Lake, 0.6 miles away. Treat South Twin Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.