Fishing Box Butte Reservoir

AKA: Box Butte Lake

Popular Fish Species
Box Butte Reservoir Fishing Video
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Box Butte Reservoir, NE

Popular Fish Species Box Butte Reservoir, NE

Box Butte Reservoir Popular Fish - Walleye

Walleye Fishing

Box Butte Reservoir is home to a significant population of walleye. Good fisheries management by Nebraska Game & Parks Commission and plenty of forage in the lake have them growing fat and healthy. When the lake freezes over in winter, ice fishing for walleye can be very rewarding. Use GPS to locate fishing spots you normally fish during other times of the year. Walleye have excellent vision in low light scenarios which helps them find food in deep or murky water. Make an effort to be on the water anytime there are low light conditions. During May and June is the optimal time to catch them, while feeding in shallower water. Other times of the year they are more likely to roam around in deeper water. Concentrate around structure like points, flats and ledges off the river channels. One of the proven methods for catching walleye here is trolling with spinners tipped with live bait, or trolling with long-billed, deep diving crankbaits. However casting live bait, jigs, worms and spoons also works well at times.

Box Butte Reservoir Popular Fish - Yellow Perch

Yellow Perch Fishing

Box Butte Reservoir is home to yellow perch, which tend to spawn in the April to May timeframe. As a result, the lake continues to maintain a very healthy population of yellow perch, which have been a mainstay in the fishery for decades. They are fun to catch in winter when ice fishing as well. Yellow perch are great table fare, and are a food source for many predator fish in the lake. Fishing for yellow perch is simple, their primary diet consists of minnows and other small fish, insects and worms. Yellow perch tend to gather in small groups and hang out on relatively deep structure, near cover and/or drop-offs. Use a small hook and sinker. Bait a small hook with minnows, worms or small jigs using 6 to 10 pound line.

Box Butte Reservoir Popular Fish - Bluegill

Bluegill Fishing

Fishing for bluegill is very popular at Box Butte Reservoir. Young and old, beginners and seasoned anglers alike, all enjoy catching a bunch of fat bluegill. This year, much like recent years, the bluegill population is healthy and always looking for something to eat. Bluegill fishing is as basic as fishing gets. Any pole, reasonably small line and small hooks baited with anything edible, creates the ideal setup. Add a bobber and you can set the depth you prefer the bait to position. Bluegill hang around brush, rocks, vegetation or any cover available. When the lake freezes over, try your luck at ice fishing.

Box Butte Reservoir Fishing Video

Fish species to fish for...

Guide to fishing for largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, channel catfish, blue catfish, black crappie, walleye, bluegill, pumpkinseed sunfish, rock bass, yellow perch and northern pike at Box Butte Reservoir in Nebraska.

Whether you enjoy warm-weather fishing or fishing through the ice in winter, Box Butte Reservoir offers both. This 1,600-acre lake in the northwest part of the state has a variety of fish species including bass, crappie, walleye, sunfish and northern pike. The lake is home to a variety of fish species, including walleye, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, crappie, yellow perch, and channel catfish.

Fluctuating water levels change the size and fishing opportunities. When full, it offers shallow cover in the river end as well as deeper structure in the main part of the lake.

Primary fish species residing in Box Butte Reservoir

Click images for fishing tips and details about each species.

Box Butte Reservoir Amenities

Marina: NO
Boat Rental: NO
Boat Launch Ramp: YES
Campgrounds: YES
RV Hookups: YES
Lodging: NO
Convenience Store: NEARBY
Bait & Tackle: NO
Restaurant: NEARBY

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Public Boat Launch Ramps & Landings

Box Butte State Recreation Area Boat Launch Ramp
Located in the northeast corner of the lake, off Box Butte State Recreation Area Road, this is a two-lane, concrete ramp with a dock and gravel parking.