Fishing Whitney Lake

AKA: Whitney Reservoir

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Whitney Lake Fishing Video
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Whitney Lake, NE

Popular Fish Species Whitney Lake, NE

Walleye Fishing

Thanks to a significant baitfish population, and presence of numerous small sunfish in the lake, walleye are thriving in the fertile waters of Whitney Lake this year. May and June tend to be the best time for weekend anglers to catch them. During this time they tend to move shallower, closer to shore and begin spawning. Rock and gravel are preferred areas for the spawn. Other times of the year they are more likely to roam around in deeper water. As always, stay around schools of baitfish. They are eager to feed throughout the lake, but tend to concentrate around structure on points, flats and ledges off the river channels. Walleye have excellent, low-light vision which helps them find food in deep or murky water. Make an effort to be on the water during low light conditions. A proven method 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. When the lake freezes over in winter, ice fishing for walleye can be very productive. Use GPS to locate spots you normally fish during other times of the year.

Crappie Fishing

Whitney Lake has long been a good crappie fishing lake. The lake has good populations of both black crappie and white crappie. These two species generally school by with their own, but once located around cover, you may find that you catch both species, due to the fact they often share the same cover. Crappie fishing can be found in varying size schools, hanging around brush, vegetation, wood or other cover. When the lake freezes over, ice fishing is often a great way to catch a quick limit of crappie. Using a fish finder any time of year can help locate these crappie schools, which tend to stack vertically around cover. Live bait and small jigs are the most common method for crappie here. In spring and fall focus on the 8 to 12 foot range. The best time to catch crappie tends to be at dawn and dusk. As the crappie move deep in summer and winter, follow points out deep, as well as find ledges near channels, especially areas with brush or timber in deeper water.

White Bass Fishing

After several very successful spawn years, white bass are flourishing in Whitney Lake and anglers should expect some great fishing this year. White bass are aggressive, hard-fighting and just plain fun to catch. When fishing for white bass, the average fish is typically in the one- to two-pound range. These schooling fish tend to roam around the lake looking for ideal water conditions and baitfish. Look for them to generally be in 15 to 35 feet of water, whether they are hovering around the bottom or swimming in open water. Fish finders are the best way to locate big schools of white bass. Fish near the bottom at night with live bait. In spring, once the water temperature rises into the mid sixties, they move shallow into the backs of coves and creek channels to spawn. When white bass chase schools of bait near the surface, spinners, spoons and small crank baits work well. At this time anglers can fish from shore and often do quite well. Use lures that imitate baitfish, including small crankbaits, small jerkbaits, jigs and spoons.

Whitney Lake Fishing Video

Fish species to fish for...

Guide to fishing for largemouth bass, channel catfish, black crappie, white crappie, walleye, bluegill, white bass, yellow perch and northern pike at Whitney Lake in Nebraska.

While it often struggles with low-water conditions, Whitney Lake continues to provide fishing rated from fair to good - depending on current conditions. The lake has healthy populations of bass, catfish, crappie, walleye, sunfish, perch and northern pike. Spanning over 1,000 surface acres, the lake has about 7 miles of shoreline. The lake is home to walleye, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, crappie, catfish, and bluegill. Fishing from shore, canoes, kayaks and small fishing boats are the most common ways to catch fish here.