Every permit runs out on December 31, and next year's carry new fees once the state approves them. On October 16 the Commission approved new statewide rules for Open Fields and Waters lakes and ponds, with no effective date yet; the 2027 fishing guide, due in January, will carry them. Spearing game fish through the ice is not allowed.
What to fish for in early November
Nebraska's ice comes and goes with the winter, safe in a cold one and late or absent in a mild one, so its cold months turn on panfish through the ice when a cold spell allows and on open water below the dams and on the big western reservoir the rest of the time. Lake Ogallala, below Kingsley Dam, stays cold enough for trout, and the city ponds of Lincoln and Omaha get trout in the cool months.
These notes cover the whole winter, the ice included. In early November, the five lakes in the season tables that get near freezing are usually still open water, at 45 to 51F.
Bluegill
The steadiest bite through the ice, on small jigs and waxworms.
Where. The Sandhills lakes of the Valentine refuge and the city lakes around Omaha and Lincoln, Branched Oak and Pawnee among them.
Yellow Perch
Grows big in the Sandhills' shallow natural lakes and comes through the ice in good numbers in a cold winter.
Where. The Sandhills lakes of the Valentine refuge, Merritt and Calamus reservoirs, and the Panhandle lakes.
Walleye
Feeds in open water through the cold, on the reservoir and in the river below the dam, with sauger beside it on the Missouri.
Where. Lake McConaughy, the Missouri below Gavins Point Dam, and the Republican River reservoirs of the southwest.
The walleye waters we forecast Water Usual water now Forecast Lake McConaughy about 50F Best Thu, Nov 12, A+Today's forecast Merritt Reservoir about 45F Best Sun, Nov 8, AToday's forecast Lewis and Clark Lake about 47F Best Sat, Nov 7, AToday's forecast Crappie
Suspends over deep water in the small reservoirs and comes to the ice in the evening.
Where. The small reservoirs and sandpit lakes of eastern Nebraska, and Harlan County and the other southwest reservoirs.
The crappie waters we forecast Water Usual water now Forecast Branched Oak Lake about 49F Today's forecast Rainbow Trout
Holds in the cold water below Kingsley Dam through the winter, and the city ponds' stocked fish carry the cool-month season close to home.
Where. Lake Ogallala below Kingsley Dam, and the stocked city ponds of Lincoln and Omaha.
Usual water now is that water's normal for this point in the season: a lake's modeled seasonal curve or a river gauge's long-run average, not this year's reading. The forecast link reads this week's.
What changes soon
Nothing on this report's calendar for Nebraska in the next six weeks.
Every date for Nebraska from November to February (1)
- Thu December 31Every Nebraska permit expires.
This week's fishing reports
This report covers the season. For what was caught this week, read the people who report on this water.
Game and Parks publishes no conditions report, but its fisheries blog, Barbs and Backlashes, ran through last winter and is the one regular written source. No lake-by-lake winter reporter could be found for the Sandhills, McConaughy or the eastern lakes, and last January's statewide news coverage had Game and Parks canceling its on-ice clinics for lack of safe ice.
Where to fish in Nebraska, area by area
Each water links to its live forecast. The engine outlook in these areas was generated November 3, 2026, for the 14 days from that date; good hours are the hours at or above a B+.
Lake McConaughy and Lake Ogallala
Lake McConaughy · Lake Ogallala · North Platte River
The big reservoir behind Kingsley Dam on the North Platte near Ogallala, white sand beaches and deep, clear water for walleye, white bass and trout, with Lake Ogallala below the dam, cold enough to hold trout.
Who reports here. Game and Parks' fisheries blog mentioned the lake once last winter, on its walleye challenge in November, and no dated report on the lake or its ice could be found.
Engine outlook
- Best: Thu, Nov 12, A+10 good hours54F modeled from this lake's own seasonal curvebest run 6h
The Sandhills lakes
Merritt Reservoir · Calamus Reservoir · Valentine National Wildlife Refuge lakes
The lakes of the grass-covered dunes in the north-central part of the state, the shallow natural lakes of the Valentine refuge for pike, perch and bluegill, and Merritt and Calamus reservoirs, fished through the ice in a cold winter.
Who reports here. No dated winter report could be found for these lakes, and last winter's ice came late across the state, News Channel Nebraska reported on January 30.
Engine outlook
- Best: Sun, Nov 8, A6 good hours48F modeled from this lake's own seasonal curvebest run 3h
The Missouri River and Lewis and Clark Lake
Lewis and Clark Lake · Gavins Point tailwater · Missouri River
The Missouri along the state's northern and eastern border, Lewis and Clark Lake above Gavins Point Dam, shared with South Dakota, the tailwater below it, and the river down past Omaha to the Kansas line, walleye and sauger water.
Who reports here. Game and Parks' fisheries blog carried this water in winter as access news, the Lewis and Clark access on November 3 and the Verdel and Indian Cave boat ramps on November 17 and January 5, with walleye and sauger research on January 12. No fishing report on it could be found.
Engine outlook
- Best: Sat, Nov 7, A9 good hours51F modeled from this lake's own seasonal curvebest run 5h
The Lincoln and Omaha lakes
Branched Oak Lake · Pawnee Lake · Wehrspann Lake · Standing Bear Lake · Lincoln and Omaha city ponds
The reservoirs and park lakes around the two cities, the Salt Valley lakes near Lincoln, Branched Oak and Pawnee among them, and the lakes on Omaha's edge, Wehrspann and Standing Bear, with city ponds stocked with trout in the cool months.
Who reports here. Game and Parks set ice fishing clinics around the two cities for January last winter and canceled them for lack of safe ice, its blog reported on January 7 and 21, and its spring trout stocking list for the city ponds came on February 23.
Engine outlook
- Its best day in this outlook has passed.
The southwest reservoirs
Harlan County Reservoir · Medicine Creek Reservoir · Swanson Reservoir · Red Willow Reservoir
The Republican River reservoirs of the southwest, Harlan County, Medicine Creek, Swanson and Red Willow, walleye, white bass and crappie water on the high plains.
Who reports here. No dated winter report could be found for these reservoirs.
Engine outlook
- Best: Sat, Nov 7, A+11 good hours56F modeled from this lake's own seasonal curvebest run 6h
The rules from November to February
What changed this time
- Pending: the Commission approved higher permit fees for 2027 sales on August 14, 2026, awaiting state approval when this was read.
- Approved on October 16, 2026, with no effective date stated: on Open Fields and Waters lakes and ponds, black bass one a day of at least 21 inches and panfish five a day unless posted; catch and release at select Open Fields and Waters sites; and no archery for shovelnose sturgeon.
Read on October 20, 2026, from the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission (its fishing permit and permit pricing pages, its 2026 Fishing Guide and its news releases) and the Nebraska Game Law on nebraskalegislature.gov.
Licenses, and which state's rules apply
- A permit is good through December 31, so this year's runs out mid-quarter and a new one is needed from January 1. Anyone 16 or older needs one; Nebraska residents under 16 do not, and a nonresident under 16 fishes without one only alongside someone who holds a Nebraska permit. Prices include the aquatic habitat stamp: residents pay $41 a year, $12 a day or $33 for three days; nonresidents $95.50 a year, $17.50 a day or $40 for three days.
- Fees rise with next year's permits, pending state approval when this was read: the Commission set the base fee for a resident annual permit at $24, a nonresident's at $82, a nonresident 1-day permit at $14 and a 3-day at $23. A base fee leaves out the issue fee, which the law caps at $4, and the habitat stamp, and the price at the counter includes both.
- On the Missouri River a Nebraska, South Dakota, Iowa or Missouri license covers the river in the state that issued it and in the state straight across, from a boat or either bank, but not the mouths of tributaries; across the line the stricter state's rules apply. A South Dakota nonresident license is not good from Gavins Point Dam to 0.6 miles below it.
Bait, gear and fish you cannot keep
- On lakes, ponds and reservoirs, and their inlets, outlets and canals within half a mile, two lines with up to two hooks each. Through the ice five lines with two hooks each, every line watched. On rivers and streams more than half a mile from a lake, 15 hooks in all, from 15 single-hook lines to three lines of five.
Lakes, ponds and rivers
- Statewide daily limits, with many waters set differently: four walleye, sauger and saugeye of at least 15 inches, only one of 22 inches or longer; three northern pike, only one of 34 inches or longer; one muskellunge or tiger muskie of at least 40 inches; five black bass of at least 15 inches, only one of 21 inches or longer; 15 panfish in all, crappie, yellow perch, sunfish and rock bass together; five channel catfish on reservoirs, lakes, ponds and pits, only one of 30 inches or longer; five rainbow trout and five brown trout, only one of 16 inches or longer; two brook or cutthroat trout.
Through the ice
- Holes may be no wider than 10 inches on any area Game and Parks controls or manages, federal refuges included. A permanent shelter on a state recreation area or wildlife management area lake needs a $5 permit; a temporary shelter taken off each day does not. Game fish may not be taken with a surface spear, so there is no spearing pike through the ice.
- Snowmobiles and ATVs may run on the frozen lakes of state recreation areas, state parks and wildlife management areas unless posted, reaching the ice directly from roads, parking areas or trails designated for vehicles, from half an hour before sunrise to 9 p.m. The operator is to check first for at least 8 inches of ice.
Read on these agency pages: Neb. Rev. Stat. 37-405: Hunting, fishing, or fur-harvesting permit; expiration, Nebraska Game and Parks: 2026 Fishing Guide (PDF), Neb. Rev. Stat. 37-410: Permits; unlawful acts; residents under sixteen, Neb. Rev. Stat. 37-411: Hunting, fishing, or fur harvesting without permit, Nebraska Game and Parks: Fishing permit, Nebraska Game and Parks: Permit Pricing, Nebraska Game and Parks: Commissioners approve increase to hunt, fish permit fees (August 14, 2026), Neb. Rev. Stat. 37-406: Licenses, permits, and stamps; issuance; fees.
The season at a glance
What these months usually do
Each lake's own seasonal curve, the one the engine scores the lake on: what these dates usually do, modeled rather than measured, and not a forecast for this year.
| Water | Nov 1 | Dec 1 | Jan 1 | Feb 1 | Feb 28 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Branched Oak Lake | 50F | 39F | 36F | 36F | 38F |
| Harlan County Reservoir | 52F | 42F | 36F | 37F | 39F |
| Lake McConaughy | 51F | 40F | 35F | 35F | 37F |
| Lewis and Clark Lake | 48F | 37F | 35F | 35F | 36F |
| Merritt Reservoir | 46F | 35F | 35F | 35F | 35F |
The moon from November to February
| Month | New moon | Full moon |
|---|---|---|
| November 2026 | Mon, Nov 9 | Tue, Nov 24 |
| December 2026 | Tue, Dec 8 | Wed, Dec 23 |
| January 2027 | Thu, Jan 7 | Fri, Jan 22 |
| February 2027 | Sat, Feb 6 | Sat, Feb 20 |
The U.S. Naval Observatory's dates, on local time.
Daylight in each area from November to February
Worked out for one place in each area, on its own clock.
| Area | Shortest day | Earliest sunset | Latest sunrise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake McConaughy and Lake Ogallalaat Lake McConaughy, on Mountain time | 9h 12m, Dec 21 | 4:20pm, around Dec 8 | 7:14am, around Jan 3 |
| The Sandhills lakesat Merritt Reservoir, on Mountain time | 9h 3m, Dec 21 | 4:12pm, around Dec 9 | 7:15am, around Jan 3 |
| The Missouri River and Lewis and Clark Lakeat Lewis and Clark Lake | 9h 1m, Dec 21 | 4:58pm, around Dec 9 | 8:03am, around Jan 3 |
| The Lincoln and Omaha lakesat Branched Oak Lake | 9h 13m, Dec 21 | 5:01pm, around Dec 8 | 7:54am, around Jan 4 |
| The southwest reservoirsat Harlan County Reservoir | 9h 19m, Dec 21 | 5:13pm, around Dec 8 | 8:01am, around Jan 4 |