Lake McConaughy
Nebraska's largest reservoir and its premier walleye water, near the Kingsley Dam tailwater trout fishery.
Depth & Structure
Nebraska's largest reservoir, about 30,500 acres, topping out around 110 ft on the Nebraska Game and Parks bathymetric survey, with only about 24% of the surface in littoral water under 15 ft. Walleye run 4-15 ft in spring, 15-35 ft in summer (offshore humps around 18 ft), and 20-40 ft in winter; rocky points and the Kingsley Dam face are the signature hard structure.
Best Lures
Spring: jigs and slab spoons around the dam and rocky points, plus crankbaits, spinnerbaits and hair/ball-head jigs pitched to steep rocky points. Summer into fall: crawler harnesses on bottom bouncers, deep crankbaits trolled (including on lead-core), worm spinner rigs, and vertically jigged heavy spoons - fall…
Best Baits
Live bait is core: minnows or nightcrawlers on jigs in spring, and leeches/nightcrawlers on rigs and bouncers through summer.
Gear to Bring
Medium-light spinning gear, 2500 size reel, 6-10 lb line for jigging and slabbing; trolling gear with lead-core for deep crankbaits and bottom bouncers; sensitive rods help in spring when walleye bite light.
Local Tips
["The spawn concentrates on the face of Kingsley Dam (plus southern rocky points) - after ice-out anglers throw jigs/slab spoons from Admiral's Cove to the dam on the north side.", 'Wind rewrites the pattern: on a super windy day, fish that were in 20 ft the…
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Related Water
Fish photos: walleye — Wikimedia Commons · wiper (hybrid striped bass) — Public domain (self-released by the copyright holder, per the en.wikipedia file page) · rainbow trout — Wikimedia Commons
Fishing regulations, seasons and limits change — always check the current rules for this water before you fish. Spot pins are approximate area markers, not launch or access coordinates.