LINCOLN, NEB. - While many summer activities close their doors when winter rolls around, fishing doesn’t have to.

With ice now thick enough for safe fishing, anglers are taking those buckets, shanties, rods, and drills out of the garage. One of the best areas in the state, is southeast Nebraska.

“We do have a number of these small reservoirs around this area of the state… Private land and a lot of farm ponds, those are all great ice fishing spots.”

From Mayberry Lake in Pawnee County to Holmes Lake in Nebraska’s capital city, Daryl Bauer of Nebraska Game and Parks fisheries says southeast Nebraska is a hot spot for ice fishing.

“It’s just a great way to get out of the house and beat the cabin fever,” Bauer said. “Besides that, the fishing is great… I think ice fishing is some of the best fishing of the year. I always hope we get plenty of ice and have along ice season, but this far south we take what we get, so when we do get ice, take advantage of it.”

As of this week, Holmes Lake in Lincoln had about nine inches of ice - more than safe for walking, drilling holes, and fishing. However, with temperatures above freezing, and expected to reach the fifties next week, Bauer strongly encourages safety, even if the ice is thick.

“We’ve got enough ice right now to last awhile,” Bauer said. “It’ll get sloppy with all the snow melt, but I would tell you any time, anyone who goes on the ice, has to be safe every time they go on it. And that can change day to day with the weather forecast.”

Lastly, for those new to ice fishing, or regular fisherman who haven’t given it a try, Bauer encourages you to do so.


“For the hardcore fisherman, there’s a lot you can learn from sitting on a bucket on the ice!” Bauer said. “The things you can learn ice fishing can apply to the rest of the fishing you do year round.”