Box Butte Reservoir fishing: Spotted Bass, White Bass, White Crappie
Target species: Spotted Bass, White Bass, White Crappie, Bluegill, Yellow Perch
Boat: 1 ramp or launch on file for this water.
Start here: Launch at Box Butte SRA, 1 lane.
The reservoir
Box Butte Reservoir covers 1,372 acres in Nebraska, across Dawes County. It is a reservoir: 93% of it is 34 feet deep or less; the deepest point measured is at least 39 feet (11.9 m). Our records hold 5 species for this water.
5 target fish, led by Spotted Bass
- Spotted Bass — Feeding water: 65–80°F.
- White Bass — Feeding water: 65–75°F.
- White Crappie — Feeding water: 65–75°F.
- Bluegill — Feeding water: 70–85°F.
- Yellow Perch — Feeding water: 45–75°F.
Depth and bottom
Deepest measured point: at least 39 ft (11.9 m). That is the deepest contour line: the bottom goes deeper. 93% of the water is 34 feet or shallower. We hold 53 depth contour lines for this water.
- 0–2 ft: 15.4% of the water
- 2–4 ft: 3.9% of the water
- 4–6 ft: 4.1% of the water
- 6–8 ft: 4% of the water
- 8–10 ft: 4% of the water
- 10–12 ft: 4.4% of the water
- 12–14 ft: 4.5% of the water
- 14–16 ft: 7.7% of the water
- 16–18 ft: 6.4% of the water
- 18–20 ft: 5.3% of the water
- 20–22 ft: 5.1% of the water
- 22–24 ft: 4.5% of the water
- 24–26 ft: 4.4% of the water
- 26–28 ft: 6.1% of the water
- 28–30 ft: 5.2% of the water
- 30–32 ft: 3.9% of the water
- 32–34 ft: 4.1% of the water
- 34–36 ft: 3.4% of the water
- 36–38 ft: 2.6% of the water
- 38–39 ft: 1% of the water
Water and conditions
Water clarity runs 2.8–13.9 feet on our readings, averaging 8.2 feet, from 30 readings. Our water temperature readings average 69°F; they do not cover the whole year, so this is not a yearly average. pH averages 8.6. These readings span 2017–2024.
1 ramp or launch on this water
On this water we hold 1 trailer ramp.
- Box Butte SRA — 1 lane, lit for night fishing, restrooms. Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.
The place listed has no fee or opening hours on file: a blank means we hold no such field, not that it is free or always open, and this list may not be complete.
What is hard here
Clarity swings from 2.8 to 13.9 feet between our readings — the water you meet is not the water someone photographed. Only 1 public ramp is on file, so the launch decides where you fish.
Where this data comes from
- Nebraska Game and Parks — Nebraska Game and Parks: depth contours: class A, a survey of the bottom.
- EPA NLA — EPA National Lakes Assessment: class B, a depth figure measured and published by an agency, without a bottom map.
- Webster, K.E., McCullough, I.M., Soranno, P.A. LAGOS-US DEPTH v1.0, EDI, doi:10.6073/pasta/64ddc4d04661d9aef4bd702dc5d8984f (CC BY 4.0); Cheruvelil et al. LAGOS-US LOCUS v1.0 (EDI) — LAGOS-US DEPTH v1.0: Lake depth for 17,675 lakes in the conterminous U.S.: class B, a depth figure measured and published by an agency, without a bottom map.
