Branched Oak Lake fishing: Flathead Catfish, Blue Catfish, White Bass

Target species: Flathead Catfish, Blue Catfish, White Bass, White Perch
Boat: 6 ramps and launches on file for this water.
Start here: Launch at Branched Oak Area 11-B, 4 lanes.

The lake

Branched Oak Lake covers 1,709 acres in Nebraska, across Lancaster County. It is a lake: 91.3% of it is 26 feet deep or less; the deepest point measured is at least 30 feet (9.1 m). Our records hold 6 species for this water.

Branched Oak Lake marina 2.JPG
Ammodramus · CC0

Depth and bottom

Deepest measured point: at least 30 ft (9.1 m). That is the deepest contour line: the bottom goes deeper. 91.3% of the water is 26 feet or shallower. We hold 61 depth contour lines for this water.

Branched Oak Lake marina breakwall 1.JPG
Ammodramus · CC0
  • 0–2 ft: 5.5% of the water
  • 2–4 ft: 6.8% of the water
  • 4–6 ft: 7.8% of the water
  • 6–8 ft: 8% of the water
  • 8–10 ft: 8.1% of the water
  • 10–12 ft: 7.3% of the water
  • 12–14 ft: 7.3% of the water
  • 14–16 ft: 7.3% of the water
  • 16–18 ft: 7.1% of the water
  • 18–20 ft: 6.8% of the water
  • 20–22 ft: 7.9% of the water
  • 22–24 ft: 6.3% of the water
  • 24–26 ft: 5.1% of the water
  • 26–28 ft: 7.2% of the water
  • 28–30 ft: 1.5% of the water

4 target fish, led by Flathead Catfish

  • Flathead Catfish — Feeding water: 70–85°F.
  • Blue Catfish — Feeding water: 70–85°F.
  • White Bass — Feeding water: 65–75°F.
  • White Perch — Feeding water: 50–75°F.

Also recorded here: Common Carp, Brook Silverside.

Branched Oak Lake marina 3.JPG
Ammodramus · CC0

Water and conditions

Water clarity runs 0.9–3 feet on our readings, averaging 1.8 feet, from 98 readings. Our water temperature readings average 73°F; they do not cover the whole year, so this is not a yearly average. pH averages 8.3. These readings span 2017–2020. The latest reading is from 2020, more than three years ago: read these numbers as history, not as the water today.

6 ramps and launches on this water

On this water we hold 6 trailer ramps.

  • Branched Oak Area 11-B — 4 lanes. Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.
  • Branched Oak Area 2 — 2 lanes, lit for night fishing. Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.
  • Branched Oak Area 5 — 2 lanes. Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.
  • Branched Oak Area 11-A — 1 lane, lit for night fishing. Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.
  • Branched Oak Area 11-C — 1 lane, lit for night fishing. Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.
  • Branched Oak Area 4 — 1 lane, lit for night fishing. Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.

Fee and opening hours are blank for all 6 places in this list: 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 0.9 to 3 feet between our readings — the water you meet is not the water someone photographed.

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.