Calamus Reservoir fishing: Flathead Catfish, White Bass, White Crappie
Target species: Flathead Catfish, White Bass, White Crappie, Bluegill, Yellow Perch
Boat: 4 ramps and launches on file for this water.
Start here: Launch at Buckshot Bay, 2 lanes.
The reservoir
Calamus Reservoir covers 4,019 acres in Nebraska, across 2 counties: Loup and Garfield. It is a reservoir: 93.2% of it is 42 feet deep or less; the deepest point measured is at least 63 feet (19.2 m). Our records hold 5 species for this water.
Depth and bottom
Deepest measured point: at least 63 ft (19.2 m). That is the deepest contour line: the bottom goes deeper. 93.2% of the water is 42 feet or shallower. We hold 55 depth contours for this water, drawn from 63,766 soundings.
- 0–3 ft: 10.9% of the water
- 3–6 ft: 8% of the water
- 6–9 ft: 7.6% of the water
- 9–12 ft: 7.8% of the water
- 12–15 ft: 6.7% of the water
- 15–18 ft: 7.9% of the water
- 18–21 ft: 6.8% of the water
- 21–24 ft: 6.6% of the water
- 24–27 ft: 6% of the water
- 27–30 ft: 6.2% of the water
- 30–33 ft: 5.2% of the water
- 33–36 ft: 5% of the water
- 36–39 ft: 4.4% of the water
- 39–42 ft: 4.1% of the water
- 42–45 ft: 2.9% of the water
- 45–48 ft: 2.7% of the water
- 48–51 ft: 1.1% of the water
- 51–53 ft: 0.3% of the water
5 target fish, led by Flathead Catfish
- Flathead Catfish — Feeding water: 70–85°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.
Water and conditions
Water clarity runs 1.9–5.8 feet on our readings, averaging 3.9 feet, from 39 readings. Our water temperature readings average 71°F; they do not cover the whole year, so this is not a yearly average. pH averages 8.9. These readings span 2017–2024.
4 ramps and launches on this water
On this water we hold 4 trailer ramps.
- Buckshot Bay — 2 lanes, lit for night fishing, restrooms. Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.
- Homestead Knolls — 2 lanes, lit for night fishing, restrooms. Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.
- Nunda Shoals — 2 lanes, lit for night fishing, restrooms. Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.
- Valley View Flat — 2 lanes, lit for night fishing, restrooms. Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.
Fee and opening hours are blank for all 4 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 1.9 to 5.8 feet between our readings — the water you meet is not the water someone photographed.
Where this data comes from
- US Bureau of Reclamation — USBR reservoir sedimentation surveys: class A, a survey of the bottom, 2012.
- Nebraska Game and Parks — Nebraska Game and Parks: depth contours: class A, a survey of the bottom.
- U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (RISE) — USBR area-capacity tables (RISE): 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.
