Harry Strunk Lake fishing: Flathead Catfish, White Bass, White Crappie

Target species: Flathead Catfish, White Bass, White Crappie
Boat: 3 ramps and launches on file for this water.
Start here: Launch at Trail 1, 2 lanes.

The reservoir

Harry Strunk Lake covers 1,543 acres in Nebraska, across Frontier County. It is a reservoir: the deepest point measured is at least 40 feet (12.2 m); at the dam, USGS RESSED gives 86.2 feet (26.3 m) at full pool. Our records hold 3 species for this water.

2022-09-11 15 51 49 Aerial view southward across southeastern Frontier County, Nebraska, centered on the south end of Harry Strunk Lake within Medicine Creek Reservoir State Recreation Area.jpg
Famartin · CC BY-SA 4.0

Depth and bottom

Deepest measured point: at least 40 ft (12.2 m). That is the deepest contour line: the bottom goes deeper. USGS RESSED gives 86.2 ft (26.3 m) at the dam at full pool: a measured figure, not a survey map. We hold 142 depth contour lines for this water.

Medicine Creek dam spillway from DS.JPG
Ammodramus · CC0
  • 0–2 ft: 4.2% of the water
  • 2–4 ft: 4.6% of the water
  • 4–6 ft: 5.7% of the water
  • 6–8 ft: 5.6% of the water
  • 8–10 ft: 5.4% of the water
  • 10–12 ft: 5.4% of the water
  • 12–14 ft: 5.4% of the water
  • 14–16 ft: 5.2% of the water
  • 16–18 ft: 4.9% of the water
  • 18–20 ft: 5.5% of the water
  • 20–22 ft: 5.7% of the water
  • 22–24 ft: 3.6% of the water
  • 24–26 ft: 4.4% of the water
  • 26–28 ft: 3.8% of the water
  • 28–30 ft: 4% of the water
  • 30–32 ft: 3.4% of the water
  • 32–34 ft: 2.7% of the water
  • 34–36 ft: 4.5% of the water
  • 36–38 ft: 2.2% of the water
  • 38–40 ft: 13.7% of the water

3 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.

Water and conditions

Water clarity runs 1.9–5.9 feet on our readings, averaging 3.4 feet, from 38 readings. Our water temperature readings average 74°F; they do not cover the whole year, so this is not a yearly average. pH averages 8.5. These readings span 2017–2024.

3 ramps and launches on this water

On this water we hold 3 trailer ramps.

  • Trail 1 — 2 lanes, lit for night fishing, restrooms. Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.
  • Trail 3 — 1 lane, lit for night fishing, restrooms. Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.
  • Trail 4 — 1 lane, lit for night fishing, restrooms. Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.

Fee and opening hours are blank for all 3 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 5.9 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.
  • USGS RESSED — USGS RESSED reservoir sedimentation database: 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.