Lake McConaughy fishing: Striped Bass, Northern Pike, Cutthroat Trout

Lake McConaughy fishing: Striped Bass, Northern Pike, Cutthroat Trout

Target species: Striped Bass, Northern Pike, Cutthroat Trout, Rainbow Trout, Smallmouth Bass, Flathead Catfish, White Bass
Best months: Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep for Striped Bass
Second window: May, Jun, Aug, Sep for Northern Pike
Boat: 16 ramps and launches on file for this water.
Start here: Launch at Cedar Vue Bayside, 6 lanes.

The lake

Lake McConaughy covers 24,885 acres in Nebraska, across Keith County. It is a lake: 95.6% of it is 120 feet deep or less; the deepest point measured is at least 160 feet (48.8 m). Our records hold 12 species for this water.

Depth and bottom

Deepest measured point: at least 160 ft (48.8 m). That is the deepest contour line: the bottom goes deeper. 95.6% of the water is 120 feet or shallower. We hold 111 depth contour lines for this water.

• 0–10 ft: 2.5% of the water
• 10–20 ft: 4.7% of the water
• 20–30 ft: 8.9% of the water
• 30–40 ft: 8.9% of the water
• 40–50 ft: 9.5% of the water
• 50–60 ft: 9.9% of the water
• 60–70 ft: 9.3% of the water
• 70–80 ft: 9.1% of the water
• 80–90 ft: 9% of the water
• 90–100 ft: 9.5% of the water
• 100–110 ft: 8.4% of the water
• 110–120 ft: 5.9% of the water
• 120–130 ft: 3.2% of the water
• 130–140 ft: 0.5% of the water
• 140–150 ft: 0.5% of the water
• 150–160 ft: 0.3% of the water

7 target fish, led by Striped Bass

• Striped Bass — Best months: Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep.
• Northern Pike — Best months: May, Jun, Aug, Sep.
• Cutthroat Trout — Best months: May, Oct.
• Rainbow Trout — Best months: May, Oct.
• Smallmouth Bass — Best months: Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep.
• Flathead Catfish — Best months: Jul, Aug.
• White Bass — Best months: Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep.

Also recorded here: Brown Trout, Rock Bass, Yellow Perch, Common Carp, Emerald Shiner.

16 ramps and launches on this water

On this water we hold 16 trailer ramps.

• Cedar Vue Bayside — 6 lanes, lit for night fishing, restrooms. Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.
• Martin Bay High Water — 6 lanes, lit for night fishing, restrooms. Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.
• Cedar Vue Lakeside — 3 lanes, lit for night fishing, restrooms. Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.
• Diver's Bay — 3 lanes. Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.
• Martin Bay Low Water — 3 lanes, restrooms. Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.
• Lemoyne Bay - Bayside Ramp — 2 lanes, lit for night fishing. Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.
• Otter Creek — 2 lanes, lit for night fishing, restrooms. Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.
• Spillway Bay - Back Ramp — 2 lanes, lit for night fishing, restrooms. Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.
• Spillway Bay - Front — 2 lanes, lit for night fishing, restrooms. Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.
• Arthur Bay — 1 lane, lit for night fishing, restrooms. Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.

Fee and opening hours are blank for all 10 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.

Water and conditions

Water clarity runs 4.5–10 feet on our readings, averaging 6.9 feet, from 38 readings. Water temperature averages 63°F across the year. The coldest single reading we hold is 36°F and the warmest is 79°F; the warmest monthly average is 73°F. pH averages 8.4. These readings span 2016–2024.

Monthly average water temperature: Jan 40°F · Feb 40°F · Mar 42°F · Apr 46°F · May 55°F · Jun 68°F · Jul 73°F · Aug 71°F · Sep 67°F · Oct 51°F · Nov 45°F · Dec 40°F

Season by season

• Winter (Dec, Jan, Feb, 40–40°F) — Steady but no peak: Northern Pike, Cutthroat Trout, Rainbow Trout.
• Spring (Mar, Apr, May, 42–55°F) — Biting: Northern Pike, Cutthroat Trout, Rainbow Trout.
• Summer (Jun, Jul, Aug, 68–73°F) — Biting: Striped Bass, Northern Pike, Smallmouth Bass, Flathead Catfish, White Bass.
• Fall (Sep, Oct, Nov, 45–67°F) — Biting: Striped Bass, Northern Pike, Cutthroat Trout, Rainbow Trout, Smallmouth Bass, White Bass.

What is hard here

Wind is the limit, not the fish: 24,885 acres of open water build a short steep chop, and there is no shelter in the middle. Winter water drops to 40°F, and the warm-water species stop feeding well before you do.

Where this data comes from

• Nebraska Game and Parks — Nebraska Game and Parks: depth contours: class A, a survey of the bottom.
• 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.