Merritt Reservoir fishing: Muskellunge, Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout

Target species: Muskellunge, Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, White Crappie, Bluegill, Rock Bass, Yellow Perch
Boat: 5 ramps and launches on file for this water.
Start here: Launch at Beeds Landing, 2 lanes.

The reservoir

Merritt Reservoir covers 2,547 acres in Nebraska, across Cherry County. It is a reservoir: 92.3% of it is 50 feet deep or less; the deepest point measured is at least 100 feet (30.5 m). Our records hold 8 species for this water.

Merritt Reservoir N side.JPG
Ammodramus · Public domain

Depth and bottom

Deepest measured point: at least 100 ft (30.5 m). That is the deepest contour line: the bottom goes deeper. 92.3% of the water is 50 feet or shallower. We hold 108 depth contours for this water, drawn from 785,754 soundings.

Merritt Dam (Cherry County, Nebraska) 1.JPG
Ammodramus · CC0
  • 0–5 ft: 16.3% of the water
  • 5–10 ft: 19.9% of the water
  • 10–15 ft: 13.3% of the water
  • 15–20 ft: 9.8% of the water
  • 20–25 ft: 7.7% of the water
  • 25–30 ft: 7.5% of the water
  • 30–35 ft: 6.8% of the water
  • 35–40 ft: 4.4% of the water
  • 40–45 ft: 3.4% of the water
  • 45–50 ft: 3.2% of the water
  • 50–55 ft: 2.5% of the water
  • 55–60 ft: 2% of the water
  • 60–65 ft: 0.8% of the water
  • 65–70 ft: 0.8% of the water
  • 70–75 ft: 0.8% of the water
  • 75–80 ft: 0.6% of the water
  • 80–85 ft: 0.4% of the water
  • 85–86 ft: 0.1% of the water

7 target fish, led by Muskellunge

  • Muskellunge — Feeding water: 65–75°F.
  • Rainbow Trout — Feeding water: 50–65°F.
  • Brown Trout — Feeding water: 50–65°F.
  • White Crappie — Feeding water: 65–75°F.
  • Bluegill — Feeding water: 70–85°F.
  • Rock Bass — Feeding water: 65–75°F.
  • Yellow Perch — Feeding water: 45–75°F.

Also recorded here: Alewife.

Water and conditions

Water clarity runs 1.5–5.3 feet on our readings, averaging 2.8 feet, from 40 readings. Our water temperature readings average 69°F; they do not cover the whole year, so this is not a yearly average. pH averages 9.1. These readings span 2017–2024.

5 ramps and launches on this water

On this water we hold 5 trailer ramps.

  • Beeds Landing — 2 lanes, lit for night fishing, restrooms. Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.
  • Cedar Bay — 2 lanes, lit for night fishing, restrooms. Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.
  • Main Ramp — 1 lane, lit for night fishing, restrooms. Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.
  • Powderhorn — 1 lane, restrooms. Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.
  • Snake — 1 lane, restrooms. Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.

Fee and opening hours are blank for all 5 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 1.5 to 5.3 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, 2003.
  • 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.