Fishing the Sandhills • NEBRASKAland Magazine
hunting, ATVs, horses, fires or littering are allowed. The
area is closed to access during the November firearm deer
season. Please stay on the road, follow the rules and close
all gates to ensure the landowners renew the lease. Primitive
boat launch, small boats recommended. For questions on
road conditions, call 308-763-2940.
Crescent Lake National Wildlife
Refuge, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Garden County, 24N of Oshkosh.
Smith Lake
225 Acres. Bluegill, Crappie, Largemouth Bass, Yellow
Perch.
Open to fishing November 1 - February 15, this lake is
popular among ice anglers and a few hardy souls who wade
fish for big largemouth bass before ice-up.
Island Lake
711 Acres. Bluegill, Common Carp, Crappie, Largemouth
Bass, Walleye, Yellow Perch.
This shallow lake is the only lake on the refuge that is
open year round. Named for the island in the south half of
the hourglass-shaped lake, it offers good fishing for bass and
panfish. There are three primitive boat launches on the lake,
and the main ramp on the south side also includes a wildlife
viewing deck.
Crane Lake
128 Acres. Yellow Perch.
Open to fishing November 1 - February 15 only, this
shallow lake is popular among ice anglers but regularly
suffers from winterkill and did recently. The Commission
plans to stock yellow perch and possibly black crappie in
the lake in 2016, and it should produce keeper-sized fish by
2019 if water levels stay high and it doesn't suffer another
die-off.
An aerial photo shows Crescent Lake and the Crescent Lake Wildlife Management Area (at right), Blue Lake (left) and Island Lake
(top right) and others on the Crescent Lake National Wildlife Refuge north of Oshkosh.
Ben Shaw of Parks pulls a perch through the ice at Blue Lake.
PHOTO
BY
JUSTIN
HAAG
PHOTO
BY
ERIC
FOWLER
S
225
●
22
I
11
●
23
C
128
●
24
