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Rat Lake is a public lake in Cherry County and Brown County, Nebraska, managed by State Fish and Wildlife. It is public water managed for fishing by the Nebraska Game & Parks Commission. Public access confirmed via NGPC.
One of NGPC's State Recreation Area lakes (Branched Oak, Pawnee, Wagon Train, Yankee Hill, Conestoga, Bluestem, Wildwood, Olive Creek, Stagecoach, Lake Wanahoo) — small-to-mid public lakes near Lincoln and across the state built and stocked by the state, most with a boat ramp. Largemouth bass, bluegill, redear sunfish, crappie, channel catfish, and often a stocked wiper fishery.
Rat Lake covers about 700 acres in the Sandhills & North Central region. Anglers here mostly fish for largemouth bass, bluegill, redear sunfish, channel catfish; black crappie, white crappie, wiper are also on record. The nearest other mapped waters on PiscaMaps are Braunsweiger Lake and Moore Lake.
Species from PiscaMaps water-type profiles, NGPC trout designations and hand research.
Night fishing: No statewide night-fishing closure in Nebraska. Snagging, gigging, bowfishing and trotlines/setlines for carp, gar, buffalo and catfish are legal on most waters with their own gear-tagging rules and seasons; some state recreation areas post gate hours after dark.
Boats: The big reservoirs (McConaughy, Harlan County, Merritt, Branched Oak, Sherman, Swanson) have no horsepower limit on the main body; many smaller SRA lakes and coves are posted no-wake or trolling-motor-only. Nebraska requires boater education for operators born after 1 Jan 1986.
Bank & bivvy camping: Camp at the state recreation areas ringing most of Nebraska's public lakes (a separate NGPC park entry permit is required, apart from the fishing permit) and at Corps/Reclamation campgrounds on the big federal reservoirs (McConaughy, Harlan County, Lewis and Clark).
Tackle: Statewide largemouth/smallmouth bass daily limit is usually 5 (a 15-inch minimum on many reservoirs); walleye/sauger/saugeye 4 in combination (some waters carry a slot or minimum length); wiper/white bass generous; channel/blue/flathead catfish generous; crappie combined limit varies by water. Check the current NGPC fishing guide for this water.
Anyone 16 or older needs a Nebraska fishing permit — the resident annual is about $34, the non-resident annual about $95, with non-resident 1-day (~$13) and 3-day licences also sold. A separate trout stamp (~$18) is required in addition to the fishing permit to fish for or keep trout at designated NGPC trout waters. Nebraska residents born before 1 January 1937 need no permit, and anyone under 16 fishes free. Buy from NGPC at outdoornebraska.gov.
Every water carries species, bank & boat access, current regulations and live water conditions — and members get Swim Mapper, Catch Logger and Trip Planner. It's the only US map with a dedicated carp-water layer.
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