See every public fishing venue in Nebraska on the map, with boat ramps, camping, parking and full rules for each one.
Hay Creek is a public river in Sioux County, Nebraska, managed by State of Nebraska (public / meandered water). You can fish it on a Nebraska fishing licence; bank access is at bridge crossings, NGPC access points and public parks. Nebraska riverbeds are private property up to the ordinary high-water mark except on a few federally-declared-navigable reaches, so wading or bank fishing away from a public access point needs the landowner's permission. Public access confirmed via public-trust river.
A Nebraska river or large creek — largemouth and smallmouth bass, channel and flathead catfish, bluegill and carp. Wade or paddle; access is generally limited to bridge crossings, NGPC recreation areas and public parks off the state's few legally 'meandered' (public-streambed) rivers.
It runs roughly 10 miles through the Panhandle region. Anglers here mostly fish for largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, channel catfish, flathead catfish; bluegill, common carp are also on record. The nearest other mapped waters on PiscaMaps are Hay Creek and North Antelope Creek.
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: Most Nebraska rivers are waded or floated by canoe, kayak and jon boat over wide, shallow, braided sandy channels (the Platte is famously an inch deep and a mile wide in places); the Missouri and the lower Platte take full-size boats.
Bank & bivvy camping: Nebraska treats a river as public only where it was legally 'meandered' (surveyed as navigable) at statehood — the Missouri, the Platte and a handful of others qualify; most Sandhills and tributary streams have privately-owned beds. You can float a meandered river freely, but wading or bank access away from a bridge right-of-way, NGPC recreation area or public park generally needs the landowner's permission.
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. A Nebraska fishing permit covers this river where it is legally public. Nebraska treats a river as public only where it was surveyed 'meandered' (navigable) at statehood — the Missouri, the Platte and a handful of others qualify; most Sandhills and tributary streams have privately-owned beds, so bank/wading access away from a bridge or public site needs landowner permission.
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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