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Niobrara River is a public river in Cherry County, Boyd County, Keya Paha County, Sheridan County, Sioux County and Holt 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 marquee water.
The Niobrara River — a National Scenic River through Sandhills canyon country, one of the most popular canoe/tube floats in the Plains. Smallmouth bass, channel catfish, walleye and northern pike.
It runs roughly 461 miles through the Sandhills & North Central region. Anglers here mostly fish for smallmouth bass, channel catfish, walleye, northern pike; rock bass are also on record. Live flow and gauge height come from the Niobrara R at Borman Bridge nr Valentine, Nebr. USGS station shown below. The nearest other mapped waters on PiscaMaps are Leander Creek and Heckel 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: 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.
Boat ramps: 3 mapped — Fort Niobrara Launch Site, Boat ramp, Boat ramp.
Camping: 3 sites mapped nearby — Campsite, Campsite, Campsite.
Source: OpenStreetMap contributors.
Loading live flow & gauge height…
Live from USGS gauge 06460800 — Niobrara R at Borman Bridge nr Valentine, Nebr.. Full gauge data →
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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