Lake Wanahoo is one of the most popular lakes in eastern Nebraska. This is for good reason. Wanahoo can produce excellent bluegill and crappie fishing and also offers strong largemouth bass, walleye and northern pike fishing. Wanahoo is a popular option all year, but ice fishing it draws the most action!
About the Lake
Lake Wanahoo is over 600 acres large and can reach depths of greater than 30 feet of water. Wanahoo is located near Wahoo, Nebraska in Saunders County. Species present include bluegill, black crappie, largemouth bass, northern pike and walleye.
Lake Structure
There have been multiple measures taken to create structure for both fish and anglers. Flooded timber with access routes for boats through it provides the most cover. There are multiple fishing jetties with fishing piers on them that also offer rocky points. The docks also offer shade and vegetation growth.
For shoreline structure, the jetties, docks, rocky shorelines, a grade for hiking and angler access across the lake and also a dam and road grade all offer shoreline fishing opportunities. All of these structural elements make this a shore angler’s dream.
Main lake structure includes submerged fish habitats across the lake as well as islands, flooded timber and rock piles. These areas are most popular through the ice, but offer boat anglers excellent options as well.
Ice Fishing
As mentioned above, there is an incredible amount of structure to fish. This makes drilling holes critical to contact active fish and the specific piece of structure they are relating too.
The best approach is to fish the submerged trees. In particular, fish as many trees as possible. Many times there are a lot of trees without fish, but once you find a tree with fish it has a both good numbers and good size. These special trees that do hold fish often are in the right depth and have the right amount of sticks and cover. You want branches on the screen, but not so thick they can’t find it or the fish can easily wrap you up.
Generally, look for trees in about 12-17ft of water. Look for turns or openings in the trees, anything that makes them look different than the others on the surface. Below the ice, look for branches in the bottom 2-3 feet of water and branches about halfway up the column. Fish will either come off bottom or out of the sticks.
Generally, the larger bluegill and crappie are what will be holding in these key areas. Once you find them, they are often quite aggressive. However, large northern pike or largemouth bass can move in and scare off the school you are working. These larger fish on light tackle often can get you wrapped up in the trees and escape.
There is a deep water bite, but these are often less active fish. Look for these fish in 25-28 feet of water, near main lake structure. Structure placed in these depths can congregate fish and this does present an option, but the fish in shallower depths such as the trees and shoreline structure are often most aggressive.
For presentation, jigs and plastics are top options for bluegill and crappie. Gold, white, pink and red tungsten jigs are the best choices. For plastics, aggressive bluegill and crappie will take larger baits like the Clam Maki plastics. Smaller baits like Trigger X Mustache Worms with one arm taken off create a smaller profile that can tempt more passive fish. Much like with jig color, try white, pink and red for plastics.
Spring/Fall
During spring and fall, focus your efforts on the shoreline structure. The rocky shorelines will often heat up and hold fish particularly in the evenings. This makes it an excellent time to be a shore angler.
Live bait presentations such as Lindy rigs or slipbobbers can often result in fish, especially when placed in high percentage areas. Try fishing nightcrawlers off of points or along the docks.
Active presentations such as a jig and plastic or a crankbait can also pick up fish as well. Shallow running crankbaits or a 1/16-1/8oz jig and plastic combination are top options for covering these areas. Large silver spoons can be particularly effective for northern pike and largemouth bass.
Summer
Much like during ice season, the trees are a top choice for finding Wanahoo fish in the summer. For anglers with boats, work your way along the shelter belts. The luxury anglers have with open water, is the ability to fish more water with less effort.
Select a specific area you wish to fish and tie up to a large enough tree, spot-lock or anchor. Using a slipbobber rig tipped with a nightcrawler is the most effective presentation. Cast the bobber to specific areas and slowly retrieve it back to the boat. When you get a bite, make note of where you were. Often, pitching back to that area results in more bites. Generally, this is most effective for bluegill and crappie.
Bass anglers often will do the same strategy, but with more species specific baits. Try casting spinnerbaits or top water baits into the timber. Spinnerbaits are an excellent option, because they often can bounce off branches a crankbait with multiple treble hooks may get hung up on. Top water baits will also keep you up out of the danger zone and allow you to get closer and closer to tree trunks.
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