One of the newer reservoirs in the Omaha area, Lawrence Youngman Lake, presents an excellent largemouth bass, bluegill and channel catfish fishery. This lake can produce fish with the most simple approaches, but don’t feel like you cannot break out of the norm for success.
About the Lake
Lawrence Youngman Lake is small, roughly 60 acres, but covers a diverse amount of area. The lake can reach upwards of 20 feet deep. Lawrence Youngman is located near Elkhorn, Nebraska in Douglas County. Species present include largemouth bass, bluegill, black crappie, channel catfish and walleye.
Lake Structure
The majority of structure to fish is weed patches and weedlines. The fishing dock can provide shade and cover as well, making it a prime piece of structure. Other structure includes a rocky point, bay, rocky shoreline, grass point and some submerged timber as well as a creek channel.
Ice Fishing
This lake can be a difficult lake to ice fish, primarily because of the lack of main lake structure. Fishing the shallow, weedy bay around the dock in depths of 7-10 feet can produce some largemouth, but the bluegill seem to slide out a little deeper. If you find a weed patch in deeper water, say 14-18 feet, you will often find bluegill.
Unfortunately, these areas are often heavily fished and the fish are passive. Pay attention to where the fish are in the water column. If you are fishing in 17 feet, you’re looking for fish in 12-15 feet. The higher the fish are, the more active they will be.
For presentation, small tungsten jigs with wax worms are a top option. When fish are highly finicky, a bobber and a tear drop style jig with a wax worm will get bites when nothing else does. When fish are active, try a small plastic. Top colors for jigs and plastics are going to be white, pink and red.
Spring
Early in the spring, fishing can still be tough. This is because fish have yet to transition into their predictable summer locations and many of the warm areas are out of the reach of most anglers. Look for fish on areas that will warm the fastest. Shallow flats adjacent to deep water are key.
Once you’ve found these areas, fish them with a suspending jerkbait, such as a Rapala X-Rap. Cast out and rip the bait back, allowing a prolonged pause between each rip. Vary your pause time, but anywhere between 4-7 seconds is a good choice. You want the bait to sit right infront of the fish’s nose, almost forcing it to eat.
Summer
Around May, fishing will start to be more predictable. In fact, there will be several different bites for a variety of species. The best news, is many of these bites are very simple.
Largemouth bass offer a variety of bites in the summer. The first bite is as simple as possible and can be done by anyone. The fishing dock is utilized by bass for both shade and prey. Simple is the secret here. A slipbobber set up and minnow can be effective, but even just a plain hook and a swivel as a weight can be a top option. This allows the minnow to swim freely, but the swivel offers just enough weight to let it fall.
The second option is slightly more exciting, but not too much. A slipbobber and minnow casted to the edges of weedlines can be very effective. Look for pockets in the weedline to cast into. Be sure you have a clear retrieve back, as weedlines can get too thick to bring a fish through.
The third option is as those weedlines get very thick. If there is not a clear way to reel in with a bobber, it is time to beef up your line. Tie on a heavy braid and cast a frog over the weedlines. Pause in pockets as fish will often strike there.
The bluegill and crappie will often not leave the dock. Fishing a slipbobber and crawler along the dock and surrounding weed patches will often catch fish. The largest bluegill will often take the same minnows you are using for bass.
The channel catfish bite can also be very good. The best bait for channel catfish is cooked shrimp, available at the seafood section of your local grocery store. Rig this shrimp up on a 3/0 circle hook. Catfish will be scattered all over, but the creek channel is often the best spot. Anglers with boats will often find success fishing across the lake from the launch along the rocky shoreline in deep water.
Fall
In the fall, fish will begin transitioning back towards deep water for the winter. Look for all species hanging out near the fishing dock, shallow points adjacent to deep water and along still green weed edges. The same live bait presentations as summer will often be the top choice, but casting spoons and crankbaits in the open water can also find scattered bass as well.
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