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144-acre lake near Pawnee County. Nebraska Game and Parks Commission survey water. The lake tops out around 14 ft. The depth chart is built from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the humps, channels and drop-offs you see are measured, not guessed. Here's the year, species by species, as the scoring engine sees it.
Drawn out, this is 144 acres of water rimmed by 1.9 miles of bank. Its 1.1 shoreline index means few bank features; the contours below do the pattern work. Every acre of it sits shallower than ~15 ft: one big littoral zone, cover and forage throughout. Call it 0.7 mi long by 0.4 mi wide at the broadest reach. You'll find it in Pawnee County. Closest neighbour on DepthScout: Kirkmans Cove Lake, 11 mi northeast of here.
When the water first warms, saugeye slide up into 3 to 12 ft. Summer is a 4 to 14 ft game here, winter a 4 to 14 ft one. Start at Deep basin. It's a deep basin holding about 14 ft of water and rates prime come winter. The feeding windows run the evening and early morning. Keep a crawler harness (shallow) or a jig + crawler rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk & dawn | open water | 1/8 oz jig + twister tail, Blade bait |
| Summer | 4 to 14 ft | dusk & dawn | open water | Crawler harness (shallow), Jig + crawler |
| Fall | 4 to 14 ft | dusk & dawn | open water | Blade bait, Jigging rap |
| Winter | 4 to 14 ft | dusk & dawn | Deep basin (14 ft) | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Blade bait |
In spring, largemouth bass run shallow here, mostly 2 to 10 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 4 to 14 ft before dropping to 4 to 14 ft for winter. Spring largemouth bass concentrate at Shallow bay flat, a prime-rated weed flat around 6 ft. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. You won't need more than a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 4 to 14 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 14 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 4 to 14 ft | midday | Deep basin (14 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Spring puts crappie in skinny water — 2 to 8 ft is the zone. Warm water sends them out to 4 to 14 ft; cold water stacks them in 4 to 14 ft. Deep basin is the standout, a deep basin at roughly 14 ft, rated prime for winter crappie. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. A jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 4 to 14 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 4 to 14 ft | dawn | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 4 to 14 ft | midday | Deep basin (14 ft) | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: bluegill in 1 to 6 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 4 to 14 ft before dropping to 4 to 14 ft for winter. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for bluegill in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 6 ft | midday & dusk | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 4 to 14 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 4 to 14 ft | midday | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 4 to 14 ft | midday | Deep basin (14 ft) | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
In spring, channel catfish run shallow here, mostly 3 to 12 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 4 to 14 ft before dropping to 4 to 14 ft for winter. Winter channel catfish concentrate at Deep basin, a prime-rated deep basin around 14 ft. Fish it in after dark and the evening and you'll meet the bite.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | |
| Summer | 4 to 14 ft | night & dusk | Deep basin (14 ft) | |
| Fall | 4 to 14 ft | dusk | Deep basin (14 ft) | |
| Winter | 4 to 14 ft | midday | Deep basin (14 ft) |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: common carp in 2 to 10 ft. As the season builds they drop to 3 to 14 ft, wintering in 4 to 14 ft. Top water on the chart: Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in the 6 ft range, prime in spring. Time it for early morning and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | |
| Summer | 3 to 14 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | |
| Fall | 4 to 14 ft | midday | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | |
| Winter | 4 to 14 ft | midday | Deep basin (14 ft) |
3 pieces of structure are mapped here — Deep basin, around 14 ft, is the deepest of them.
Access data: Nebraska Game & Parks — Boat Ramps. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Nebraska waters are set by the Nebraska Game and Parks — and special regulations can apply to Iron Horse Trail Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Nebraska fishing regulations →
Iron Horse Trail Lake is about 14 ft (4 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth chart here comes from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the contours reflect measured depths.
Anglers target saugeye, largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, common carp on Iron Horse Trail Lake.
Deep basin is the top-rated area: a deep basin in about 14 ft of water that rates prime for saugeye in winter. Every other rated spot, per species and season, is on the map above.
For saugeye, the summer bite is best in the evening and early morning. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Fishing on Iron Horse Trail Lake is regulated by the Nebraska Game and Parks. Check the official Nebraska regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Kirkmans Cove Lake 11 mi · Lake Burchard 14 mi · Pony Creek Lake 18 mi, KS · Verdon Lake 21 mi · Wolf Wildcat Lake 22 mi · Centralia Lake 24 mi, KS · Rockford Lake 28 mi · Big Indian Creek Reservoir 32 mi · Brickyard Hill Conservation Area 40 mi, MO · Pottawatomie County State Fishing Lake No. 1 43 mi, KS · Atchison County Park Lake 44 mi, KS · Banner Creek Lake 45 mi, KS
See how Iron Horse Trail Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Nebraska · best saugeye lakes in Nebraska · best crappie lakes in Nebraska · best bluegill lakes in Nebraska
Browse all Nebraska fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: state fisheries survey programs. How we build these maps. Fish here with a sonar unit that logs? Send us your depth data and we'll improve this chart, credited to you. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.