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Merritt Reservoir Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Oct 23, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

A 2,900-acre Sandhills reservoir southwest of Valentine that holds Nebraska's hook-and-line records for muskellunge and channel catfish.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Water temp
~55 F est.
Air / High
80 / 82 F
Wind
SSW 23 mph

Sources: Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
23
October 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

3/5Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Merritt Reservoir feels the season turning: shorter days, grouping fish. Today brings cloud cover, wind SSW around 23 mph, falling pressure near 1004 hPa and a high of 82. Water sits around 55 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 10:20 AM-12:20 PM and 10:50 PM-12:50 AM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

MuskellungeExcellent

This band covers the spring spawn, which in Wisconsin runs at 49-60Β°F; spawning muskies eat little and rarely chase lures, Wisconsin DNR says. After the spawn, and again as fall water cools, work large lures along weed edges and structure.

WalleyeGood

Spring: post-spawn fish scatter and can be slow for a couple of weeks. Fall: one of the best windows, with minnows on jigs and three-way rigs as the water cools toward ice-up.

Northern pikeGood

The best band for pike: right after ice-out they move into flooded vegetated shallows to spawn, and they feed actively again as the water cools in fall.

Largemouth bassGood

In spring, pre-spawn bass push shallow as the water climbs through the mid-50s; in fall they feed actively until the water cools into the low 50s, then drop back toward deeper structure.

Smallmouth bassGood

Spring pre-spawn and fall: Iowa DNR notes the larger bass come up to shallow structure, where a shallow-running minnow bait or a spinnerbait just under the surface works.

Catfish (blue, channel)Good

In spring after ice-out, Iowa finds channel cats feeding on winter-killed shad on the shallow, warmer mudflats at the upper ends of reservoirs; cut bait on the bottom works there.

White bassFair

The spring run happens in this band: tributaries, shoals and the upper ends of reservoirs as the water reaches about 55Β°F.

Tomorrow: Cooler at 65 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Oct 24, 6:30 AMHow this report is made β†’

Before you go

Nebraska requires a fishing licence from age 16, from $41.00 for residents. What a Nebraska licence costs and where to buy it β†’

Chasing walleye here? Check the size and bag limits with NGPC before you keep anything. The season dates for Nebraska, read off the agency, are on the Nebraska seasons page.

Water and weather

Live readings.

No live gauge on this water

Conditions here are modeled from weather, season and the nearest stations. Water readings appear when a USGS gauge is available.

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~55 F now

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp80 F
High / Low82 / 61 F
WindSSW 23-31 mph
Pressure1004.1 hPa, falling
Sky / Rain93% cloud, 7%
Sunrise / Sunset08:06 / 18:48
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (seasonal)~55 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Which day to fish Merritt Reservoir this week

Today is the pick of the week on Merritt Reservoir, at 3 out of 5.

Best day this week: today, Oct 23 β€” fair at 3/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.

Today, Oct 23 β€” Fair

A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Solunar majors
10:20 AM-12:20 PM and 10:50 PM-12:50 AM
Minor period
4:44 AM-5:44 AM
Sun
08:06 to 18:48
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Overcast, 28 mph
Rain chance
7%

Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out: how the score is built.

Species guide

The species that matter on Merritt Reservoir: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Walleye illustration

Walleye

Best: spring and late fall, around dawn, dusk and night

A cool-water perch of large lakes, reservoirs and rivers whose reflective eyes are built for low light, so it feeds most at night and in murky water. The Missouri Department of Conservation ranks it among the continent's most important freshwater game fish. Spring: post-spawn fish scatter and can be slow for a couple of weeks. Fall: one of the best windows, with minnows on jigs and three-way rigs as the water cools toward ice-up.

White bass illustration

White bass

Best: the spring run up the tributaries, then summer surface schools

A silvery temperate bass of rivers and large reservoirs, also called sand bass, that schools in open water after shad and runs up tributaries to spawn in early spring. The spring run happens in this band: tributaries, shoals and the upper ends of reservoirs as the water reaches about 55Β°F.

Northern pike illustration

Northern pike

Best: cool water, from ice-out through spring, in fall and under the ice

A long, duck-billed predator of weedy lakes, slow rivers and backwaters that ambushes fish from vegetation. Wisconsin DNR points out that, unlike most of the state's common game fish, pike do their best feeding in cool water. The best band for pike: right after ice-out they move into flooded vegetated shallows to spawn, and they feed actively again as the water cools in fall.

Largemouth bass illustration

Largemouth bass

Best: the spring pre-spawn and the fall feed

A warm-water sunfish of lakes, reservoirs, ponds and slow river backwaters that holds tight to cover: weeds, logs, rock ledges and docks. In Texas, TPWD surveys rank it "by far" the freshwater fish anglers most want to catch. In spring, pre-spawn bass push shallow as the water climbs through the mid-50s; in fall they feed actively until the water cools into the low 50s, then drop back toward deeper structure.

Smallmouth bass illustration

Smallmouth bass

Best: spring and fall, when bigger fish come shallow

A bronze-brown black bass of clear, cool streams and rocky lakes, with dark vertical bars instead of a side stripe. Michigan DNR says its southeastern coast, from Port Huron to Lake Erie, is known nationally for both the size and the number of its smallmouth. Spring pre-spawn and fall: Iowa DNR notes the larger bass come up to shallow structure, where a shallow-running minnow bait or a spinnerbait just under the surface works.

Catfish (blue, channel) illustration

Catfish (blue, channel)

Year-round, best at dusk and after dark

Three big catfish share most of the country's rivers and reservoirs: the channel catfish, the most widespread; the blue catfish, the largest; and the flathead, which hunts live fish. All feed mostly on or near the bottom. In spring after ice-out, Iowa finds channel cats feeding on winter-killed shad on the shallow, warmer mudflats at the upper ends of reservoirs; cut bait on the bottom works there.

Muskellunge illustration

Muskellunge

Fished from late spring into late fall where seasons allow

Muskellunge are solitary, fish-eating ambush predators of the pike family, holding in weed beds and other cover in lakes and rivers of the Great Lakes, upper Mississippi and Ohio basins. This band covers the spring spawn, which in Wisconsin runs at 49-60Β°F; spawning muskies eat little and rarely chase lures, Wisconsin DNR says. After the spawn, and again as fall water cools, work large lures along weed edges and structure.

When to come: the Merritt Reservoir calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Walleye
White bass
Northern pike
Largemouth bass
Smallmouth bass
Catfish (blue, channel)
Muskellunge
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 55 F (estimated, not a reading).

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~55 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Merritt Reservoir today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Oct 22

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Muskellunge led the card at excellent. High of 78 F, wind to 18 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Muskellunge led the card at excellent. High of 73 F, wind to 9 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Walleye led the card at excellent. High of 74 F, wind to 14 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
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Before you go

License

Nebraska requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Nebraska fishing license and park entry permit. The 2026 Nebraska Fishing Guide gives Merritt a special walleye, sauger and saugeye rule (daily bag of four, which may include one fish 15 to 18 inches and three over 18 inches, or four over 18 inches, with no more than one over 22 inches) and says the muskellunge daily bag may include one fish over 50 inches. Other species follow the statewide rules in that guide.

Access

Merritt Reservoir SRA, 88292 State Highway 97, Valentine: ramps at Powder Horn, Fisherman's Boat Ramp, Cedar Bay, Beed's Landing and Snake River; fish-cleaning stations at the main ramp and Beed's; campgrounds at Beed's Landing, Boardman Creek, Cedar Bay and Willow Cove.

About this water

A 2,900-acre irrigation reservoir in the Sandhills of Cherry County, Nebraska, fed by the Snake River and Boardman Creek.

Fishing Merritt Reservoir: the full guide

A Sandhills reservoir

Merritt Reservoir lies in the Nebraska Sandhills southwest of Valentine. Nebraska Game and Parks calls it a deep lake with steady inflow from the Snake River and Boardman Creek, and its 2026 Fishing Guide lists 2,900 acres. A 2020 Nebraskaland article notes that Merritt is an irrigation reservoir that still fills every year thanks to the Snake River's flow.

The fishery

Game and Parks ranks Merritt among the state's best multi-species waters: one of its best walleye fisheries and its best muskie fishery, with northern pike, big channel catfish, a few large white bass, good numbers of smallmouth and largemouth bass, and panfish. The lake holds the hook-and-line state records for muskellunge and channel catfish, and the agency says it fishes as well through the ice as in open water.

Muskie habits

In the 2020 Nebraskaland story, Game and Parks biologist Daryl Bauer described bank anglers casting from the dam just after ice-out, when alewives are shallow and pre-spawn muskies feed in bays and coves. Once summer arrives the muskies follow baitfish to deeper water, and most are then caught by walleye anglers trolling crankbaits. Alewives, white suckers and panfish make up the forage.

Valentine-area logistics

Merritt Reservoir State Recreation Area has public ramps at Powder Horn, Fisherman's Boat Ramp, Cedar Bay, Beed's Landing and the Snake River area, five ramps and five docks in all, plus two fish-cleaning stations. Fuel is sold nearby at the Merritt Trading Post. Buoys mark underwater hazards in the Boardman Creek, Powder Horn and Snake River arms, where boats must slow down, and water skiing and wake surfing are not allowed.

Dark skies

In 2022 the recreation area became the first Nebraska site certified by DarkSky International, and it has hosted the Nebraska Star Party each summer for three decades.

Common questions

Does Merritt hold the state muskie record?

Yes. Nebraska Game and Parks says Merritt is home to the hook-and-line state records for muskellunge and channel catfish.

Is Merritt a dark-sky site?

It became Nebraska's first DarkSky International-certified site in 2022 and hosts the annual Nebraska Star Party.

Where can I launch?

Game and Parks lists five ramps and five docks, at Powder Horn, Fisherman's Boat Ramp, Cedar Bay, Beed's Landing and the Snake River area.

Is fishing good at Merritt Reservoir right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Nearby waters

Niobrara River36 miCalamus Reservoir99 miLake Ogallala105 miLake McConaughy106 miLake Francis Case108 miLake Sharpe123 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 42.6200, -100.8700 in this water's own timezone. A model, not an observation.
Moon and solunar windows
Calculated on this site
Astronomical calculation from these coordinates and the date, not a third-party feed. How much weight it deserves.
Pages checked
The facts in the written guide were checked against these pages, from the agencies and operators that manage the water, on October 5, 2026. Anything we could not verify was taken out.
The written guide on this page
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
How this page was made. The daily report is computed by our scoring engine from live readings; nobody types it. The written text was drafted with AI assistance from the official pages listed above, and its facts were checked against those pages by automated verification on October 5, 2026; anything that could not be verified was taken out. Pablo Ruiz Quintero sets every guideline, the data-verification system and the minimum standards a page must meet to be published, reviews page structure and approves what goes live; the responsibility is his, and the AI carries out the work. We work this way because it is how one person can keep every page current with named sources. Errors are published in the verification log; the full policy is in the editorial policy.

Readings refresh on a 30-minute window. The full method, with every figure and its source, is on how our reports are made. Something wrong here? Tell us and it goes in the log with the date.