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Fishing

Public fishing opportunities are plentiful in the Tilden and Meadow Grove area, the closest being the Elkhorn River, which provides some great opportunities for pursuing channel catfish. Anglers also pursue flathead catfish, which aren’t as abundant as the channels, and carp. All combined, the three wildlife management areas (WMAs) located on the Elkhorn River that are mentioned in the Hunting section provide approximately four miles of river that is open to public fishing.

Small reservoirs (less than 100 acres) in the area offer opportunities primarily for largemouth bass, bluegill, crappie, and channel catfish. These would include:

  • Grove Lake-3N, 1/2E of Royal-50 acres
  • Skyview Lake-located in the SW part of Norfolk-50 acres
  • Maskenthine Lake-2.5N of Stanton-98 acres

Additionally, northern pike are present in Grove and Maskenthine lakes and offer a unique opportunity for larger fish, especially in Grove. Additionally, the East Branch of Verdigris Creek is a cold-water stream that winds through the Grove Lake WMA. It provides anglers a rare opportunity in eastern Nebraska, the chance to fish for trout year round. Both rainbow and brown trout are present in the stream.

Walleye are more prevalent in the immediate area’s largest lake, Willow Creek Reservoir, located 15 miles northeast of Meadow Grove near Pierce. It encompasses approximately 700 surface acres and provides angling prospects primarily for walleye, crappie, and channel catfish.

As with the hunting areas, additional information about the lakes, including lake contour maps https://maps.outdoornebraska.gov/lakemaps/, can be found on the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission’s website at https://maps.outdoornebraska.gov/fishing/.

Other amenities that can be found on some of the aforementioned public areas include designated camping areas at Grove Lake (primitive only, no electricity), and a mountain biking trail on the west side of Maskenthine Lake.

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