The Dismal might be the wildest trout water in Nebraska. The river has carved a genuine canyon through the Sandhills — in places the walls are nearly perpendicular — with springs boiling up through the sand and cedar lining the cuts. The north fork holds 12 miles of trout water, the south fork 10.5, and the best fishing is above where they meet.
Here’s the reality: nearly all of it flows through private ranchland, and you need landowner permission. Game and Parks stocks both forks annually with rainbows and browns; most fish are small, but a brown over four pounds comes out of here often enough to keep people trying. Access is by ranch trail roads, and a four-wheel-drive is strongly recommended.
Don’t let the name fool you — early observers called it dismal because it was hard to cross, not because it isn’t beautiful. The Jack Nicklaus-designed Dismal River Golf Course borders it south of Mullen. If you secure permission, treat the place like the privilege it is.