Everyone drives past “the little lake” on the way to Big Mac, and the trout anglers are fine with that. Lake Ogallala sits directly below Kingsley Dam, and the cold water released from the bottom of Lake McConaughy keeps it trout-friendly even in August — a genuinely unusual cold-water fishery for the Great Plains.
It’s a no-wake lake tucked against the dam, which makes it ideal kayak water — sheltered, calm, and small enough to learn in an afternoon. Game and Parks stocks it heavily with rainbows (now stocked at 12 inches), plus tiger trout, and the smallmouth and perch fishing is underrated. In winter, the tailrace below the dam stays open and draws bald eagles by the dozen; there’s a free heated eagle-viewing facility open weekends from late December through February.
Trout bag limit is five per day with only one over 16 inches in the lake. Fish early morning on summer weekends before the kayakers arrive.