Sherman is where Nebraska proved that slot limits work. Since 2009, every walleye between 20 and 28 inches goes back in the water, and the result is a lake full of fish most Nebraska reservoirs can’t produce — stories of multiple 24-inch-plus walleyes in a day are now routine here. You can keep two from 15 to 20 inches and one over 28, which makes a trophy realistic rather than mythical.
The crappie fishing deserves equal billing: Game and Parks’ 2024 surveys found crappie harvest at a 20-year high, with most harvested fish over ten inches (there’s a 10-inch minimum). Northern pike have a 30-inch minimum and get big in the weedy bays.
Practical notes: the waters within 150 feet of the dam, including the spawning reefs on the southwest end, are closed to fishing from sunset to sunrise April 1–20. And when you’re done, the Middle Loup River nearby is classic tanking and tubing water — a fine way to end a fishing day.