Standing Bear is Omaha’s neighborhood lake, and it just got a second life: the whole lake was renovated and restocked in 2023, so the bass, crappie, bluegill, catfish, and saugeye populations are young and growing. At 135 acres it’s walkable, kayak-friendly water — electric motors or paddle only, no-wake throughout.
The seasonal rainbow trout plants are the sleeper feature. Standing Bear gets thousands of catchable rainbows each winter (nearly 7,500 across December stockings in recent years), and the trout daily bag here is eight — double the standard — which makes it one of the best winter trout bets in the metro.
Two rules that trip people up: no live baitfish may be used or possessed, and the lake is open 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. only. There’s a concrete ramp, an accessible fishing deck, and a floating paddlecraft launch. For a quick after-work session or a kid’s first fishing trip, it’s hard to beat.