If you want to understand Sandhills fishing, start at the Valentine refuge. Nine of its 39 lakes are open to fishing, and they’re the real thing: shallow, spring-fed, dune-ringed lakes where the loudest sound is usually wind. Pelican Lake is the big one at 798 acres and three miles long; Hackberry, Dewey, Clear, Watts, and the rest each fish a little differently.
The draw is northern pike and oversized panfish — bluegill and perch that grow fat in these fertile waters — plus largemouth bass and, in Pelican, tiger muskies stocked to knock back the carp. Only electric motors (or oars) on refuge lakes, which keeps it quiet. No live baitfish — dead smelt only — and pike over 28 inches go back.
The refuge is open sunrise to sunset, no camping on-site (try nearby Merritt Reservoir or the WMAs). These shallow lakes are prone to winterkill, so fishing quality varies year to year — check with Game and Parks on current conditions. When it’s on, there’s nothing else in Nebraska quite like it.