Willow Lake (WMA)

Yellow perch and saugeye water; 4 stockings on the 2026 record.

Brown County · Nebraska · see it on the national map

4 stockings 2026

Jul 2 last stocked

122,406 fish reported

402 acres (NHD)

The year here

stocked last 7 days announced ahead · tap a tick for details

What swims here

Yellow perch 2 stockings

Saugeye 1 stocking

Black crappie 1 stocking

Stocking record 2026

Date	Species	Size	Fish	Status
Jun 3	Saugeye	fingerling	27,248	completed
Jun 24	Yellow perch	fingerling	2,106	completed
Jun 24	Yellow perch	fingerling	43,009	completed
Jul 2	Black crappie	fingerling	50,043	completed

Gear for this water

The last plant has had time to disperse; work outward from the obvious spots.

For the panfish (yellow perch stocked 2 times here in 2026, stillwater)

Long telescoping pole	reach the pockets without spooking the school
Ultralight rod and small jigs	1/32 to 1/64 oz jigs under a float; 2 to 4 lb line
Live bait	waxworms, crickets, and redworms out-fish everything for bluegill

For the walleye (saugeye stocked 1 time here in 2026, stillwater)

Jigging raps and blade baits	vertical over deep structure in the cold months
Jig and minnow	1/8 to 1/4 oz round jigs tipped live or plastic; drag the bottom slowly
Crawler harness	slow-trolled over flats and breaks once water warms

Suggestions follow from what the state actually stocks here and what kind of water it is, nothing else. No sponsored placements.

Nearby stocked waters

The closest waters with stocking pages of their own, straight-line miles from this one.

Water	Distance	Most recent
Hackberry Lake (FWS)	37 mi	Jul 2
Cub Creek Lake	38 mi	Jul 2
Big Alkali	38 mi	Jun 11
Watts Lake (FWS)	39 mi	Jul 2
Long Pine Creek	41 mi	Jun 23

Records from Nebraska Game and Parks Commission (official page). Placement from USGS GNIS and the National Hydrography Dataset. Schedules change without notice. Seasons, limits, and licenses: Nebraska fishing regulations.