Pawnee Lake is located approximately 4 miles northwest of Emerald, in Lancaster County, Nebraska. The lake itself is 740 acres of water, and is open to all boating. Pawnee Lake is one of Nebraska's premier recreation areas, and its close proximity to Lincoln can make it very crowded in the Summer months. The Nebraska State Game and Parks Commission lists the lake as having good fishable populations of Carp, Channel and Flathead Catfish, Crappie, Drum, Largemouth Bass, White Bass, Sauger and Walleye. Anglers should note there is a 10 inch length limit on Crappie and a 15 inch length limit on Largemouth Bass.
Walleye fishing is good off the dam in the early spring with minnows.
Larger Walleye also often go after crankbaits and spoons delivered to their suspended depth. In middle summer we also found an excellent combination of bass and catfishing in the shallow backwater of area three. Waterdogs, nightcrawlers, frogs, and large minnows were all extremely productive and took catfish and bass equally when fished side by side. Facilities at Pawnee Lake are excellent, and are some of the finest in Nebraska. The facilities include primitive and modern camping, dumps stations, fresh water, restrooms, swimming beach, concessions, and boat ramps.