Lake McConaughy

05/14/2026

2 days of great golf! The annual Drovers Invitational Golf Tournament is slated for June 6 at Crandall Creek Golf Club at Ogallala (Saturday) and June 7 at Bayside Golf at Lake McConaughy (Sunday). Call the Keith County Chamber for more information at (308) 284-4066.

05/14/2026

😂😂Sometimes the simplest moments are the best!

Be sure to bring your family to Lake Mac this year!

📷: Thanks to Hilary Noonan for sharing!

05/12/2026

OUTDOOR REPORT
(thanks to Patrick Schnell of NE Game and Parks)
(📸: thanks to Mac Attack Guides)

🎣 Walleye are being caught in 14-22 foot depths on live bait. Depending on wind direction, there has been a good white bass and wiper bite occurring near the shore on both sides of the lake. There is also a good bite on the west end of the lake for catfish.
🚤 DOCKS:
Lake Ogallala (Both)
Martin Bay low water (near the base of the dam)
Divers bay/Burma Road
🌡️Water temperature is in the upper 50s to low 60s

💧 Elevation is 3229.6 ft, 49.8% capacity, or 868,000 acre feet (An acre foot is one acre with a foot of water on it, this translates to about one football field with a foot of water on it.)

Inflow to Lake McConaughy this week = 200 cubic feet per second.
Outflow from Lake McConaughy = 660 cubic feet per second.
For a daily update visit https://www.cnppid.com/lake-river-data/

🎣 EVENTS:
May 30: Nebraska Bass Nation Tournament
May 31: Flippin Bass Club Tournament
June 6: Silted Water Bass
June 13: Colorado Bass, Denver Bass, & Terry McCormick Memorial Tournament
June 20: Jr Fishing Tournament - Youth Outdoors Nebraska

🗓️ RESERVATION INFO:
Reservations season starts May 20, so remember to go online at https://outdoornebraska.gov/ and click reservations on the top right corner of the screen, or call the Reservations hot line at 1-844-637-2757 from 8-5 Monday to Friday and 8-4 Saturday and Sunday.
⛺️Reservations for beach camping may be made 30 days in advance and reservations for modern camp grounds with electricity can be made 180 days in advance.

🗑️ Want help KEEP KEITH COUNTY BEAUTIFUL? If you would like to assist in picking up trash at the lake, Nebraska Game and Parks will gladly provide a trash bag. Just ask at the Visitors Center.

😎 Enjoy the lake from now until May 20 with no reservations required. Just remember to pay for your park pass and overnight camping at the Visitor Center or at the self-pay station on your way in. See less

05/12/2026

📅 Mark your calendar for all the great upcoming events to support our local fire departments and first responder agencies!

⛳ 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗦𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗠𝗮𝘆 𝟭𝟳, it's the 2-Man Golf Scramble at beautiful Bayside Golf for the Brule Volunteer Fire Department at 10:30 a.m. Call Bayside at (308) 287-4653 to reserve your spot.

🌮 𝗦𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝟲, don't miss the Taco Bar & Minnow Races Fundraiser at Marina Landing (5051 Albees, Lewellen) at 5:00 p.m. benefiting the Blue Creek Volunteer Fire Department.

🍔 𝗦𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝟳, the Paxton Volunteer Fire Department is serving up hamburgers at the Fire Station from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

⚾ 𝗦𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝟮𝟴, it's the first annual Guns N' Hoses softball tournament! Local law enforcement officers from the Ogallala Police Department and Nebraska State Patrol will take on firefighters from the Ogallala Volunteer Fire Department to benefit the local "Shop With A First Responder" program. It all happens at Western Diamonds, Ogallala at 6:00 p.m.

05/10/2026

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms who love Lake Mac!

Whether she likes to fish, boat, camp, lounge on the beach, or eat out at one of our fabulous lake restaurants - take Mom to Lake McConaughy soon! 🌷🌷🌷

📷: thanks to Kacey Buschman

05/08/2026

Ogallala's grandest Victorian lady is getting spruced up... just in time for Memorial Weekend!

Be sure to check out the new sculpture on the Mansion on the Hill Museum grounds. It's part of the Sculpture Walk of the Western Trails Creative District.

05/06/2026

⛵ Looking forward to a summer Lake Mac getaway??

🤠 Hats off to all our visitors during National Travel & Tourism Week! 💼🚗🛬

💝 We love it when you come to Lake McConaughy and Keith County. You're supporting jobs, businesses, and our local communities, keeping our corner of Nebraska a great place to live, work and visit.

😎 Can't wait to see you again! What's your favorite Keith County adventure?

📷: Visit Nebraska

05/05/2026

📷: thanks to Kurt Langer for sharing!

OUTDOOR REPORT
(thanks to Patrick Schnell of NE Game and Parks)

🎣 Walleye are being caught near Little Thunder campground to Arthur Bay on the north side of the lake. A good white bass and wiper bite is happening near shore on both sides of the lake depending on wind direction. There is also a good bite on the west end of the lake for catfish.

🚤 DOCKS:
Lake Ogallala (Both)
Martin Bay low water (near the base of the dam)
Divers bay/Burma Road

🌡️Water temperature is currently in the mid 40’s.
Elevation is 3229.7 ft, 49.9% capacity, or 870,000 acre feet (An acre foot is one acre with a foot of water on it, this translates to about one football field with a foot of water on it.)

💧Inflows and Outflows this week:
Inflow to Lake McConaughy = 230 cubic feet per second.
Outflow from Lake McConaughy = 630 cubic feet per second.
For a daily update visit https://www.cnppid.com/lake-river-data/

🎣 EVENTS:
May 30: Nebraska Bass Nation Tournament
May 31: Flippin Bass Club Tournament

🗓️ RESERVATION INFO:
Reservations season starts May 20, so remember to go online at https://outdoornebraska.gov/ and click reservations on the top right corner of the screen, or call the Reservations hot line at 1-844-637-2757 from 8-5 Monday to Friday and 8-4 Saturday and Sunday.

⛺️Reservations for beach camping may be made 30 days in advance and reservations for modern camp grounds with electricity can be made 180 days in advance.

🗑️ Want help KEEP KEITH COUNTY BEAUTIFUL? If you would like to assist in picking up trash at the lake, Nebraska Game and Parks will gladly provide a trash bag. Just ask at the Visitors Center.

😎 Enjoy the lake from now until May 20 with no reservations required. Just remember to pay for your park pass and overnight camping at the Visitor Center or at the self-pay station on your way in.

05/05/2026

“It’s a different world below the dam. And people like it that way.” Great story and amazing pictures in Nebraskaland Magazine from Eric Fowler. 😎

The sun sets a little earlier at Lake Ogallala than it does elsewhere in Keith County, as much as a half hour earlier if you are parked in the west campground of the lake.

That’s what happens when you find yourself in the shadow of Kingsley Dam, rising 150 feet above the west side of the lake.

Not only does Lake Ogallala literally lie in the shadow of the dam, and Lake McConaughy behind it, it sits there figuratively as well.

Read "Lake Ogallala" here: https://brnw.ch/21x2b99

Article & photo by Eric Fowler

05/01/2026

📷: thanks to Isaac Sinsel and Tommy McFarland for sharing!