Standing Bear Lake Took In September's Storm. The Rebuilt Fishery Underneath Is Ready.

"We're not going to drain the lake. We are pretty adamant about that." Jeff Jackson, aquatic habitat manager for Nebraska Game and Parks, told WOWT that in August when asked about the closed accessible fishing pier at Standing Bear Lake. His certainty makes sense once you know what it took to get the lake to where it is now. Standing Bear was drained late in 2022 for a major rebuild, refilled, and restocked. The fish put in after that work are only now reaching keeper size.

Then came September 30. For Huntington Park households northeast of 156th and Blondo, the lake at 6404 N. 132nd St. is the nearest big stretch of open water. The first week of October may be the strangest look at it in years. The water is high, the trail is partly underwater, and the fishery below has had a better rebuild than almost any lake in Omaha.

A Flood-Control Reservoir That Happens to Have a Trail

Most visitors know Standing Bear as a walking loop and a place to fish. It was built as something else. Nebraskaland Magazine notes it was one of the first major flood-control reservoirs the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built in Omaha, finished in 1975. Over the following decades it went the way of many mid-sized reservoirs. Sediment washed in from the watershed and eroding shoreline, and common carp muddied the water until gamefish struggled.

That history explains this week. A reservoir meant to catch runoff caught a lot of it.

What September 30 Actually Dropped

The storm was huge, but the "record" label going around needs a correction. A local aerial photography blog called the rain record-breaking at 6.1 inches. The official numbers vary by location, and the all-time one-day record went to Lincoln, not Omaha.

Wherever your gauge landed, Standing Bear took in a lot of water. High Note Aerial Photography flew over the next day and found several paved trail segments underwater and closed. The lake had spread well past its usual shoreline. Their photos show submerged platforms, a submerged bridge, a submerged parking lot, and a high-water mark along the edges. As the photographers put it, "All that water had to go somewhere, here's where a lot of it ended up."

The Rebuild That Changed What's Under the Surface

This isn't the first time a single storm has reshaped the lake. After the 2022 drawdown, the lake was rebuilt and restocking began in fall 2023. Heavy rain in May 2024 then filled the reservoir "seemingly overnight," in Nebraskaland's words. Rain was what brought the new lake to life.

The project started as a plan to replace a run-down boat ramp. It grew into one of Game and Parks' larger Aquatic Habitat and Angler Access projects. Here is what was added:

1. A new two-lane boat ramp and a separate kayak launch, both protected by breakwaters that also serve as fishing access.
2. A reconfigured parking lot designed to improve traffic flow.
3. Nine fishing points along a 350-yard stretch of the north shore. One includes the accessible fishing pier and sidewalk, and stairs and sidewalks lead to the others.
4. Nineteen rock shoals placed around the lake.
5. More than 100 artificial PVC fish attractors made by Connor Tjepkes and fellow Troop 308 members for his Eagle Scout project.
6. 240 cedar trees placed with help from Nebraska B.A.S.S. Nation volunteers.

The north shore used to be steep, lined with riprap and trees, and hard for anglers to reach. Crews removed sediment in front of each new structure so anglers can cast straight into deep water.

The stocking numbers show how much new life went in. Since the refill, the lake has received more than 50,000 fingerling bass and bluegills, 8,000 channel catfish at 10 inches, and 33,000 fingerling and advanced-fingerling saugeyes. Nobody stocked black crappies. They came down on their own from upstream ponds.

In the March 2026 fisheries update, district fisheries biologist Jacob Werner said the fish are thriving in the aquatic vegetation that grew once the water cleared and the carp were gone. He described good numbers of 5- to 8-inch bluegills and expected saugeyes to reach the 15-inch minimum length this year. Crappies run up to 8 inches, and channel catfish top out around 16 inches. He also called the number of 7- to 10-inch bass "ridiculous."

"The fishery is progressing really nicely. It'll produce some nice bluegills, and the saugeyes in there actually look incredible." Jacob Werner, Nebraska Game and Parks district fisheries biologist, who added that it "will be a phenomenal place to take a kid."

Keep in mind that this is a spring survey, not a current fishing report. We haven't found a dated fall report on what's biting at Standing Bear. Still, a stocked year class growing toward legal size is exactly what changes over a season, and this fall is that season.

The One Spot on the North Shore Still Closed

Werner's "take a kid" line points to the part of the rebuild that isn't usable yet. The accessible pier, built to give kids and wheelchair users easier access to the water, had been closed for about 18 months when WOWT reported on it August 4. Jackson inspected it from a kayak and found ice damage. "Some things were bent and pulled off of one of the supports," he said.

It was Game and Parks' first pier built on helical metal supports rather than wood, which makes the repair harder. Crews have to remove the whole deck and weld in supports that tie the helical piles together. The work has to happen over water, since draining the lake is off the table.

The pier cost $200,000 and was paid for with fishing license fees. The repair is covered under warranty, so license holders won't pay for it again. Contractor Valley Corp told WOWT that its project manager is working with an engineer on the ice problem. Once Game and Parks approves the design, the pier is expected to reopen "sometime this fall." As of early October, we haven't found any public announcement that it has reopened. Treat that fall timeline as an estimate, not a date.

Before You Load the Tackle Box

The high water and the closed pier change how a trip works this month. Here's what the current sources show:

• Check trail status first. The City's "Omaha Trails Update, September 2026" lists the Standing Bear Lake trail as open. It also warns that recent floodwaters have hit parks and trails and that temporary closures stay in place until water recedes. The aerial photos taken after September 30 show trail segments underwater.
• Don't count on Zorinsky as the backup. The City lists Zorinsky Lake Park as closed until further notice because of flooding. The Big Papio Trail is listed as open.
• Bring a small boat if you have one. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers lists Standing Bear as a day-use lake with no-wake boating, fishing, and hiking and biking trails. The rebuild also added a kayak launch protected by a breakwater.
• Trout are going elsewhere. Standing Bear isn't on Game and Parks' fall 2026 trout stocking schedule. In Omaha, stocking is set for the week of October 12 at Benson Park Pond with 700 fish, Fontanelle Park Pond with 400, and Towl Park Lake with 200. Lake Halleck in Papillion gets 1,200 and Gretna Crossing gets 200 the week of October 26. The agency notes dates may change.
• Dogs stay leashed. City rules require leashes in parks and on trails, and owners must pick up after their pets. For off-leash time, the City's dog parks are at Dewey, Hanscom, and Hefflinger parks, open dawn to dusk. The Hefflinger BMX Bike Facility at 11111 W. Maple Rd. is open through November 15, though public access is suspended during races.
• Pitch in on October 24. The Omaha Parks Foundation is holding a Friends & Family Park Cleanup at Standing Bear Lake on Saturday, October 24, from 9 to 11 a.m. Enter through Papio Lake Rd. 16, heading south off Fort Street. After a storm that pushed water over trails, platforms, and a parking lot, there will likely be plenty to clean up along the shoreline.

The lake drained in 2022 and refilled by a May downpour in 2024 is the same one now holding September's rain. Its first stocked saugeyes are nearing 15 inches, and the pier on the north shore is waiting on an engineer's sign-off.

Places like Standing Bear Lake are a big part of why northwest Omaha feels like home, and following them is part of how we know this side of town. If you live in Huntington Park and want to know where your home stands this fall, or how a move nearby might work, Stacey Reid and the Reid English Group team would be glad to walk you through it. Schedule a Consultation and we'll start with your questions.