Meritt Reservoir State Wildlife Management Area

Located on the edge of the Sandhills and far from the lights of the city, scenic Merritt Reservoir is a popular destination for anglers, hunters and anyone else who enjoys nature and solitude. Nestled within the north-central part of Nebraska's arid Sandhills is a seemingly inappropriate body of water that penetrates three valleys with squidlike tentacles. Merritt Reservoir was created in 1964 when the Snake River was dammed near its confluence with Boardman Creek, flooding both valleys as well as the reservoir's third meandering arm, called the Powder Horn because of its unique shape. In all, Merritt Reservoir can hold nearly 75,000 acre-feet of water, much of which is eventually channeled through a cement-lined canal to irrigate nearly 35,000 acres of farmland. Where there is big water in Nebraska, there are also likely to be big fish, and anglers have found Merritt Reservoir quite habit forming. John Bauer is one of Merritt's most addicted anglers. A diehard bass fisherman, Bauer has had great success fishing Merritt's ample structure, and for years he traversed the 100 miles of patchwork highway between North Platte and the Sandhills reservoir, often several times each summer. Many of those trips involved traveling a short stretch of road north of Mullen that was commonly referred to as the dirty thirteen for a baker's dozen miles of treacherous terrain that by summer's end was often strewn with bolts from boat trailers, fenders and rollers.