Nebraskaland Magazine
LINCOLN, Neb. – Catchable-size rainbow trout will be stocked in city ponds, park lakes, and other waters across the state by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission beginning in March.
Trout fishing is a great way to introduce children to fishing because simple and inexpensive equipment may be used. A spinning or spin-cast rod and reel with a hook baited with a worm will work well. Add a split shot a couple of feet above the hook and a bobber a couple of feet above the split shot. Trout also can be caught with spinners, salmon eggs, dough baits and artificial flies.
All trout stocking dates and times are tentative and dependent on appropriate weather conditions.
The Trout Lake (Lake No. 5) at Two Rivers State Recreation Area (SRA) near Waterloo will open for fishing March 9, conditions allowing. It will have been stocked with 9,000 rainbow trout. All trout caught in the lake must be harvested and not released. A daily trout tag must be purchased, in addition to a fishing permit, to fish this lake. Call the park at 402-359-5165 for more information. A park entry permit is required. Check Game and Parks’ Facebook page for updates.
Stocked trout will be approximately 10 inches in length. The following is a tentative stocking schedule, including quantities:
March 13 – Lake Halleck, Papillion, 1,200 trout; Steinhart Park East Pond, Nebraska City, 1,200; Weeping Water Pond, 1,500; Elm Creek, Webster County, 1,000
March 14 – Fremont Lakes SRA No. 2, 5,000; CenturyLink Lake, Eugene T. Mahoney State Park (SP), 2,500; Terry’s Pit, Terrytown, 1,500; Riverside Discovery Center Pond, Scottsbluff, 900
March 15 – Humboldt City Park Lake, 350; Auburn Rotary Club Lake, 800; Stanton Lake, Falls City, 200; Pawnee City Pond, 300; Fort Kearny SRA No. 6, Kearney, 600; Holdrege City Lake, 1,000; Windmill SRA No. 2, Gibbon, 600; Auble Pond, Ord, 750; Ponca SP Pond, 1,500; Such’s Lake, Grand Island, 715; Heartwell Park Lake, Hastings, 495
March 16 (with approximate times) – Holmes Lake, Lincoln, 4,000, 12:30 p.m.; TaHaZouka Park Lake, Norfolk, 1,500, 10 a.m.; Pawnee Park West Lake, Columbus, 1,500, 11:15 a.m.; Neligh Park Pond, West Point, 900, 1 p.m.; Curtis Golf Course Pond, 150, 11 a.m.; Lake Helen, Gothenburg, 2,000, 12:45 p.m.; Plum Creek Park Pond, Lexington, 750, 1:30 p.m.; Oxford City Lake, 150, 3 p.m.
March 19 – Bridgeport SRA northwest lake, 1,400, 11:30 a.m. MT; Morrill north sandpit, 1,350, 12:15 p.m.
Week of March 18 – Niobrara SP Pond, 750
Additional trout stockings, as time and weather permit, are:
March – East Verdigre Creek, Royal, 800; Gracie Creek pond, Burwell, 1,000; Lake Ogallala SRA, 10,000; Morrill middle sandpit, 450; Rock Creek Lake SRA, 1,500
April – East Verdigre Creek, 1,000; Two Rivers SRA No. 5, 10,000; Keller Park SRA No. 4, 250; Keller Park SRA No. 5, Brown County, 400; Steel Creek, Holt County, 200; Sand Springs (Plum Creek Valley Wildlife Management Area pond), Johnstown, 400; Grove Lake sandpit, Royal, 50; Lake Ogallala, 10,000; Gilbert-Baker WMA pond, Harrison, 600; Chadron City Reservoir north pond, 1,700; Chadron SP pond, 500; Chadron City Reservoir south pond, 1,700; Morrill north sandpit, 1,350; Morrill middle sandpit, 450; Riverside Discovery Center Pond, Scottsbluff, 900; Bridgeport SRA northwest lake, 1,400; Terry’s Pit, 1,500; Rock Creek Lake, 1,500; Carter P. Johnson Lake, Fort Robinson SP, 2,500
For more fishing information or to purchase a fishing permit, visit OutdoorNebraska.org.
