If you spend any time on the interwebs, you know there are certain questions and discussions that come up all the time.  Some mentioned so often that they become annoying: Sure, I realize folks are always looking for the hottest bite.  I also know that to experience that, you need to spend time on the water, not on the internet. By the time you hear about a hot bite. . . . You are too late. I do however spend …

Last Friday I blogged about it being time to walk on water.  I have been trying to practice that as much as possible.  Who knows how long our ice season is going to last? So far I have been able to practice a little heavy lifting too.  Oh sure, I have caught the customary complement of panfish, bluegills and crappies, even a redear, but have also showed a number of predator fish the top side of the ice. None of …

I hesitate to post this on my blog because I do not have any new information.  On the other hand, I continue to hear lots of questions and a lot of misinformation about our sandhill lakes. . . . Yes, the winter of 2022-2023 was a hard one and we saw widespread winterkill on sandhill lakes.  We saw winterkill on lakes that have not had an event like that in a long, long time.  So, yes, there are some lakes …

Been a while since I posted any fishing commercials for my Friday blog post.  Got one today: Do not care if it is a Scheel’s commercial or not.  “It’s time to walk on water”! YES! Hope you get to do some walking this weekend!  And maybe even a little heavy lifting!

Got a different blog post today.  One of the things I do in my position as Fisheries Outreach Program Manager for the Nebraska Game & Parks Commission is take care of a number of media requests concerning fish and fishing in Nebraska. With the cold weather and finally some safe ice this winter, I have had a few inquiries from TV reporters recently.  I thought this story went very well: Safety as Priority as Ice Fishing Begins There is a …

We have long had a searchable fish stocking database on our Nebraska Game & Parks Commission webpage.  I know this is not news to many of you.  That database is one of the most used features on our commission webpage. Then, why bring it up now? Well, there have been some changes to better incorporate the stocking database into the rest of our webpages.  Searching the database is fairly straightforward and simple.  Follow the link above, or below, take a …

I have been ice fishing for a long time.  In fact, I have been on the ice so long that I can tell you of times when we had no battery-powered augers, no depth finders, no ice suits, no flip over shelters.  In addition, back in the day, the selection of ice tackle was very limited.  For panfish, everyone fished with a “teardrop”.  That teardrop-shaped jig was tipped with some kind of bait, usually a wax worm, but maybe a …

Not a big topic to post on today, but I have had several little things come to mind. . . . Happy New Year! Yes!  Finally!  I celebrated New Years 2024 on January 11!  Yes, that means I have been on the ice!  However, the conditions were brutal, windy, cold, snowing.  I did not fish long and everything was a little more difficult when conditions were like that.  However, you bet I caught fish!  Dried off several small bass, largemouth …

Warm toes while ice-fishing is worth every penny. By Daryl Bauer, Fisheries Biologist and Outreach Program Manager I teach ice-fishing clinics each year, and we spend at least some time talking about staying warm. You will never enjoy ice-fishing if you are cold, and of course, layering is the key. There is excellent clothing available these days made just for ice-fishing. But don’t forget — the same goes for a pair of good boots, because, well, while ice-fishing, you are …

I have been lamenting the fact that our ice fishing season is late coming this year.  Good news is things are looking better! Of course you know that means everyone else will be complaining about the cold weather.  It is January, it is supposed to be cold! I am really pumped this year.  Got a bigger auger! Yes, I did need it! Hope you get on the ice soon.  Just make sure it is safe! And hope you need a …