Barbs and Backlashes

Got to looking at the calendar and was reminded that tomorrow is “National Hunting and Fishing Day“.  I like to point that out each year, if I remember, because I believe Nebraska is the perfect state for combining hunting and fishing opportunities, especially in the fall.  I call it “combodacious” because we have such a diversity of fish and game and with long hunting seasons and perpetual fishing seasons the opportunities can overlap.  In times past Nebraska bragged about being …

I was listening to a podcast by KVD last week.  No, not Karl VonDibble, the other KVD, the real KVD.  Kevin is known for his rapid fire “power fishing”, and he often is throwing crankbaits.  One thing he mentioned in the podcast was confidence; we all tend to fish best with techniques and baits in which we have confidence.  I will always tell you that versatility is key to consistent fishing success, but there is no doubt we all have our strengths …

Every now and then I climb up on a soapbox and “preach” a little boating safety.  With fall and cooling waters approaching, this might be a good time to do that again.  I especially like to remind us “tough guys” who might be on the water hunting, fishing or trapping by ourselves, that you really should be using a life jacket and your motor’s kill switch ALL THE TIME.  I have been on the water by myself at times too, and …

Found these pictures on the ole inter-webby someplace.  Do not know why anyone would want to post these photos, but apparently they really, really liked Snapping Turtles. I do not know how good of an idea that was.  Snapping Turtles can live in water that is not the cleanest and can carry things like Salmonella and other bacteria. Turns out that Snapping Turtles really are not that into kissing. Man, that had to hurt. Was that a nose ring or a …

A couple of months ago I had a blog post speculating about ways the invasive “Asian” Carp, Bighead and Silver Carp, might be caught on hook & line, hooked in the mouth (Milk Fish?  Silver Carp?).  Those species are not caught using traditional fishing techniques because they are primarily filter feeders and do not swim around selecting and ingesting food items that anglers typically use for bait.  If someone could figure out some techniques to catch those fish, hooked in …

If you are in the area and you like watermelon, you might want to join us tomorrow night! Conestoga Reservoir aquatic habitat project open house is Sept. 13 LINCOLN – Learn about the aquatic habitat project occurring at Conestoga Reservoir during an open house Sept. 13. The public is invited to attend the 6:30 p.m. event at the boat ramp parking lot on the north side. View the work that has been completed and hear updates by the Nebraska Game …

Through the ages fish and fishing have generated innumerable superstitions.  Gramps Roth always told me I had to hold my mouth just right to catch fish.  To this day, I am trying to figure out what he meant by that?  No doubt a lot of that superstition arises from the fact that we cannot see below the surface of the water and directly observe fish behavior.  Some days it seems that purely random events are the difference between catching fish and …

I know folks who fish Merritt have been wondering about our boat ramp improvement plans, there are some details in this old blog post, Angler Access Improvements.  Getting that work accomplished is dependent on end-of-summer water levels at Merritt.  So, the bad news is that water levels again this fall are too high for the work to be accomplished.  On the other hand, you will never hear me complain about water in our Nebraska reservoirs, so the good news is …

I am not a big fan of hot dogs, but I kind of have a hankering for corndogs.  Everyone knows the best corndogs are the freshly-dipped, deep-fat-fried ones at the fair.  If you have yourself a fair corndog and a big, freshly-squeezed, cherry lime-aide, well, life don’t get no better than that! Just recently my buddy Ron taught me something about corndogs that I never knew!  Apparently, they grow along the edges of Nebraska waterbodies.  Here is his explanation: Mother Nature …

I believe from the moment we are born we have this desire to be independent, on-our-own, free.  Those of us who recognize the hunter and fisher in our human DNA feel the urge even more.  We start our adventure into independence by rolling, scooting, and crawling, but that is not enough.  We walk as soon as possible and then comes that glorious day when we master some form of mechanical transportation.  For must of us that was a tricycle followed …