Barbs and Backlashes

Need to get a report up here today on the 2016 High School Bass Championship this past Saturday.  Here’s the bare bones: North Platte’s Pavelka, Rowland Repeat as State High School Fishing Champs LINCOLN – Grant Pavelka and Tyler Rowland of North Platte High School caught a five-fish limit weighing 15.85 pounds to capture the Nebraska High School Fishing Championship for the second year in a row. The event took place July 23 at Elwood Reservoir Wildlife Management Area north …

I am a huge fan of selective harvest and catch & release fishing.  Of course releasing a fish does no good if that fish does not survive.  So, one “soap box” I often crawl up on is the one about proper fish handling. One debate when it comes to proper handling of released fish, is what chances a deeply-hooked fish has to survive.  Now, I do not have the publication on this research that is being done on Northern Pike …

I try to keep my Friday blog posts a little light-hearted and once in awhile maybe even funny.  However, I realize my sense of humor is a little warped.  It always amazes me that sometimes even those casual, weekend blog posts draw negativity. Well this one will probably draw some “fire” too.  I likely will be accused of being old-fashioned and “out of touch” with modern technology. . . . My wife and I went for a walk the other …

Things have been a little melancholy around the Fisheries Division of the Nebraska Game & Parks Commission the past week or so.  Our Division Administrator of the past 22+ years, Don Gabelhouse, retired on July 8.  We are happy for him, he will have more time to fish, but we hate to see him go. As a state agency charged with the stewardship of our state’s fisheries resources, we hear from a lot of folks with a lot of opinions …

This news release went out last week, but I want to repeat it here, and add a couple of photos and some more details. Accessible fishing features added at Duck Lake on Valentine NWR LINCOLN – Anglers and other visitors to Duck Lake on the Valentine National Wildlife Refuge will notice some improvements this summer. A handicap-accessible parking pad and walkway were completed earlier this year. The walkway leads to an accessible fishing dock that was put in place several …

Anglers are always looking for the next hot bite.  Some of us scout for new fishing holes like a special forces team behind enemy lines.  If there is a hot spot out there, somewhere, anywhere, I will find it. Does anyone know where this spot is?  Looks like some great Bullhead fishing! Come to think of it, I think I recognize one of those kids, saw him riding a bike in my neighborhood.  Think I need to tail ’em. You …

A couple of weeks ago I wrote a blog with some ideas about catching fish right through the heat of the summer.  I said there that I may not do as much fishing in the heat and humidity, but I fish all the time, 12 months each year.  I got to thinking on some recent trips about some of those Dog Days fishing tips and darned if they don’t work! It is the peak abundance of natural prey that makes …

Just a reminder that this coming Saturday, July 16, is our “Carp-O-Rama” event at Lake Maloney south of North Platte. I have said it before, will say it again now.  We basically show up at these events and have fun.  Bring the kids and have fun with us!  If you do not have tackle, do not worry, we got that, and the Nebraska Fish & Game Association folks will have the bait.  We will offer some expertise too if you …

I have always said that one of the best places to hang out if you want a good laugh is a boat ramp on a busy summer day.  I have seen some pretty embarrassing things happen there, boats launched on the concrete instead of in the water, boats that would not come off of the trailer because the tie-downs were still attached, bad backing, water rushing in over the stern, etc., etc.  Practice makes perfect and there are a lot …

I know next to nothing about Milk Fish.  They are a marine species, live in the Pacific Ocean, tropical waters.  Apparently, they feed on very small food items, plankton, algae, larvae and eggs, maybe some bugs.  Milk Fish have had the reputation of being impossible to catch on hook & line because of their feeding habits.  Their prey is so small that it is hard to imitate.  But, then I watched this video, and it got me to thinking. . . …