Barbs and Backlashes

By this time I imagine most of you probably have seen our new “Go Fishing” commercial.  Just in case you have not . . . . [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IohDx0fuqxQ[/youtube] This is a promotion we are doing this “spring” in order to try to recruit more folks, especially families, to go fishing.  To go along with the commercial and other media promotions that we are doing, we have created a web page specifically with information that beginning anglers should find useful, http://outdoornebraska.ne.gov/gofishing/ . …

May 18-24 is National Safe Boating Week, http://www.safeboatingcampaign.com/index.html . This is a good reminder for all of us. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSoyoGzSgRc[/youtube] I have seen some statistics on boating accidents in Nebraska last year.  There were 8 boating and boating-related fatalities last year; in 5 of those 8 cases a life jacket would have been a life saver if it had been worn!  In the other 3 cases traumatic injury was the cause of the fatality.

I know for some of my blog readers this is not new and you have already seen it.  But, I know that there are others that have not seen it and need to! I hate litterbugs!  The trash that infests the shorelines of many of our fisheries makes me furious.  Sometimes a person can either cry about it, or laugh about it.  One of my buddies spends way too much time watching River Monsters, http://animal.discovery.com/tv-shows/river-monsters , and found a way …

This may be my last report from the spring turkey “woods” for 2013.  It has been one of the best seasons ever for me; I have assisted/guided in the taking of several birds and then finally punched a tag for myself.  Once again this year, I traveled to the Ponderosa pine-covered canyons that break into the Niobrara River for my bird.  I have hunted turkeys this spring from the rolling farm land of southeast Nebraska to the rugged cedar tree-studded …

This news is over a month old now, and I suspect many hard-core anglers may not even realize that we recently lost a legend, Doug Hannon.  Here is the release that ran on the Bassmaster website, http://www.bassmaster.com/news/doug-hannon-dead-66 . Doug Hannon dead at 66 “The Bass Professor” passed away at his Florida home Don Wirth Doug Hannon was known to millions as “The Bass Professor.” By Ken Duke APR 1, 2013 Doug Hannon, “The Bass Professor,” died at his home in …

Sunday is Mother’s Day.  I am sitting here trying to think of something related to Mother’s Day that I could blog about without repeating a blog post I have already done on past Mother’s Days.  My wife is helping out in the floral department where she works this week because of the Mother’s Day “rush”, and that got me to thinking that I have taken several pictures of Nebraska wildflowers and have not used most of them in any kind …

Let me tell you about something very rewarding I got to help with a couple weeks ago.  I was asked to assist with a turkey hunting camp at Maranatha Bible Camp, http://www.maranathacamp.org/ .  This was a men’s ministry camp organized by the Fellowship of Christian Sportsmen, Plus, http://fcsplus.org/ (I believe future camps will be organized by SkyQuest Outdoors, http://www.skyquestoutdoors.com/index.htm ).  There were eleven hunters and seven assistants/guides who attended the camp.  Except for a couple of us “locals”, the guys …

Here is an update on the pallid sturgeon broodstock collection efforts this spring. You can find an additional story here, http://netnebraska.org/article/news/pallid-sturgeon-are-safe-extinction-far-recovery .  Make sure to take a few minutes and listen to the audio story as well. Thank you to all involved, especially our volunteers! If you want to see a clearer version of the report, here it is, 2013 NGPC Broodstock Newsletter .  Be sure to check out the Nebraska pallid sturgeon FaceBook page, https://www.facebook.com/NGPCpallid .

I know our weather took another turn for the cold this week, but warmer days are ahead and more folks are going to be hitting the water.  For those of you with boats, I hope you have heard the message of CLEAN, DRAIN and DRY by now, http://neinvasives.com/ .  If you have not, here it is, and if you have, here it is again, a short reminder. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRRsGDfPedE[/youtube] Do it, even if your boat looks like this: Have a great …

If you are interested in catching hybrid striped bass, wipers, from Nebraska waters, then you gotta see the May 2013 issue of NEBRASKAland magazine, http://www.outdoornebraska.ne.gov/nebland/nebland.asp . Here is what the story looks like: That particular story has been published on-line, and you can read a lot clearer version here, http://www.outdoornebraska.ne.gov/nebland/articles/May2013/pdf/Online%20article%20for%20May%202013%20Web.pdf .  Or, better yet subscribe to NEBRASKAland and get your own hard copy, http://shopoutdoornebraska.ne.gov/AspDotNetStoreFront/c-30-nebraskaland.aspx .