Fishing

The year of our Lord two thousand and seventeen was a really big year in Nebraska.  Sure there was some little thing called the sesquicentennial, but that is not what made it a big year.  What made 2017 a BIG year was the 20th anniversary of our Aquatic Habitat Program!  It was so big that NEBRASKAland Magazine got around to doing a story about it: Aquatic Habitat Program Celebrates 20 Years To maintain, restore or enhance the capacity of a …

Judging from the messages, e-mails, phone calls, and just general “chatter” I have heard this morning, I can tell you the channel cats are getting close to spawning.  Why do I say that?  Because every year about this time there are a bunch of mistaken identifications of “funny-looking” catfish.  Simply put, male channel cats get fat heads and darker colors during the spawn, and some folks not used to seeing that mistakenly believe those fish are “blue cats”.  So, if …

Just over a decade ago, I purchased a kayak from an outfitter in Texas — the nearest place I could find what I wanted. For quite a while after that, it seemed I was the only one on the water up this way using this type of vessel for fishing. That’s changed. It has been fun watching the popularity of these boats grow. While I certainly have enjoyed my big green hunk of plastic for its convenience, functionality and price, …

I have not made a Friday post on KVD lately, well, he’s up to something again. . . . Seriously, I am not sponsored by anyone, I am not endorsing or “pushing product”, I just think the videos are hilarious.  If you want, check it out, Mystery Tacklebox. It’s the weekend, remember it is supposed to be fun, and GO FISH!

LINCOLN, Neb. – Anglers of all ages interested in learning all aspects of carp fishing are invited to attend Carp-O-Rama on June 23 at Branched Oak State Recreation Area (SRA). This free event will run from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Liebers Point. Carp caught by anglers will be used in demonstrations on cleaning, preparing and cooking the fish. The cooked fish then will be served as a free lunch. Other activities include fish printing and Dutch oven cooking …

LINCOLN, Neb. – Send in your vote to nominate Lake Ogallala as one of the Top 10 Mom-Approved Places to Fish and Boat in the Nation. The Top Mom-Approved Places to Fish and Boat was created for moms, by moms in partnership with the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation (RBFF). RBFF worked with moms across the nation to select one lake from each state that offers everything a family needs to experience the outdoors. Lake Ogallala made the list, and …

The internet is a funny place, but you know you can believe everything you see and hear there. . . . Recently, I was admiring some photos and the stories that went along with them about some really nice muskies that had been caught and released.  Yes, I was jealous especially knowing they had been caught from a Nebraska waterbody.  Somewhere in the discussion that followed someone asked, “Which state?”, as in “surely those had to be caught from someplace …

It has been awhile since I have teased you with photos of some of the big fish that our field biologists have had their hands on.  Time to change that. . . . We do a lot of our fish population sampling in the fall, but there is also some that is done in the spring and summer.  Again let me say that when pointy-headed fisheries biologists are sampling fish they are NOT just trying to catch the biggest ones, …

I gotta admit I am not a big fan of late night talk shows anymore.  I don’t know, maybe it is just because I am getting old, but they just don’t seem as funny, as entertaining anymore.  I long for the days of “monkey-cam” and velcro suits brought to you from the home office in Wahoo, Nebraska! However, fishing did make it on one of the late night shows this week.  Here is what it looked like: https://youtu.be/cV5JWW1jVZM I don’t …

Wow, it is June already!  I have been sitting on a few state record applications, time to tell you about them!  I will start with the first to cross my desk this year. . . . Tiger Trout If you have followed Nebraska’s record fish you know that we have had quite a bit of activity for tiger trout in recent years.  Realizing that there may be someone new reading this, let me bore the rest of you with some …