Fishing

Spring is a very busy time for Nebraska Game & Parks Commission fisheries workers; fish to be stocked, fish to be spawned, sampling to be done, eggs to be hatched, etc., etc.  I will always tell you that in our field work we do NOT necessarily see the biggest fish that are present in our waters.  If you want to see that, anglers as a group target big fish and are most likely to encounter the biggest fish in any …

If you frequent Jeffrey Reservoir south of Brady, you are aware of the dredging work that was done there last summer. Looks like more is on the drawing board for this year. . . . (HOLDREGE, Neb.) – The Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District is making preparations for a second round of dredging at Jeffrey Lake which will begin in early May. Last summer Central removed a large amount of sediment from the lake.  Central has leased a …

LINCOLN, Neb. – Join the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission for another spring and summer of fun with Family Fishing Events. Family Fishing Events provide opportunities for people of all ages who have never fished or have not fished in years to learn and enjoy the activity. Rods and reels, as well as bait and fishing instruction, will be available for free. Look for the Family Fishing Trailer at each site. Appropriate fishing and park permits are required. The following …

Stumbled across this on the interwebs this week.  It is corny, but I loved it.  Before I quote it, here is where you can see the “original”:  Ordinary Outdoorsman. https://www.ordinaryoutdoorsman.com/an-open-letter-to-my-old-fishing-reel/?utm_content=bufferd7d8f&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer The only thing I would have to change about that little “ditty” is the reel–gotta be one of my beloved “cream and green” Zebco Cardinal 4’s!  Oh, and I ain’t retiring it. Back in my high school days I saved my pennies to buy my first quality spinning reel.  I …

Wanna share with you some things I have been seeing on the interwebby lately.  Blue catfish are the coolest of our large catfish species.  When I say that I do not mean they wear shades, I mean they are the most active in cold water.  Sure, we get some excellent channel catfish fishing around Nebraska as soon as the ice is gone, and channels can be dried off through the ice too.  But, big predatory blue catfish are actually very …

Many times I have shared how catch & release can make fishing better, for everyone.  The fact is catch & release is an important part of sportfishing today.  In some cases that catch & release will be required by regulation, in other cases more and more anglers are choosing to voluntarily release fish, big fish especially. I have noted how big fish can be released and “recycled”, caught again, Fish Recycling.  Here is another example that caught my eye this …

For the fun of it, I have shared a video or two here on my blog with drones being used to catch fish.  Well, you ain’t seen nothing yet. . . . If you want, here is some more information and publicity on the product, Engadget:  The PowerRay underwater drone finds fish and films them in 4K. I believe the product was supposed to be available February 2017, maybe you can get one now?  Here’s the website, PowerRay Underwater Drone. …

LINCOLN, Neb. – The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission has certified three state fishing records so far this year – all set on rod and reel. The records are: — Kelly Macke of Lincoln on Jan. 3 pulled a 1-pound, 14-ounce redear sunfish through the ice at Wildwood Lake in Lancaster County. The 11¾-inch fish ate a tungsten jig and wax worm. — Wade Williby of Grand Island caught a 3-pound triploid crappie March 5 from Kea Lake in Buffalo …

I hate to repeat “stuff” on my blog, but when talking about fish and fishing, a lot of what happens occurs seasonally, at about the same time every year.  So, you might have read one of my blog posts a lot like this one before, but I have also learned that there are new folks reading this “stuff” all the time. Every year about this time you can expect me to say something about the walleye spawn.  It is early …

If you are one of our volunteer fishing instructors, I know you have seen this already.  But, in case you have not, and especially for those who might be interested in becoming a volunteer fishing instructor sometime, here is the spring issue of our Fish Tales newsletter: If you need a “cleaner” version, and one with all the links enabled, here is the .pdf, Fish Tales, Spring 2017 newsletter .  As I said at the beginning, if you are not a …