Fishing

I had a busy week last week; want to give you a quick report on what I was doing.  First. . . . Many times I have been asked why Nebraska fisheries biologists are not doing what biologists in some other state are doing.  The implication behind those questions is that we do not know what biologists in other states are doing.  I suppose a pointy-headed fisheries biologist could live under some rock, but there are no good biologists who …

LINCOLN, Neb. – The application period for archery paddlefish permits begins at 1 p.m. Central Time on March 1. Mail applications must be received in the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission’s Lincoln office by 5 p.m. and online applications must be received by 11:59 p.m. on March 14. Permits will be issued in a random drawing based on preference points earned; applicants with the most preference points will receive the greatest priority. Any permits remaining following the drawing will be …

LINCOLN, Neb. – Watercraft inspection workshops are scheduled for Feb. 22 at Lake McConaughy State Recreation Area Visitor Center and March 1 at Ak-Sar-Ben Aquarium. The workshops, which begin at 7 p.m., will provide an overview of the current Nebraska Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Program, current regulations, status of these problem species across Nebraska, things boat owners, operators and/or mechanics need to look for and what they can do to prevent the spread of AIS, and steps to remove AIS …

This week has been the week after the Super Bowl.  The game was fantastic, certainly one of the best ever, so there has been a lot of talk about actual football.  In addition to that, and after many Super Bowl games, there is as much talk about the commercials as the actual game.  So, on the topic of TV commercials, it has been awhile since I posted a good fishing commercial.  Here is one I saw recently that I kinda …

LINCOLN, Neb. – Ice fishing is a fun way to spend time with family and friends. The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission encourages fishermen to be cautious of conditions before venturing onto the ice. Late-season ice fishing means conditions can vary greatly on a lake. During this time of year, run-off could open areas in lakes, springs could deteriorate ice and melting could occur along the edge of lakes, especially along the north shoreline. The minimum ice thickness for supporting …

Recently I got “tagged” on FaceBook with a picture of a channel catfish that had been caught through the ice. The fish was a little over 5 pounds, a very respectable channel cat, especially through an ice hole, but the big surprise came at the cleaning table when the stomach contents were examined: Look close, it has been digested a bit, but laying just in front of the catfish’s head is a bullfrog that came out of that fish’s stomach! …

I have a hard time convincing ice anglers nowadays that there actually was a time when we caught fish through the ice WITHOUT A DEPTH-FINDER!  Certainly, many of the “millennials” or “Generation Z-ers” or whatever, cannot even imagine being on the ice without that technology.  But, as the Sonic commercial jokes, some of us are “perennials”–thought we were dead, but we just keep coming back–and we can remember when we caught fish, lots of fish, through the ice while fishing …

The months following the first of the year are what I call “sport show season”.  Even the folks who like to ice-fish will find some time to visit a sport show or “Expo” or two this time of year.  We all like to dream about the open-water fishing and camping to come, maybe make plans to visit one of the hot spots on our “bucket list”, ogle pictures and mounts of big fish and big bucks, and maybe learn a thing …

I have still been on the ice every chance I get and again have had a chance to roam the state a bit. . . . Yes, ice conditions are variable.  With the stinkin’ mid-winter rains we have had, ice conditions in southeast Nebraska especially have not been nearly as good as many of us would like.  The run-off has softened the ice around shorelines and in some cases other parts of several waters.  In addition, our pits and interstate …

At the end of each year I like to look back at the state record fish that were certified; kind of a “state record annual report”.  It is time to do that again. . . . We had 13 different fish certified as state records in 2016. Surface Spear-fishing No fish taken by surface spear-fishing were submitted for state records in 2016. Bow-Fishing The bow-fishing state record category was busy in 2016; six bow-fishing records were awarded.  In chronological order, …