Fishing

LINCOLN – Spending a day on the ice with family and friends can be a fun way to enjoy a day over the holidays. Recent warmer temperatures, wind and rain may have degraded ice conditions in some areas of the state. Because of that, the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission warns ice anglers to use extreme caution when venturing onto the ice. The minimum ice thickness for supporting ice fishing is at least 4 inches of clear, solid ice. Game …

Back in November I gave what I believed was my final “State Record Update” for 2016.  Nope.  Wouldn’t you know it, no sooner had I got that done and another state record application showed up on my desk.  This one was another fish taken by rod & reel, but it was a bit of an unusual catch–a grass pickerel! On October 17 this fall, Christopher Butts of O’Neill captured his state record pickerel from a highway borrow pit in Holt …

Going to be in and out of the office the next few days, mostly out, mostly on the ice! Wanna leave you with a Christmas scene and best wishes for the holiday season. There is a spectacular light display in our neighborhood.  Honestly, I have never met the folks, never talked to them, do not know who they are, but the back corner of their display had an underwater scene a year ago.  If I did not know better, I …

LINCOLN — The Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District has resumed pumping operations into Elwood Reservoir as part of efforts to utilize excess flows in the Platte River for groundwater recharge in and adjacent to Central’s irrigation service area. Central reminds people who use the lake for winter recreation that ice conditions can be affected by rising water levels as more water is pumped into the lake. Extreme caution should be used, particularly by ice fishermen venturing onto the …

I had a blog ready for today, but it can wait, because I know a whole bunch of Nebraska anglers will be waiting for this, hot off the press! 2017 Fishing Forecast Click the link, or click the cover, it will take you to the 2017 Fishing Forecast!  The “hard copies” will not be ready until around the first of the year, they are at the printer right now, but you can look on-line all you want! Let me add …

Before the accident, he loved to hunt, fish, hike, watch wildlife, target shoot and camp. But in the last six months, he has questioned whether it would even be possible to do any of those outdoor activities ever again without being able to use his legs to walk. You see, my son-in-law, Tyler Nichols, of Omaha, NE, while serving with the U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, NC, was involved in a horrific motor vehicle accident on Father’s …

There is a very interesting story in this month’s issue of NEBRASKAland.  It is a story that Jeff Kurrus wrote.  Let me tell you a little bit about Jeff. . . . Jeff is a Tennessee boy, hard-core fisherman, but he had a whole new world to experience once he moved to Nebraska.  I had done some “stuff” over the phone with Jeff before he moved here and started working for NEBRASKAland.  Naturally, as soon as he got here, he …

LINCOLN – This holiday season, give someone you love the gift of the outdoors with lifetime permits and stamps. Order now to take advantage of current prices; new pricing will go into effect Jan. 1, 2017. The permits and stamps offer virtually unlimited recreational opportunities for outdoor enthusiasts, and eliminate the need to purchase annual hunting (small game) and fishing permits. Lifetime permit options include hunt, fish, hunt/fish combination, and fur harvest; stamps include habitat and migratory waterfowl. They are …

If you are like me, your calendar is full of “stuff” to do this time of year.  I am trying get stuff finished up here at the office so I can get outta here so I can get other “stuff” done at home.  Ah, the holidays, don’t ya love ’em? Our family has been a little later with the holiday illumination this year; we have been waiting for my daughter to get home from college.  She’s home now, think I …

As I sit here “blogging”, I am pretty sure my open-water fishing for this season is done.  Sure you could still find a few areas of open-water and dry off some fish, you can all winter long if you wish, but most Nebraska anglers are going to be hitting the ice soon, very soon. So, that means it is time for me to give a report on my and my son’s fall fishing.  In recent weeks I have showed you …