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Quick news item today; there are some more trout stockings we try to get  in just before freeze up.  Here is the news release: More trout stockings for Lincoln, Omaha, Mahoney SP LINCOLN, Neb. – Rainbow trout will be stocked in Lincoln, Omaha and Eugene T. Mahoney State Park waters this month to provide excellent fishing opportunities this winter. Trout are scheduled to be stocked at Lincoln’s Holmes Lake and Bowling Lake (south pond) and Mahoney’s CenturyLink Lake on Dec. …

Found this meme on Respect the Fish FaceBook page.  I like it.  What’s not to like about a Patrick F. McManus quote? Besides that, I resemble that remark! Am I crazy?  Yep, crazy like a fox! It is “Friday the 13th”.  There was a full moon this week, AND I saw a black squirrel in my backyard this morning. What does it all mean? Hopefully, it means ice, SOON! Have a great weekend!

Starting to hear a few reports of folks venturing onto the ice in parts of Nebraska.  As I warned a few weeks ago, now it is time for my obligatory blog about ice safety. I pretty much will never tell you that the ice is safe, “no problem, go fish”.  Sure, there are times in the middle of the winter when we have plenty of ice, but even then I am not going to tell you it is safe.  You …

A few weeks ago I posted a few photos of fish our field biologists have sampled around the state this fall.  I have all the data now and am putting together next year’s Fishing Forecast.  Wait for it, it is coming, should be sometime shortly after the first of the year. Until then, let me tease you with some more photos of fish that were sampled, and released.  These from eastern Nebraska: OK, for the sake of accuracy, this one …

I have received an early Christmas gift from lovely wife of many years – Polly Wagner. What is it? Well, it is a brand-new, in-line .50 caliber muzzleloading rifle that is fully scoped for deer hunting. Thank you so much, Polly! I am thrilled, to say the least! For the record, by and large, the federal government doesn’t classify muzzleloaders as firearms and an ATFE Form 4473 (background check) isn’t required. So, a person can purchase a muzzleloading rifle for …

Maybe you have your Christmas shopping all wrapped up already (pun intended).  But, I am betting like me, most of you are still wondering what to buy.  Good thing we still have time! I am not going to post links to this fishing tackle company or that store.  I imagine you are getting plenty of those in your “in box” already.  However, in my “in box” today, I did find that the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation, TakeMeFishing.org, has a …

If you have been following my blog for any time, you know I often make a trip “out west” over the Thanksgiving holiday.  Those trips include a lot of feasting and family time, but usually some hunting and late fall fishing too!  This year was no exception, time to give you a quick report. I like to chase a few pheasants over the Thanksgiving weekend.  No, my hunting partners and I usually do not shoot a lot.  We do at …

It has been a while since I posted one of these:

Nothing beats hunting a frozen-over, snow-covered marsh for wily rooster pheasants in the dead of winter. At this time, pheasants are concentrated in the marshes’ thick cover, and tracking birds in fresh snow is almost a guarantee for success. Wetlands occupy about 1.9 million acres in Nebraska, or about 4 percent of the state’s area. Major complexes include the Rainwater Basin wetlands in south-central Nebraska, the expansive wet meadows and marshes of the Sandhills, the salt marshes around Lincoln and …

I always do a short blog post before heading out the door for the Thanksgiving holiday.  Problem is I feel like I say the same thing year after year. Like many of you, I will be traveling, weather permitting, and spending time with family.  One of the themes I repeat every Thanksgiving is that between feasting and time with family, a few of us will slip away to chase some roosters or perhaps dry off a fish or three.  Again, …