Conservation

Cattails are aggressively invading many of our state’s best aquatic habitats. Story and photos by Chris Helzer Most people reading this probably look at wetlands or lakes with dense accumulations of cattails without thinking twice. After all, cattails are native to Nebraska, and they’re a perfectly normal and healthy part of a wetland ecosystem. Right? I have bad news. An evil transformation has taken place right beneath our noses. Cattails are no longer benign wetland plants that accent the margins …

I know I have mentioned this in previous years about this time.  Good time for another reminder! Public urged to check boats, lifts, and docks for invasive species As recreation boating season winds down and waterfowl hunting season ramps up, Nebraskans are urged to check boats, boat lifts and docks for invasive species when removing them from the water. Waterfowl hunters are encouraged to take special care prior to launching their boats so as not to contribute to the spread …

Almost every fish in Nebraska waters spawns at some time during the spring.  That can occur from early, early spring all the way through summer.  So, yes, I am stretching when I use the word “spring” to describe the timing of that reproductive activity. However, that wording is correct because they do not spawn in the fall. With two exceptions. . . . Brown trout and brook trout in Nebraska are fall spawners.  Yes, we do have populations of both …

A month ago I blogged about the Wetlands of Nebraska.  Shared a video about the different types of wetlands in Nebraska and their importance.  That video was just in introduction to a series of videos going into more detail about the different types of wetlands. I want to return to that topic today and highlight one particular type of Nebraska wetland, sandhills wetlands.  Yep, there is another video.  This one longer and more detail, but you really need to take …

Going to post a video for the Friday/weekend blog post this week.  Nope, the video has nothing to do with Nebraska.  It does have everything to do with fishing, the fishing lifestyle and fishing culture.  I liked it, take a few minutes and watch, you might like it too. . . . Now, it is the weekend.  Hope you get a chance to get out there and practice it!  If you get really good, and are a glutton for punishment, …

There has not been a lot of activity on the state record fish front.  However, I do have a couple of new state records to tell you about. . . . Rod & Reel Chronologically, the first to mention would be a silver carp caught on June 17.  Keith Bader from Bellevue caught this 37 pound 6 ounce silver carp from a private sandpit in Cass county.  The fish was about 41 inches long and was caught on a spinner. …

Just got word about current access to a couple of waterbodies.  I know it is fall and many of you will not care, but again, if you are still fishing these waters, you will want to know: Cottonwood-Steverson WMA boat ramp to close for repairs The boat ramp at Cottonwood-Steverson Wildlife Management Area, located north of Hyannis in Cherry County, will close temporarily starting Oct. 2 so repairs to the boat ramp may begin. There has been significant undermining, settlement, …

My wife and I spent some time hanging out at a busy boat ramp on a recent weekend.  I have always said you can see a lot of funny things at a busy boat ramp: No, we did not see any one quite that proficient.  We did see a few folks that really knew what they were doing. Also saw a few that did not have a clue. By the way, the more sparkly the boat and the nicer the …

You may recall a couple of my previous blog posts about hybrid fish, Hybrids, Hybrids, More Sunfish.  My intent with those posts was to call attention to some of the interesting fish you likely will encounter in Nebraska waters.  In addition I hoped to point out some tips on fish identification. You may have noticed the “theme” in those previous blog posts being hybrids of the sunfish family, Centrarchidae.  More specifically I blogged about hybrids within the genus Lepomis which …

Saw a note from the Lower Loup Natural Resource District this past summer about road work planned at Davis Creek Reservoir.  I wanted to wait until later to post a reminder, and then I almost forgot about it! Anywho, here is what it said: Road Closure Scheduled for Davis Creek Recreation Area To better serve visitors, the access road through Davis Creek Recreation Area will close beginning Oct. 1, 2023, for a paving project. The area is south of the …