Conservation

I guess this past weekend was some masterful golf tournament or something like that.  I don’t know much about golfing; always figured it was for folks who did not fish.  Looks to me like well-known professional golfers playing in big tournaments would still rather be fishing. Water must have been pretty warm, or at least it better have been, he was jigging too fast for cold water. That “rod” was really stiff.  I prefer something with a little more action …

It will be a lesson in lepidopterology when University of Nebraska’s Steve Spomer and Nebraska Game and Park’s Ralph Wall join the guys in-studio.  Discover the state’s diversity of butterflies and some of the current issues these colorful insects are facing.  So, grab your net and tune in the conversation. Nebraska Outdoors radio can be heard every Thursday evening starting at 6 p.m. (CST) online at www.KFORnow.com or in eastern Nebraska on 103.3 FM or 1240 AM.

There is no doubt that the fish species that can send the largest masses of anglers to the banks during the spring outbreak of fishing fever would be crappies.  Everyone loves to sit on a shoreline on a warm afternoon and experience a good crappie bite.  On the other hand, with schizophrenic weather changes, I can think of no other species of fish that can be more frustrating than spring crappies.  Consistently successful anglers are always adapting and adjusting.  What …

I know there have already been news releases on these news items, but I like to highlight them again to try to get word around as well as possible.  Although believe me, I know that no matter how much something is publicized there will be someone who did not know when they needed to.  I took a phone call last Friday from a gentleman who had just pulled into the parking lot at Goose Lake and discovered it was closed. …

I know it has been W-I-N-D-Y lately.  Typical for spring in Nebraska.  But, on occasion the wind quits blowing and I can stand on my front step, feel it in the air, smell it, and if I listen hard enough I am sure I can hear it. . . .There, there it is. . . . I know I just heard a turkey gobble. Now, I am stationed at our headquarters here in Lincoln, and I live not far from …

Carp aren’t at the top of the list of fish species that get me excited, but they did just that as I was lured to the Sandhills to watch the region’s newest effort to combat an old problem. A crew of six commercial fishermen from Minnesota, led by Jeff Riedemann and Tim Adams, brought their operation to Clear Lake on the Valentine National Wildlife Refuge in late March. Outdoor Channel junkies may recognize those names as stars of Bottom Feeders, …

I love big predator fish.  Duh.  Of course part of that comes from the fact that they are just plain big fish, and what angler does not love big fish?  But, it is more than that.  I marvel at the big predator fish in particular because there is such raw power and mystique about them.  It is the same reason I believe that mink, bobcats, coyotes, wolverines, mountain lions, and great whites are such cool creatures.  There is a pure, …

LINCOLN – Wilkinson Wildlife Management Area (WMA) in Platte County has reopened to the public following a temporary closure in place to protect whooping cranes using the area. Three whooping cranes present at the WMA since March 25 left the area and continued their migration north on April 5. Whooping cranes are an endangered species and their wild population totals only about 300 individuals. The entire population migrates through Nebraska each spring and fall between wintering sites along the Texas …

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.  For example, it is early April and that means the walleyes are spawning.  Oh sure, the exact timing of the walleye spawn will vary a bit from year to year, but photoperiod or the amount of daylight is an important cue for the walleye spawn and thus it occurs about the …

LINCOLN – Wilkinson Wildlife Management Area (WMA) in Platte County has been partially closed to the public to protect three endangered whooping cranes using the area. The cranes have been present since March 25. The partial closure of the WMA involves the eastern third of the property, the section between 280th Avenue and U.S. Highway 81. The closed area is marked with orange “Area Closed” signs. Additional areas of the WMA may be closed depending on whooping crane use in …