Tag Archives: Fishing

If you can see them, this is how you catch them. The old fishing adage I grew up with of “If you can see the fish, you can’t catch the fish” followed me most of my fishing life until I found myself on a lake in Minnesota watching gigantic, black blobs swim back and forth through the water. My fishing partner and I made repeated casts toward these blobs, knowing they were smallmouth bass, only to have them ignore every …

LINCOLN, Neb. – Improvements are scheduled to begin at the Johnson Lake State Recreation Area inlet during March 2018. The project will improve angler access to the existing breakwater by connecting it to the Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant parking pad with a paved sidewalk. Additional lighting and benches will be installed, as well as a fishing pad at the breakwater’s elbow. This work will honor the memory of Nebraska Game and Parks Commissioner Lynn Berggren, who grew up fishing with …

LINCOLN, Neb. – Nebraska anglers and boaters should be aware of restrictions on the Missouri River below Gavins Point Dam because of spillway flows. Boaters are urged to use caution when water is released through the spillway, as hazardous conditions may exist. Signs located on the north and south bank of the Missouri River, approximately 500 yards below the spillway, mark a restricted area for boats. During spillway releases, boaters will not be allowed to go upstream of these signs. …

In a casual conversation, whenever the topic of ice fishing is brought up, and I’m visiting with folks who don’t ice fish, predictably many questions arise. The most common one: “Why do you even go ice fishing, it’s not very safe, is it? Then, there are these:  “It looks so cold, why on earth would any reasonable person consider going fishing sitting on a big ice cube?” “I don’t get it, why try to catch fish through the ice in the winter?” And, then there’s this question I had recently: “Have you …

When heading out on frozen lakes or ponds to ice fish, you won’t want to leave home without these important items. Even in a one-person ice shelter, there is room for essential ice-fishing items that you should never leave home without:  Tip-ups and ice fishing rods/reels  Ice shelter (anything to keep out of the wind)  Propane heater for cold days Spud bar (for checking ice thickness)  Ice auger Sled to carry auger and supplies  Five-gallon bucket to carry …

Renovations planned for many Sandhills lakes Invasive Carp Native to Europe, bottom-feeding carp stir up sediments and cloud the water, hampering the growth of the aquatic vegetation that is the base of the food web, and the growth and productivity of sight-feeding gamefish, including the bluegill, yellow perch, black crappie, largemouth bass and northern pike that thrive in Sandhills lakes. Carp found their way onto the refuge in the 1930s when a ditch was dug from Gordon Creek northwest of …

LINCOLN, Neb. – A recent incident at central Nebraska’s Calamus Reservoir is a reminder for all water users – especially boaters – to clean, drain and dry their equipment after every use, according to the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. A catfish tournament at Calamus attracted anglers from several states. A Game and Parks aquatic invasive species technician inspected the boat of a nonresident participant and discovered zebra mussel shells in the boat live well. The boat previously had been …

Never in my outdoor life have I ever endured so much negativity, so much criticism, and taken so much flak for an action. It all was the result of a photo and video I shared recently on my personal social media accounts. Both were of a large, master angler-sized flathead catfish that I caught in an eastern Nebraska sandpit lake and then duly released back into it. Here are the photo and short video clip shot by my fishing partner, Rich Berggren of Waterloo, NE. Alright, I know what you’re thinking: “Nice fish, good job on the release,” …

Why do some people get perplexed when they see someone release a massive, master angler-sized catfish? After all, catfish, even the larger ones, sure taste good, don’t they? So why is it every time we see an angler report or a social media post mention or show a picture of a large catfish they have put back in the water, a spirited discussion most likely ensues over what should or should have not been done with that whopper? So how …

It is late November again and time to head out the door for Grandma’s house for the annual Thanksgiving feast.  This year I started doing some research on the origins of Thanksgiving, but I did not go far before it made my head hurt.  Like many things related to history, there is some debate as to origins, exact times and places, etc., etc.  In addition to the United States and Canada, there are some other places that observe thanksgiving holidays, …