Tag Archives: Northern pike

I have been a few places the past couple weeks, need to give you a little report on what I have been seeing on the water. . . . Reservoir White Bass I had a couple of evenings on Calamus Reservoir and as is often the case there, on one I got stormed out.  I will fish in about any conditions except when the lightning starts flashing.  I have been on Calamus enough times with thunderstorms approaching to know that …

Spring is a very busy time for Nebraska Game & Parks Commission fisheries workers; fish to be stocked, fish to be spawned, sampling to be done, eggs to be hatched, etc., etc.  I will always tell you that in our field work we do NOT necessarily see the biggest fish that are present in our waters.  If you want to see that, anglers as a group target big fish and are most likely to encounter the biggest fish in any …

Got an interesting photo from one of our “fish squeezers” on the water already this spring. . . . We do not have a large request for pike stocking in Nebraska waters this year, but we do have some.  So, that means crews venture forth as soon as the ice is out to set nets to capture spawning pike.  Only problem is, sometimes after those nets get set, it re-freezes.  That means someone has a lot of ice to chop! If …

So far this has been a typical early spring in Nebraska.  We have had beautiful warm days that have everyone revved-up and ready to fish, and then we have slap-in-the-face reality as the wind howls, the temperature drops below freezing, and it snows, again!  Welcome to springtime in Nebraska! The wild swings in weather make spring fishing especially frustrating, but fortunately we have a variety of fish that can be found in Nebraska waters including cold- and cool-water species that …

Last week I teased you with a couple pictures of some pike our Game & Parks Commission fisheries biologists have had their hands on already this spring.  I promised to give you some more details; let me keep that promise. . . . This will be the sixth year we have been tagging northern pike at Lake Wanahoo.  Without boring you with all of the details about that work, please go back and read these previous blog posts, if you …

I often smart off that northern pike are called “northern” for a reason:  They are a cool-water fish who’s native range is thought to have extended only as far south as north-central Nebraska.  Many waters, especially in eastern and southern Nebraska, simply can get too warm during the summer to support northern pike. Where we do have northern pike in Nebraska, they go through their spawning rituals as soon as the ice is gone.  If we have ice longer than …

I have still been on the ice every chance I get and again have had a chance to roam the state a bit. . . . Yes, ice conditions are variable.  With the stinkin’ mid-winter rains we have had, ice conditions in southeast Nebraska especially have not been nearly as good as many of us would like.  The run-off has softened the ice around shorelines and in some cases other parts of several waters.  In addition, our pits and interstate …

If you need it, there are all kinds of books, videos, and speakers available today to help you get motivated.  Motivated to do what?  I do not know, I guess motivated to do whatever you want to do, whoever you want to be. I want to catch big fish. Nothing motivates me more than some pictures or better yet, videos. . . . I know these videos have been present on the internet for at least a few days already, …

This ole “inter-webby” thing is a great tool for information and communication.  Where would we be without it? Unfortunately, it is also a great source of misinformation and rumors.  You know what they say, “Don’t believe everything you read on the internet”! Recently, I have become aware of a particularly nasty rumor that has been making the rounds: I categorically deny that this is a picture of me at my senior prom! Everyone knows I would have much preferred a …

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, …