Home » Tag Archives: Valentine National Wildlife Refuge (page 2)

Tag Archives: Valentine National Wildlife Refuge

Valentine NWR Update

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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 …

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Aquatic Habitat Project at Valentine NWR begins second phase

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LINCOLN, Neb. – In preparation for a rotenone treatment in 2018, length limits on largemouth bass and northern pike at Pelican Lake will be rescinded Dec. 1 through Aug. 1, 2018. This action begins the second phase of the Valentine National Wildlife Refuge Aquatic Habitat Project. Pelican Lake anglers may harvest these bass and pike by rod and reel. Bowfishing harvest is allowed during the archery game fish season of July 1 through Dec. 31. Daily bag limits will remain …

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Valentine Refuge Meeting

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The lakes on the Valentine National Wildlife Refuge have been some of the most unique and best fisheries in Nebraska for a long, long time.  Several generations of Nebraskans have stories of pulling big beautiful panfish, pike, and largemouth bass through ice holes drilled on those Valentine Refuge lakes.  The open-water fishing has provided just as many memories. In conjunction with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service which owns and operates the refuge, the Nebraska Game & Parks Commission through …

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Public meeting scheduled Oct. 5 for Valentine NWR fisheries

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LINCOLN, Neb. – A public informational meeting regarding the Valentine National Wildlife Refuge fisheries will be held Oct. 5 in Valentine. The meeting, hosted by the refuge and the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, will be held from 7-9 p.m. at the Niobrara Lodge, 803 E. U.S. Highway 20. Presentations will be given on improvements over the past several years, ongoing fish management surveys, fish populations for individual lakes, plans to eradicate common carp, and proposed future fisheries management actions. …

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Last Ice, ‘Hoppers, and Lightning

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I suppose it is not really fair to blog about ice fishing when most waters in Nebraska are pretty much liquid now.  However, even as I write this there might be a place or two in the state where you can still get on the ice and catch some fish. . . just make sure you are very, VERY, careful. Ice Safety Tool Having said that, let me say that I will be on the ice as soon as possible …

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Valentine NWR aquatic habitat project continues

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LINCOLN – Users of the Valentine National Wildlife Refuge will continue to see construction and equipment along public roads and trails until freeze-up as an aquatic habitat project progresses there. Road and trail closures could occur for short periods as the project progresses. Access for ice fishing this winter should not be affected. The project focus is to address the presence of invasive common carp in the system and prevent their passage through existing water control structures. Control structures, berm …

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Aquatic Habitat Project in Progress at Valentine NWR

LINCOLN – An aquatic habitat project began this month at Valentine National Wildlife Refuge to address the lakes’ presence of common carp and their passage through water control structures. Engineers designed improvements to the control structures below Watts, Hackberry, Dewey, Whitewater, Clear, Willow and Pelican lakes. These new structures are designed to limit upstream fish passage and help control high densities of carp in these lakes. In addition, West Long Lake will have some earth fill added to the existing …

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Watts Lake Renovation

Our Nebraska Game & Parks fisheries personnel had an opportunity to get another quick renovation done this spring.  There have been some news releases on this, but I am guessing many folks may have not heard about it.  Here is an extended version of the news release, a version with a little more detail on why these projects are so beneficial: Watts Lake Renovated to Improve Fishery Recently the US Fish and Wildlife Service and Nebraska Game and Parks Commission(NGPC) renovated …

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Open House

If you are in the area and can make it to this meeting next week, we would love to have you! Commission to Host Meeting on Valentine-Area Projects LINCOLN – A public informational meeting will be held in Valentine on March 26 to discuss several planned improvements for fishing, boating and angler access in the area. The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will host the meeting at the Niobrara Lodge, 803 E. U.S. Highway …

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It Ain’t Over, ‘Til Its Over

A couple of weeks ago I figured my ice-fishing was done for this season.  But then our weather swung back to cold, again, and last week I had some business out west.  I debated whether to take the ice-fishing gear with me or the open-water gear.  I took both.  The first afternoon I planned to do some scouting, check out the conditions and see what I could do.  I was a little surprised when I pulled onto the Valentine National …

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