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Quick News Item for the Weekend

I have one thing I want to note here on my blog before the weekend.  The weather is getting warmer and the extended forecast does not look good for us ice anglers.  However, I am sure there are going to be guys on the ice this weekend.  I am sure many already saw this news release, but I want to spread “the word” as much as possible–do not want anyone showing up and finding they cannot get to the lake they thought they were going to fish:

Access to Blue Lake Temporarily Closed

LINCOLN – All access to Blue Lake in Garden County has been closed temporarily by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission because of deteriorating road conditions.

Above-freezing temperatures in recent days have caused the 2.7-mile two-track trail to the lake to be difficult to pass. It has become soft and vulnerable to damage from vehicle traffic. The trail will reopen for access when conditions allow.

A lease agreement with a private landowner allows for public use of the trail leading to the popular fishing spot 22 miles north of Oshkosh near the Crescent Lake Wildlife Management Area.

BlueLakeMap

That road closure is nothing new; in fact it is “standard operating procedure” for Blue Lake; here is the listing for Blue Lake from the 2016 Fishing Guide:

Blue Lake – Garden County, 311 acres, 22N of Oshkosh. BLG, CRP, LMB, SMB, YEP. Access via primitive 2.7-mile access trail on private property (no snow removal), open daylight hours only; no camping, hunting, ATVs, horses, res, or littering; only four-wheel drive vehicles allowed. Area closed to access during the nine-day regular rearm deer season. Access to lake made possible through lease agreement with private landowner, so please follow the rules. Close all gates. Trespassers off marked trail and parking lot will be prosecuted. Small boats recommended. Primitive boat launch. Boats restricted to 5 mph (no wake). Trail and lake may be closed seasonally due to wet or very dry conditions. For questions or conditions, call 308-763- 2940.

If you were planning to fish Blue this weekend, adapt, adjust.  The reports have been very good from several other bodies of water.

Anyone venturing on the ice, I will tell you the same thing I do all the time–make sure it is safe, you have to be sure EVERY TIME you venture onto it.  As we slide into this late ice period, that is especially true!  Believe me, I know the late ice bite can be terrific and believe me, I will be on the ice as long as I can, but always be careful out there!

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About daryl bauer

Daryl is a lifelong resident of Nebraska (except for a couple of years spent going to graduate school in South Dakota). He has been employed as a fisheries biologist for the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission for 25 years, and his current tour of duty is as the fisheries outreach program manager. Daryl loves to share his educational knowledge and is an avid multi-species angler. He holds more than 120 Nebraska Master Angler Awards for 14 different species and holds more than 30 In-Fisherman Master Angler Awards for eight different species. He loves to talk fishing and answer questions about fishing in Nebraska, be sure to check out his blog at outdoornebraska.org.

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