By Eric Fowler
Excellent water quality and abundant aquatic vegetation have returned to Goose Lake Wildlife Management Area near Chambers, and fish populations have responded accordingly.
An Aquatic Habitat Program project in 2003 included the construction of barriers in Cache Creek to keep carp out of this shallow, Sandhills lake. Following a renovation, aquatic vegetation (which is the base of the food chain) and fish thrived. Record rainfall in the region in 2010, however, pushed stream levels above the barriers, allowing carp to reenter the lake, muddying the water and causing a rapid decline in vegetation and game fish populations.
Biologists took advantage of low water levels in 2022 and renovated and restocked the lake. “The water is crystal clear without the carp in there,” said Jeff Schuckman, the Game and Parks regional fisheries biologist based in Norfolk, adding that there is an abundance of several varieties of pondweed and other submergent vegetation. “We wanted that water clarity to grow sport fish.”
And that it has. The 400 8½-inch northern pike stocked in the lake in 2022 now measure up to 30 inches, and the 13,000 fingerlings stocked in 2023 are up to 25 inches. The lake was also stocked with 128,000 largemouth bass fingerlings and fry, 3,000 small adult bluegills and 130,000 yellow perch fingerlings. “We ought to have some bluegills that will be a half pound and there should be some nice perch,” Schuckman said. “The bass are doing well, too. They’re abundant. They’re not going to be huge, but there will certainly be bass in the 10- to 15-inch range, and they’ll be fun to catch. And they had a good spawn last year. Things are taking off.”
Other Aquatic Habitat and Angler Access Program projects that Nebraskans can enjoy this year include:
Grove Lake WMA: The north boat ramp on this lake north of Royal was replaced in 2024 and is now compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. A fishing pier was also installed near the south boat ramp, which was repaired.
Danish Alps State Recreation Area: A new ADA-compliant kayak launch was built adjacent to the main boat ramp on Kramper Lake near Hubbard.
Hayes Center WMA: A concrete boat ramp was built near the camping area at this lake.
Defair Lake WMA: A primitive boat ramp was built on this Sandhills lake near Hyannis.
Louisville SRA: Fishing piers were built or improved, fishing pads added, and parking and sidewalks leading to fishing piers built in compliance with ADA on Lakes 1, 1a, 2 and 3. Additionally, 150 artificial structures, some as tall as 15 feet, were placed in the area’s five lakes to provide fish habitat.
Gallagher Canyon and Midway Canyon SRAs: Concrete boat ramps with ADA-compliant parking and sidewalks will be complete this spring, replacing gravel launches on these CNPPID canal system reservoirs.
Lake Maloney SRA: A fishing pier, retaining wall, benches and an ADA-compliant 1,500-foot sidewalk were built on the south side of the inlet to improve access. The project is similar to one at Johnson Lake SRA.
KEA West WMA and Archway Lakes 2, 3 and 4: These Kearney-area borrow pits were renovated in 2020 and are all providing good fishing for smallmouth bass, yellow perch, bluegill and black crappie.
West Cozad WMA: This Interstate 80 lake was renovated in 2021 and should be providing good opportunities for largemouth bass and bluegill.
Starting in 2025
Windmill SRA: Work will begin in the summer to deepen shallow bottlenecks that cause portions of two lakes to become disconnected when water levels drop in the summer, as well as construction of a fishing jetty on Lake 2. A floating dock will be added to Lake 4. Access will be improved in several more locations on those and other lakes.
Fort Robinson State Park: The dam on Soldier Creek that formed Carter P. Johnson Lake — drained in 2023 because it posed a high hazard to the park’s campground — will be removed and an extensive stream restoration and access project will begin.
Willow Creek SRA: A covered fishing pier will be built on this reservoir near Pierce.
Smith Lake WMA: New fishing jetties will be built and areas deepened near the shoreline to improve angler access on this heavily vegetated Sandhills lake south of Rushville.
New Aquatic Habitat Plan Approved
The third edition of the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission’s Aquatic Habitat Plan, which details work that will be done to improve fishing and access at 71 waters across Nebraska in the coming years, was approved by the agency’s Board of Commissioners in January.
Since its inception in 1996, the Aquatic Habitat Program has been “providing new life for aging waters” in many ways, including removing sediment and rough fish and reducing shoreline erosion, all of which can make life tough for sport fish. A second plan was approved in 2008 and, in 2010, a companion Angler Access Program plan was launched to improve shoreline and boat access to waters where work was being done. Combined, $112.5 million has been spent on projects in 135 locations using proceeds from the sale of Aquatic Habitat Stamps and matching funds. Projects have been completed at streams, ponds, sandpits and reservoirs around the state.
The new plan combines the Aquatic Habitat and Angler Access programs and has four goals: improving aquatic habitat; preventing the spread of harmful organisms; improving angler access; and evaluating the projects to see if there are better ways to do the work. The 71 projects selected were identified by fisheries field staff who best understand the needs of the water bodies they manage and what it would take to improve them. It also includes projects that will benefit all anglers, whether they fish from a boat or the shore, on a stream or large reservoir, or for bass, catfish or trout.
To see the projects included in the new plan, go to OutdoorNebraska.gov and search Aquatic Habitat.