Long at last, it’s open water season, and we have wasted no time finding fish. The waters were warming up nicely until the cold front this past week. Water temps in the Tri County and Johnson Lake were all the way up to 50 at one point. Now I’ve heard the temp has dropped quite a ways, which is to be expected. We fished in water from 47 to 50 degrees and found the fishing to be slow. We managed only …

Here we are in December, and there’s no reason for the weird Nebraska weather of 2014 to stop now. In typical fashion, we were just freezing cold a few weeks ago around Thanksgiving. Now, we’re back to above normal temps, and I hope some of you have been out taking advantage of it, like we have been. We made it to Harlan Friday for a day on the water, and managed to have a little bit of fun. We found …

It’s the time of year when the fish are filling their bellies as much as they can, because like us, they know what’s coming. The conditions the past couple of weeks have been great for getting on the water, and with the first cold snap came a great bite. It’s time to capitalize on it while you can. There were some great days to be outside in October. I believe one day we even had record highs near 90 degrees! This …

I’m hearing from a few reservoirs around the state that the fall pattern is starting to show itself. Slabs and blade baits are producing some fish once in a while, and it’ll only improve. Big Mac remains slow from what I’ve heard from numerous friends. A blade bait did produce a 63 pound flathead for my friends at Sherman Reservoir last week, though. What a blast that had to be! Elwood is still a bit behind, it seems. We looked …

I won’t lie; the fishing has been real hit-and-miss as of late. There are lots and lots of shad everywhere you look, which naturally makes things difficult to begin with. Add in the cool weather and several inches of rain we’ve gotten, and conditions have gotten a bit tougher. Traditional patterns like live-baiting shad and trolling crankbaits are not producing the fish we are used to this time of year, and success has been spotty. The nice thing about this …

Every year I hear and read accounts of anglers who think that August is a slow time for fishing. It’s hot, the dog days of summer are upon us, and in most cases, there are more than enough groceries for fish to help themselves too. Fish can be lethargic, seem to disappear, and not be interested in being caught at all. While part of that is true, not all of it is. It’s true, in lots of cases this year, that …

The days are at their longest this time of year, the wind doesn’t seem to be as strong most days, and the fishing may become, well, less than stellar. Of course, this isn’t true for every body of water across the state, but I’ve heard of it recently applying to more than a handful. For a few weeks now, I’ve heard it has slowed down on local reservoirs, as well as waters farther away. The recent walleye tournament at Merritt Reservoir would suggest …

July 4th is in the books, which means summer is truly here in full force. Right? For the most part, that is a true statement. Some ‘regular’ patterns for catching fish this time of year are really dominant. Things like catching suspended walleyes and catfish that are getting ready to spawn are normal right now. What isn’t normal is some of the temps we’ve had and will continue to have. Will much cooler than normal temps this coming week, it …

That time of year is quickly approaching and, in some cases, has already arrived: transition time. I’m referring to the locations of fish in our reservoirs and the patterns that are succeeding in putting more of those fish in the boat. We are truly into summer now. It’s taken some time, but water temps in some areas have been slow to rise. This is not true for the Tri County canal system, however. It’s generally warmer because it’s always moving. …

It’s amazing what a little nice weather can do – it allows us to get out and get some projects done, gives our gardens a shot in the arm and really turns on the bite. By the time you read this, many of you will already know that several species of fish have gone nuts across the state. The walleyes and wipers have been eating everything in sight with crappie, bass and catfish not far behind. As for our area, things …