Every year about this time I warn you that I mostly blog about fish and fishing except when those beautiful, big, Tom turkeys are gobbling.  That time is NOW.  I will still be on the water when I get a chance, but there is so much to do in Nebraska’s great outdoors in the coming weeks, so you will have to forgive me if my one-track fishing mind is a little distracted.  Do not worry, I will continue to share …

It is spring and spawning is in the air.  Every early April for the past several years our Missouri River fisheries biologists along with a lot of great help from volunteers, have ventured onto the Missouri River to capture endangered pallid sturgeon.  Specifically, the pallid sturgeon they are hoping to catch are female pallid sturgeon.  When the right fish are captured, those female pallid sturgeon are hauled to fish hatcheries where eggs can be collected in order to produced more …

It is approximately 24 miles from Valentine to Merritt Reservoir.  I have made that trip to go fishing many times.  I can remember as a kid it seemed closer to the 200-some miles I now have to drive to get from home to those holy waters.  I am not a patient boy when I am on my way fishing.  On one of those long drives from Valentine to Merritt I can remember asking my Uncle Ivan what he thought was …

It is my job to tell folks about the great fishing opportunities we have in Nebraska.  Yes, Nebraska is my home state, has been for several generations on both sides of my family, and I am very proud of what our state has to offer.  There are those who believe I get a little carried away with that, especially when it comes to fishing opportunities, because Nebraska is not one of those places renowned as a fishing destination.  Yet, I …

The April 2014 NEBRASKAland is available on line right now. I love the cover!  Mouth full of teeth, big marble eyes, classic orange and chartreuse jig in its lips, CLASSIC!  Love it! To go along with the picture there is a great story inside on page 38 about our walleye egg collection efforts which are happening right now (something that I am out in the field helping with as I write this!). There are some great old stories about big …

I have been a little disappointed with the crop of fishing commercials on this seasons fishing shows.  Here is one of the best of them: I do not know if I could stand Ike in a box, but VMC has some great products, VMC Fishing . Have a great weekend, and GO FISH!

Yes, I know the correct grammar is “sneaked out” but that just does not sound right to me.  Consider “Snuck Out” to be my redneck version, and that is exactly what I did. . . . March has been a busy month for me.  I worked a couple of weekends finishing up sport and boat shows for the spring, but as  I promised you in a blog post a couple of weeks ago, I would get on the water when …

I am planning to be at the HUSKERland Muskie Hunters meeting this coming Wednesday night, April 2.  Their meeting will start at 7:00 p.m. and will be held at the Omaha Scheels store.  Show up a little early, we will meet in front of the Ferris wheel and then go downstairs to the meeting room. I will always tell you that one great way to become a better angler is to join a club!  There are several good Nebraska fishing …

Fish and fishing are my thing, that is what I blog about most of the time.  The life and interactions between predator and prey that occurs below the surface fascinates me, and understanding those interactions are an important key to finding and catching fish.  A few weeks ago I shared a video where brown trout were jumping out of the water to eat damselflies ( Damselflies ).  Well, now I want to kick that up a notch, watch this, watch …

It has been a typical Great Plains spring so far.  Sure, we have open water now, but the water is darned cold and the weather is schizophrenic.  Everyone is so eager to have open water to fish that folks cannot wait to hit the water after the ice is gone, but in my opinion this early spring period is one of the toughest times of year to catch fish.  The water is just too cold and the weather too up …