By Daryl Bauer
We are a month into 2024 already. Let me summarize the state record fish we had caught in Nebraska last year.
One Last Entry
Invariably, as soon as I post a state record update a new entry hits my desk. Last fall was no exception. My last update was in October and I posted a postscript to that update. I had received news of a new state record right after that blog was posted. At that time I teased that there would be more information coming. Here it is:
First day of last October Mike Case of Lincoln caught a new rod and reel state record white perch.
Mike’s fish was 17 inches long and was caught from a private pit in Cass County. That white perch ate a crankbait and beat the old rod and reel state record by the slimmest of margins–1 ounce. In fact, our state record rules state that a fish has to beat the old record by at least one ounce to be certified as a new record.
Having told you about that last record fish for 2024, here is the summary of state record fish for last year:
Surface Spearing
No state record fish were taken by surface spearing in 2023.
Underwater Spearfishing
There was one fish certified as a new underwater spearfishing record in 2023. That was a 14 pound 10 ounce walleye speared at Lake McConaughy on July 2.
Bowfishing
No state record fish were taken by archery in 2023.
Rod and Reel
Including the white perch mentioned above, there were three fish certified as new rod and reel state records in 2023.
The first was a common carp caught from Merritt Reservoir. That fish was caught on April 18, weighed 39 pounds 8 ounces, was 40.5 inches long and was caught on waxworms.
The second was a 37 pound 6 ounce silver carp caught from a private pit in Cass County. That fish was 41 inches long, was caught on June 17 and was taken on a spinner.
The last rod and reel state record fish in 2023 was the white perch mentioned above.
In total we had four fish certified as state records in 2023. Usually, we will see some fish taken by surface spearfishing and certainly bowfishing, but there were none last year.
This is just a summary of 2023’s state record activity in this blog post. If you want to read more details about these fish and the anglers who caught them, check out these old posts, State Record Update, Spring 2023 and State Record Update, Fall 2023.
As always, you can see the whole list of Nebraska State Record fish HERE.
I always end these state record summaries by encouraging anglers to familiarize themselves with state records and rules which can be found in every copy of the Fishing Guide. You might think you will never catch a fish that big, but if you have your line in the water, you just never know.
Who knows what will be caught in 2024. There are always some surprises!