Barbs and Backlashes

Just a quick news item to blog about today, and I know it will not impact a lot of Nebraska anglers, but it will impact some. . . . In recent years we have made some boat ramp and angler access improvements on interstate lakes.  There are always some unexpected challenges with any project, and sometimes things just do not come out quite right the first time. Hershey I-80 Lake is a long-time favorite of mine, have spent a lot …

My blog followers know that I have only one thing that really distracts me from fish and fishing all the time–spring turkey hunting. It is time, I am distracted! In the next few weeks, you can expect me to throw in the odd post or three about our Nebraska spring turkey adventures.  Might even mention a morel or two along the way. Opening weekend of our spring shotgun season presented my kids and I with some family obligations, so we …

I have tried a few times this spring to give you an idea of how busy Nebraska fisheries workers are at this time of year.  One of the largest efforts we have every spring is the collection of endangered pallid sturgeon from the Missouri River.  The goal of that effort is to collect reproductive pallid sturgeon adults, broodstock, that then can be used to produce small pallid sturgeon for re-introduction/re-stocking.  Here, just read this year’s newsletter for details: For a …

I got to surfing the interwebby once and discovered mushroom knives.  Mushroom knives?  Why in the world would anyone need a special knife for collecting mushrooms????  But then I got to looking at them, and you know what?  They are very useful and artful tools!  Here are some examples, mushroom knives from World Knives. There are several knives there that I would love to have in my pocket on a mushroom “hunt”. That got me thinking, mushroom hunting is a …

I debated whether to blog about this or not, but then I thought if you were an angler that fishes the canal system in central Nebraska, you need to know about this.  I know several of you are! News Release (HOLDREGE, Neb.) – The Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District, working in conjunction with the Nebraska Public Power District, has decreased outflows from Lake McConaughy significantly to aid in a recovery effort related to a vehicle entering NPPD’s Keystone …

Spring is a very busy time for Nebraska Game & Parks Commission fisheries workers; fish to be stocked, fish to be spawned, sampling to be done, eggs to be hatched, etc., etc.  I will always tell you that in our field work we do NOT necessarily see the biggest fish that are present in our waters.  If you want to see that, anglers as a group target big fish and are most likely to encounter the biggest fish in any …

If you frequent Jeffrey Reservoir south of Brady, you are aware of the dredging work that was done there last summer. Looks like more is on the drawing board for this year. . . . (HOLDREGE, Neb.) – The Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District is making preparations for a second round of dredging at Jeffrey Lake which will begin in early May. Last summer Central removed a large amount of sediment from the lake.  Central has leased a …

Stumbled across this on the interwebs this week.  It is corny, but I loved it.  Before I quote it, here is where you can see the “original”:  Ordinary Outdoorsman. https://www.ordinaryoutdoorsman.com/an-open-letter-to-my-old-fishing-reel/?utm_content=bufferd7d8f&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer The only thing I would have to change about that little “ditty” is the reel–gotta be one of my beloved “cream and green” Zebco Cardinal 4’s!  Oh, and I ain’t retiring it. Back in my high school days I saved my pennies to buy my first quality spinning reel.  I …

Wanna share with you some things I have been seeing on the interwebby lately.  Blue catfish are the coolest of our large catfish species.  When I say that I do not mean they wear shades, I mean they are the most active in cold water.  Sure, we get some excellent channel catfish fishing around Nebraska as soon as the ice is gone, and channels can be dried off through the ice too.  But, big predatory blue catfish are actually very …

Many times I have shared how catch & release can make fishing better, for everyone.  The fact is catch & release is an important part of sportfishing today.  In some cases that catch & release will be required by regulation, in other cases more and more anglers are choosing to voluntarily release fish, big fish especially. I have noted how big fish can be released and “recycled”, caught again, Fish Recycling.  Here is another example that caught my eye this …