Barbs and Backlashes

The 2014 Nebraska State High School Fishing Tournament is just around the corner. And I know there are some folks who are getting amped up for it! So am I!

I am betting that most of you who have been in the Nebraska outdoors this summer have seen at least one dragonfly.  Usually they are found near water, but not necessarily so, sometimes adult dragonflies can venture a long way from water.  However, dragonflies are definitely aquatic insects.  In fact dragonflies spend most of their lives in the water!  Adult dragonflies mate and then the females deposits eggs on the surface of the water.  Those eggs hatch into larval dragonflies …

We are over half way through 2014 and I have not given any updates on the state record fish front. It is time. Blue Sucker I only have a few to tell you about, might as well start with the first one to cross my desk this year.  Back in May, May 10 to be exact, Ethan Wellman of Mead arrowed a blue sucker with his bow.  Ethan’s fish weighed 11 pounds 1 ounce and will be a new state …

Just a week ago I told you about a big flathead catfish caught from Branched Oak Reservoir, Stop the Presses, Big Fish!  This week I have another monster fish to tell you about. I have been saying that there are some blue catfish in our Missouri River that are large enough to break our existing, 44-year old, rod & reel blue catfish record.  Last week that record came really close to being toppled. Bob Campbell down in southeast Nebraska caught …

My sister posted this quote on her FaceBook page months ago.  It is attributed to a Chinese philosopher: The mark of a successful man is one that has spent an entire day on the bank of a river without feeling guilty about it. Amen!  That is really good advise for the weekend, any weekend, especially if you have a fishing rod in your hand! GO FISH!

I know there are folks who believe I do nothing but fish all the time.  I wish I could say that was true.  Don’t get me wrong, I fish whenever I have a chance, as I will tell you about in this blog post, but that does not mean I am on the water as much as I would like.  I share a lot of personal things here and if you have been reading you know there are times when …

I am going to share a photo of a big fish that was caught in Nebraska recently.  Yes, I realize that some of my blog readers will know all about this catch already, it has been making the rounds on the internet and that is where I got the photos and information.  But,  I want to blog about it because there are a lots of other folks who have not heard about it.  If there is one thing I have …

I do not know what your family traditions are for the 4th of July holiday, but I know this cartoon is very appropriate for ours: I have to tell you that the 4th of July has probably always been my favorite holiday.  Yes, I suppose that is due at least in part to all the fireworks, but a couple of years ago when it was very dry and the fire hazard was very high we did no fireworks and still …

If you have been reading my blog for anytime, you know I am a huge fan of catch & release.  In fact there are those who have accused me of being a catch & release fascist. I do not care.  Catch & release is an established part of sport fishing today, and an important part of fisheries management.  Simply put, if you fish today you will be releasing at least some of the fish you catch if not voluntarily, by …

The July 2014 issue of NEBRASKAland magazine is available on-line right now. It is way too early in the summer to find any of the gayfeather that is pictured on the cover, but inside you will find a variety of great stories, as usual. Of course I am going to point out a fish story on pages 42-45, “Shocking Flatheads”.  In that, NEBRASKAland editor Jeff Kurrus interviews Jordan Katt, the fisheries biologist in charge of the flathead catfish research that has …