open water fishing

I am going to be lazy today.  I do not often do this, only once in a while. . . . My blog post today is simply going to be to share with you something one of my co-bloggers recently posted.  Greg Wagner is one of my best buddies here at Game & Parks.  We talk frequently, and often discuss current topics and potential content for our blogs.  We have both been blogging for several years now, and have learned …

For anglers, spring means one thing: fishing. For Nebraska Game and Parks, it means it’s time to survey anglers for information that assists in statewide fisheries management decisions. Surveys will be conducted from April through October at three Omaha-area lakes: Prairie View, Lawrence Youngman and Zorinsky. Clerks will interview anglers about a single day’s fishing effort, seeking details on what the angler caught, released and how much time they fished. They will interview anglers in-person at the lakes during daytime …

Plan a fishing trip with the help of the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission publications. Prepare to make your trip the best by reviewing Nebraska fishing regulations and researching locations in our 2022 Fishing Guide and our 2022 Fishing Forecast. The fishing guide is a summary of regulations and orders and includes a section detailing the state’s public fishing areas. The fishing forecast provides a look at where some of the best fishing, and maybe some of the biggest fish, …

We are in the the first portion of spring on the calendar. Green grass shoots are sprouting in my Omaha, NE yard. The days are getting longer. Water temperatures are warming. The time is now to get ready for some early spring fishing action! Emma Wagner-Nichols, your blogger’s daughter, caught this crappie in chilly, sunny weather in a private sandpit lake in Dodge County, NE. Photo courtesy of Emma Wagner-Nichols of Elkhorn, NE Have you put new line on your …

By now many of you have seen the news release, but I have learned to never assume everyone has seen everything.  So, I am going to spread the word, again, some more: Trout stockings begin; Two Rivers Trout Lake opens March 12 It’s time to go trout fishing again in Nebraska. Rainbow trout are being stocked in city ponds and lakes across the state in March to enhance fishing opportunities this spring, especially in urban areas. Additionally, the Two Rivers …

It’s time to go trout fishing again in Nebraska. Rainbow trout are being stocked in city ponds and lakes across the state in March to enhance fishing opportunities this spring, especially in urban areas. Additionally, the Two Rivers State Recreation Area Trout Lake in Douglas County will open March 12. By then, more than 12,000 rainbow and tiger trout will have been stocked in the lake. All trout caught in the Trout Lake must be harvested and not released. Anglers …

I want to spread the word on some more job opportunities.  Want to be on the front line preventing the spread of aquatic nuisance species? Conservation Technician II, 3 month Conservation Technician II, 7 month Again, these are great entry level positions for folks interested in careers in natural resource management, especially fisheries and water resources.  Primary job duties will involve on-site inspections looking for aquatic nuisance species, but workers in these positions will get involved in a lot of …

Seems to be common anymore that every one is looking for workers.  Might as well join the list. . . . Most years we, the Nebraska Game & Parks Commission, will be doing on-the-water, angler surveys someplace in the state.  That kind of survey work is labor-intensive and expensive.  We never do a lot of angler surveys in any one year.  On the other hand, as it is with most data we work with, I will tell you that information …

The year 2021 is in the rear-view mirror.  Time to summarize the state record fish that were caught last year: Surface Spearing No state record fish were taken by surface spearing in 2021. Underwater Spearfishing Two state record fish were taken by underwater spearfishing last year, both of them channel catfish.  The first was taken on June 5 and weighed 26 pounds 9 ounces. A little over a week later, that record was bested by a 27 pound 5 ounce …

It’s winter. The daylight is short. The nights are long and dreary. Air temperatures outside are cold, downright frigid at times. Most likely, there’s some snow cover. We are all spending more a lot of time indoors this season, aren’t we? It is that time of year when we get that cooped-up, restless, nothing-to-do feeling that is referred to as “cabin fever.” Stuck inside, too many of us get weary and lethargic and spend long, endless hours watching TV re-runs, …