Fishing

I do not drink, do not condone the drinking of alcoholic beverages. But, this commercial is hilarious! “Real good, Steve.  Real good.” I don’t know about you, but the fish call me at work ALL the time. And not just on Saturdays! Don’t be Steve.  GO FISH! Gotta go, my phone’s ringing!

We are three months into 2017 and yes, I have some new state record fish to tell you about. . . . I have three new state records to report on, all of them taken by rod & reel.  The first was caught back on the third day of the new year, and the angler who caught it surely believes I have forgotten about getting his state record certificate to him. . . . Redear Sunfish On Jan. 3, Kelly …

LINCOLN, Neb. – Fisheries staff at the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission again this spring will capture spawning walleyes to collect eggs to meet stocking requests. Sherman Reservoir, Merritt Reservoir and Lake McConaughy have again been selected locations for this operation. The collection goal to meet 2017 walleye stocking requests is approximately 78 million eggs. As of April 1, a designated area along the dam at Sherman is closed to bank anglers and boats following sunset. The collection at Sherman …

LINCOLN, Neb. – Panhandle anglers have a quality bullhead fishery in Crescent Lake Wildlife Management Area (WMA). Nebraska Game and Parks Commission fisheries biologists recently conducted a fish survey at the lake and collected “several hundred bullheads per frame net,” according to northwest district biologist Joe Rydell. “We weren’t expecting quite so many.” Rydell said most of the bullheads surveyed were 6 to 7 inches in length but one or two out of every 100 were 13 inches or longer. …

Seems as though I heard something about 2017 being the 150th anniversary of Nebraska statehood.  Along those lines our TV, radio and video guy here at Game & Parks, Ralph Wall, has been putting together some short videos looking back at the history of the Nebraska Game & Parks Commission. Did you know we used to have a fish hatchery at Crawford? Let me put a personal spin on this again here in my blog. . . . I started my …

ALLIANCE, Neb. — The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission has opened the access road to Blue Lake in the Sandhills of Garden County. The 2.7-mile two-track trail through private property was closed late this winter because it became muddy and susceptible to damage during thawing. Blue Lake is a popular fishing destination 22 miles north of Oshkosh near the Crescent Lake Wildlife Management Area and Crescent Lake National Wildlife Refuge. Because access to the lake is allowed only through a …

This little video is something else that I saw floating around FaceBook recently: https://www.facebook.com/smartrcandfishing/videos/664826067054566/ Actually, I had a cousin who “tagged” me and called my attention to that video.  I replied to him, that upon seeing it, I immediately thought of my Grandma Bauer! Andy said that is exactly what he thought too! I do not know how young I might have been, but I can remember sitting on the shores of Lake McConaughy, fishing, we were always fishing, and …

LINCOLN, Neb. – With nearly 450 lakes and streams open to public fishing, deciding where to fish in Nebraska can sometimes be challenging. Daryl Bauer, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission fisheries outreach program manager, has provided some useful tips for anglers on the agency’s website. A page on Game and Parks’ website lists the best waters to fish for specific species in 2017. It includes walleye, white bass, wiper, bluegill, crappie, largemouth bass, channel catfish, redear sunfish, smallmouth bass, blue …

Got an interesting photo from one of our “fish squeezers” on the water already this spring. . . . We do not have a large request for pike stocking in Nebraska waters this year, but we do have some.  So, that means crews venture forth as soon as the ice is out to set nets to capture spawning pike.  Only problem is, sometimes after those nets get set, it re-freezes.  That means someone has a lot of ice to chop! If …

I want to publicize this class one more time! Become a certified youth fishing instructor April 1 LINCOLN, Neb. – The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission will certify youth fishing instructors April 1 at the Nebraska Game and Parks Outdoor Education Center in Lincoln. This free training will take place at the education center, located at 4703 N. 44th St., from 9 a.m. to noon. Fishing instructors will receive training and tools to conduct youth fishing clinics. These volunteers will …