Fishing

It may destroy my reputation, but I will admit to you that I have not been on the water a lot in recent weeks.  Yes, it has been the “summer doldrums” and frankly, there have been some other issues in life that have taken priority.  But, I have been able to spend a couple evenings on an interstate lake lately and I want to give you a quick report. I have mentioned this a couple of times this summer, but …

I will tell you that I wish that Nebraska had more water for fishing and outdoor recreation.  Since we do not, I believe it is extremely important that we maximize every opportunity, every resource we have.  In some cases we have water bodies that are not large, do not support tens of thousands of anglers, and may not produce boat loads of trophy fish.  But, I learned a long time ago that even those small water bodies, many of them community …

I have been to a lot of Nebraska Walleye Association (NWA) meetings over the years.  In fact, I was at a number of their meetings years ago when they started as the “Eastern Nebraska Walleye Association”.  However, I have not been to a NWA meeting for awhile; I intend to remedy that this coming Sunday. The NWA is having a meeting at 1:00 at the LaVista Cabela’s and I will be there to talk Nebraska walleyes.  If you can make it, …

With high expectations Commissioner Burke and I spent a few hours on the water at Johnson Lake to kick off the holiday weekend. Trolling is the method we prefer, however after two-plus hours we drew the big goose egg! Saturday morning I left Johnson early to meet the Forney brothers and son Shane at Lake McConaughy. The walleye bite has been strong all summer and I always enjoy outings with a new group. Trolling nine hours produced four good catfish and, finally, the last …

Many of you have probably notices that our current Fishing Guide is valid until the end of this year.  In 2015 we will have a new Fishing Guide for the next couple of years.  That means we have been kicking around some regulation ideas: On October 23, 2014, the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission will hold a public hearing and take testimony on proposed changes in Fisheries Regulations for 2015-2016.  Before we finalize our ideas into recommended changes in regulations, …

There was a news release on the Lake Yankton rotenone renovation a couple of weeks ago: Lake Yankton Fishery Renovation Set to Begin Posted by: Jerry Kane August 12, 2014 in NGPC News LINCOLN – A renovation of the existing fish population in Lake Yankton, located below Gavins Point Dam, is set to occur on Sept. 10. The project includes drawing Lake Yankton’s water level down four feet and applying the chemical rotenone to eliminate the fish population. Record Missouri River flooding in 2011 allowed …

You know I love predator/prey dynamics and believe an understanding of them is a major key to finding and catching fish of all kinds.  For my latest “installment” on this theme, let me share a picture with you. I have a nephew that is a trout bum (when I call him a “trout bum”,  it as a term of respect, I say it with pride and a little bit of jealousy).  This summer he has been guiding fly anglers on …

Summer is winding down, I know most kids are back in school already, but Labor Day weekend lies ahead of us and there is still plenty of time to take the kids fishing! Take the kids bullhead fishing before summer is over It is not too late to take the kids bullhead fishing this summer.  Many anglers started their fishing careers at a young age catching fish like “sunnies” and bullheads, and now another generation of Nebraska anglers will have …

The Nebraska Fish & Game Association has installed bins for recycling fishing line all around the state, NEFGA Line Bins Map.  I am a huge fan of the program not only because it gets discarded fishing line off the shores of our waters, but because I love it when anglers take ownership in the care and condition of THEIR resources!  If you are interested in contributing to, or participating in that program, make sure to check it out, NEFGA Line …

Fish have been displayed at the Nebraska State Fair almost every year since 1885.  There was a year, 1898, when there was no funding for displaying fish at the state fair, and in 1976 no fish were displayed because a new aquarium complex was under construction.  That complex housed fish every year at the state fair in Lincoln until the fair moved to Grand Island.  We have not had fish at the state fair since it moved to Grand Island …