Fishing

It has been a typical Great Plains spring so far.  Sure, we have open water now, but the water is darned cold and the weather is schizophrenic.  Everyone is so eager to have open water to fish that folks cannot wait to hit the water after the ice is gone, but in my opinion this early spring period is one of the toughest times of year to catch fish.  The water is just too cold and the weather too up …

I will tell you that I do not believe in “luck.” However, “luck” has been described as “the residue of hard work” and “where preparation meets opportunity” and those descriptions definitely apply to fishing and to good anglers.  Those anglers who seem to always catch fish and catch big fish are not the “luckiest” anglers, they are the most skilled.  I believe that there are some fundamental skills that apply to fishing, just like any other sport has fundamental skills, and …

I have one last sport show to do this spring.  This one will be at the Platte River Mall in North Platte this weekend. I am planning to give seminars at 6:00 p.m. on Friday and 10:00 a.m. on Saturday on the 2014 Fishing Forecast for Nebraska.  You might just hear me on KODY Radio 1240 at 9:00 Friday morning too.  The rest of the time you might find me hanging around a booth with Julie Geiser from our North …

In recent years there has been a lot of research into the motivation of anglers.  Most of that has been done because we believe we need to better understand anglers and why they fish in order to recruit more of them to fish and keep them fishing.  There is a lot of truth to that.  I am not going to review all of that research, but I do want to mention a few things that have stuck in my mind. …

We have open water in most of Nebraska now and spring fever is running rampant.  That means a lot of anglers are going to be pulling their boats out of storage and putting them in the water.  I do not want to discourage anyone from getting out and enjoying some time on the water, but I hope you do not mind a safety reminder.  This video is not 4 minutes long, it will take some time to watch it.  But, …

Some of western Nebraska’s most enjoyable fishing can be found at the ponds on the 22,000 acres of Fort Robinson State Park. Count me among the anglers who have long enjoyed dropping a line at the Carter P. Johnson Lake, Ice House Ponds and Grabel Ponds. Whether from the bank, through the ice, or atop kayaks and jon boats, the ponds serve as a great fishing destination. The scenery is great and the whopper largemouth bass and other species are …

I will be hanging out at a boat show in Republican City this Saturday.  Stop by, let’s talk fishing!

RODS: Check your rod eyelets for rough edges that could abuse your line. To preserve cork handles sand out any bumps or dirt, then apply a cork sealing agent or varnish of some sort. It’s always a good idea to store rods in tubes while traveling or not fishing. REELS: To clean and maintain a healthy reel, first take the reel apart, keeping track of the order in which each part is assembled. Thoroughly clean each component and apply a …

Well it finally happened, looks like we are done ice-fishing for the year.  The last day I walk off the ice is one of the saddest days of the year for me. But it was a great ice season!  My partners and I had almost 3 full months on the ice this winter–the way it should be.  We were drilling holes all the way up through last weekend. So, consider this as my last ice report for this year; let …

Yep! we’ll definitely be talkin’ trout as our mission will be fishin’ on my Weekly Outdoor Report on Omaha’s WOWT 6 News this week. That’s because the Two Rivers State Recreation Area Trout Lake just west of the metro has been stocked and is open, plus thousands more pan-sized rainbow trout will be stocked in various waters around the state in the next 2-3 weeks starting today in the WOWT 6 viewing area! Tune in, find out more info, and …