Fishing

The Yankee Hill Wildlife Management Area boat ramp access road will be closed starting Wednesday, Oct. 26, until further notice so work on the boat ramp may begin. The ramp has suffered significant erosion caused by water and wave action that must be addressed before further damage occurs. Repair work is expected to take one to two weeks depending on weather conditions. All other access points to the wildlife management area just southwest of Lincoln are open. For more information, …

Some of you hard cores are going to be on the water for a while yet, but some are thinking of getting ready for winter.  As more put their boats, docks and lifts away for the winter, make sure to remember this: Check boats, lifts, and docks for invasive aquatic hitchhikers as weather cools Nebraskans are urged to check boats, boat lifts and docks for invasive species when removing them from water bodies for the winter. Aquatic hitchhikers like zebra …

They strike often. They fight hard. They are easy to clean and cook. They are wonderful to eat and have tremendous health benefits! THEY are stocked rainbow trout in Nebraska waters. A hooked, pan-sized, stocked rainbow trout puts up a fight as it nears the shoreline of the Nebraska state recreation area lake. Photo by Greg Wagner/Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. A major asset along with many of its excellent qualities as a cold-water game fish is the fact that …

Got a message from an angler a week ago who had some questions I could answer.  I get a lot of those.  He mentioned that he had caught a big tiger trout.  That piqued my interest, so I asked how big?  He answered and sent a photo. I took one look at the photo and knew I had seen that fish before!  (I get around, I know a lot of fish!) Check out the markings!  Same exact fish!  I had …

I have not mentioned this in a blog post in quite some time.  Want to get the word out: Game and Parks will certify youth fishing instructors Oct. 23 in Lincoln The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission will certify youth fishing instructors at a workshop Oct. 23 in Lincoln. Instructors are part of the Youth Fishing Program, a statewide team of volunteers and Game and Parks staff who host educational fishing events. The workshop will take place from 3-6 p.m. …

I hesitate to post this because after Oct. 15 the road to the boat ramp and around the reservoir is closed.  In addition, the latest word I heard this morning is there is still nothing happening yet.  But, we keep hearing that it is coming: Burchard Lake road improvement project to begin Oct. 17 A road repair project at Burchard Lake Wildlife Management Area in Pawnee County is scheduled to begin Oct. 17. Access to roads, the campground and boat ramp …

A History of a Unique Fishery By Kirk Steffensen, Missouri River Program Manager Paddlefish are a group of ancient fish species with fossilized records dating back approximately 125 million years. They are one of the largest and longest-living freshwater fish species in the world, with a lifespan of 30-plus years, and are easily recognizable by their elongated rostrums — beaklike snout — and lack of scales. Filter feeders, paddlefish swim with their large mouths open and filter the microscopic plankton, …

A road repair project at Burchard Lake Wildlife Management Area in Pawnee County is scheduled to begin Oct. 17. Access to roads, the campground and boat ramp may be closed temporarily. The north campground will be closed during this project, but the south campground will be accessible. Users should know asphalt may be sitting on some of the roads on the WMA and they should be aware of construction traffic during this project. This project, which should last roughly 20 days, …

We just finished our fourth year of the Take ‘Em Fishing challenge.  That means it was time to hand out some prizes! Four anglers win grand prizes in Take ’em Fishing challenge There is nothing quite like a fishing trip with family or friends, especially if a newcomer is involved. Nebraska’s Take ’em Fishing program celebrates that and rewards those who make the effort to bring fishing into someone’s life. At the conclusion of Take ’em Fishing’s fourth year, grand …

This news item will not affect many, but I want to spread the word anyway: Yankee Hill WMA access road project has begun A project to move the west entrance to Yankee Hill Wildlife Management Area along Southwest 56th Street in Lancaster County has begun. The entrance to the road that leads to the boat ramp will be moved slightly north from its current location. It will connect with the old access road further inside the WMA. Access to the …