How To

Just as you ready your firearms for hunting season, you should also ready your knife. Start by purchasing a tri-stone, which is a series of three stone plates that use abrasive particles, called grit, to create an edge on a blade. Hold the knife in your dominant hand and evenly spread the fingers of your other hand across the knife blade. (see image) Angle and pressure are very important. Most people don’t use enough pressure when they start. The wider …

Duck and goose season may not be top-of-mind for many Nebraskans – except for the die-hards that never quit thinking about it.  But that doesn’t mean waterfowl management is on-hold. I was able to tag along with our state’s biologists recently to take part in the annual Canada goose banding efforts.  We were able to capture video of the process and get an explanation by Dr. Mark Vrtiska, Nebraska’s Waterfowl Program Manager, of the importance of banding geese. I haven’t …

Summer gives full credence to Nebraska’s state slogan “the good life.” Long days of sunshine and an explosion of green are proof that muddling through winter was worth it. Wild plums adorn field edges, summer breezes stir the corn into a swaying dance and sun tea steeps on porches across the state. At no other time do the flavors of Nebraska present themselves more readily, and nowhere are they more abundant than a Nebraska garden. These gardens are magical places …

Our video guy Ralph Wall recently did a piece with a Nebraska connection on Project Healing Waters.  I believe this would be a great time to post Ralph’s video and call attention to this worthy program! I know our Nebraska Chapter of Trout Unlimited has partnered with Project Healing Waters.  I also know that this is not the only kind of effort like this.  There are some Nebraska anglers who have also been part of the Heroes on the Water …

Another doozy from “KVD” to lighten your Friday, and get you ready for the weekend. . . . He wasn’t kidding, Karl’s Bait and Tackle. Again, I do not feature “KVD’s” “stuff” as an endorsement nor am I sponsored by anyone.  I just think the commercials are hilarious! However, there are some good deals, good baits there, and a wealth of information.  If that helps you take your fishing to the next level, then I hope you are all in! …

I used to think that top-water baits were a specialized fishing presentation appropriately used ONLY under the best of conditions:  A warm, calm, sunrise with a few wisps of steam rising off the water?  Sure, there is nothing funner than catching a fish on a top-water bait, but my thinking was that there were usually better ways to catch more and bigger fish.  Throw a top-water bait first thing in the morning and maybe you could get a surface strike …

LINCOLN, Neb. – The following is a listing of Nebraska Game and Parks Commission events and important dates in July. Get more event details at Calendar.OutdoorNebraska.gov. Visit OutdoorNebraska.org for a list of hunter education classes and boating safety classes. June 30-July 1 – Living History, Fort Atkinson State Historical Park (SHP), Fort Calhoun July 1 – Archery fishing of game fish is allowed statewide through Dec. 31 July 1 – Underwater spearfishing of game fish allowed in certain waters through …

If you fish for bass even a little bit, you know how effective rubber worms are and your tackle box likely has 23 different varieties, styles, and sizes in 123 different colors.  You hard-core bass anglers do not need me to tell you how to rig those rubber worms, but on the other hand, there may be some folks reading this that are newer to the fishing game, newer to the bass-fishing game in particular.  Someday I am going to …

Tomorrow is the day!  Time for the first of our annual carp carnivals! If you want more information on the whole carp fishing game, how about a little Carp Appreciation?! This event will go, rain or shine, the carp don’t care.  I tell folks that when we are holding events like this, we are basically just out there having fun and we hope that you bring the family and have fun with us!

The year of our Lord two thousand and seventeen was a really big year in Nebraska.  Sure there was some little thing called the sesquicentennial, but that is not what made it a big year.  What made 2017 a BIG year was the 20th anniversary of our Aquatic Habitat Program!  It was so big that NEBRASKAland Magazine got around to doing a story about it: Aquatic Habitat Program Celebrates 20 Years To maintain, restore or enhance the capacity of a …