How To

By now you have probably heard reports and rumors of low oxygen levels in at least some of our sandhill lakes this winter.  When I say “low oxygen levels” I mean to the point of causing fish die-offs.  No, I have not said anything until now.  Even now I do not have an official news release to share with you.  Unfortunately, at this time, it is something that needs to be mentioned. Yes, I hesitate to bring the subject up.  …

Calendar says yesterday was “Ground Hog Day”.  That does not mean a lot, but there are some interesting little observances.  Unfortunately, I really do not pay a lot of attention to what ole Unadilla Bill says.  Maybe I should? OK, OK, a guy can hope, right? Seriously, I am planning ice fishing trips a month from now! GO FISH!

The calendar has turned over, it is a new year.  It is also time to look back at last year and summarize some things.  Things, like state record fish. . . . First of all, I have one update to give.  One application for a state record fish came late in the year.  Noah Jelinek of Waverly caught that fish, a silver carp.  He caught it on November 24.  The fish was caught by rod & reel from Salt Creek …

Got a blog post for some of you most hardcore fish heads.  I know some of you are out there! One of my co-workers found this and called it to my attention. . . . The U. S. Fish & Wildlife Service has a weekly podcast on fish!  Yes, this is a podcast by pointy-headed fisheries biologists, so yes, it can be “deep”.  However, I know some of you love the information.  They have done a bunch of podcasts on …

Bushcaft. Have you heard the term? If run in outdoor circles like I do you probably have. Do you know what it means? It was brought to my attention recently, and I did not have a good explanation of its definition. So, I turned to Nebraskan Sam Larson, who is a renown, well-traveled Bushcraft (there’s that word again) Instructor and Wilderness Skills Expert and winner of the popular TV show survival challenge ALONE – Mongolia on the HISTORY Channel. He …

You might have deduced from my previous blog post that I made a quick trip “out west” a week or so ago.  There is something else that happened on that little adventure that I have had on my mind since then. . . . I had some car problems on the trip home.  There is more to that story, but let’s just say I ended up having to pull off the highway because my vehicle was over-heating.  It was on …

I had something happen on the ice last week that I want to tell you about. . . . You better believe I religiously ice-fish with a depth-finder in my hole just like every other hard-core ice angler these days.  No, I have not jumped into the forward-facing sonar pool yet, but the Vexilar gets turned on before I drop the first bait down the first hole and it gets turned off just before I walk off the ice.  That …

I have something I want to spread the word about for my blog post again today.  You may have seen news releases on this already, but in case you have not: Help stop wildlife crime with new reporting tool Helping law enforcement eliminate poaching in Nebraska just got a little easier, thanks to a new program by Nebraska Game and Parks. The new online reporting tool allows people to anonymously report suspected wildlife violations through a form at OutdoorNebraska.gov/WildlifeCrimestoppers. People …

We just had the classroom ice fishing clinic in Kearney last Saturday.  At that clinic every year we spend at least some time talking about staying warm.  You will never enjoy ice-fishing if you are cold.  Of course layering is the key and there is a lot of excellent clothing on the market these days made just for layering, just for ice fishing! Another critical part of staying warm is good boots!  Good boots are especially important because, well, while …

If you are a muskie angler or even if you just have a curiosity about Nebraska muskies, then I know where you should be next Thursday evening! I am NOT telling you this because I am going to be there.  I AM telling you because the HUSKERland Muskie Hunters is the Nebraska Chapter of Muskies Inc. and you should check ’em out.  They have been a great partner in fisheries conservation, and Nebraska’s muskie fisheries, and they need your support! …