How To

I spend a lot of time in waders.  So far, I am a boatless angler.  I discovered a long time ago that by putting on a pair of waders and getting even a few feet off shore I could catch more fish.  In addition, in my “day job” as a fisheries biologist, waders are part of the standard uniform when doing field work.  Believe me, I have poked holes in waders in pretty much every way possible.  After a year …

I mentioned a couple weeks ago that I would be “outta the office” for some time for my daughter’s wedding.  I also hinted that we were making a little trip for the wedding and that the fishing gear was definitely going along.  Time to give you a report. . . . That trip was to one of our favorite places, western Nebraska.  More specifically, we spent some time at Ft. Robinson.  The wedding went great, we had a great time …

I have several water level-related updates to call attention to today.  The first one comes from one of our power and irrigation districts: Fall fishing at Keystone Diversion will not be available; NPPD plans maintenance work for the dam’s gates Columbus, Neb. – Fishing activities near the Keystone Diversion at Lake Ogallala will not be available this fall as maintenance work on the gates of the Keystone Diversion Dam will be undertaken by Nebraska Public PowerDistrict (NPPD).  Prep work for …

We still have some warm days, even hot afternoons, but there have some been some cool ones too, and the evenings have been gorgeous. You know what that means? Fall is here! The fall bite is on, and this is the perfect time to combine a hunting and fishing trip, “cast and blast”, “fins and feathers (or fur)”. As a matter of fact, tomorrow is National Hunting and Fishing Day.  Our governor even proclaimed it!  So, you must go hunting …

I have been outta the office for the past several days, most of the past couple of weeks.  I have a bunch of news item updates to get to in the coming blogs.  Let me start with some renovations that are happening: East Sutherland I80 Lake’s fishery chemically renovated NORTH PLATTE, Neb. – East Sutherland Interstate 80 Lake was chemically renovated Sept. 15, 2021. The rotenone treatment used at the lake was aimed to eliminate common carp and other undesirable …

I would tell you that I have never been in trouble with the law, but . . . . There was that time I was pulled over for knocking off a convenience store.  Had three nephews and my son in the pickup at the time.  None of them were even old enough to drive. . . . That story begins as a fish story.  We had spent the day cherry-picking, hopping from spot to spot, picking off active fish, trout …

Let me give you a little update on a recent renovation that was completed.  Again, let me start with the news release: Two Rivers Trout Lake fish renovation completed LINCOLN, Neb. – Lake 5 at Two Rivers State Recreation Area has been renovated to remove unwanted species that invaded the lake during the 2019 spring flooding, which connected the lake to the Platte River. The 9-acre lake, commonly known as the Trout Lake, was treated Aug. 17 with rotenone, a …

Human dimensions studies are a part of fisheries science.  Man, or the human component is an important part of any fishery.  To manage a fishery, you have to understand something about the human component as well as the fish, other aquatic creatures, and the habitat. A big part of human dimensions studies are understanding motivations.  Why do you fish? The answers to that question are as varied as humans themselves.  I say that anglers come in an infinite variety of …

Let me blog about a native fish species today.  You likely have heard of these fish, buffalo.  Nebraska is home to three species of buffalo, bigmouth, smallmouth and black buffalo.  Some folks mistakenly call them “buffalo carp” because they do resemble carp in some ways.  However, buffalo are actually members of the sucker family while carp are members of the minnow family. Recently, you may have heard some interesting things about buffalo.  Apparently, they can live a long time: https://thefishingwire.com/112-year-old-buffalo-may-be-oldest-freshwater-fish/ …

Short, simple blog post today.  Once again, just spreading the word on some news items: Watercraft access limited, swimming beach closed at Summit Lake LINCOLN, Neb. – A planned water-level drawdown of Summit Lake is underway, prompting the closure of the swimming beach and creating limited access for watercraft launching. A sediment basin maintenance project prompted the need to lower water levels at the Burt County reservoir. Water levels will be kept 6-8 feet below normal pool levels during construction, …