open water fishing

I know, not much demand for boat ramps at the end of November, but some news items I want to share anyway: Hershey Beach boat ramp at Sutherland, two ramps at Enders to reopen Three boat ramps at Sutherland Reservoir and Enders state recreation areas will reopen to the public Nov. 29 after several improvements were completed. At Sutherland, the erosion under the Hershey Beach boat ramp has been repaired, and rock riprap has been placed along both sides of …

Highlighting another news item today.  No, it will not interest a lot of you, but I know it will be of much interest for some of you: Gracie Creek Pond set to reopen to anglers The Gracie Creek Pond rehabilitation project is nearing completion, and the area once again will be open for anglers to pursue rainbow trout. The pond is located in the northwest corner of Calamus Reservoir along Highway 96. It was severely damaged from flooding and sedimentation …

I probably should have blogged about this last month during the paddlefish snagging season.  Sorry, I did not get around to it then, but I am not going to miss this opportunity to highlight a Nebraskaland story you should check out. One of our Missouri River fisheries biologists, Kirk Steffensen, wrote a story on paddlefish and our Nebraska paddlefish fishery on the Missouri River.  I know the fish, that fishery and its history will be of interest to a lot …

Fall has been “on” for several weeks now.  If you have been reading my blog for a while you know that means I have been fishing, hard.  I probably fish as hard or harder in the fall than I do any other time of year, especially any other time of open-water fishing. What does that mean?  Does it mean I am on the water sunrise to sunset, three, four, or five days a week?  I wish, but not hardly. Don’t …

Seems like most of my blog posts this fall have been news items.  I know most of them do not impact a lot of anglers or other users.  But, if you are one who it will impact, you will want to know.  And, I know these things often “fall through the cracks”.  So, in no particular order: Olive Creek areas remains open after wildfire Olive Creek State Recreation Area and Olive Creek Wildlife Management Area in southwestern Lancaster County will …

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 …

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 …

The year 2022 has been a rough one–Nebraska has suffered the loss of some of its greatest storytellers.  Early this year I blogged about the passing of Dick Turpin and Larry Porter.  Now, unfortunately, the dean of Nebraska storytelling, Roger Welsch, passed a week ago. I have no personal stories about Roger to share with you.  Back in my college days at the University of Nebraska I tried several times to enroll in his folklore class.  I never did because …