Conservation

Had a great ice fishing clinic at Lake Wanahoo this past Saturday.  If you were not there, you missed a beautiful day on the ice, and you missed catching fish! “Hey, what’s that banner doing out on the ice?” Bring your baby doll if you wish! Class in session! FLAAAAGGGGGGG!!!!!!  (No, not the big event banner, the tip-up!!!!!) “I know you’re down there, BITE!” We had a lot of folks come out, I have not heard the official count, but …

It is Friday and we have ice!  Whatcha doing this weekend? If you don’t understand that memey thing I stole from the interwebs, you need to come out to our Ice Fishing Workshop at Lake Wanahoo tomorrow and I will explain it to you! “Hellllloooooo!”

ALLIANCE — The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission is inviting landowners in the northern Panhandle to discuss their roles and opportunities for pheasant management. The public meeting will be 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 23, at Newberry’s, 104 West Fourth Street, in Alliance. The Commission will share information about the Berggren Plan, a five-year initiative aimed at improving the pheasant hunting experience in Nebraska. Attendees also will learn about a variety of conservation programs and incentives available to landowners within the …

We are nearing the middle of January, and I just realized I have not blogged about any of my ice-fishing adventures, yet. . . . Hmm, let me think, I have been on the ice nearing a dozen times now, have been on waters from the central and west-central parts of the state to the southeast.  I will not tell you that my partners and I have dried off any exceptional fish so far, and perhaps that is why I …

LINCOLN, Neb. – Watch bald eagles soar or feed on the ice of Lake Ogallala during Eagle Viewing Days each weekend in January. The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission will host the event at the Lake Ogallala Eagle Viewing Center, located below Kingsley Dam. A park naturalist will give a presentation at 9 a.m. and noon each Saturday and Sunday in January. The presentation will be followed by open viewing of the eagles and crafts for the kids. Coffee and …

Just this morning I had a gentleman ask me questions about getting started ice-fishing.  I had an easy answer for him!  Attend one of our Discover Ice Fishing Clinics! The first of those for this winter is scheduled for this coming Saturday, Jan. 14, at Lake Wanahoo just north of the town of Wahoo.  We will “set up shop” there at the main boat ramp on the west side of the reservoir and will be there from 1:00 p.m. to …

If you read the title to this blog, I hope your answer is “spending some time on the ice”!  Assuming you have some safe ice to fish on, that is exactly what I would tell you to do!  However, if you are bouncing around the Omaha area this Saturday, perhaps cashing in some of those holiday gift cards, you might want to swing by here: If you do, stop by and tell me an ice-fishing story, ask some questions, show me …

I want to get a blog post about this up right away. . . . You can now see the 2017 Fishing Guide. The “hard copy” versions will be delivered early next week and we will get them distributed around the state ASAP!  If you are worried about not seeing the 2017 Fishing Guide yet, about not having a hard copy to take fishing with you, I can tell you that there are NO fishing regulation changes for this year. …

The equipment advances on the ice-fishing front in the past decade or two have literally been mind-boggling.  There is so much modern ice-fishing equipment available now that makes it a lot easier to ice-fish and makes us a lot more effective catching fish through the ice.  It all works, they are all different tools for different jobs, the key is using the right tools. A variety of small jigs have been the standard for catching panfish through the ice for …

LINCOLN – Waterfowl hunters are reminded that they must identify their target when hunting this winter. Trumpeter swans recently were shot in southeastern Nebraska after allegedly being mistaken for geese. Trumpeter swans are listed as an At-Risk species in the Nebraska Natural Legacy Project. They are protected by the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act and state game laws, making it illegal for anyone to shoot them. The trumpeter swan is one of North America’s largest birds. All swans should be …