Conservation

Trying to think of something to blog about today when I was asked a familiar question, “What are these black specks on my fish?” There are a variety of fish parasites that are present in our waters.  They are there all the time and nothing can be done about that.  From time to time, those parasites will be obvious on or in the fish. Of course the first concern is usually if those fish are safe to eat? There are …

A few weeks ago I suggested there were a lot of really good reasons to take someone hunting or fishing, Take ‘Em.  Our Take ‘Em Hunting and Take ‘Em Fishing promotions offer prizes for those who take someone new hunting or fishing.  Prizes are a good reason. But it is a lot more than that. That was the point of my Take ‘Em blog. A few days after posting that blog, I was reminded of some other good reasons to …

Was good to get out of the office the end of last week and help with the 2021 High School Bass Championships.  The tournament location was Red Willow Reservoir.  Many of you know that water levels at Red Willow were minimum pool for several years while dam repairs were completed.  Since then, the water has returned within 10 feet of full pool.  As water levels have risen it has flooded a bunch of terrestrial vegetation.  Fish populations are thriving in …

Making sure the “word” gets spread on this, again: Game and Parks urges boaters to Clean, Drain and Dry to stop invasive species LINCOLN, Neb. – While many Nebraska boaters are eager to enjoy a summer day on the lake, the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission urges them to be wary of a nasty hitchhiker: the zebra mussel. Over the Memorial Day weekend, Game and Parks watercraft inspectors found two boats with zebra mussels attached attempting to launch. Each boat …

I continue to be called bad names for wearing them. Most recently, I was called a “super wimp” for having them on my hands. I have been labeled an “inadequate angler” since I have donned on them. I have been told that my “bravado” and “edge” have been lost when it comes to fishing because I am handling fish while wearing rubber gloves. Ah yes, THOSE GLOVES. People have also had their curiosity piqued by those of us who wear rubber …

The last day I walk off the ice every winter is a bad day.  I hate that day.  Oh sure, I am on the water or in the field somewhere in Nebraska twelve months of the year, but I really love ice-fishing. So I kind of ease into spring.  You know what it is like in early spring. . . well, more like winter many days.  Sure, we will get a day or two of beautiful, warm, sunny weather, but …

Going to blog about something that comes up every year about this time.  I have had a few phone calls and messages about it already. . . . Every year about this time we get reports of dead crappies or dead bluegills on a variety of waters.  It is understandable that folks are concerned when they see dead fish.  Of course assumptions are always the worst, that there has been some pollution event or there is something “bad” in the …

Spore-producing ferns are ancient plants, first appearing in fossil records about 360 million years ago, a time when amphibians were venturing out of the oceans to become the first land vertebrates. For tens of millions of years thereafter, the climate was extremely hot and humid and ferns flourished in the Earth’s expansive swamps, some towering to tree height. Although the flowering and seed-producing angiosperms, such as deciduous trees, grasses and wildflowers, eventually came to dominate the Earth’s flora, ferns continued …

It is the eve of the Memorial Day weekend; the unofficial, official start to summer.  I know many of you have big plans for the weekend, camping, boating, picnicking, and yes, of course, FISHING!  We are right in the middle of May-June, some of the best fishing of the year, every year, on waters all over the state for a variety of species.  Simply put, right now, do not ask where, do not ask what baits, do not pass “GO”, …

In recent years we have tightened up some of our baitfish regulations.  Simply put, in eastern Nebraska, you pretty much cannot collect your own baitfish and use them in any waters other than the water from which they were collected.  Of course, many wonder why we are so restrictive? Let me tell you that invasive species are a huge threat to our fisheries.  They are such a threat that they can keep a fisheries biologist awake at night.  Without exception, …