Tag Archives: fisheries management

The July 2014 issue of NEBRASKAland magazine is available on-line right now. It is way too early in the summer to find any of the gayfeather that is pictured on the cover, but inside you will find a variety of great stories, as usual. Of course I am going to point out a fish story on pages 42-45, “Shocking Flatheads”.  In that, NEBRASKAland editor Jeff Kurrus interviews Jordan Katt, the fisheries biologist in charge of the flathead catfish research that has …

Let me give an update on some of my latest fishing in our great state.  On Father’s Day my kids and I were invited by a buddy to fish on a private pit.  That sounded like a really good idea and we jumped at the opportunity. As soon as we got there and tackled up, we spotted a bunch of bluegills and small largemouth bass cruising the shorelines.  That is a very common sight on Nebraska pits and ponds this …

I have to admit that my job duties have evolved over the years.  I do not get out to do a lot of field work anymore.  Most of my “field work” is done with a fishing rod in hand while I am off duty.  Every spring Fisheries Division employees are very busy with collecting fish and eggs, stocking fish, etc. etc.  Spring is one of the busiest times of the year.  Many of those efforts take extra man-power and it …

It is spring and spawning is in the air.  Every early April for the past several years our Missouri River fisheries biologists along with a lot of great help from volunteers, have ventured onto the Missouri River to capture endangered pallid sturgeon.  Specifically, the pallid sturgeon they are hoping to catch are female pallid sturgeon.  When the right fish are captured, those female pallid sturgeon are hauled to fish hatcheries where eggs can be collected in order to produced more …

Just a couple of weeks ago I told you about successfully completing my quest to catch a tagged flathead catfish from Branched Oak Reservoir (Finally Got One!).  Well, as the fall has progressed and waters have cooled, I have shifted my focus from warm-water species like flathead catfish to species that will continue to be more active, and easier to catch, in cooler water.  I have made several trips up to Lake Wanahoo the past few weeks and have consistently …

I was sitting in the office last week when I got a phone call from a buddy.  He was fishing at Holmes Reservoir here in Lincoln and had just caught what he believed was a pacu.  Pacu are a fish that live in the jungles of South America.  He wanted to know if I wanted to see the fish and of course I said “Yes!  Bring it over.” In twenty minutes or so Val was at my door holding a …

Last week our fisheries personnel along with help from a bunch of other folks applied rotenone to Willow Lake (the Willow Lake in Brown County).  Willow Lake has been an excellent largemouth bass and panfish fishery over the years, but recently has been dominated by black bullheads and common carp.  Those species not only are less desirable to anglers, they also degrade water quality and habitat and are a detriment to all other fish species.  When that happens the quickest …

Yup! We’re goin’ bullfroggin on my WOWT-TV/Channel 6 Weekly Outdoor Report. That’s because Nebraska’s bullfrog season is open! But, it’s the hit A & E TV show Duck Dynasty featuring the Robertson family of rural West Monroe, LA (http://www.aetv.com/duck-dynasty/) that has led to renewed popularity in bullfrog hunting in America’s ponds and backwaters. Jace Robertson loves his bullfrogs! Does Greg Wagner like catchin’  bullfrogs in the various ponds, marshes and backwaters of Nebraska where he has access? Ohhh yeahhh! Learn more …

It’s been a very busy, but enjoyable and exciting week for us at the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. We hosted and participated in the 2013 Annual Summer Meeting for the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Association here in Omaha. Base camp for it was the Hilton Hotel in downtown Omaha. From invasive species to mule deer and trout, from presentations to committee meetings and exhibits, this big meeting covered the gamut of conservation topics that are synonymous the …

Cue the theme music. . . . She Blinded Me with Science by Thomas Dolby It has been almost three years ago that I went into some detail about the fisheries renovation that was done on the west lake at our Mormon Island State Recreation Area,( http://www.outdoornebraska.ne.gov/parks/guides/parksearch/showpark.asp?Area_No=123 ), http://magazine.outdoornebraska.gov/2010/08/rotenone-renovation/ .  What I want to share with you here is a paper that documents the fisheries science behind a rotenone renovation, http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/tnas/418/ .  If you wish you can download the entire paper, …