Tag Archives: Flathead Catfish

I have often said that one of the things I like most about trout fishing is the beauty of the fish.  Even a 6-inch brook trout can be a prized catch because they are such pretty fish.  I am convinced that is part of the glamour of trout fishing, that and fly-rods, and the fact that cold-water habitats where trout reside typically are also really purdy places. Likewise, I am awed by the diversity and beauty of fish on a …

I have already suggested some things to do during this “‘tweener time” while we wait for safe ice.  Naturally, one thing we like to do as anglers is reminisce about past trips, past successes, big ones caught.  That reminiscing could include years past or just the current year, but for me, this time of year, I like to look back over the fall fishing that I just finished. I fish hard in the fall, as much as possible.  It is …

LINCOLN, Neb. – Logan Maring and Wesley Beavers know their catfish. Each correctly guessed the exact weight of Walter, the flathead catfish, in a contest by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission during the Nebraska State Fair. Walter weighed 47 pounds, 7 ounces. In guessing the weight, Maring, of Grand Island, won the adult division and Beavers, 5, of Collins, Iowa, won the youth division. Two youth entries picked the exact weight, so the winner was drawn randomly. Maring and …

I actually escaped the office a week or so ago and helped with some field work!  I got to smell fishy again! Mostly I just want to show you some pictures of the fish we were sampling, flathead catfish at Branched Oak Reservoir.  However, I realize there might be some who read this and want more information, so let me recommend a previous blog if you want to know why we were doing this sampling:  Branched Oak Flatheads. Once again …

A couple of weeks ago one of my many fishing contacts suggested that there are a lot of misconceptions about the spawn period for our big three catfish species, blue, channel and flathead.  He thought that might be a good topic for a blog post and I agree with him! Our large catfish species in Nebraska are definitely warm-water fish.  In fact, they are some of the slowest-growing fish in our waters because they are warm-water fish, and we are …

Judging from the messages, e-mails, phone calls, and just general “chatter” I have heard this morning, I can tell you the channel cats are getting close to spawning.  Why do I say that?  Because every year about this time there are a bunch of mistaken identifications of “funny-looking” catfish.  Simply put, male channel cats get fat heads and darker colors during the spawn, and some folks not used to seeing that mistakenly believe those fish are “blue cats”.  So, if …

It has been awhile since I have teased you with photos of some of the big fish that our field biologists have had their hands on.  Time to change that. . . . We do a lot of our fish population sampling in the fall, but there is also some that is done in the spring and summer.  Again let me say that when pointy-headed fisheries biologists are sampling fish they are NOT just trying to catch the biggest ones, …

Time for my “annual report” on state record fish in the past year.  As with most years there was some state record activity and there were some surprises! Surface Spearfishing  There were no fish entered for surface spearfishing records in 2017. Underwater Spearfishing We had four fish certified as new underwater spearfishing state records in the past year.  The smallest of those was a whopping 1 ounce alewife taken from Lake McConaughy. In September, a 10 ounce shortnose gar was …

Last week I noted that Nebraska Game & Park Fisheries biologist are busy around the state doing fish sampling this time of year (“Survey Says”).  A couple of weeks ago I slipped out of the office for a day and got my hands fishy helping with some of that sampling.  I have blogged many times about the flathead catfish fishery at Branched Oak Reservoir and the research that has been done on those fish in recent years.  With a total …

I again have a few state record applications to clear off my desk; this is the time of year when they are mostly spear-fishing and bow-fishing records.  Let’s go underwater to start: Underwater Spearfishing Three applications for state record fish taken by underwater spearfishing are in the stack.  All of those fish were taken in July, let me start with the first taken on July 6. . . . Dylan Trauernicht of Gering was doing some diving on a private …