Tag Archives: Northern pike

The story of this weekend adventure actually started a year ago.  Late spring 2022 my wife and my cousin’s wife decided that they had never been to see the prairie grouse dance.  Each spring prairie chickens and sharptail grouse have a mating display where the males “dance” to attract females.  It is a spectacle.  I had seen prairie grouse performing their spring mating rituals in many of my travels and adventures in Nebraska, but I told the girls to make …

If you have followed my blog for a while, you know that my first day on the ice each year is a day to be celebrated!  In fact, I proclaim that day each year as “New Year’s Day”.  It is the first day of the new ice season, first day of the next year’s season. I celebrated New Year’s Day 2023 on “black Friday”. Yes, I know that was a couple of weeks ago.  I did not blog about it …

Last time I blogged about my recent ice fishing adventures (Been Around Some More), I mentioned that in spite of deteriorating ice conditions, I was not sure I was done, yet.  I was not.  I slipped another afternoon in on the ice a week ago.  By the way, the ONLY way I push it as early and late as I do is by religiously following ice safety protocols (Annual Ice Safety Reminder).  If you are not able to do that, …

Several weeks ago I blogged about “Scary Stuff” and how a little thrill now and then keeps us alive.  In our outdoor pursuits, knowing there are big, bad predators out there is what makes the “wild”, well, wild.  It is what makes it worth the time spent there. I get the same feeling on the water.  There are monsters there too and most of the time we cannot see them.  When I finally make contact, my eyes get wide, I …

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 …

LINCOLN, Neb. – Anglers must be aware of fishing regulation changes that take effect Jan. 1, 2021, according to the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. The changes are: Smallmouth Bass – Big Elk Lake (WP 7) and Portal Lake (WP 6), Sarpy County reservoirs under construction in 2020, each will have a smallmouth bass daily bag limit of two fish and 12-inch maximum length limit to protect larger smallmouths and allow harvest of smaller ones. Yellow Perch – Big Elk …

We currently are in what I believe to be one of the hardest times of the year to catch fish–early spring.  Do not get me wrong, there are some great fishing opportunities now.  However, the water is still very cold and the weather is very schizophrenic.  Whatcha gonna do? Well, for starters, my buddy Greg ran a blog this week on 7 Key Early Spring Fishing Tips.  Check it out.  A lot of Greg’s blog included “stuff” I have said …

Got an opportunity for some volunteers to help us collect fish.  Just let me say this. . . . While reading the following call for help, remember that this work goes on regardless of weather conditions, in March, right after the ice has gone out.  You will be wet, you will be slimy, you will have snot dripping from the end of your nose and into your beard (beards strongly recommended).  You will also need to be dependable; if you …

A few weeks ago I posted a few photos of fish our field biologists have sampled around the state this fall.  I have all the data now and am putting together next year’s Fishing Forecast.  Wait for it, it is coming, should be sometime shortly after the first of the year. Until then, let me tease you with some more photos of fish that were sampled, and released.  These from eastern Nebraska: OK, for the sake of accuracy, this one …

When spring time rolls around, pointy-headed fish biologists get really busy.  I even get out of the office to help with all the field work that needs to be done this time of year. Most of you know that northern pike spawn right around the time ice goes out.  They will even spawn under the ice if we have a late ice-out, but if you are looking to collect a bunch of northern pike, that is a great time to …