SPECIAL FISHING ISSUE
NEBRASKAland
Aptril 1977 60 cents
NEBRASKAland
VOL 55 / NO. 4 / APRIL 1977 Published monthly by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. Sixty cents per copy. Subscription rates $5 for one year, $9 for two years. Send subscription orders to NEBRASKMand, Box 30370, Lincoln, Nebraska 68503. commission Chairman: Kenneth W. Zimmerman, Loup City North-Central District, (308) 745-1694 Vice Chairman: Don O. Bridge, Norfolk Northeast District, (402) 371-1473 2nd Vice Chairman: William G. Lindeken, Chadron Northwest District, (308) 432-3755 Gerald R. (Bud) Campbell, Ravenna South-Central District, (308) 452-3800 H. B. "Tod" Kuntzelman, North Platte, Southwest District, (308) 532-2982 Richard W. Nisley, Roca Southeast District, (402) 782-6850 Arthur D. Brown, Omaha Douglas-Sarpy District, (402) 553-9625 Director: Eugene T. Mahoney Assistant Director: William J. Bailey, Jr. Assistant Director: Dale R. Bree staff Editor: Lowell Johnson Editorial Assistants: Jon Farrar, Ken Bouc, Bill McClurg Contributing Editors: Bob Grier, Faye Musil, Roland Hoffman, Butch Isom Art Director: Michele Angle Farrar Illustration: Duane Westerholt Advertising: Cliff Griffin Circulation: Juanita Stefkovich Copyright Nebraska Game and Parks Commission 1977. All rights reserved. Postmaster: if undeliverable, send notice by form 3579 to Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, Box 30370, Lincoln, Nebraska 68503. Second class postage paid at Lincoln, Nebraska Contents FEATURES BACKYARD TROUT 8 FISHERMAN'S BALANCE SHEET 12 ANGLING ALMANAC WHEN a fishing calendar 14 HOW experts share their secrets 16 WHERE an inventory of waters 20 Southeast 21 Northeast 24 Sandhills 26 Interstate 80 28 Southwest 30 Panhandle 33 REASONS FOR REGULATIONS 36 ICE FISHING OUTLOOK 40 DEPARTMENTS TRADING POST 49 COVER: Regardless of the season, some anglers are out where the action is. Here, H. M. Birdsong of Scottsbluff samples January fishing in Nine-Mile Creek. OPPOSITE: Certainly spring and summer are the busy times for fishing; the time to enjoy nature and the thrilis and relaxation on the water. In this case, Lake Maloney at North Platte is the afternoon paradise. Photos by Bob Grier.
Fishing... A Question of Values
THERE'S SOMETHING SPECIAL about fishing. It bridges even so-called generation gaps. It unites rich and poor in a common interest. It makes men and women of different races and faiths brothers and sisters during their hours on the water.
Fishing is a refuge to those oppressed by our 20th Century. The job, the mortgage, the tax man and other pressures are far away when the fisherman is on a quiet lake or stream. For all these reasons, and for hundreds of others too numerous to treat here and too complex for mere words, fishing is important.
We've devoted this entire issue to the subject, yet found space to cover only a few aspects of the sport. But, we have hopefully given enough information on the where, how and when of Nebraska angling so that our readers can better enjoy its many rewards.
This issue also deals with the serious side of the subject, with fisheries management problems and concepts, and with some of the grave issues that threaten the future of this fine sport in Nebraska. An awareness and an understanding of the situation is vital to fishermen and everyone else with a love of the outdoors.
The importance of fishing, hiking, hunting, trapping, sightseeing, wildlife study or any other outdoor activity is not the kind of thing that Americans are used to measuring. There's just no way to pin down these values in mere dollars and cents.
Who could be so presumptuous as to set a dollar value on a youngster's first fish, or an oldtimer's last one? No one would even try, for money is very inadequate compensation for some things. But, if we can't fix a dollar value on a boy's first bullhead; if we can't calculate the worth of a scenic river, a flock of ducks or a darting king fisher; if we can't buy the murmur of a stream, does that make these things worthless? There are some in our state who continue to call these priceless things worthless. But, more and more Nebraskans are disagreeing.
Perhaps this lack of dollar value is why fishing faces problems in Nebraska. Water is in demand for other uses, things that produce money. When used for irrigation, it produces corn and beans and hay that can be marketed. Industrial uses of water also provide obvious dollar benefits. Yet, there's no "market" for fish and wildlife, so their needs have gotten little consideration.
Our fish are simply running out of water. Drought has lowered our irrigation reservoirs and they have been slow in refilling. But, the real damage is being done to Nebraska's rivers and streams. During the summer of 1976, stream after stream quit flowing, even some that had sur vived the worst of the "Dust Bowl" days of the 30s.
In most cases, unrestricted pumping directly from the stream was the cause. And, the saddest part is that Nebraska law condones this. State statutes grant no recognition to fish and wildlife as "beneficial uses of water." There is no provision for protecting minimum flows in our streams, and no way that a pumping permit can be denied, even after a stream has dried up.
The death of our streams last summer stirred deep concern among all Nebraskans, not just fishermen. We'll all be watching the skies this spring and summer in hopes of rain to restore our agriculture and prevent destruction of more of our streams. Whether or not the rains come is out of our hands, but the laws that govern the survival of our streams are not. Hopefully, along with rain clouds on the horizon, Nebraskans will see laws recognizing the value of living, flowing streams.
Special Issue Coordinator, Ken Bouc Stories, unless otherwise credited, by Ken Bouc Maps for "Angling Almanac, An Inventory of Waters" made possible through cooperation of the U.S. Soil Conservation Service
Fisherman and biologist, author finds Nebraska's trout waters rival big-name streams
BACKYARD TROUT
PEERING AROUND the bend up stream, I could see the head of the pool. It should hold trout, and should be dealt with cautiously. The slightest warning of my approach would "put the fish down", and in a flash the pool would seem devoid of fish.
Approaching practically on hands and knees, I paused at a point within casting range of where the trout almost certainly would be feeding. There, I tried to calm my nerves enough to lay out a decent cast.
The plump grasshopper fly landed near the nead of the pool, more or less as it was supposed to, and danced in vitingly downstream for a second or two. Then, a dark shape darted from the depths of the pool and sucked in the fly. Quickly lifting the rod tip, I set the hook and tried to guide the trout out of the head of the pool to avoid alarming any other trout still feeding there. Fortunately my fish cooperated, though it was some time before he could be coaxed ashore. That trout measured a chunky 14 inches, and the pool yielded Two more nice trout before it was all over.
Then a thunderstorm that had been brewing all afternoon finally struck and I had no choice but to be give up the chase for the day. In the shelter of the car, I reflected on the day's events. I couldn't help but recall the amused reactions of trout fishermen unfamiliar with Nebraska whenever one suggested that they might try wetting a line here. To these fishermen, Nebraska is nothing more than 400 miles of expressway between them and the classic waters of the mountain states. I have even noticed that a surprising number of Nebraskans make this same mistake.
Even I was once a member of this "look westward" school until, follow ing an extended fishing escapade through Wyoming and Montana, I returned to Nebraska only to discover the excellent trout fishing in Long Pine Creek. There, I found more trout, less competition from other anglers and nearly the same wilderness quality of fered by western streams.
The thunderstorm had ended my fishing for that day on the Niobrara, south of Harrison, but I could look forward to outings on literally dozens of fine streams in Nebraska. A list of these streams would include Nine Mile Creek, Red Willow Creek and other trout-supporting tributaries of the North Platte River, with a mixture of hefty Lake McConaughy rainbow trout and native browns. There's also the White River and Soldiers Creek, offering browns and rainbows, plus numerous small tributaries of the Pine Ridge area with colorful brook trout. Tributaries of the Middle Niobrara in north-central Nebraska, including the Snake River and Schlagle, Fairfield and Plum creeks, produce primarily brown trout, while Long Pine Creek has its mixture of browns and rainbows.
There are also numerous trout-supporting streams in northeast Nebraska, most of which are tributaries of Verdigre Creek. Trout are also to be found in upstream portions of the North and Middle Loup rivers, the Dismal River, numerous small creeks throughout the Panhandle and even in a few tributaries of the Republican and of the Platte River downstream of Lake McConaughy.
What sets these streams apart from others in the state? Why do they produce and sustain trout while others won't? Certainly the fact that their water temperatures remain cold year around (less than 75°) is a major factor, since trout perish at higher temperatures. But to say that all that is required for a trout stream is cold water, is a little like saying that all that is required for human survival is air to breathe and dry land to stand on. Trout require food, protection from the elements, and security from natural enemies. Also, clean gravel riffles are necessary for reproduction. Eggs deposited in the gravel must be kept well aerated by the flow of clean water during incubation.
Nebraska has 1,100 miles of cold water rivers and streams, but only about 700 miles support even marginal trout populations. Of these, only about 20 miles are relatively unaffected by habitat degradation, and another 100 miles support trout fisheries despite varying degrees of habitat deterioration.
This leaves 580 miles of coldwater rivers and streams that support only marginal trout populations. However, much of this could be fine trout water if the right habitat improvements were made.
Soil sediment in the stream fills in the pools and smothers food supplies and spawning gravel. Because Nebraska's soils tend to be highly unstable when deprived of vegetative cover, soil erosion is the No. 1 enemy of the state's trout streams.
Nebraska's streams are relatively alkaline and fertile, which, when all other conditions are favorable, means plenty of food for trout. Streams of the Sandhills region, unless affected by irrigation developments, are fed by the water table and provide as stable flows as any trout streams in North America.
A population estimate by fisheries biologists during 1976 indicated that one portion of Long Pine Creek boasted a population density of one trout per foot of streambed. Of course
photos by Jim Johnson 8 NEBRASKAland APRIL 1977
Only a fraction of Nebraska coldwater streams can
support trout. Many lack proper habitat
BACKYARD TROUT
not all of these trout were lunkers; many were juveniles that wouldn't be expected to contribute to the creel for one or two years yet. But a population such as that should draw the attention of any self-respecting fisherman.
Because Nebraska's trout waters are unique in many respects, they require somewhat different angling techniques. In fact, I can recall diligently fishing that same stretch of Long Pine Creek prior to the population estimate with hardly a sign of an interested trout. Apparently my offerings simply weren't right. I have since found that, to be consistently successful in taking Sandhills trout, a thorough investigation of what food items are most important in their diet is called for.
Although no two Sandhills streams are alike, one general pattern applies. In most cases, streams with abundant habitat and plenty of aquatic vegetation support good numbers of crayfish and amphipods (sometimes incorrectly called freshwater shrimp). Submerged rocks, logs or vegetation are often covered with the cases and lar vae of caddis flies. During the summer months, terrestrial insects, particularly grasshoppers and various species of beetles, are trapped in the current. Small fish, particularly young trout, longnose dace and darters, are often abundant. Small mayflies, an occasional stonefly and a multitude of other aquatic insect species are also on hand, but for the most part these latter types are of relatively little importance to the food supply.
Thus, the fly fisherman would do well to choose patterns that imitate food items most important to the diets of Sandhills trout. Just as important as the pattern is the manner in which it is fished. Whereas streams of the North Platte Valley, such as Nine Mile Creek, are often characterized by a mixture of riffles and pools which spell ideal conditions for fly fishing, Sandhills streams are usually monotonously deep and swift. Therefore, trout seldom feed near the surface.
To achieve best results here, the fly fisherman would do well to choose weighted wet flies, streamers and nymphs fished as close to the bottom as possible, through undercut banks, submerged logs and other fish holding habitat.
Getting a wet fly deep enough in waters such as the low reaches of Long Pine and Plum creeks and the Snake River can be frustrating. The usual techniques for these bigger waters involve the use of spinners and other deep-riding lures retrieved downstream so that they will hug the bottom, or fishing heavily weighted rigs baited usually with minnows.
I learned the technique for fly fish ing these waters from a companion who had adopted the practice after fishing western streams during high water.
It was a Nebraska stream during the spring of the year, and the water as usual was uniformly swift and deep. I was casting a streamer, but in spite of my sinking line and weighted fly, the current was too swift to allow the streamer to sink. Even when I cast directly upstream it was only seconds before the fly was swept by and appeared on the surface, planing use lessly in the current below me.
My companion was Mike Ginsberg, a physician from Omaha. He had disappeared in the woods upstream only moments before armed with a large, weighted wet fly. I was startled, there fore, when the stillness of the canyon was broken by his "How ya doin, Johnson?" from behind me. I turned to see him grinning broadly and hoist ing up a fat 19-inch brown that weighed nearly four pounds. He had only been fishing for 15 minutes.
As he carefully released the fish he told me how he had missed several other hits, and invited me to tag along and observe his technique.
His method appeared simple: using a floating line, a leader of 9 feet or so, a weighted nymph and a small split shot or wrap of lead wire on the leader, he would lay out relatively short casts upstream; into any areas of the channel that offered protection from the main force of the current. Here, he theorized, the trout would be lying, occasionally darting into the current to pick up any morsel that drifted by.
Mike allowed the fly to drift as naturally as possible through the slack water and into the current, keeping his line as taut as possible without affect ing the drift of the fly. The taut line is imperative since any line that is al lowed to be caught in the current will drag the fly at an unnatural rate down stream. He watched the tip of the line with all the concentration he could muster for the slightest irregularity in its drift, which might signal a strike. Usually the knot joining the line tip and leader only hesitated almost imperceptibly in the drift downstream; sometimes it actually twitched or was pulled upstream. In many cases, he only sensed that something was odd and set the hook, only to discover he was hopelessly lodged on some hidden snag.
But occasionally, as Mike worked his way upstream, he would find him self fast into a good trout. During that weekend, Mike took and released the 19-incher, two 17 to 18-inch trout, two more that measured between 14 and 15 inches and perhaps a dozen ranging from 10 to 12 inches. I left the stream with only two browns, measuring 14 and 17 inches, but with the conviction that with the proper technique and plenty of practice, fly fish ing can be the most productive means of taking trout from Nebraska's larger streams.
Learning to "read the water" to pick out the most likely feeding locations in swift, deep streams is probably the most essential ingredient to success. Any wet fly imitating existing foods seems to work, but the larger patterns seem to produce more and bigger trout. Particularly valuable wet fly patterns are crayfish imitations, large ginger-colored woolly worms and weigh ted grasshoppers and beetles. Imitations of caddis fly iarvae, amphipods and mayfly nymphs can also be good.
Patterns most productive for smaller Sandhills streams and brown trout populations of the North Platte Valley streams include many of the more traditional flies. Of these, the various dry fly renditions of the grasshopper are by far the most effective during the summer months. Also available are
Bait fishing and hardware can also be effective in smaller streams, but as a rule, a well placed fly of the appropriate pattern holds the edge.
Only 2 percent of Nebraska's 1,100 miles of coldwater streams are provided with public access. Thus, land owner permission must be gained prior to fishing most streams of the state, and permission gained should be conscientiously nurtured.
I suppose that if all I have been trying to say here had to be put into a nutshell, it would be that Nebraska's trout fishermen need look no farther than their own backyards for quality trout fishing. It is certainly true that the mountain states offer some exceptional trout streams, but those streams are a long way off and I would rather be fishing than driving. It's also true that most of our trout streams have been degraded by sedimentation and soil erosion, and that the potential of many sand-choked miles of trout water has yet to be tapped. But a considerable number of Nebraska's streams presently support respectable numbers of trout and some provide native brown trout populations that are unexcelled in the west . . . which brings to mind a recent excursion to one fine Sandhills stream.
It was late summer and the surrounding hills were scorched from the hot winds and baking sun of the summer's drought. Yet, as we hiked into the canyon it was as if we were de scending into an oasis. The air was cool in the shade of ponderosa pines and the only evidence of the burning wind was its distant sigh as it filtered through the tree tops. With each step down into the canyon the temperature dropped. Finally we began to find springs and seeps which collected to form a tiny stream that descended to the river.
The grasshopper population had almost reached plague proportions that summer, and with each step a half dozen of them would fly in all directions, making our fishing prospects promising. As we looked at the river, we saw that the water was low and so clear we could now and then spy a trout darting from rock to rock. Occasionally, a trout would rise to slurp something off the surface.
We began hastily rigging up, choosing from (continued on page 44)
Fisherman's Balance Sheet
Assets photo by Bill McClurg Striper program at Big Mac is biggest entry on "plus" side of ledger. But, elimination of Salt Valley pest, improvements on Missouri River, various stocking programs also cause angler optimismNONE of Nebraska's successful fisheries efforts has produced more spectacular results and generated more praise from anglers than the striped bass program at Lake McConaughy.
Stripers were first stocked at Big Mac in fairly small numbers during the 1960's, totaling 58,000 fish through 1970. Then, more than 390,000 were released in 1971, 72 and 73, and an other 108,000 followed in 1976.
It didn't take Nebraska fishermen long to discover the striper, but the first catches were modest, just a few pounds apiece. For a while, the state record hovered around 10 pounds, then it climbed steadily to around 15 pounds, where it held for a while. Then, in 1975, a steady stream of record fish boosted the mark steadily upward, until Dom Contratto of Oshkosh stood at the top of the heap with a fish of 25 pounds, 1 ounce. He wasn't the only one to remember 75 as a banner year for stripers, as 111 Master Angler Awards were issued.
The striped bass is the kind of fish every angler dreams of. He's a hand some brute with a muscular build and flashy silver and gun-metal blue mark ings. He's elusive enough that getting a hook into him is a real challenge, and a pugnacious disposition coupled with size and stamina make him a bat tler without peer in Nebraska waters. However, this outstanding trophy fish didn't (Continued on page 44)
NEBRASKAland Liabilities Death of Nebraska streams heads list of problems. Others include overfishing some waters, winterkill and alterations of streams photos by Lee RuppTHE BIGGEST THREAT to Nebraska fishing lay exposed for all to see last summer when streams withered and died while reservoirs, ponds and lakes were shrunken and, in some cases, completely dried up. Without a doubt, 1976 saw the biggest fish kill in the history of the state.
Without water for fish to live in, the problems of pollution, over fishing and rough-fish infestation pale into insignificance. Yet, depleted or dry streams and lakes are exactly what confronted fisheries managers and fishermen during the 1976 drought. And, unless things change drastically, there's more of the same in store.
At the end of the parched summer of 1976, the casualty list of Nebraska fishing waters read something like this: Upper Niobrara River, dry; Upper Elk horn, dry; Upper Frenchman, dry; upper Republican, dry.
Parts of the Little Blue, Big Blue, Logan Creek, Little Nemaha and Big Nemaha, and a host of others, dry or with so little flow that fish couldn't live. Many of the small creeks in central and northeast Nebraska that last spring thrilled fishermen with 8 and 10-pound northern pike were gone by August. These waters provided little sport fishing a generation ago, but stocking and management programs begun several years back had changed all of that. These streams would surely have been on the plus side of Nebraska's fishing resource ledger, except that the pike and most other fish in many of these waters died on dry stream beds by the end of summer.
The upper reaches of many streams went dry (Continued on page 46)
APRIL 1977
ANGLING ALMANAC
WHEN
A Fishing Calendar
SPRING
March: warmer water draws catfish to upper end of Lake McConaughy right after iceout. Fishing good with shad gizzards.
March: peak of spring rainbow run in North Platte Valley.
March and April: white bass and walleye in Tri-County Canal below checks.
Late March: pike begin spawning a few weeks after ice out, providing excellent fishing.
Late March, early April: walleye spawning run at Harlan County Reservoir. Peak varies from year to year because of weather.
Early April: walleye spawning runs begin on Salt Valley and southwest reservoirs.
Late April: good catfishing begins in Nemaha Rivers, lasts until water drops, usually in July.
May: excellent largemouth bass fishing in ponds, pits and reservoirs. Spinners, spinner baits and plugs all work well.
May: crappie off dams at Salt Valley lakes.
Mid-May to Mid-July: good bass fishing at Merritt Reservoir.
May: crappie in sandpits.
May: catfish move to upper end of Lake McConaughy and into
Early and Mid-June: good bluegill fishing on spawning beds.
June: good crappie fishing at Red Willow Reservoir.
July and August: dog-days fishing good for carp below Gavins Point Dam; in various streams, lakes and sandpits.
14 NEBRASKAlandJuly and August: good bluegill fishing on reservoirs, drifting through deep water with worms. Pond fishing also good at edges of weedbeds, other cover.
July and August: catfish and carp on many rivers and lakes.
August and September: white bass fishing by following gulls begins, particularly on Harlan, McConaughy and Johnson lakes.
September and October: striped bass at Lake McConaughy.
September and October: excellent bass fishing on farm ponds and small lakes. Fishing pressure is light because of opening of hunting seasons.
September and October: walleye and white bass fishing good on major reservoirs by jigging and trolling.
Oct. 15-Nov. 15: best rainbow trout fishing of fall spawning run in North Platte Valley.
WINTERDecember and January: paddlefish snagging best in tailwaters and Missouri River below Gavins Point Dam.
Late December to Mid February: crappie fishing through ice off dams on Salt Valley lakes. Bluegill in the trees. Dates vary due to weather and ice conditions.
January: ice fishing for northern pike good on Island Lake at Crescent Lake National Wildlife Refuge.
Nebraskans 16 and older and all nonresidents must have a permit to fish in Nebraska waters. However, nonresidents under 16 are not required to purchase a permit if they are accompanied by a person with a valid resi dent or nonresident license.
Permits can be purchased from some 1,200 permit vendors across the state, and from conservation officers. They are also available from Game and Parks Commission offices in Lincoln, Omaha, Norfolk, Bassett, Al liance, and North Platte, along with copies of regulations and other infor mation dealing with Nebraska fishing. Permit fees include:
RESIDENT ANNUAL FISH $7.50 RESIDENT COMBINATION FISH-HUNT $13.50 NONRESIDENT STATEWIDE ANNUAL $30.00 NONRESIDENT STATEWIDE 5-DAY $15.00 NONRESIDENT MISSOURI RIVER ANNUAL $15.00 NONRESIDENT MISSOURI RIVER 5-DAY $5.00
Carp
Say "carp" to many fishermen, and they'll turn up their noses and walk away. But, these hardy fish are gallant fighters and make mighty good eating besides.
Deep-Fat-Fryed CarpDeep-fat frying is probably the most popular and best liked form of cooked carp. The carp should be dressed, cut in pieces, dipped in a combination of milk, egg, salt, and pancake flour, and popped into a deep-fat fryer. The fillets should be cooked until a deep golden brown. Fried crisp like this, it is a bit hard to stop eating them.
Baked CarpCarp can be baked whole or in pieces. A simple yet delicious method of baking carp is to baste them occasionally with lemon butter. A whole 2 to 4-pound carp (scored of course) will take around 45 minutes to bake in a 350° oven. Several strips of bacon can be substituted for the lemon butter.
Pickled CarpPickled fish are sour and tangy. The fish can be prepared by skinning or fleecing. Scoring is not necessary be cause vinegar, being an acid, breaks down and softens the bones. Cut in chunks small enough to be placed in canning jars. Soak overnight in half vinegar and half water. Drain the pieces and place in a boiling solution of three cups of vinegar and one cup of water. Different spices, such as cloves, allspice, mustard seed, salt, and pepper, can be added. Lemon slices should also be added. Boil the fish until done, place the pieces in a ster ilized jar, and cover with sliced onions. Boil the next batch repeating the pro cedure. Then, put the boiling liquid into the jar and seal.
Experts Share their Secrets
IF THERE'S an overworked cliche among outdoorsmen and outdoor writers, it has to be the one about 10 percent of the fishermen catching 90 percent of the fish. And, the reason it's used so often is that, alas, the statement is all too true.
It's a fine arrangement if you happen to be one of the favored 10 percent. But, it's tough on the rest of us, trapped in the relatively fishless lower 90 percent.
Upon objective scrutiny, the difference between the two groups has very little to do with fate, fortune or the stars under which they were born. For the most part, the super anglers are the ones who have spent considerable time on the water and have made every minute of it a learning experience. They are like most fishermen except that they are more presistent, more observant, more methodical.
Nebraska has its share of these special fishermen; guys who catch more fish accidentally than most of the rest of us catch on purpose. A few have agreed to share their knowledge and techniques with us.
Sam Hesser: Four Ways for White Bass
I FISH FOR WHITE BASS in four basic ways—trolling, jigging, watching the gulls and finding them with a depth finder.
Trolling is the best way to go early in the year, from about May when they come down out of the river after spawning, until August. During that time, the bass are scattered in loose bunches rather than the tight schools of late summer, because the shad are not yet available to them.
I usually do best in the upper end of the lake, trolling just off the bottom with something like a Thinfin held down by a good sized weight or diving plane. Quite often I find white bass near the submerged channel, but they're likely to be about anywhere. About 75 percent of my fishing time early in the summer is spent trolling because the fish are scattered. When I catch a fish or two in one area, HI of ten work that spot over by casting or jigging.
In August, the bass start schooling and feeding on shad. If you watch the gulls, which also like to eat shad, they'll give you clues as to where the fish are.
Feeding gulls don't always mean white bass are around. When the birds are just coasting along and leisurely picking up a shad here and there, no white bass are around. But when the birds are hovering over an area, screaming excitedly and diving to the water after baitfish, you can bet white bass are underneath driving the shad to the surface.
Gulls just sitting patiently on the water can also mark a school of bass. This often means that the fish are deep and feeding on shad that have not yet come to the surface, or it can mean that there are white bass down there that are not in a feeding mood.
You can toss a lure in or troll slowly through the area and take a bass if the fish are feeding. But, if they're not in terested at the moment, it often pays to stick around and wait them out. I know that there are often inactive schools of bass below those resting flocks of gulls, because I've accidentally snagged quite a few of them over the years by trolling or casting.
When the gulls are not working, I can often get into fish by jigging the dropoffs. This technique works best from July through September when the white bass are tightly bunched. I find a dropoff or ledge in 15 or 20 feet of water and anchor directly over it. Miss the spot by six feet and you're wasting your time.
I drop a Kastmaster, Spin-O-King, Slab or jig weighing an ounce or so, straight down. I lift the lure anywhere from a few inches to a couple of feet and let it fall on a tight line so that I can feel a strike. Sometimes, I just kind of walk it along the bottom. About 99 percent of the hits come as the lure falls, so it's important that you keep a tight line to telegraph the strike.
You have to keep moving around until you find the fish in order to make jigging pay. If you know the lake, you have a pretty good idea as to where the best spots are. If you're new there, just look for the sharpest dropoffs you can find in the right amount of water.
The depth finder is important in jigging because it helps find the structure, and it tells how pronounced that dropoff is. The wider the band on the dial, the better potential for fish.
I also use the depth finder to locate schools of shad and white bass, since I always have my eye on it when troll ing around the lake or just exploring. The shad will show up as bright, flick ering flashes above, and the white bass will be larger, more solid signals below. I often see them on the locator and catch one or two as I troll through. If I catch others on a second or third pass, that tells me that the fish are not on the move. Then, I anchor and jig or cast for them.
I just retired this year, and I'm look ing forward to spending a lot more time on Harlan and learning some more about white bass. There's no way you can learn too much about these fish.
Chuck Roberts: Finding Bass
Chuck Roberts, outdoor writer, ad man and hopelessly hooked angling buff, has fished in 26 states and 11 foreign countries from Iceland and Canada to Honduras and Nicarauga. His career has included stints as a Texas fishing guide and operator of a Labrador fishing camp. Most of his fishing career has been devoted to the study and pursuit of the largemouth bass, with out standing results. His biggest bass is a 17 pound, 6-oz. Florida bucketmouth.FOR A LONG time, I fished deep water structure for bass, and I did pretty well. But over the years, I've be come convinced that there are two distinct populations of bass in most waters: the deep-water fish and those that live in relatively shallow waters. I've found that it's often easier and usually a lot more fun to catch the shallow-water bass.
When you're after the shallow-water fish, you can usually see the cover or structure that attracts them. Look for something irregular, something a little different from the rest of the area that the fish can identify and relate to. If you're in flooded timber with a dozen downed oaks and one cotton wood, try the Cottonwood. That tree may be enough different from the rest of the area to hold fish. It's the same along a bank or shoreline. A point or dropoff is the irregularity that fish look for.
Of all the places in a lake to fish, my personal (Continued on page 46)
V. K. Hyde: Panfish
V. K. Hyde keeps his fishing rods close at hand all year long as he travels the western half of Nebraska as an insurance representative. Panfishing is his favorite diversion, and he indulges in the pursuit as of ten as four evenings per week. With so many opportunities to fish such a variety of waters, he has become adept at taking bluegill, crappie, rock bass and perch with fly rod, spinning gear or through the ice.MY FAVORITE WAY of taking pan-fish is on dry flies, poppers and other surface lures with my flyrod. And, if it's too windy or too brushy to use the long stick, I often try the same offerings with an ultra-light spinning rod and a plastic casting bubble.
Quite often I find bluegill and crappie simply by looking for signs of surface feeding. Otherwise, I cast to cover like submerged trees and brush or weedbeds. I like to cast from out in the lake toward shore, or parallel to shore. Most of the time my waders an inntertube donut rig work just fine.
For bluegill and rock bass, I prefer small poppers with plastic bodies and rubber legs. I don't move the lure after the cast until the ripples disappear. I start with a small twitch, which starts those rubber legs on the popper really working. I think that fishing slow is the secret to using any top-water lure, whether for panfish or lunker bass.
It's important to keep the lure still until those ripples are gone. Did you ever watch a moth or small dragonfly that gets knocked into the water? They never start struggling right away. They always lay there for a spell and don't start kicking up a fuss for a half minute or so. A surface fly should be have the same way.
I like fishing a lot of different kinds of waters. Private ponds offer some of the best sport there is. Being the friendly folks they are, farmers and ranchers will usually give you per mission if you ask and if you're careful around their property.
The Refuge lakes in the Sandhills are good, too, but I've found the best panfish populations in the smaller of these waters. Tri-county lakes and Merritt Reservoir are particularly good for perch. And, the Interstate 80 lakes are fine all-round waters, particularly for someone who travels a lot.
The Interstate lakes have been get ting better over the years with the addition of cover by the Game Commission, and through natural processes. They'll continue to get better, too, particularly for panfishermen. They are excellent right now for bluegill and rock bass.
I prefer to do my bluegill fishing just prior to spawning, or anytime be tween late April and July 4. Things get good again in September and last almost until freeze-up. Rock bass and crappie are also good in spring and fall. I like to fish these three with surface lures on a flyrod.
Perch are another story. I've never had a surface hit from one, so it's no disgrace to go to bait if you're after a mess of perch. I love to eat 'em, and I'll often go to a plain old worm or other bait to collect a few.
My favorite times to catch perch are in the fall and through the ice. In fact, they account for most of my ice fish ing time. There's no special technique; just find a school, almost always in deep water, and lower 'em some bait. I prefer to use a teardrop with rubber legs because of the extra action they give, and I bait them with meal worms or perch eyes. I keep the bait in motion about 80 percent of the time.
Crappie fishing through the ice is
much the same except that the fish are
found at varying depths. I haven't tried
16
NEBRASKAland
APRIL 1977
17
it yet, but I think western fishermen
should take a lesson from Salt Valley
ice fishermen in going after crappies at
night by lantern light. I think this
would also work on western lakes.
I take a lot of razzing from friends who say I specialize in little fish. But, I like panfishing because of the action. That's what makes it such a good sport for kids.
Young fathers who have the time should get their kids interested in the outdoors by taking them panfishing. And, the fathers who think they don't have the time should make time.
Dad's not going to keep junior's in terest up if he takes him lunker hunt ing. It's hard enough to keep grown ups from getting bored between big fish. On the other hand, the bluegill, crappie or perch will usually keep dad and the kids pretty busy. Parents that teach kids panfishing will give them a sport to build on as adults.
Paul Nines: Reservoir Cats
Paul Nines of Malcolm is a transplanted West Virginian who has applied the catfishing techniques he learned on the Potomac River back east to Nebraska's Blue River, and later adapted them to the Salt Valley Lakes. With his methods, he has been able to string catches of 50 pounds per night with amazing regularity. The big gest Salt Valley cat he's boated was a 76 pounder, although he's hooked and lost larger ones.
I STARTED FISHING catfish in Nebraska on the Big Blue River near Crete, and although I didn't set the world on fire, I caught a few.
In 1969 I decided to give the Salt Valley Lakes a try, with a mind to us ing a bait that had produced well on the South Potomac in West Virginia. The polite word for it is "chicken en trails", although that's not exactly the word most catfishermen use when talking amongst themselves.
At first, I still-fished with a gob of bait on a standard hook, and I caught a few cats. But after a while I tried drift-fishing, and I developed a way to rig my bait that improved my catch considerably.
I tie a fairly small hook, something like a No. 6, at the end of my 20 pound-test monofilament line. About a foot above that, I tie in another hook and fasten a one-half-ounce, egg shaped sinker five inches above the second hook. The weight is tied into the line solidly, not used as a slip sinker.
Next, I select a chunk of entrail about 13 inches long and pass a thin stiff wire with a loop in the end through the entire length of it. I use the loop to pull the first hook, the one at the end of the line, into the bait until it's about three inches from coming out the other end. Then, I work the wire free and tie a loose overhand knot in the bait right over the hook. The long end of the bait, with the line threaded through it, is stretched up to the second hook and fastened there.
This rig is almost weedless and snag-proof, making it ideal for drifting. And you never lose a bait to a "nib bling" fish. The bait stays on until something is hooked.
The hottest part of the year, July and August, is the best for catfishing on these reservoirs, provided you can stay out most of the night. A week or so of 100-degree temperatures during the day means the best of night catfishing.
Finding catfish in reservoirs is not as easy as in rivers. I have found them in the mouths of shallow bays near flooded timber. I also like to fish along the shelf along the submerged creek channel where the channel is about 20 feet deep and the shelf is in 8 to 10 feet of water. I also do well near lily beds or smartweed in less than 10 feet of water.
I've noticed that these reservoir cat fish segregate themselves according to size. If you catch a big one, chances are that all the other fish you might get there will be good-sized.
I generally stay on the lake from dusk till dawn. I sit back and relax, maybe even take a little nap. When a catfish hits this rig, he wakes me up for sure. There's no pecking or fooling around. They hit it hard and run for a distance with it. I just let them go. They stop, eat the bait, and start to move on again before I set the hook.
A lot of the fishermen I take along with me have trouble hooking the cats the first few times. They get excited and set the hook too soon. Very often the catfish has the bait right in the middle, and neither hook is in his mouth when a fisherman sets the hook prematurely. Once they learn to keep their cool when a cat hits, they start catching fish.
Nels Kilburn: Big Mo Walleye
Nels Kilburn, manager of the Gavins Point Dam powerhouse, has worked on or near rivers since 1949, and he has fished them at every opportunity. He has been fishing the Missouri River since 1953, and the area below Gavins Point Dam since he came to the area in 7956 when that project began operations. His perseverance and river savvy have paid off in techniques that can produce fish every month of the year, from the dead of winter to the long hot days of summer.
THE BIG SECRET to fishing the wall eye and sauger in this river is locating them. I know from experience what general kinds of water the fish will be in at a given time of the year. But, there are lots of spots offering the right conditions, and not all of them have fish.
I sometimes spend a whole day searching the 10 miles of river that I usually fish. I might start in the tailwaters near the powerhouse and work each likely spot downstream, staying in each just long enough to determine whether or not fish are there. Then, once I know which spots have fish, I can come back again and again. Often, the fish stay in the same spots 18 NEBRASKAland for several weeks before I have to go exploring again.
The most unusual thing about this fishing is the opportunity of taking walleye and sauger the year around. December, January and February have given me some fine catches and some really big fish. If you can stand being on the water on raw, cold days, you can catch fish.
My winter fishing rig consists of a pretty good sized yellow or white jig equipped with various combinations of spinners, (Continued on page 48)
Bob Propst: Learning Walleye
Bob Propst has been a fishing guide since the late 1950's when he worked for a Minnesota resort. He's fished Harlan County Reservoir for walleye every year since 1959, and has been guiding at Lake McConaughy since 1966. He has a reputation as one of the most consistent walleye fishermen, often bringing in fish on days when other boats come in skunked.
THE FISHERMAN'S best teacher is a spell of poor fishing. When things are slow, I have to experiment with different lures and baits, different pre sentations, different depths and loca tions, and any other variation in tech nique that I can think of. That's how I have been able to zero in on my favorite fish, big walleye.
The big ones hit best at two differ ent times each year. One of these is very early spring, when the water is still four or five degrees below the walleye's spawning temperature. I look for shallow areas near the spawn ing ground, where the water is warmed by the sun from about 37 degrees to near 44 during the course of the day.
I troll a Thinfin, Rapala or minnow through these areas, and usually find the fish anywhere from 8 to 25 feet deep. But, as soon as the small male walleye show up, there or on the spawning grounds, the fishing for the big ones always stops. This pre-spawn period offers great walleye fishing, but I'm still learning things about it.
The other period for big walleye comes at the tail end of the season, usually from about November 10 to December 10 at Lake McConaughy. It's cold then, and most fishermen are long gone.
The fish are deep, from 45 to 70 feet down. I try to stay away from any radical structure like timber, rocks or led ges because it's tough to control your lure precisely at such a depth, and it's easy to get snagged with the amount of weight that you need to fish that deep.
I've found that one boat can handle two rods with lead-core line, and an other standard spinning rig with monofilament and a good 10 ounces of weight. Neither rig offers much sport, but the lead-core line or the weight is what it takes to reach that deep. Some fishermen anchor and jig with slabs or big jigs, but I prefer to troll Thinfins over a relatively flat area with a plain sand bottom.
These big walleye techniques are tailored for Lake McConaughy, but I know that something like this also works at Harlan County Reservoir. And, there's no reason to believe that similar tactics would not pay off on other Nebraska walleye lakes.
Probably the most popular time to fish walleyes is during the spring spawning run. The dam is the hotspot, with No. 7 or 9 Rapalas trolled right along the water's edge among the rocks the best producer. Usually, the catch is mainiy smaller males of a couple pounds.
After the walleye finish spawning, we have some of the best fishing of the year; when the fish begin a feeding binge. You can find them in 8 to 15 feet of water in bays and all over the lake. Drift-fished or trolled night crawlers and minnows are best.
I use something similar to the "Lindy" technique, except that I use an eight-foot leader. Blowing up the crawler with air seems to have little to do with fish appeal, but it does in fluence how near the bottom the worm travels. I find crawlers and minnows equally (Continued on page 48)
Walt Somerhiser: Salt Valley Bass
Walt Somerhiser tests Rogers bass lures and Stren fishing lines on Salt Valley Lakes around Lincoln, when he's not tied up with his other career with the railroad. His work schedule usually allows him to fish several days per week, and he seldom passes up a chance to be on the water. It's likely that he spends more time fishing for largemouth bass on the Salt Valley Lakes than any other individual.
I AM A FIRM believer that one can catch bass no matter how high the water temperature gets, but cold water's a different story.
Bass are a warm-water fish—65 to 75 degrees being their ideal temperature—and few are caught in waters colder than 50 degrees. If the spring angler would wait until the boxelder and willow trees start to show the first leaves, he would improve his chances of catching bass and "start a pattern."
Two words I never use in fishing are "always" and "never," but generally on our Salt Valley Lakes and on all shallow-water Nebraska lakes, two patterns can be set. A shallow-water pattern and a more difficult, deep-water pattern are possible to find, since the water temperature won't vary enough to send all bass to one depth.
Last summer I found a pattern for catching bass on one lake when the water temperature was 87 degrees. I caught bass living among logs close together in 18 inches of water. The shade provided by those logs provided some comfort to the bass and that was the secret to catching them.
The most (Continued on page 50)
ANGLING ALMANAC
WHERE
An Inventory of Waters
OTHER PARTS of the country have big ger reputations than Nebraska when it comes to fishing. The walleye fish ing is supposed to be tops in more north erly states, the South is said to be best for bass, and the trout fishing out west in the mountain states is legendary.
But for variety, relaxation and just plain fun, Nebraska fishing is hard to beat. And besides, it's close by; a great big plus in light of gas prices and other travel costs.
For the sophisticated angler, there's some great trout streams and excellent reservoirs full of warmwater fish. Many trout buffs say some Nebraska streams equal or surpass the more famous mountain waters in quality, if not in quantity. And visiting fishing "pros" have pronounced several of our reservoirs as top quality in any league.
At the other end of the spectrum is the more traditional kind of fishing-cane poling for bluegill and crappie in ponds and pits or moseying along lazy rivers after catfish. Nebraskans have known all along that those kinds of fishing are good here.
We can point out the variety of Nebraska waters in the maps and charts of this section. Finding the relaxation and fun is up to you.
FISHING IN southeast Nebraska is a pleasant blend of the old and the new. Traditional fishing holes, the rivers, farm ponds and sandpits, are still popular among those who live nearby and know them well. And the new waters, reservoirs like the Salt Valley lakes around Lincoln and some of the new Natural Resources District lakes, have also gained an enthusiastic following from anglers in this part of the state.
While not so abundantly endowed with fishing waters as some other regions of Nebraska, the Southeast offers more an ling opportunity than meets the eye. There are even some waters that have been over looked by southeasterners in their rush to find soort elsewhere in the state.
Without a doubt, the Salt Valley lakes are the most popular waters in the South east, or all of Nebraska, for that matter. The lion's share of the state's people live within an hour or two of these relatively small but scenic waters, and they thus support tremendous fishing pressure. They are also the playgrounds of pleasure boaters, water skiers and sailboat enthusiasts, so they are busy places, indeed, to pursue the placid diversion of Ol' Ike Walton.
In spite of all the boat traffic and angler activity, these lakes provide surprisingly good fishing. Several of them offer fair to good numbers of largemouth bass, a couple hold fine walleye populations, and several provide good catfishing. All have the potential for excellent bluegill and crappie fishing, although the size and numbers of these panfish vary from lake to lake and year to year.
If you're without a boat, you're best off to do your Salt Valley fishing early and late in the season. By mid-June, aquatic vegetation rings the lakes, making fishing from shore very frustrating if not impossible. In some cases, an angler with waders can beat the green barrier for a while longer.
But some kind of boat is a must if you are to make the most of these lakes. It doesn't have to be big or fast or fancy. Even a canoe or 10-foot skiff will get the fisherman to the best fishing.
Casting plugs and spinner baits in the flooded trees, and dragging lures or plastic worms along deeper structure, accounts for many bass. Some walleye are taken near the dam on jigs and plugs during early spring spawning runs, while others go for trolled nightcrawlers and minnows later on. Crappie hit jigs near the dam in spring, minnows in the trees a bit later, and occasionally take dry flies on quiet summer evenings. Worms do best on bluegill in flooded timber and drift-fishing in deep water in the hot part of summer.
Some other lakes similar to those of the Salt Valley but on a smaller scale are found elsewhere in the Southeast. Among them are Rockford, Big Indian, Burchard and a couple in the Papio Valley near Omaha.
Photos by Ken Bouc 21
Excessive fishing pressure on the Omaha lakes limits their potential, but the others offer opportunities similar to Salt Valley lakes. More such waters are being consid ered for construction, mostly through pro grams of Natural Resources Districts.
While many southeasterners don't have one of these lakes in their backyards, they are not hurting for places to wet a line. In many instances, truly quality fishing is available locally in farm ponds that dot the landscape, particularly in the south easternmost counties.
These ponds are usually on private property, and permission of the owner is required to fish them. This kind of quality fishing opportunity is obviously at a pre mium, and most landowners are under standably selective about who they allow to fish. But, a courteous request is often answered favorably, and the angler may find himself welcomed back if he con ducts himself well. The privilege of fishing a good farm pond is something to be guarded carefully.
Bass, bluegill and catfish account for the bulk of pond fishing. A small boat is some times helpful, but waders usually give the fisherman all the edge he needs.
Sandpits comprise another important fishing resource, providing bass, bluegill, catfish and an occasional walleye or pike. Their proximity to rivers also makes them likely to contain some rough fish such as carp and suckers. Like ponds, sandpits, are mostly in private ownership, and per mission is required to fish them.
Of all the Southeast's fishing resources, the oldest and most traditional are also the most overlooked. These are the rivers, the only natural bodies of fishing waters in the district.
The catfish is king in these waters, either flathead or channel cat variety. For those so inclined, there are also good numbers of carp and some buffalo. Even an occa sional crappie, walleye or sauger can be taken.
Some rivers offer lunker catfish, like the lower stretch of the Little Blue where big flatheads lurk, or the lower Platte and the Missouri, with channels plus occasional big flatheads or blues.
Other rivers feature an assortment of sizes, with an abundance of tasty two and three-pounders. And, this is where south easterners are passing up a good thing, particularly on the Nemaha rivers. Follow ing surveys in the summer of 1976, fish eries biologists described the South Fork of the Big Nemaha as "possibly the best catfish stream in the state." The same surveys showed very good catfish numbers in the North Branch of the Big Nemaha and parts of the Little Nemaha. Spring and early summer seemed to show highest cat fish numbers.
With the bulk of the state's people so close, it's obvious that most of the waters in the Southeast are heavily fished. But, despite all that fishing pressure, some of these waters still offer excellent sport.
22 NO. NAME Verdon Lake Burchard Lake Rockford Lake Cub Creek Wa tershed 12A Bear-Pierce-Ce dar Watershed 2A Big Indian South Diamond Lake Buckley 3F Alexandria SRA LOCATION SPECIES Lm. bass, bluegill, chan 0.5 W of Verdon ne| catfish, crappie Lm. bass, crappie, blue 3 E, 0.5 N of Bur gi|| channel catfish, chard pjke, walleye, yellow perch Lm. bass, walleye, pike, 7 E, 2 S of Be channel catfish, bluegill, bullheads, crappie 3 W, 4.5 S of Plymouth Lm. bass, channel cat fish, bluegill 4 N, 2.5 E of Be atrice Lm. bass, channel cat fish, bluegill 3S, 3WofWy more 3.5W,0.5SOdel 7 W, 3 S of Fair bury 4 E of Alexandria 32-mile D Lake Hastings Bader Memorial Co. Park Hord Lake Recre ation Area Blue Bluff Special Use Area Olive Creek Lake Bluestem Lake Wagon Train Lake Stagecoach Lake Hedgefield Lake Yankee Hill Lake Killdeer Lake 3W, 1.5 S of Ju niata North edge of Hastings 3 S of Chapman 2 E of Central City 0.5 N,1 E, 2Sof Milford 2 E, 1 S of Kramer 2.5WofSprague 2Eof Hickman 1.5 S, 0.5 W of Hickman 3E, 1 S of Hick man 2.5E, 1S of Den ton 2.5 N of Martell REMARKS Camping available, elec tric fishing motors only Camping available, power boats limited to 5 mph, closed during wa terfowl seasons except face of dam Camping available, all boats allowed 50 acres, contact Lower Big Blue NRD, Beatrice for more information 30 acres, open to fish ing, hiking and hunting only, no power boats al lowed, contact Lower Big Blue NRD, Beatrice, for more information Bullhead, Lm. bass, bluegill, channel catfish, walleye, N. pike Bullhead, Lm. bass, channel catfish, flathead catfish Lm. bass, channel cat fish, bluegill, carp, bull heads Lm. bass, bluegill, crappie & carp in lake #1, Lm. bass, bluegill, bullhead, crappie, and channel catfish in lakes #2 and 3 Lm. bass, channel cat fish, bluegill, carp, bull heads Channel catfish, crappie, bullhead Lm. bass, bluegill, chan nel catfish, rock bass Lm. bass, yellow perch, carp, walleye, bullheads in east lake, Lm. bass, channel catfish, bluegill, crappie in west lake Carp, channel catfish, flathead catfish Lm. bass, bluegill, wall eye, crappie, channel catfish Lm. bass, crappie, wall eye, channel catfish All boats allowed, camping available Electric fishing motors only Contact Little Blue NRD, Davenport, for more information Camping available, elec tric fishing motors only Contact Little Blue NRD, Davenport, for more information All boats allowed Camping available, power boats not al lowed Camping available, elec- tric fishing motors only Access to Blue River Camping available, power boats limited to 5 mph Lm. bass, bluegill, red ear sunfish, pike, channel catfish, walleye, tiger muskie Lm. bass, walleye, blue gill, channel catfish, pike Lm. bass, channel cat fish, bluegill, bullheads, pike, walleye Lm. bass, bluegill, wall eye, channel catfish, bullheads, crappie Lm. bass, bluegill, chan nel catfish Camping available, all boats allowed Renovated 1975, opened January 1977, camping available, power boats limited 5 mph Renovated 1976, camp ing available, pow erboats limited to 5 mph. Should provide fishing in 1978 Electric fishing motors only Electric fishing motors only Electric fishing motors only Termission required NAME Conestoga Lake Pawnee Lake Branched Oak Twin Lakes LOCATION 3 S, 0.5 W of Em erald 2N, 1.5 W of Em erald 3 N of Malcolm 3N, 5 E of Mil- ford Salt Valley Lake #57 A Salt Valley Lake #17A Wilson Creek Louisville State Recreation Area SPECIES Lm. bass, bluegill, crappie, walleye, chan- nel catfish, pike, red- ear sunfish Lm. bass, bluegill, wall- eye, channel catfish, crappie Lm. bass, walleye, pike, bluegill, channel catfish, crappie, bullheads, tiger muskie REMARKS Camping available, all boats allowed Camping available, all boats allowed Lm. bass, walleye, pike, bluegill, channel catfish, crappie, bullhead 5WD Nof Ag new 1 Nof Martell 3 E, 2.5 S Otoe 0.5 NW of Louis ville Two Rivers State Recreation Area Plattsmouth Ref- uge Military Lake (PapioSite #16) Lm. bass, bluegill, pike, channel catfish, walleye, crappie Lm. bass, bluegill, chan nel catfish Lm. bass, bluegill, redear sunfish, channel catfish, pike walleye Lm. bass, catfish, blue- gill, crappie, walleye, in lake #1,1A&2A. Carp, bullheads in Lake #3 Camping available, no wake boating in por tions of lake Closed during water fowl migrations as posted, electric fishing motors only. West lake subject to winterkill. Power boats limited to 5 mph. Power boats limited to 5 mph Electric fishing motors only E of Yutan 1 NEof Plattsmouth Irvington Lake (PapioSite #11) Dodge Lake Carter Lake Platte River* In Omaha, 132nd & Military Lm. bass, bluegill, chan nel catfish, carp, bull heads, crappie in lakes #1, 2, 3, and 4, Trout in lake #5, carp & bull head in carp lake Channel catfish, carp in Platte and Missouri riv ers, bluegill, crappie, bullheads in ponds Camping available, elec tric fishing motors only Camping available, put- and-take trout lake in season, non-powered boats only, no boats on lake #5 Catfish, crappie, blue gill, bass, pike In Omaha, 96th & State streets Located in Dodge Park NE edge of Omaha In Omaha, Ab bott Drive and Carter Blvd. North part of dis trict Republican River* Little Blue River* Big Blue River* Little Nemaha* River Big Nemaha: River Missouri River* Farm ponds, sandpits; private lakes* SW part of dis trict Hebron to Kan sas border Milford to Kansas border near Barneston Lm. bass, bluegill, bull heads, channel catfish, pike, tiger muskie, walleye Carp, bullheads, channel catfish, Lm. bass, crappie, buffalo Lm. bass, bluegill, crappie, carp, bullheads, pike, walleye, catfish Carp, channel cattish, flathead catfish, blue catfish, sauger, walleye Open April 15 through September 15, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. as posted, no boats on lake Power boats not al lowed May open in 1977 to limited access, subject to Corps of Engineers approval. Check with local authorities All boats allowed Channel catfish, drum, carp, flathead catfish, w. bass Flathead catfish, chan nel catfish, carp Channel catfish, flat head catfish, carp SE portion of dis trict SE portion of dis trict Eastern border of district Entire district Channel catfish, flat head catfish, carp Channel catfish, flat head catfish, carp Carp, channel catfish, flathead catfish, crappie Lm. bass, bluegill, chan nel catfish, bullheads, crappie Public access at Kinter's Ford Special Use Area south of Humboldt All boats allowed
THE UNCHANNELIZED portion of the Missouri River, both above and below Lewis and Clark Lake, makes up in quality what northeast Nebraska lacks in quantity of fishing water. These two stretches are all that remain of the Missouri in anything like its natural state, with meandering channels, shallow bars and undercut banks offering habitat for walleye, sauger, catfish, white bass and paddlefish.
The tailwaters below Gavins Point Dam is a drawing card for fishermen after walleye, sauger and paddlefish. Spring and fall are best for walleye and sauger, while catfishing with drift-fished baits below the powerhouse gets going in mid-summer. Paddle fish snagging is tops in the tailwaters in December and January.
Lewis and Clark Lake is a big chunk of water, but it offers only fair walleye and white bass fishing. Its best sport is probably catfishing in the flooded trees at the lake's upper reaches in late spring.
Several other good rivers and streams course through the Northeast, including the Niobrara, Elkhorn, Loup and Cedar systems. Catfishing predominates there, where holes and undercut banks yield good catches. Smaller streams like Logan, Willow, and Beaver also have good fishing potential, but their fishing seems doomed unless some thing can be done to keep water flowing.
Except for the Missouri River, farm ponds make up the greatest fishing potential in the Northeast. There are some 12,000 such structures in the area, and 100 to 200 more are being built each year.
Not all of these have the potential to be good fisheries; however, ponds account for a large share of the Master Angler large mouth bass and bluegill caught in the area. Most predominant species in these ponds are bass, bluegill and channel catfish.
While in short supply, there are some public lakes in the Northeast that have justly earned a good reputation. Grove Lake is one of these, offering good bass, bluegill and crappie fishing, along with a few pike and walleye. Another good lake that has some how been overlooked by many fishermen is Cottonwood Lake, also known as Lake Yankton, located below Gavins Point Dam. It holds a nice array of fish, including crappie, walleye, channel catfish, large mouth bass and northern pike. Although it appears to be in South Dakota, holders of Nebraska permits can fish on foot from the south or west banks, or the entire lake from a boat.
Other modest-sized public waters providing good fishing include DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge, Lake North, Pibel Lake, Lake Ericson, Skyview Lake, Goose Lake and some of the Fremont Lakes.
There is not an abundance of reservoirs or natural lakes in the Northeast, and the streams that provided good catfishing in the past and showed excellent promise for pike and other game fish in the future, are run ning out of water. But even at that, there are still some fine places to wet a line in this part of the state.
THE SANDHILLS
Wild trout streams, farm ponds, beautiful natural lakes and a fine reservoir comprise the Sandhills list of fishing opportunities.
THE SAND HILLS offers a cross section of Nebraska angling, with the possible exception of rather limited catfishing. Some fine trout streams, natural Sand Hills lakes, a good number of farm ponds in the eastern part of the district, and a fair-sized reservoir make up this region's inventory of fishing holes.
A couple of blue-ribbon trout streams in the Snake River and Long Pine Creek head the list, which includes Plum, Fairfield, Gracie, and a few other creeks.
Brown and rainbow trout are what's on the minds of anglers plying the waters with flies, spinners, and baits. Many techniques and lures will work well, but the overlooked possibility is the crawdad, a natural trout food, particularly on Long Pine Creek.
Time spent amid the clean waters, wild lands and quiet air of Sand Hills trout streams is reward enough, so that many sportsmen don't mind releasing all or most of the trout taken there. It's not always necessary to keep fish to enjoy trout fish ing.
Access to these waters is at the discretion of area ranchers, since most trout streams are on private property. However, portions of Long Pine Creek flow through public lands at Long Pine State Recreation Area and Pine Glen Special Use Area.
Natural Sand Hills lakes offer large mouth bass, bluegill, crappie, northern pike, and yellow perch. Aquatic vegetation abounds in these waters, so the best time to fish them is in the spring and through the ice.
The Valentine National Wildlife Refuge 26 offers several such lakes to public access. However, they will be drained and renovated over the next few years to eliminate rough fish, so check locally to find out which offer the best potential. Also, check on regulations regarding legal baits.
Fishing in these Sand Hills lakes has been declining in recent years because of low water levels brought on by drought. This condition adds to the potential for winterkill, which is a serious problem for such waters even in normal years.
Most of these lakes are shallow and lined with vegetation. A small boat is a handy item, as are waders or the "donut" float rigs. Spinners and spoons tossed in the springtime often coax bass and pike into a scrap.
Fishing on the ponds in the eastern portion of the district ranges from poor to fantastic. Some simply do not offer the proper conditions for supporting good fish populations. But others produce outstanding sport, particularly for Master Angler-size bucketmouths. Among the lures favored by local anglers are spinners, curly tailed jigs and various plugs. As always, fishermen are required to get permission of the landowner.
Merritt Reservoir is a fine lake, providing excellent crappie and perch fishing, good walleye and white bass, and fine action on bass in the spring and fall. It's also good for winter fishermen after panfish.
Only catfish are in short supply in this part of the state. Except for this minor shortcoming, the Sand Hills area of Nebraska offers just about everything a fish erman could ask for.
Photo by Bob Grier NAME Coon Creek* Long Pine Creek* Plum Creek* Fairfield Creek Lower* Fairfield Creek Upper* Schlagel Creek 5 LOCATION NE of Bassett N & W of Long Pine Ainsworth & Johnstown 15 N of Johnstown on Nordon road, 2.5 W on S. side of Niobrara 7.5 N of Wood Lake Snake River* Niobrara River* Gracie Creek* Calamus River* North Loup River* Middle Loup River* Dismal River* Shell Lake Cottonwood Lake Schoolhouse Lake* Merritt Reservoir 13Sof Valen tine-Hwy83, 4 W on Spur 483, 3.5 N on trail road NW portion of district North part of dis trict 12 NW of Bur well NWof Burwell SE of Purdum W of Mullen, Milburn to Boelus Wof Dunning 7 N, 8 E of Gor don, 3 N, 4 E, 6 NEon trail road 0.5 E of Merrim 18 S of Cody SPECIES Brown trout REMARKS Brown & rainbow trout Brown trout Brown trout Brown trout Brown trout Brown & rainbow trout Channel catfish, sauger, carp Brown trout Pike, channel catfish Channel catfish Rainbow trout, channel catfish Brown trout between Hwy. 83 & Hwy. 97 Spinners, minnows, worms all year Public access at Long Pine Recreation Area, U.S. 20 & at Pine Glen Wildlife Area, 2 E, 8.2 N of Long Pine Spinners, minnows, worms all year Spinners, minnows, worms all year Spinners, minnows, worms all year Spinners, minnows, worms all year West Cherry Co. & be low Merrit Reservoir Sauger below Spencer Dam Renovation planned for 1977, fishing available in 1978 River West of Milburn Diversion. Stocked ex perimentally with cat fish 1973 & 1976 Pike, perch, bluegill Pike, Lm. bass, bluegi bullhead Perch 26 SW Valentine Rainbow trout, walleye, Lm. bass, Sm. bass, crappie, bluegill, perch, white bass, bullheads Channel catfish stocked experimentally in lower portion in 1971 All boats allowed Camping available, all boats allowed All boats allowed All boats allowed, camping available NO. NAME LOCATION SPECIES REMARKS Valentine National Waterfowl Refuge 13 S of Valentine on Hwy. 83,12 W on Spur 16 B Camping prohibited, live minnows prohibited, electric fishing motors only Watts Lake Renovated in 1976 Hackberry Lake Bullheads Renovated in 1975 Dewey Lake Walleye, Lm. bass, rock bass, perch, pike Duck Lake Bluegill, Lm. bass, bullheads, crappie Rice Lake Bluegill, Lm. bass, bullheads, crappie Clear Lake Sacramento perch, walleye, Lm. bass, yellow perch, N. pike Pelican Lake Pike, bluegill, Y. Perch West Long Lake Lm. bass, yellow perch, bluegill Renovated in 1976. Restocking to begin in 1977 and 1978. Big Alkali Lake 13 S of Valentine Hwy. 83, 4 Won Spur 16B Bullhead, Lm. bass, pike, bluegill, perch, walleye Camping available, all boats allowed Long Lake 9Wof Ainsworth Hwy. 20, 20 S on county road Renovated 1973, N. pike Camping available, power boats limited to 5 mph Fish Lake 8 S of Basset on Hwy. 183,14 SE on WPAoil road to Pony Lake School, 2 Won trail road Pike, Lm. bass, yellow perch All boats allowed Overton Lake 8 S of Bassett on Hwy. 183,14 SE on WPAoil road to Pony Lake School-follow the directional signs-10 E & S on gravel and trail roads Lm. bass, bluegill, rock bass, walleye Power boats not allowed, minnows not allowed Atkinson Lake 0.5 Wof Atkinson Lm. bass, rock bass, and channel catfish in 1975 Winterkilled in 1976. Dried up in summer 1976 Victoria Springs Lake 7 E of Anselmo Catfishing has been best at night Arnold Lake S edge of Arnold Lm. bass, rock bass Camping available, electric fishing motors only Frye Lake* 1 N, 1 E of Hyannis Lm. bass, crappie, bluegill, yellow perch *Permission required
Chain of Lakes provide roadside fishing waters
1-80 LAKES
THE 55 MILE-PER-HOUR speed limit has opened the eyes of many tourist fishermen to the Interstate 80 Chain of Lakes, which in earlier days went unnoticed by those caught up in the speeds of the super highway.
The small lakes were formed from borrow pits dating back to the construction of 1-80. They have earned a name as good fishing waters, particularly during the springtime when anglers take trophy largemouth and smallmouth bass.
The big bass are not the only attractions. Rock bass topping one pound are not uncommon, and some of the lakes have turned up channel catfish over 18 pounds in fisheries biologists' nets. The introduction of flathead catfish has added diversity in the bag to some of these wa ters, and the legalization of electric fish ing motors on most of these lakes has also brought applause from anglers.
In all, more than 40 lakes line Interstate 80 from Grand Island to Sutherland. Some are at interchanges, but others can be reached only by county roads. Direc tions to most of the public access lakes are given from the nearest interchange on accompanying charts.
28 photo by Bill McClurg INTERCHANGE LOCATION SPECIES REMARKS Grand Island S of I-80, 3 E Grand Island interchange Lm. bass, channel catfish, crappie, carp 6 acres, public access Nof 1-80,1.5 E of interchange Lm. bass, bluegill, channel catfish 17 acres, access on foot from Mormon Island N side, 1 mile E of interchange Lm. bass, bluegill, channel catfish, carp 20 acres, access on foot from Mormon Island Mormon Island Wayside Area, NE quadrant of interchange Lm. bass, channel catfish, bluegill, walleye, carp, bullheads 40 acres, publ ic access, camping, rest rooms available, drinking water, fireplaces Alda NE quadrant of interchange Lm. bass, channel catfish, bluegill, carp 9.7 acres, public access Wood River NW quadrant of interchange Lm. bass, channel catfish, rock bass 16.9 acres, public access, drinking water, picnic tables, fireplaces, rest-rooms available 0.4 S, 1 W, 0.1 N across overpass, 0.2 W Lm. bass, channel catfish, rock bass 15 acres, public access, camping, drinking water, picnic tables, fireplaces, restrooms Shelton NE quadrant of interchange Lm. bass, channel catfish, rock bass 12 acres, public access, drinking water fireplaces, restrooms, picnic tables available, renovated 1975 Gibbon Windmill Wayside Area, NE quadrant of interchange Lm. bass, channel catfish, rock bass 19 acres, public access, 4 lakes renovated 1974, no gas or electric motors Minden (Nebr. Hwy. 10) Bassway Strip, 0.4 S of interchange, turn left, 0.4 N across Platte River bridge, turn right, 1 E to first lake Sm. bass, channel catfish, bullheads 4 lakes, 13, 13, 8, and 20 acres, public access INTERCHANGE Kearney Odessa Elm Creek Lexington Darr LOCATION Cozad SE quadrant of interchange, ac cess 0.4 S, left turn, 0.4 N across Platte River bridge 6.5 E of inter change Bufflehead Wild life Area, 1.1 N of interchange to 11th st., 3 E, 1 S, 0.6 E SW quadrant of interchange 1.1 N of inter change to 11th St., 1.3 W, 0.9 S to overpass ap proach, left turn, 0.1 S 1.8 W of inter change at west bound rest stop 4 E of inter change S of I-80 NE quadrant of interchange SPECIES Sm. bass, channel cat fish, Lm. bass, bluegill Flood damage, fishing doubtful Sm. bass, channel cat- fish, rock bass, Lm. bass Lm. bass, channel cat fish, bullheads Sm. bass, channel cat fish, rock bass, Lm. bass, perch Lm. bass, channel cat fish, bluegill, Sm. bass Lm. bass, bullhead, channel catfish Lm. bass, channel cat- fish, bluegill, crappie Coot Shallows Wildlife Area, 0.7 N of interchange. 1.7W,0.1S Blue Hole Wild- life Area, 0.3 S of interchange, left turn, 0.1 N, right turn, 1.1 Eon ca- nal road SW quadrant of interchange 0.3 S, 0.3 W of interchange 3 Wof inter- change NE quadrant of interchange Dogwood Area, 5.5 E, 2.5 S over overpass, 0.2 E NW quadrant of interchange SE quadrant of interchange 1 Nof inter- *\ change to Cozad, 1.7Won U.S. 30, 0.8 S over I-80 overpass, 0.1 E, 0.1 N, 0.1 E Sm. bass, channel cat fish, rock bass, Lm. bass, perch Lm bass, channel catfish, rock bass Not stocked Subject to flooding; carp, catfish Sm. bass, channel cat fish, rock bass Lm. bass, channel cat fish, rock bass, bull heads Channel catfish, Lm. bass Sm. bass, channel cat fish, rock bass Lm. bass, channel cat fish, rock bass, bluegill Lm. bass, channel cat fish, rock bass, crappie REMARKS 8 acres, public access, camping, drinking wa ter, fireplaces, rest rooms, picnic tables available, hunting, reno vated 1972 Private access 12 acres, public access 16 acres, private access Renovated 1973 15 acres, public access 7 acres, public access 7 acres, public access, renovated 1973 15 acres, public access, drinking water, rest rooms, picnic tables, fireplaces available. 30 acres, public access fireplaces, restrooms, picnic tables available, renovated 1975 28 acres, public access 40 acres, private access 10 acres, private access 13 acres, public access 6.5 acres, public access, renovated 1972 18 acres, public access, renovated 1976 16 acres, public access 12.5 acres, public access 18.5 acres, public access, subject to flood damage Key—In areas marked private access, permission to enter must be obtained from adjacent iandowners. All public access lakes open to boats powered with electric fishing motors except Windmill State Wayside Area. INTERCHANGE LOCATION SPECIES REMARKS Willow Island Lm. bass, channel cat- 30 acres, public access, Wildlife Area, 1 fish, rock bass subject to flood damage N to Cozad, 5.2 Won U.S. 30to Willow Island, 0.8 S across rail- road tracks, left turn, 0.1 N Gothenburg 0.4 S of inter- Lm. bass, channel cat- 13.5 acres, public access change, 0.4 E, 0.1 fish, rock bass, crappie NE, 3.4 E, 0.1 N 0.3 S of inter- Carp Public access, flood change, 0.3 damage, 15 acres WNW Brady 6Wof Brady in- Lm. bass, channel cat- 5 acres, public access, terchange at fish, bluegill renovated 1976 west bound rest stop 1.5 N of inter- Channel catfish, rock 15 acres public access change to Brady, bass, Lm. bass 3.5 E on U.S. 30, 0.2 S across rail road tracks 0.8 Nof inter- Sm. bass, channel cat- 5.6 acres, public access change, 0.4 W, fish, rock bass, bluegill 0.1 N,1.6W across I-80 over- pass Maxwell SE quadrant of Lm. bass, channel cat- 30 acres, public access interchange fish, rock bass 0.3 Wof inter- Sm. bass, channel cat- 4 acres, private access change fish, bluegill 0.7 N of inter- Sm. bass, channel cat- 7 acres, public access change, 0.8 W, fish, rock bass, bull- 0.3 S heads 0.7 Nof inter- Lm. bass, bluegill, Sm. 6.6 acres, public access, change, 2 W, 0.4 bass, channel catfish subject to winterkill N,3.6W,0.5S North Platte Fremont Slough, 1.5 S of interchange, 4.8 E, 0.3 N, 0.1 E across canal, 0.2 N under I-80 overpass, 0.3 E, 0.1 N Lm. bass, channel catfish 30 acres, public access 0.3 S, 0.1 E of in- Sm. bass, rock bass, N. 26 acres, public access terchange pike, channel catfish, walleye 0.4 S, 3.6 W, 0.9 N Sm. bass, rock bass, Lm. 20 acres, public access across I-80, left bass, channel catfish, turn, 0.1 S perch 0.4 S of inter- Sm. bass, channel cat- 20acres, public access change, 7.8 W, fish, rock bass 1.6 N across I-80 overpass, right turn, 0.2 S, 0.2 E Hershey 0.2 S, 0.2 E of in- Sm. bass, channel cat- 53 acres, public access terchange fish, rock bass, striped bass, walleye, Lm. bass, bullhead 0.2 S of inter- Lm. bass, channel cat- 27 acres, public access, change, 3 W, 0.5 fish, bullheads, rock good bullhead fishing N,0.1S bass, flathead catfish
Reservoirs make up bulk of Southwest fishing waters. Lake McConaughy, Harlan County Reservoir rate among top lakes in Nebraska
THE SOUTHWEST
SOUTHWEST NEBRASKA is the most abundantly supplied region of the state as far as fishing waters is concerned, due mainly to man-made reservoirs in the Platte and Republican valleys.
Because of these structures, this part of the state abounds with opportunities to take some fine walleye, white bass, largemouth bass, catfish, and even an occasional striped bass.
Kingpin of the Republican Valley impoundments is Harlan County Reservoir near the mid-point of the Kansas-Nebraska border. Harlan is one of the largest bodies of water in Nebraska, and one of its best walleye fishing holes. It is here that restless anglers converge on the dam for their first action of the year.
The spring attraction is the walleye spawning run. Though the spring harvest has virtually no effect on the walleye pop ulation or walleye reproduction, fishermen seem to have a good time. Serious anglers
NO. NAME LOCATION SPECIES REMARKS Lake McConaughy 10 N of Ogallala Walleye, white bass, rainbow trout, Sm. bass, channel catfish, pike, crappie, yellow perch, bullhead, striped bass Camping available, all boats allowed Lake Ogallala 10 N of Ogallala Rainbow trout, channel catfish, yellow perch, walleye, white bass Excellent for yellow perch in winter, all boats allowed, camping available Enders Reservoir 5 E, 4.5 S of Imperial Walleye, channel catfish, crappie, white bass Camping available, all boats allowed, except posted area during any waterfowl season Rock Creek Lake 4 N, 1 W of Parks Bluegill, Lm.bass, pike, channel catfish, bullhead, walleye Camping available, electric fishing motors only Swanson Reservoir 2 W of Trenton Walleye, crappie, channel catfish, white bass, N. pike Camping available, all boats allowed Red Willow Reservoir (Hugh Butler Lake) 11 Nof McCook Lm. bass, Sm. bass, blue-gill crappie, channel catfish, walleye Camping available, all boats allowed Hayes Center Lake 12 NE of Hayes Center Lm. bass, catfish, pike, bluegill, crappie Camping available, electric fishing motors only NAME Wellfleet Lake Medicine Creek Reservoir (Harry Strunk Lake) Harlan County Reservoir LOCATION 0.5 SW Wellfleet 2 W, 7 N of Cam- bridge 2 Sof Republican City SPECIES Lm. bass, bluegill, chan nel catfish, green sun fish, bullhead, walleye Lm. bass, drum, white bass, walleye, crappie, channel catfish Walleye, white bass, striped bass, crappie, channel catfish REMARKS Camping available, power boats not al lowed Camping available, all boats allowed Camping available, all boats allowed Sandy Channel Wildlife Area Kearney County Recreation Area Ravenna Lake Bowman Lake Sherman Reser voir Ansley Lake Johnson Reser voir Gallagher Can yon Reservoir 2Sof Elm Creek Interchange I-80 % E, 1 N Ft. Kearny State Historical park 1 SE of Ravenna 0.5 W of Loup City 4 E, 1 N of Loup City West edge of Ansley 7Sof Lexington Lm. bass, Sm. bass, channel catfish, rock bass Lm. bass, bluegill. chan nel catfish, bullhead Channel catfish, Lm. bass, sunfish, carp, blue gill, bullhead Lm. bass, rock bass, channel catfish Walleye, crappie, chan nel catfish, Lm. bass, pike 8 lakes on area, camping available, electric fishing motors only Camping available, elec tric fishing motors only Camping available, elec tric fishing motors only Camping available, elec tric fishing motors only, heavy aquatic vegeta- tion All boats allowed Lm. bass, bluegill, chan nel catfish Walleye, crappie, chan nel catfish, white bass, drum Midway Canyon Reservoir Jeffrey Canyon Reservoir Maioney Reser voir Sutherland Res ervoir Platte Valley Canal North Platte River* 8 S of Cozad 6 S, 2 W of Cozad 5S, 3Wof Brady 6 S of North Platte Crappie, drum, channel catfish, white bass, wall eye White bass, crappie, drum, channel catfish, walleye Walleye, crappie, Lm. bass, drum, channel cat fish 2 S of Sutherland Central part of District Otter Creek* Red Willow Creek* Medicine Creek' Republican River* South Loup River* North-central portion of Dis trict 12 E Lewellen N of McCook NW of Cam bridge Walleye, channel cat fish, white bass, crappie, drum Camping available, all boats allowed Camping available, all boats allowed All boats allowed Camping available, all boats allowed Camping available, all boats allowed White bass, yellow perch channel catfish, crappie Walleye, white bass, channel catfish, yeliow perch Channel catfish, rain bow trout, white bass, pike Brown, rainbow trout Channel catfish Channel catfish South part of District NE part of Dis trict White bass, channel cat fish, flathead catfish Camping available, all boats allowed Power boats limited to 5 mph Excellent above Lake McConaughy for catfish and pike in spring and early summer, most power boats not prac tical Private property, access limited Camping available, most power boats not prac tical Most power boats not practical Channel catfish, Lm. bass Bass limited to backwa ters *Permission required APRIL 1977interested in more productive walleye fishing hit the lake in May and June, and troll along the "flats" away from the dam.
Harlan is also the scene of some fast mid-summer action, when white bass school up and begin feeding on swarms of shad that live in the lake. Flocks of excited gulls overhead mark schools of shad near the surface. This usually means white bass are on a feeding spree below and willing to take any lure tossed their way. Anglers also score on white bass by jigging.
The same kind of action, spring walleye at the dam, more walleye in early summer, and white bass in mid-summer, is typical of many other southwest reservoirs to varying degrees. Like Harlan, Swanson is a fine walleye lake. However, the popu lation seems to offer somewhat bigger fish in smaller numbers.
Enders Reservoir is a near neighbor to Swanson, and offers the same selection of fish—white bass, walleye, and catfish. Both suffer from irrigation drawdown as the summer progresses, however, making boat launching tough.
Medicine Creek Reservoir offers the same fish, but this fine lake is overlooked by many fishermen. Game fish popu lations are in good shape, and this well protected lake can be fished when winds make other reservoirs impossible to negotiate.
Red Willow Reservoir differs from the other Republican Valley impoundments in that it features excellent largemouth bass fishing, good numbers of crappie, and occasional smallmouth bass.
Lake McConaughy is at the top of the Platte Valley's system of storage reservoirs, and it also is the leader in fishing. Big Mac offers walleye, white bass, northern pike, catfish, smallmouth bass, yellow perch, rainbow trout, and striped bass.
This recent import has revolutionized angling on McConaughy and elsewhere in the state where they have been in troduced through stocking programs. Heavy trolling rods, high-test line, and ocean-size artificial lures are recent in troductions as well, since, once hooked, the striper lives up to his reputation as a line-breaking, muscle-taxing fighter.
A successful striper technique involves drift-fishing using large chub minnows for bait. Much of McConaughy's striper fish ing is located at a few small hotspots, easily identified by the number of boats gath ered when the big fish are hitting.
McConaughy's catfish have a small but growing band of enthusiasts watching their calendars each spring, waiting for the annual catfish run which normally takes place in May.
Shad entrails, frozen shad, and various time-honored stink baits are the medicine for the channel cat, and angling begins right at ice out each spring on the western end of the lake.
Water from McConaughy is carried to
31
Photo by Bill McClurg
other Platte Valley reservoirs through a system of canals. Lakes like Sutherland, Maloney, Johnson and Jeffrey offer fine fishing potential. Maloney's forte is the walleye, while Johnson shines at producing white bass. Jeffrey is a noted catfishery.
Sutherland Reservoir's fishing stands as a big question mark for the time being. It was an excellent lake, particularly for white bass and catfish. However, its water level was drastically reduced in the summer of 1976 for the construction of the Gerald Gentleman Power Station, and the effects of the draining will be evident only in the creels of fishermen in the near future.
The canals of the Tri-County system connecting these reservoirs are a much overlooked source of fishing. The canal between Big Mac and Sutherland offers trout, with most action coming in the spring and fall.
The rest of the canal system holds the walleye, white bass, catfish and other fish found in the reservoirs they serve. Fishing for walleye and white bass is good at checks in the canals early in the year, usually in March. Walleye scatter throughout the canal in April, but white bass stay bunched up through most of May. Later in the year, warm water triggers appetites of the many catfish in the canals.
Rounding out the picture in the South west is its river fishing. The Frenchman and South Platte suffer from depleted flows, but the North Platte and Republican are still worthy of attention. The Republican offers good fishing for channel and flat head catfish, and also hosts a spring spawning run of white bass from Harlan County Reservoir to the Cambridge area.
The North Platte River from Lake McConaughy to the-diversion dam just east of North Platte offers the best and most diverse river fishing in the South west. Canoe fishermen start early in the spring around Hershey, floating the river and tossing minnows and artificials for northern pike and bass.
Trout fishermen, on the other hand, are after rainbows nearly year-round in the Keystone area, generally resorting to spin cast methods or still fishing with worms, salmon eggs or marshmallows. Walleye and white bass are also plentiful in the North Platte but are generally more difficult to take. Smallmouth are also found to hit lures with enthusiasm during the fall months around the diversion dams.
Of course, as in all rivers, catfish are generally the drawing card, with both bank and boat fishermen oftentimes rewarded after the water warms during the late summer months.
Panhandle fishing inventory shows trout streams, natural lakes, reservoirs
THE PANHANDLE
THE ANNUAL MIGRATIONS of rain bow trout upstream from Lake McConaughy to the North Platte Valley feeder streams is a major feature of west ern Nebraska fishing.
Each spring and fall, large rainbow spawners move into the North Platte River and upstream to reproduce in the tributary streams. The North Platte watershed con tains approximately 60 miles of coldwater trout habitat; roughly 30 miles capable of supporting natural rainbow reproduction, and 30 miles of stream without the neces sary habitat to support reproduction.
The 30 miles of non-reproducing stream, classified as "nursery streams" do support rainbow growth, once stocked with fin gerling trout.
This migrating population of rainbow that utilizes McConaughy and the feeder
North Platte Valley, Pine Ridge streams
make up bulk of state's trout water
THE PANHANDLE
NO. NAME LOCATION SPECIES REMARKS
Monroe Creek 4.5 N of Harrison Brown and brook trout
Sowbelly Creek* NE of Harrison Brown and rainbow trout
Hat Creek* NE of Harrison Brown and brook trout Both branches
Soldier Creek* 3 W of Crawford Brown and rainbow trout Middle branch & south branch
White River* Crawford area Brown and rainbow trout Upper 15 miles
Chadron Creek* S of Chadron Brown and rainbow trout Upper 9 miles
Bordeaux Creek* SE of Chadron Brown and rainbow trout Upper portion
Beaver Creek* N of Hay Springs Brown trout Upper portion
White Clay Creek* NWof Rushville Brown and rainbow trout Upper 8 miles
Larabie Creek* NW of Gordon Brown trout Lower 3 miles
ly Pine Creek* 20S of Rushville Brown trout Best for fishing in early spring-portion of stream east of hwy. 250
ffk Niobrara River.* N part of District Brown and rainbow trout State line to Box Butte Reservoir
Sheep Creek* W of Morrill Brown and rainbow trout Upper 10 miles
Dry Sheep Creek* W of Morrill Brown and rainbow trout
Dry Spotted Tail Creek* W of Mitchell Brown and rainbow trout
Spotted Tail Creek* W of Mitchell Brown and rainbow trout Upper 5 miles
Tub Springs* E of Mitchell Brown and rainbow trout Upper 5 miles
Winter Creek* NEofScottsbluff Brown and rainbow trout Upper 5 miles
Nine Mile Creek* E of Minatare Brown and rainbow trout Portions closed to fishing October 1 through December 31 as posted
Stuckenhole Creek* W of Bayard Brown and rainbow trout
Wildhorse Creek* N of Bayard Brown and rainbow trout Both branches
Red Willow Creek* E of Bayard Brown and rainbow trout
Silvernail Drain* E of Northport Brown trout
North Platte River* Central part of district Rainbow trout, white bass, walleye, channel catfish Rainbow trout in winter and spring, or early summer, excellent cat-fishing spring and early summer
Greenwood Creek* SE of Bridgeport Brown and rainbow trout Upper portion
Pumpkin Creek* SE of Bridgeport Brown and rainbow trout Lower 2 miles
NO. NAME LOCATION SPECIES REMARKS
Lawrence Fork* SofRedington -
Brown trout
Lodgepole Creek* S part of district Brown trout Upper portion
Lake Carter P. Johnson 2 W of Ft. Robinson Lm. bass, bluegill, trout No overnight camping
Whitney Lake 1.5 W of Whitney Perch, walleye, white bass, crappie channel catfish All boats allowed
Government Dams N of Crawford Lm. bass, bluegill
Chadron City Reservoir 5.5 S of Chadron-Hwy. 385. Rainbow trout, Lm. bass, Sm. bass
Chadron Park Pond 9 S of Chadron Lm. bass, bluegill, trout Power boats not allowed
Isham Dam* NW of Hay Springs Lm. bass, rock bass, bullheads All boats allowed, private property, permission required
Walgren Lake 5 SE of Hay Springs Bullheads Electric fishing motors only, camping available
Smith Lake 23 S of Rushville Lm. bass, bluegill, bullheads, pike and crappie Camping available, boats restricted to 5 mph, excellent bluegili fishing June and |uly.
Box Butte Reservoir 10 N of Heming-ford Pike, walleye, Lm. bass, Sm. bass, bluegill, channel catfish All boats allowed, camping available
Terry's Pit Gering Trout Power boats not allowed
University Lake 7 NW of Scotts-bluff Lm. bass, bluegill, yellow perch All boats allowed
Cochran Lake 2 SW of Melbeta Lm. bass, bullheads, "hluegill, channel catfish All boats allowed
Lake Minatare ^NEofScottsbluff Walleye, yellow perch, crappie, channel catfish Closed during waterfowl seasons, all boats allowed, camping available
Lake Winters Creek N of Minatare Walleye, bullheads, N. pike Closed during waterfowl seasons
Bridgeport Pits NW edge of Bridgeport Lm. bass, Sm. bass, channel catfish, bluegill Camping available, all boats allowed on
._____ middle pit.
Crescent Lake Refuge 22 N of Oshkosh » No live minnows allowed, no camping, electric fishing motors only
Island Lake P'ke, Lm. bass, yellow
J*fch, bluegill
Hackberry Lake ' Lm. bass, bluegill, yel-Jow perch
Crane Lake p'ke, Lm. bass, yellow Pemh, bluegill
*Permission required
streams provides a year around fishery uniquely suited to the pursuits of both the stream and lake fishermen.
Trout fishing above the lake peaks during the spring and fall migrations each year. The fall migrations start during September and peak in late October and early November, and the spring run begins during the latter part of February and peaks by mid-March. Weather has a dominant in fluence on the spring run and may change the trout migration pattern as much as two weeks.
The most popular bait is trout eggs, which are placed in a piece of nylon or cheesecloth and formed into a ball about one-half inch in diameter. This ball of eggs is placed on the hook and fished in larger holes, either moving it along with a flyrod or letting it bounce along with the current. Worms and minnows are popular bait as well, with small spinners also taking trout.
Additional trout water in the Panhandle includes the White River and Soldiers Creek near Crawford, and the upper reaches of the Niobrara River. Smaller creeks and streams with colorful names like Sowbelly and Bordeaux offer trout angling on a very limited basis.
Remember, much of western Nebraska's trout water is privately owned. The sports man asks permission, and leaves nothing behind to detract from a pleasurable outdoor experience for the next angler.
Lake Minatare holds an excellent population of walleye, as well as excellent crappie fishing when the annual spawning run moves into the lake's inlet.
Walleye angling technique at Minatare includes the proven bottom-bouncing spinnerbaits, often garnished with a trail ing nightcrawler or earthworm. Small jigs and spinnerbaits work well from the bank, especially when waves break heavily into the stands of Cottonwood trees on the lake's northwest corner. Chest waders and an ultralight combination capable of cast ing an eighth-ounce or slightly heavier white or yellow jig fills the requirements nicely.
The best walleye fishing at Minatare is during the early spring and summer months. Minatare is one of several Scotts Bluff County lakes in the North Platte National Wildlife system, and all are closed from September 30th to January 15th, or as posted.
Another smaller reservoir, Whitney Lake, iocated in the very northwestern corner of the Panhandle near Whitney, offers a surprising amount of angling potential, in cluding walleye, crappie, and catfish. Whitney is possibly the most overlooked of the smaller irrigation reservoirs in the Panhandle. A check with the area conservation officer to determine the best time and methods to fish Whitney could be the key to a satisfying, successful fish ing trip.
Ice fishing for walleye at Whitney has been highly productive down through the years, with anglers usually fishing the west end of the lake, using larger minnows to discourage smaller perch from hitting.
The eastern portions of the Panhandle contain several well-known sandhill lakes, including Smith Lake and Crescent Lake, among others.
Smith Lake has been known in recent years for the large bluegill taken during the early summer months. Anglers after bluegill at Smith usually use a small boat, anchored to allow bait fishing with a nightcrawler or worm and a bobber. Generally, successful fishermen use only a small portion of the nightcrawler, threaded on a small hook several feet be low the float.
Largemouth bass and northern pike are exciting additions to any trip to Smith Lake. Bass anglers usually work the shore line and along bulrushes and other vege tation using surface plugs and other artificials. Northern pike are likely to strike any bait, at any time, and are normally taken while fishing for bullhead or blue gill.
Crescent Lake National Wildlife Refuge north of Oshkosh offers several lakes open to fishing, primarily for northern pike. It is unlawful to use or possess any live or dead minnows or whole fish for bait at the ref uge, and special closures are so posted.
While not true sandhill lakes, both Carter P. Johnson, on Fort Robinson, and Walgren Lake near Hay Springs, offer good angling potential. Carter P. Johnson con tains a good population of largemouth bass. Late June and July are the best months, and surface plugs the most pro ductive bait.
Walgren is known primarily for it's bull head, and the recent construction of a fresh-water pump to maintain the lake's water level will be a definite improvement for Walgren Lake visitors.
REASONS FOR REGULATIONS
Next to stocking fish, nothing appeals more to anglers as a cure-all for slow fishing than tinkering with regulations. When fishing is slow for a few weeks, many begin to mutter that a lake is "fished out". Then, after appeals for stocking fade, there comes a cry for closed seasons, lower limits or other restrictive regulations. Regulations are important, indeed, in keeping waters productive. But setting the most appropriate rules is an involved process, to say the least. Jim Johnson, biologist in charge of fish management in Nebraska, was interviewed by NEBRASKAland on the subject of regulations, and the biological reasoning behind the rules governing Nebraska anglers.
NEBRASKAland: Jim, fishing regu lations mean a lot of different things to different people. As a fisheries manager responsible for the quality of angling in Nebraska, what do regu lations mean to you?
Johnson: To a fish biologist, regu lations are a tool, a management tech nique in much the same category as stocking or habitat improvement. In fact, if he uses them properly, drawing up regulations is probably the most important thing a fisheries manager can dp. The proper use for a regulation is to prevent problems before they occur.
NEBRASKAland: What are these "problems" you mentioned, and how do you recognize them?
Johnson: Ironically, the problem is usually too many fish, not a shortage. But, these fish are usually over populated panfish like bluegill, crappie or perch, most of them scrawny due to excessive competition for food. Most often, a lake gets that way because the predator fish that feed on them, the bass, pike and wall eye, are in short supply. Without these predators around to thin them out, the panfish suffer a population explosion. All of this is usually brought on by too much fishing pressure on the predator fish, the big ones most popular with anglers.
NEBRASKAland: Then, the solution to this problem is more restrictive regulations, right?
Johnson: Yes, but only within limits. The object of all this, the very reason the Fisheries Division operates, is to allow fishermen as much sport and as many nice fish as possible from a piece of water without damaging its fish populations. In order to provide the best fishing opportunity, we certainly want to avoid regulations that aren't necessary.
That brings up a basic point about regulations. First, we decide if there is a problem. If there's no problem, there's obviously no need for a regulation. We don't assume a lake has an overharvest problem on the basis of complaints or mere observations. It's entirely possible for a lake to be heavily fished without suffering over harvest.
Often, fishermen press for certain regulations like season closures and the like, before it's certain that there is really a problem. Anglers would probably be pretty hard on themselves with unnecessary restrictions and 36 regulations if such matters were left up to them. More restrictive regulations might be justified in some cases, but we won't restrict the fisherman's sport unless there's good reason.
NEBRASKAland: How do you deter mine if a lake is overharvested?
Johnson: In the case of bass lakes, we check the panfish, collecting them with nets, traps, and electric shocking gear. If they are stunted, you can bet that there's a shortage of predators. On the other hand, an assortment of various sized panfish from small to large is a sure indication of a good predator population and reasonable fishing pressure.
For walleye lakes, the biologist relies on walleye catch data from gill net surveys and information collected from creel census studies. NEBRASKAland: Can you cite some examples of problems biologists have identified and regulations enacted to meet them?
Johnson: Certainly! The most obvious is the size limit on bass. A few years ago, it was apparent from our surveys of fish populations that many waters were in trouble because of a shortage of predators, mainly large mouth bass. The size limit established in 1974 reduced mortality of the small bass and allowed them to grow to the point where they are large enough to begin feeding on fish at about 8 or 10 inches. This regulation increased the number of predator bass to thin our overpopulating panfish and appears to be soiving the problem.
Another example also involves the bass. It appeared from studies after the size limit went into effect that the bass were being overprotected in many western lakes and seemed to be stunt ing. Most of those waters were not overfished at all like those in the east, so the size limit was removed in much of western Nebraska in 1977.
NEBRASKAland: What about a situation where biological data indicated new regulations would not be justified?
Johnson: Yes. Something like that occurred recently with walleye. There was a lot of concern by some fish ermen, marina operators and others, that harvest of walleye is excessive along the dams during the spawning run. And, it's not hard to understand why they would feel this way. After all, there's a lot of excitement, lots of fish ermen and boats out, and the fish are all concentrated right there. And, NEBRASKAland
some pretty decent catches are made
at that time. We receive considerable
pressure to close walleye fishing during spawning runs, or close the dam to
fishing, or at least ban the use of boats
to prevent disturbing spawning wall
eye.
To see if there was really a problem, we conducted a creel census during the spawning run at Harlan County Reservoir, which has one of the most heavily fished walleye runs in the state. We had a biologist at the dam during the entire run, contacting fish ermen as they left, to record exactly what they had caught.
The results showed substantial harvest on one or two nights during the run; some nights when no fish at all were taken; and many nights producing just a few fish. The average harvest was only about 0.65 walleye per trip, and only about one-third of the fish ermen caught any walleye at all. This is certainly not excessive and certainly not a justification for depriving anglers of a fishing opportunity they seem to enjoy very much.
All the human activity, the fish ermen on the dam and the boats troll ing around, didn't seem to spook the fish, either. Our boat shockers always turn up rafts of walleye along the dam, and you can observe them spawning right at the feet of fishermen. The shocking boat doesn't seem to scare them away, and the fact that they will hit a trolled lure just seconds after a boat has passed over indicates that moderate boat traffic doesn't bother them a bit.
We can't see any problem at all with fishing the spring walleye run. There's no overharvest, nothing that would disturb the predator-prey relationship. Spawning fish are not disturbed by the activity and are more reluctant to take bait or lure than any other time of year. The egg supply is not affected by the harvest of a few spawners.
In fact, I'd say that the walleye run is a very desirable type of harvest from the biological viewpoint. First of all, you're taking only adult fish, since that's all that's on the spawning area. You don't harvest or injure any young fish.
You are also harvesting a resource that suffers tremendous natural mor tality each year. By putting that adult walleye on your stringer, you are making use of a resource that might other wise be wasted.
NEBRASKAland: Why do you say 38 that? Why is an adult walleye that isn't caught considered wasted?
Johnson: Because mortality is so high. Each year, 60 percent of all wall eye in any given age group above the yearling stage will die of natural causes. Even if you restrict harvest somehow, only 40 percent of the fish you protect from the angler would be around next year.
In fact, the harvest by anglers isn't even noticeable wh^n compared to the number of walleye that go in this annual 60 percent dieoff. If the wall eye population can overcome this massive natural mortality, what effect would we have by restricting angler harvest? None, except in cases of exceptional fishing pressure. So, if people are capable of catching a desirable fish like a 3-pound walleye, and if that fish has only a 40 percent chance of surviving another year, it makes good sense to harvest him the first chance you get.
"In order to provide the best fishing opportunity, we certainly want to avoid regulations that aren't necessary "We can't see any problem at all with fishing the spring walleye run. ... In fact, I'd say that the walleye run is a very desirable type of harvest from the biological viewpoint"NEBRASKAland: I think we should clarify this mortality figure. You said that 60 percent of each age group dies each year?
Johnson: Right. If you start with 100 yearlings, there will be 40 the next year, 16 three-year olds, about six at four years, two or three at five years, and only one at six years, when the fish might weigh six pounds. You can see that the quantity and combined weight of fish available to the angler is much greater with a harvest at about four years when you have six fish, each weighing 31/2 pounds, than at six years, when you have only one six pounder.
Going through these figures brings to mind another regulation that was proposed to us but which is not justified from the biological standpoint in most areas of the state. There is some concern at Lake McConaughy that there is excessive harvest of smallish walleye in the 12 to 16-inch range, and many fishermen, guides, marinas and the like favor imposing a size limit. However, our surveys of the walleye there show this harvest is not hurting the population one bit. Considering the size of the lake and the thousands and thousands of walleye there, the number of fish saved from anglers by a size limit would be insignificant when compared to the number lost to the annual 60 percent natural mortality. This harvest of young walleye is so small it simply doesn't matter, so why impose a restriction on people who enjoy catching them?
On the other hand, there does seem to be a bit of a problem with pressure on small walleye in the Salt Valley, where fishing pressure is 15 to 20 times greater on each acre of water. Hence, the 1977 size limit on walleye for Lancaster County and its Salt Valley Lakes, and Douglas County with its Papio Lakes.
NEBRASKAland: Just one more question on walleye regulations be fore we move on. Why do our regulations seem more liberal when com pared with other states, where there are closed seasons, closed zones and other restrictions on walleye fishing?
Johnson: Most of these states were in the walleye business many years ago when scientific fish management and surveying techniques had not yet been developed. They set up their regulations by intuition and guesswork because that's all they had to go on. These regulations became a tradition and stuck, despite evidence against their effectiveness.
Take the closed season, for example. We polled the fisheries departments in three of the traditional walleye states on the value of their closed season. Only one state said that they considered their closed season important. The other two said that their closures were merely traditions, and one of those was considering opening the season year-round.
In Nebraska, walleye fishing is relatively new, and we're not hung up on traditional regulations. Instead, we like to think we are developing our regulations logically as we learn more about walleye.
There's very little agreement among NEBRASKAland the states on how to manage walleye. About the only thing that's universally accepted is the mortality figure. Every year, right at 60 percent bite the dust from natural causes. This mortality is the main factor in managing walleye, and there is nothing that tinkering with regulations can do about that.
NEBRASKAland: The regulations we have been talking about deal mainly with walleye and bass, and restrictions placed on their harvest. Is the main thrust of fishing regulations to protect these game fish?
Johnson: That type of regulation is probably the most important we deal with, at least from a biological stand point. But the philosophy behind them is not so much the protection of the fish as it is the preservation of adequate predation in the lake to control the panfish. We've talked mainly about bass and walleye, but the same principles work to varying degrees with pike, stripers, or whatever predator you might have in the lake.
You will notice that we have a size limit on bass. That's because bass were subject to heavy fishing pressure in the east which prevented them from maintaining control of the panfish populations. The size limit is really a measure to preserve the bass' value as a predator more than a means of raising a larger game fish.
In regard to walleye, we have never had a case where overfishing cut back on walleye numbers to the extent that valuable panfish species were allowed to overpopulate.
NEBRASKAland: We've talked a lot about size limits and the like, but we haven't mentioned bag limit. Isn't this also a safeguard against overharvest?
Johnson: Not really. In the long run, bag and possesion limits have no influence at all on the harvest. Consider bass for example. It's a safe bet that on 95 percent of the fishing trips in Nebraska, less than five bass are taken. So, what influence would we have if we reduced the bag limit from its present eight down to six? Almost none.
NEBRASKAland: We talked a lot about walleye earlier, but the large mouth bass is our most popular game fish. Is there anything in store in the way of new regulations on bass fish ing?
Johnson: Right now, we're evaluating our size limit. The dropping of the limit in the west is one feature of this continuing study and reevaluation APRIL 1977 of our management practices and regulations. A lot of our time and effort is spent on this continual monitor ing of our fish populations and reevaluation of our policies. As far as bass are concerned, I have been interested in a new kind of regulation being experimented with in Missouri, but that's just something I've been following personally, and is not under consideration by this agency.
"When you have a big fish in your hand, . . . keep him. If you turn him loose, he's likely to die (of natural causes) in a few weeks or months and rot on the bottom of the lake. I'd much rather see a fish like that on some happy angler's wall or on a platter. . . If you have a four-pound bass and a two-pounder, keep the big one and release the two-pounder. That smaller fish has two or three years of active predation and spawn ing left in him, whereas the older fish is about done"NEBRASKAland: What is that?
Johnson: It prohibits the taking of the bass that are most valuable as predators and brood stock; that is, fish from 12 to 15 inches. The regulation allows harvest of bass under 12 inches, when many of them still live on insects and other non-fish foods, and after they pass 15 inches, when they are desirable catches and more vulnerable to natural mortality. It seems to make a lot of sense. It just might be the ideal bass regulation.
NEBRASKAland: Is it being considered for Nebraska?
Johnson: No, I don't think we'll see anything like that for a while. First, we want to work under the existing size limit and study its effect.
NEBRASKAland: You said that the 12-to-15-inch bass is the most valuable part of the population from a biological standpoint. Yet, some of the fish ing pros on TV and elsewhere in the public eye say "turn those big fish loose. It's good conservation. If you want to eat bass, keep the two pounders." Do you agree?
Johnson: Not at all! Trophy fish are so rare because so many of their age class have already died of old age or other natural causes. And, the one you catch is likely to be right behind them.
A bass that reaches four to six pounds or a walleye that hits seven or eight will almost certainly be lost to natural causes within a year or two. Then, he would be wasted as far as the sportfisherman is concerned. These are the trophies we work so hard to provide the fisherman. When you have a big fish in your hand, an old "graybeard", I recommend that you keep him. If you turn him loose, he's likely to die in a few weeks or months and rot on the bottom of the lake. I'd much rather see a fish like that on some happy angler's wall or on a platter.
I don't discourage releasing fish as a conservation practice. In fact, I'm all for it. But, release the fish that has some future value to the fishery as a predator and a spawner; the vigorous young adult, the two-pound bass or walleye. The oldtimers have no future and do the population little good. If you have a four-pound bass and a two-pounder, keep the big one and release the two-pounder. That smaller fish has two or three years of active predation and spawning left in him, whereas the older fish is about done.
NEBRASKAland: One final question, Jim! Most of the rules governing fish ing are set by the Game and Parks Commission as regulations. However, a few are defined by the Legislature as statutes. Is this a desirable situation?
Johnson: It's a situation that has worked well in the past and given us no great problem, though it might be more convenient for the Game and Parks Commission to have authority over all matters controlling harvest. Statutes set the number of hooks and lines that can be used, they set rules for seining minnows, and they deal with other miscellaneous items. If, for some unforseen reason, such a law would need to be changed, the legislative process would be slow and complex. However, there are statutes that give the commission adequate authority over methods of fish harvest to effect good manage ment.
ICE FISHING OUTLOOK
IT WASNT ALL that long ago that most Nebraskans' only contact with ice fishing was reading about it in the pages of some magazine. All that has changed, of course; the rise in popularity of ice fishing has come with declining upland game populations and the accompanying demand for an other form of winter-time recreation.
Part of the reason, though, has to be the improved fishing across the state with the construction of more reservoirs and improved fish management techniques. There are simply more game fish available than ever before in water that lends itself to ice fishing. Another explanation, and one not to be lightly passed off, is that fishermen as a whole are seldom satisfied with a ittle bit of a good thing when more is
Outdoor sport literature abounds with "how-to" information on ice fish ing, expounding at length on every thing from how deep to fish, what color teardrop to use and the best way to rig your tip-up. Probably the quick est way to master the sport, however, is to poke a hole in the ice next to an experienced fisherman and strike up a conversation. Unlike summertime an glers who aggressively defend their privacy, ice fishermen are a gregarious lot and flock together for mutual warmth if not the opportunity to spin some outrageous stories. About all that remains to be said on the subject is where to go, for what, and when.
Even though techniques of ice fish ing remain basically the same, lakes, and fish populations in particular, are dynamic; they are constantly changing.
Fisheries biologists from the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission generally have a pretty good feel of the ice fishing opportunities in their areas as a result of routine survey work.
"Through no design of the Game Commission, most of the Salt Valley Lakes have ended up specializing in one species or another," Donn Rodekohr, fisheries biologist out of Lincoln, said. "Branched Oak is a good all around lake, but the others are better for some species than others. Conestoga isn't all that good for ice fish ing—it is primarily a catfish lake. It has some crappie but they're not as big as those in Branched Oak and they're not as numerous as at Pawnee. Unfortunately it looks like most of the Salt Valley Lakes are going to specialize in crappie in another 20 years unless we can find a predator fish that can really crunch down on them or spawn on the opposite end of the lake.
"It already looks as if we've got an imbalance of crappie in Pawnee Lake," Rodekohr continued. "The crappie are just out-producing predator fish like walleye and bass. The predators are af fected more by heavy fishing pressure, too. Remarkably, the size of the crappie in Pawnee is not declining as rapidly as one would expect in such a situation. Fishermen seem to be the major predator of the crappie in Pawnee and are at least slowing the overpopulation and subsequent stunting.
"Branched Oak is the best all around lake in the Salt Valley, which doesn't come as a surprise to anyone. It produces 10-inch bluegill, 14-inch crappie, 10-pound northerns, 10 pound walleye and 5-pound bass; all at the same time! Northerns are probably on the way out in Branched Oak, though. We surveyed there last summer and picked up only one northern. It was about 25 pounds, but the pike just aren't there in the numbers they were in previous years. There is no natural northern reproduction in the lake. We make stockings periodically but it is hard for a 4-inch fingerling to survive in a lake loaded with big wall eye, bass and even some crappie and bluegill that have reached a large size.
"The walleye are in excellent condition in Branched Oak," Rodekohr went on. "We consistently picked up 10-pounders in our surveys and they are numerous. Bluegill are in fine shape, too. The crappie are not so numerous but they are good sized. In general there seems to be a good balance between predator and forage fish in Branched Oak.
"The smaller Salt Valley lakes offer some ice fishing opportunity," Rode kohr added. "They can't withstand the same fishing pressure as larger reservoirs, though. Olive Creek has naturally reproducing walleye that run around two to three pounds, and crappie that will go up to 14 inches. Hedgefield Lake has larger walleye, up to 6 or 7 pounds, and northerns that push the 10-pound range. Fishermen consistently took catfish on tip-ups at Yankee Hill last winter, and Killdeer has good numbers of seven-inch blue gin.
"Our surveys show some nice bass, bluegill and walleye in Irvington Lake, (Papio site 11), near Omaha. Amazingly, Military Lake, (Papio site 16), was producing some good fish last winter, even after the heavy summer pressure. I would expect the fishing pressure to by cyclic on Military Lake. It is about 70 acres now but should fill to around 130 acres. Irvington Lake is about 120 acres, and will be about 300 acres when full.
"We've got two public lakes of 150 acres each, Burchard and Rockford, halfway between Pawnee City and Be atrice that get very few ice fishermen," Rodekohr said. "The bass and north erns look real good in Burchard, and it has fair bluegill. Burchard has a good year class of bass, ranging from 14 to 16 inches and weighing up to 4 pounds. A lot of northern pike showed up in our surveys in the 23 to 26-inch size. Next winter these should all be over the 24-inch legal size. Mormon Island lakes at the Interstate 80 interchange near Grand Island offer some ice fishing, mostly for bass and bluegill. Hord Lake near Central City has some good crappie pushing 14 inches," he concluded.
Long before the first soil was moved for the Salt Valley Lakes, Sandhills lakes, especially those on the Valentine National Wildlife Refuge, were the object of ice fishermen's attention, and to many they are still "the" place to go when ice forms. Unlike most reservoirs where species composition, individual fish size and abundance tend to fluctuate from year to year, the natural lakes of the Sandhills are fairly stable, subject to the effects of winterkill and carp infestation.
"Most ice fishermen seem to concentrate on Pelican Lake," said Larry Hutchinson, fisheries biologist for the Sandhills. "I've been out there on weekends and counted 200 people on the ice. It's the largest lake on the refuge at about 800 acres. Our surveys last summer indicated that there are somewhere around 20,000 adult northerns in the lake, explaining its popularity. The average pike was around 22 to 24 inches and weighed about 3 pounds. Dewey and Clear lakes also have pike populations but
"The bluegill in Pelican are also good sized. They have to be to avoid being a meal for the pike. Unfortunately, Pelican also has a thriving carp population. Even though its fishery is in good shape, it is being considered for renovation in the next couple of years. This is to improve waterfowl habitat, but also to prevent it from overflowing during wet years and reintroducing carp to other lakes.
Elvin Zimmerman, conservation officer out of Valentine, reported that Merritt Reservoir was probably better for perch and crappie last winter than he has ever seen it.
"Many perch were running well over a pound. Most anglers seem to fish the Snake River arm of the reservoir. The trout population has dwindled in recent years and doesn't amount to much anymore," Zimmerman added. "Very few trout are taken through the ice, and only an occasional bass, but crappie and perch are big news."
Interest in ice fishing wanes as you move away from the Salt Valley and the Valentine Refuge. There are hot spots where fish ing on the hard water is intense and individual fishermen are just as intense. In northeast Nebraska, a shortage of natural lakes or reservoirs suitable for ice fishing has probably been a deterring factor. That is slowly changing though, as new Natural Resources District impoundments are created.
"Skyview Lake in Norfolk has only been open a couple of years," Lee Rupp, district fisheries biologist for the Northeast reported, "but it's starting to provide some ice fishing. It's a city lake of about 50 acres, and is probably best for bluegill. They aren't taking many, but the ones they do take are fair size, eight to nine inches. (Continued on page 50)
Photo by Ken Bouc
BACKYARD TROUT
(Continued from page 11)among our flies the most tempting of our grasshopper imitations. It wasn't long be fore Mike's line was snaking gracefully through the air. The fly had no sooner settled to the surface when the water erupted with the strike of a large trout.
The stream was relatively swift there, and with only a two-pound leader tippet, it took a while for Mike to beach the 16 inch fish. Then to my amazement he proceeded to catch and release, on his next two casts, two more browns of identical proportions. Things slowed somewhat after that, but we picked up nice trout with regularity all afternoon.
Finally, we approached a deep pool littered with the trunk and branches of a fallen cedar. On the opposite bank, the old cedar's roots could be seen densely branching into the depths of the pool.
While inspecting the pool from up stream of the fallen tree, I noticed that the slab of rock I was standing on had been undercut by the current. I was probably standing directly over the lair of a good trout. Feeling rather ridiculous, I began dabbing my fly on the water's surface at the edge of the rock.
I was literally shocked out of my wits when a large trout shot up from the depths with mouth agape and snatched the fly from the surface just two feet from where I stood. Before I had time to recover, the trout had run straight into the mass of cedar branches at the base of the pool.
With certainty that I would never see that fish again, I began applying all the pressure the two-pound leader could stand and, the trout finally turned and bolted out of the tree limbs. Then, he began to edge back into the branches and, at this point, Mike, who had been watch ing, jumped into the stream and literally herded the fish back upstream.
Then, with a burst of power, the fish managed to reach the tangle of roots on the opposite bank. Again I gave the trout up for lost but again it reappeared. After that, with more yelling and splashing from Mike as he tried to haze the trout away from the tree, I managed to bring the fish to the bank. By then I was laughting so hard I thought my sides would split.
The fish was another 16-inch brown, and as I released that trout I couldn't help feeling a little sorry for all those trout fishermen who spend so much valuable time driving to the mountains for their sport. I'll take these "backyard" trout streams any day.
FISHES OF NEBRASKA Get the scoop on all Nebraska fish. Send for the 100-page book, "The Fishes of Nebraska," complete with full-color photos and range maps of every species. Send 50 plus tax to the Game and Parks Commission, P.O. Box 30370. Lincoln, Ne 68503.BALANCE SHEET ... ASSETS
(Continued from page 12)come easy, and keeping him on the scene will require some effort.
All of the stripers stocked in Nebraska came from East Coast states, most often in trades for fertile walleye and pike eggs. Obtaining the trading stock, flying east to make the swap and rushing the tiny striper fry back to Nebraska, raising them in hatchery tanks, transferring to hatchery rearing ponds, and finally releasing them into the lake is an expensive program in volving a lot of hard work.
At first, biologists hoped that Big Mac's stripers might find suitable spawning conditions in the North Platte system above the lake, and establish spawning runs similar to those of the rainbow trout. When that didn't happen, they began looking for adult fish from which they could obtain spawn to propagate in hatcheries. So far, adult females have proven elusive, but when their hangouts at spawning time are discovered, fisheries biologists should be able to obtain enough fertile eggs to make Nebraska's striper program independent of other states.
A local source of striped bass is important not only to Lake McConaughy but also to other Nebraska waters. Lewis and Clark Lake is scheduled for an ambitious effort to stock striped bass beginning in the summer of this year. Others, like Harlan County Reservoir, Lake Minatare and some of the Tri-county system, have already been stocked and will receive more of these fish if there is evidence that they will make it in those waters.
Other success stories of fisheries man agement in Nebraska might not be as spectacular as the striped bass in troduction, but they are important just the same. Particularly significant are some projects that have turned liabilities into as sets.
Some headway has been made against the perrenial problem of winterkill with
These forced-air units are capable of treating much larger bodies of water than the wind-driven devices used for farm ponds. One has been successfully employed at Smith Lake south of Rushville, and a slightly different version has been used at Fremont Lakes.
While these systems by no means put an end to the problem of winterkill, they do give the fisheries manager the option of protecting some lakes with this problem. If a lake prone to winterkill is a particularly good fishery, or if it is valuable because of a shortage of fishing water in the area, the expenditure of time and money to protect it is justified.
The renovations of two Salt Valley Lakes near Lincoln are also causes for optimism. Wagon Train Lake east of Hickman never did live up to its potential, primarily be cause it became infested by white perch soon after the dam was closed. The white perch later found their way into nearby Stagecoach Lake and caused trouble there.
Wagon Train Lake was partially drained and all its fish killed with a chemical in 1975, and a similar operation was performed at Stagecoach the following year. Each was restocked with game fish a few weeks later. The resuit is two lakes with excellent fishing potential where little existed before.
But, even more important, the threat of white perch spreading through the rest of the Salt Valley system, or to other parts of Nebraska, has been greatly reduced.
Another such turnaround may soon result in smiles on the faces of Missouri River fishermen. After that mighty river was tamed and imprisoned in a stabilized channel in the 1950's, fish populations declined markedly. Channelization left the river a deep, swift and relatively narrow channel with little fish habitat. Shallow areas, quiet water below bars and in back waters, snags and other cover, were all gone. There were few places for fish to rest, feed or spawn, or for young fish to find refuge from larger predators or the persistent current.
But recently the Corps of Engineers has begun cutting "ecology gaps" in the wing dikes used to contain the river. These gaps allow the river to scour silt from behind the dikes, creating areas of relatively quiet water. These areas serve well as nursery and resting areas, particularly for young channel and flathead catfish.
The Corps has completed notches in the most promising of the wing dikes from Rulo to Sioux City, some 200 in all, and there's the chance that others of lower priority may be notched in the future.
It might seem a bit premature to count the ecology gaps on the plus side of any ledger, since benefits have yet to accrue to fishermen, and the same might be said of the Salt Valley renovations. They might more appropriately be called success stories of the future. But, they do merit men tion, since they give fishermen some cause to be optimistic.
Some other projects fall in the same category. They include:
Establishing North Platte River cat fishery. The Belmont Diversion near Bridgeport is a barrier to upstream move ment of channel catfish, yet allows down stream movement. As a result, the river above the structure is almost devoid of channel cats, even though the habitat appears to be there. A stocking program in volving some 16,000 six-inch catfish per year has been started in hopes of establishing a non-migrating population.
Modification of Lake McConaughy's water release pattern to improve rainbow trout populations. Cause of a slow decline in Big Mac's rainbow population was diagnosed as the flushing of smolts (young trout) through the discharge structure. The smolts, migrating from nursery streams above the lake, continue through the reservoir to the dam. Their instincts attract them to the flow when water is being discharged from the surface outlet, where they are drawn in and discharged below the dam. Through cooperation of the Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District, water will be discharged from a much lower level.
North Platte Valley Trout Streams have benefitted from a number of operations.
A rotating screen on Red Willow Creek is saving young trout that formerly were sucked into irrigation canals where they died. The mouth of Otter Creek was equipped with a temporary fish ladder in 1976, and a permanent one will be installed in 1977 to improve its upstream spawning run. Portions of Otter Creek and Nine Mile Creek were fenced in 1969, controlling erosion and stopping sand and silt from choking gravel spawning beds. Since fencing, production of Otter Creek went from nothing in 1969 to some 20,000 10 inch smolts by 1974. Such management operations should add up to a significant improvement in fishing, both in the streams and in Lake McConaughy.
Another cause for some guarded optimism among Nebraska's fishermen is the Habitat Plan, enacted by the 1976 Unicam eral. The fact that it raises fishing permit fees might cause some initial grumbling, but that should cease when fishermen realize that it is an investment in their future.
The Habitat Bill, the striped bass project and all the rest discussed here are just a few of the programs working for the benefit of fishermen. While there are some things that might be going against Nebraska's fisheries resources, anglers can take heart in the knowledge that there are also forces working in their behalf.
BALANCE SHEET . . . LIABILITIES
(Continued from page 13)simply because irrigation wells lowered the groundwater table and stopped springs that fed them. On lower reaches, pumps were lowered into a pool or a hole blasted in the stream bed for the pump in take to suck water out. Other streams apparently just dried up, but in most cases, direct withdraw was the primary cause.
The loss of a stream is not a temporary thing that will be healed by restocking with game fish once water returns. Usually, the clams, snails, crawdads, insects, minnows and all other elements of the aquatic food chain are destroyed, and it takes many years for them to return and restore the stream's potential.
And, the fishery resource is not the only thing damaged by the loss of streams. Adjacent wetlands also dry up. With the stream and the marsh gone, waterfowl reproduction, furbearer numbers, marsh bird populations and a host of other wildlife species are damaged.
It's not hard to understand the individual farmer's desire to pump water to his crops. And, most of those that pumped from streams last year had bona fide surface water rights and violated no law.
But the fact that it allowed streams to be killed points out a weakness in Nebraska water law that must be remedied. As this is written (prior to the 1977 Legislative session), Nebraska law dedicates surface water rights to the people for "beneficial uses"; then defines those uses and assigns priorities. They are domestic, agricultural and industrial.
This law does not leave fish, wildlife and recreation with a low priority; it leaves them with no priority at all. According to law, fish, wildlife and recreation are not beneficial uses of water, and merit no consideration at all in allocating surface water.
Even as Nebraska streams weathered the drought of 1976 as best they could, an other threat of a man-made sort loomed in the future. This is a proposed power plant in Wyoming that would claim a portion of the North Platte River flow that tradition ally entered Nebraska; water vital to both fish and wildlife and agriculture.
The project has been challenged in court, ironically on the basis of federal environmental laws protecting fish and wild life values; laws that Nebraska irrigation interests once strongly opposed.
Dry weather in 1976 hit hard at waters other than streams. Everyone expected irrigation reservoirs to be extensively lowered last year, but the magnitude of the draw down surprised even the most pessimistic. Lake McConaughy was at its lowest since 1964, and Harlan County Reservoir was at its lowest level since the'1950/s. Enders, Box Butte and Sherman reservoirs experienced severe drawdown as they do even in normal years. Even Swanson Reservoir, one of the best spots in the state for big walleye, was reduced to a mere shadow of its former self, despite a history of only modest drawdowns in the past.
Another kind of problem plagues some Nebraska waters, and in this case, fish ermen are the culprits. The problem is excessive fishing pressure on a number of Nebraska lakes. At the root of the trouble is a lopsided distribution of people and fishing water, with the majority of Nebraskans concentrated in the east, and most of the water farther west.
A comprehensive survey of fishing activity in Nebraska was taken last year, and it documented this imbalance in a dramatic way. For instance, most Nebraskans would say that Lake McConaughy would be Nebraska's most popular fishing hole, with its 35,000 acres of water and good populations of desirable fish such as rainbow trout, walleye, striped bass and white bass.
But the survey showed that Branched Oak Lake, with only one-twentieth the surface acreage of Big Mac, hosts some 60 percent more fishermen per year. During the survey period, 281,000 fishermen visited Branched Oak's 1,800 acres for 156 trips per acre. At the same time, 175,000 tried Lake McConaughy's 35,000 acres, amounting to just 5 trips per acre.
Excessive fishing pressure is not unique to Branched Oak, either. The entire Salt Valley system is fished to the tune of 150 trips per acre. And, it's not a problem unique to the Salt Valley. Grove, Pibel, Verdon, Fremont, Louisville, Rockford, Mormon Island, Skyview, Alexandria, Bridgeport, Burchard—all are fished too heavily, either because of a shortage of water in the area or a surplus of people.
Too many fishermen on a lake will drastically lower the population of the desir able predators; the big fish that everyone wants. The bass, pike and walleye are soon reduced, and this allows the fish that they eat, panfish like bluegill, crappie and perch, to take over the lake. Without predator fish to thin them out, the panfish overpopulate, outrun their food supply and become stunted runts of no interest to the panfisherman.
The problems of depleted water and poorly distributed fishing pressure are something that can be seen, something taking place in the summertime when people are in the outdoors to observe them. But under winter's blanket of snow and ice, out of sight of the few hardy souls that might be around, comes another hazard to many of Nebraska's fishing waters.
That hazard is winterkill; the loss of fish through oxygen depletion under the ice. Shallow waters, like many of our farm ponds, natural Sandhills lakes and some small public reservoirs, are especially prone to this phenomenon. Winterkill hits particularly hard in dry times, since water levels are usually several feet below normal at freeze-up.
The best protection against winterkill is plenty of water. Ponds over 10 feet deep are in much better shape than the shallower ones. Private pond owners concerned about their fish can protect them by pushing snow off about one quarter of its surface if the ice is clear. But this can turn into a big job that must be repeated often. Installation of wind-driven agitators called pond mills will keep a small area from freezing and will protect a modest sized pond if the owner is willing to make the initial investment.
Winterkill, excessive fishing pressure and a shortage of water are by no means the only threats to Nebraska fishery resources. Stream channelization destroys fish habitat; dams and diversions block spawning runs and send fish to their doom in irrigation supply canals; pollution occasionally causes massive fish kills; fluctuating water levels lessen productivity of many reservoirs. These are a few additional problems, but the list could include more.
Nebraskans cannot ignore the threats facing their fisheries resources and simply hope the problems will go away. The solutions will require a commitment from the people, particularly from sportsmen. The major threats will not be ended until Nebraskans realize that fish and wildlife are worth more consideration and more of our land and water resources than we have been willing to allot them, and until individual and public policies reflect such attitudes.
ROBERTS
(Continued from page 17)favorite is the point. When I hit a lake that's new to me, that's usually where I start looking for bass.
A good point doesn't have to be big. It can be nothing more than a cave-in along a bank. The important thing about them is that they offer a difference in depths; a fairly quick change. The total depth of the water doesn't matter as much as the fact that there's a rather abrupt change.
In the spring, I have good luck tossing spinner baits or crank baits to the shady side of the point. And anytime I see the wind blowing into or across one, I give it a try. That windy point will have plenty of oxygen for fish, and will also hold the baitfish that attract bass.
Another good bet in the spring is a brushy flat. Bass will use these flats as far as 200 yards away from deeper water. Another springtime tip is to concentrate on the north shoreline. The prevailing south winds and the low sun in the south will warm the north shore faster.
Of course, there are many other places to look for bass. Flooded timber is common in many lakes, and is often the most productive water. Remember the basics, like a quiet approach and casting to the shady side of cover on hot or bright days.
It seems that bass prefer thicker, "brushier" timber rather than big logs and tree 46 NEBRASKAland trunks. One thing is sure: you have to fish right in the cover, not around it.
The dam is always a good place to look, too. The rock rip rap is perfect habitat for crawfish and minnows, and that makes it a prime spot for hungry bass.
Most of the spring and fall, I prefer to fish with spinner baits and crank baits, but in summer I'll also try a plastic worm. I fish the same kinds of places that I always do, but I prefer it at night. The best of all sum mer fishing is at night with a full moon.
Other summertime hotspots are the tangles of weeds and moss that ring many Nebraska lakes. Lots of fishermen cuss them as nuisances and move on, but the cool, dark water beneath them is very at tractive to bass. I just toss a weedless silver spoon or a plastic worm without weight on top of that mess. If there's a bass down there, he'll see the lure, and if he wants it, believe me, he'll find a way to get to it.
Like a lot of other bass fishermen, I have a boat that's loaded with a lot of gadgetry. Depth finders, thermometers, electric motors and the like can be a help, but I can get along just as well with a pram and oars or even a set of chest waders. Savvy is more important then gadgetry.
Fancy new gear doesn't necessarily make you a good fisherman. But there's been one technological advance lately that should improve your chances-it's a simple thing-colored line.
Fishermen don't realize how many strikes they get that are not felt. An experimental underwater film was made a few years ago showing bass repeatedly in haling and spitting out spinner baits with out the fisherman feeling anything. That fisherman was none other than Homer Circle, fishing editor for Sports Afield. If OF Uncle Homer can't feel those bass, no body can.
But with colored line you don't have to feel the strikes, you can see them. I'd estimate that on 60 percent of the bass I caught last year, I detected the hit by seeing the line twitch or move rather than actually feeling the fish. Fishermen seem to be uneasy about using the colored stuff for fear of the fish seeing it and getting lockjaw. But, I've found that it doesn't seem to bother the bass one bit.
Memorizing the places where experts found bass on a given day does you little good a week later. You should figure why the fish were there. Once you understand why bass frequent certain kinds of water and avoid others, you'll be better equipped to find them under a variety of circumstances. It's the same with all other aspects of fishing-lure selection, color, retrieve. Go beyond the "what, where, how?" Figure out "why?"
If you use your head when you're bass fishing, if you're versatile, if you experiment, you'll hang some bass. It can mean the difference between just fishing and catching fish. They're both about the same amount of work, but one's a whole lot more fun than the other.
KILBURN
(Continued from page 17)like you'd find on a beetle spin or similar bass lure. The other involves a "flicker" spinner, the kind with a single hook and spinner blade attached to a swivel. I short en the hackle on the jig a bit, impale a small bit of rubber band on the jig hook and slide it down onto the bend of the hook. Then, I slip the eye of the flicker spinner over the hook and add another bit of rubber band to keep it in place.
I troll these jigs very slowly into the current, at the same time using a pumping motion to drag the lure upstream a few feet and drift back downstream on a tight line. This imparts more action to the lure, and at the same time gives any walleye within striking distance several chances to take it. In fact, I think the upstream-down stream movement of the lure antagonizes sluggish winter walleye into striking. Sometimes you can feel a fish bump or nudge a lure two or three times before he works up the ambition to strike.
It's important to move dead slow, with the jig riding about two or three inches off the bottom and bumping it occasionally. In the fast water near the dam, it some times takes one as large as 1/2 or 3/4-ounce to stay down where it belongs.
I generally look for a riffle coming to a flat area with a dropoff below that. Winter walleye should be in that deeper water. I prefer to fish active water rather than deep, still water, even though walleye and sauger are likely to be in either place. It's just that these spinner/jig combinations are more active with current.
This kind of fishing can last until mid March, when more water is released from the dam and water temperatures start to rise. Then, fish head for rocky banks or river bottom, probably to spawn or feed. I troll these rocky areas with the spin ner/jig rigs, or with deep-running Rapalas or Thinfins. I also fish from the bank at this time of year, but stick strictly with plugs, because the jigs get hung up too easily in the rocks.
For this bank fishing, I like a No. 7 or 9 silver-and-black countdown Rapala or a deep-running silver or purple-backed Thinfin. The lights along the tailwaters seem to serve as attractors, probably be cause they draw the baitfish that walleye and sauger eat. At any rate, fishing seems to be best between 5 and 9 p.m.
Sometime around May 1, I'm back in the boat trolling again. But at this time of year, I leave the jigs alone and work with the same plugs I was casting from the bank a few weeks earlier. I troll these in deep water off sandbars and also up into the shallows around the bars as evening approaches. You can catch walleye and sauger in as little as three feet of water at night. Fishing is good anytime from 2 p.m. until 10 p.m.
In the heat of summer, I find fish in the early part of evening in dropoffs below riffles and bars. At sundown they move to the bank to feed, and stay there all night, although I've found that walleye and sauger will hang out along the bank only if it has current. They're never found close to the bank in still water.
I'll start a summer evening's fishing in the deep water below the riffle, and as it gets darker, move above the riffle and into the bank. Then, I often find the fish right up against the bank, from two to six feet from shore. There's often a little dropoff just a few feet out that seems to attract walleye and sauger. Its not uncommon to take 6 or 8-pound fish in places like that with just 18 inches of water.
And, once you pinpoint such a productive summer hotspot, remember its exact location. Usually, those places will produce year after year.
Walleye and sauger usually move into their fall pattern about mid-October, and this continues well into November. Really, this is just a rerun of their spring move ment to rocky river bottom and shoreline. I assume they move there to feed and pack on some weight before winter.
I go after these fish in the fall exactly the same way as I do in the spring. And, I toss the same lures at them: the silver and black Rapalas, silver Thinfins and purple backed Thinfins. When the fish leave the rocks, it's time to pick up the winter technique of trolling with the jig and spinner rigs.
In the years I've fished the Big Mo, I've noticed one peculiar thing that is hard to explain. Occasionally, I accidentally snag a blue sucker or quillback, or one takes my lure. When that happens, I know walleye or sauger are around. I can't remember even failing to catch walleye after taking one of these rough fish.
Sometime, you can feel a fish bumping your lure but not taking it. It's likely that this is a rough fish that can't get hold of the lure. If I get these bumps, or if I catch a quillback or blue sucker, I fish that area thoroughly, and it pays off well.
PROPST
(Continued from page 19)productive as bait. If you can't find good sized minnows, use two small ones hooked through the lips.
The walleye's strike will feel like a snag except that there will be a little "give" to it. Most of the time I let the fish have line for about 10 seconds before I set the hook, but when using the two small minnows, I strike immediately.
Speed is important with this rig. You have to go dead slow. If the wind drifts you too fast, or you can't slow your boat's trolling speed enough, switch to a crawler harness with several hooks. With this rig, you strike as soon as you feel the fish hit.
As you fish through May and into June, you'll find the walleye going a bit deeper all the time, but if you hit a good feeding spree, it will most likely be in about 15 feet of water.
There's a time in July and August when walleye get mighty hard to come by. I don't believe that they stop feeding like some fishermen say, because when they show up again in the fall they're fatter and healthier than ever.
July and August are times that make fishermen learn. I'm sure walleye are still feeding somewhere in the lake, and I'm trying different things to find and catch them.
Late August and early September can provide excellent walleye fishing. The last two years at Lake McConaughy, this was the greatest fishing anyone could imagine. The fish feed around the clock, but the best action is at night. During the day, they are somewhere near 45 feet deep, and they move up to 6 or 8 feet at night. In the daytime, I use lead-core line, but I switch to a standard spinning rig with little or no weight at night.
The average fisherman also makes some common mistakes when fishing for wall eye.
The first mistake is using too-heavy line. I use six-pound test on my spinning outfits most of the time. The larger diameter line requires more weight to take a lure down, and might also spook fish. The second mistake is having the weight too close to the bait or lure. I prefer a leader at least eight feet long.
During the daytime, most walleye fish ermen do not fish deep enough. And at night, they tend to fish the same depth that they used during the day. That usually puts them too deep to take night-time walleye. Also. I've found that the best night fishing for walleye is three or four hours after sunset, about the time most anglers are calling it quits for the evening.
I've spilled most of the basics about my walleye fishing techniques here. Of course, I've had to hold back on a few of my secrets. After all, I'm a guide and I want people to go out with me.
Trading Post
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SOMERHISER
(Continued from page 19)productive lure is a wet one. Put it in the water, in the right kinds of areas, and keep putting it there. But, when working a lure,
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If bass don't seem to hit a yellow lure, I never go to a white or any other light colored lure, but go opposite to a black one. If a bass doesn't seem willing to rise to a lure fished near the surface, I slow my retrieve and let it settle near the bottom. For this reason, I fish the Ambusher, a spinner bait, more than all others, as it is one of the most versatile lures made. The plastic worms and crank baits like Big and Deep Jim lures, are also good choices. Although few bass are taken on surface lures, a serious bass fisherman should have these in his tackle box for those days when bass are really tearing up the surface.
Most bass are taken from structure, but just what is structure? Well, one stump is structure, and so is anything else that is different from the rest of the lake's bottom. But bass are still and always will be caught where you find them, and most likely will be in the same places year after year.
As for bass always being found next to deep water and an escape route, this is pure bunk. Brush, fallen trees and weed beds are still good bass drawing cards whether near deep water or not. The secret is to find by trial and error which of these produce bass regularly and which don't.
Sure, bass are caught in deep water, but just because there happens to be a creek channel or deep hole in a lake doesn't mean that spot is bass water. There has to be something else down there to hold bass, whether brush, stumps, water temperature, rocks or bank cave-ins.
Note these and anything else that was involved in catching that bass, then search out more spots exactly like it. If you catch more bass at each of these locations, brother, you've set a pattern.
I use 20 to 25-pound-test mono on large mouth bass. In bass fishing, my line takes a real beating from brush and weeds, but a bass can be horsed out of this entangle ment when necessary. I have also gone to the brightly colored lines of gold and or ange for the simple reason that I can see a strike much better than with clear mono. I'd say 90% of my bass are hooked before I ever feel the strike because I can see my line better and set the hook on sight rather than feel.
I know many fishermen feel that fish see this brightly colored line. But if you tie a rod-length clear leader to this line, you'll have the best of two lines working for you. An electric motor that will handle your boat is a very useful item. But, if you try to get by with a motor that's too small to do the job, it's of little value.
Depth finders, fish locators and graphs are also wonderful items to have. But, they tell the angler little more than how deep he's fishing, the type of bottom the fish 50 erman is over, and if something is be tween the bottom and the surface.
Instant better fishing can be had by most anglers if they just learn one thing: Quiet! Talk doesn't bother the fish, but anything dropped or any vibrations will send a good fish on its way.
ICEFISHING OUTLOOK
(Continued from page 43)"Red Willow, Sherman Reservoir, Hays Center and Medicine Creek all have good to fair populations of crappie."
"Considering the number of fish caught through the ice, Box Butte Reservoir north of Alliance, is probably the Panhandle's best lake", according to Jack Peterson, fish eries biologist for the Panhandle. "That doesn't necessarily mean that it is the best ice fishing lake, though," he continued. "It's an irrigation reservoir and they really draw that baby down. What fish are left are concentrated.
"Island and Crane lakes on the Crescent Lake Wildlife Refuge are good ice fishing lakes," Peterson continued. "Right now Island is loaded with carp. There are some nice northerns in there and a few bluegill and bass but about 90 percent is carp by weight. If Island is renovated this summer it will be held low over the winter and not stocked until 1978. No renovation is being planned for Crane Lake.
"Smith Lake is mainly a northern lake. There are more Master Angler bluegill taken out of Smith Lake than any other lake in the state, but people just don't fish for them through the ice. Most ice fish ermen up there are using minnows and you just don't take many bluegill on min nows.
There is a walleye population in Lake Minatare that you wouldn't believe," Peterson said, "but there just aren't fish ermen enough to find out if they can be taken. It's got a good population of big perch, too.
"Whitney Lake between Crawford and Chadron is probably the best all-around lake we've got out here. It's only about 100 acres. Mainly it has walleye and crappie through the ice."
In summary, the statewide ice fishing outlook goes something like this: South east—gear up for walleye and crappie in the Salt Valley lakes, investigate the smaller reservoirs and don't overlook the farm ponds. Northeast-Grove Lake is the most reliable ice fishing spot but keep an eye out for new Natural Resources District impoundments. Sandhills-look for more of the same good quality ice fishing traditionally found there but expect some in terruptions as lake renovations occur. Southwest—ice fishing opportunity is awaiting fishermen. Panhandle-Lake Minatare for walleye, Smith Lake for bluegill and Whitney Lake for all-around fishing. That's it in a nutshell. Good fishing.
Why is BankAmericard changing its name? We're keeping up with you.
MARK "BANKAMERICARD" OWNED AND LICENSED BY BANKAMERICA SERVICE CORPORATION
