Nebraskaland

April 2022 Nebraskaland

NEBRASKAland Magazine is dedicated to outstanding photography and informative writing with an engaging mix of articles and photos highlighting Nebraska’s outdoor activities, parklands, wildlife, history and people.

Issue link: http://mag.outdoornebraska.gov/i/1463221

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56 Nebraskaland • April 2022 MIXED BAG A comparison among the fi shing forecasts, both past and present, reveals the following: Must Fish Now Elwood and its wiper fi shery highlight my "must fi sh now" list. Fish surveyed in the 15-20-inch range and above 20 inches make it an ideal location for trophy and numbers fi shing. Another destination would be Whitney Lake for crappies. Not only did the lake survey the highest number of crappies the past two years, it also didn't survey a single fi sh under 8 inches, with the majority of its fi sh in the 10- to 12- inch range. Excited to Try Maybe because of Maple Creek's high percentage of channel catfi sh above 24 inches, or the memory of catching a couple of these catfi sh on a buzzbait a couple of summers ago, makes me want to visit this reservoir and target these fi sh specifi cally. Further west, for the past three survey years Winters Creek Lake on the North Platte National Wildlife Refuge has the highest number of walleyes surveyed statewide, with more than half of those fi sh measuring above 15 inches. What also intrigues me about this waterbody is its "non-powered boats only" requirement, equaling the playing fi eld for those small boat anglers. Old Favorites I will re-visit Ravenna this year. It boasted one of the highest number of bluegills above 8 inches, and about half of its largemouth bass measured more than 12 inches. Another old favorite is Grove Lake. Its largemouth bass population shows fi sh above 12 inches year to year, but its trophy northern pike and nearby rainbow trout fi shing at Verdigre Creek make this destination more than a distant memory. Keep those old fi shing forecasts, and turn last year's "I'll pass" lake into this year's "must fi sh" destination. COMPARING FORECASTS By Jeff Kurrus ed boats h l i fi ld f

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