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
