60 Nebraskaland • November 2022
MIXED BAG
Fall stockings of put-and-take rainbow trout draw anglers
out of the house for a holiday season meal, but where this
autumn ritual gets really interesting are those lakes where
top-notch fi sheries already exist. There, you'll have no idea
what's fi ghting on the other end of the line.
Lakes
Grove Lake — The trophy northern pike in this
northeastern Nebraska lake near Royal are just as excited
about fall trout stockings as anglers, and as they put on
weight for the impending winter, they give
anglers a much larger option along with newly
stocked rainbow trout.
CenturyLink Lake — Located at Eugene
T. Mahoney State Park between Omaha and
Lincoln, this 10-acre lake remains a multispecies
hotspot. "I'm always telling people about
CenturyLink," said Nebraska Game and Parks
Commission fi sheries biologist Daryl Bauer.
"This is a good fi shery without the trout. Nice
crappie and largemouth bass. Good catfi sh, too."
Halleck Lake — Staying in the metro,
Papillion's Halleck Lake is a "there's no telling
what you'll catch" fi shery, said Bauer. From
big largemouth bass, channel catfi sh and an
occasional muskellunge, trout anglers might
just run into a fi sh of a lifetime.
Bessey Fish Pond — "Forget about the
trout," Bauer jokingly said about this Nebraska
National Forest at Halsey hotspot. "Go after
the bluegills and big catfi sh." But also keep the
recently added rainbows in mind as well.
Carter P. Johnson — One of many angling
options at Fort Robinson State Park in Sioux
County, anglers will fi nd nice largemouth
bass striking the same lures used for rainbow
trout — as long as the lures being used are the
right ones.
Baits
While "the right lures" are a matter of opinion
in fi shing, much like the proper political affi liation
or baseball hitting technique, there are defi nitely
some wrong lures. "If you're fi shing dough bait
or Powerbait," said Bauer, "you're probably only
catching trout." Instead, when fi shing this list
of lakes, tie on in-line spinners like roostertails
and size No. 8 husky jerks, which will be about
3 inches long.
These lures give
anglers multispecies
options.
"Throw a spinner,
and there's no telling
what you'll catch," Bauer
said — especially when you're fi shing these lakes.
To see the full list of put-and-take rainbow trout stockings,
visit OutdoorNebraska.org/fi shstockingreports.
PLUS THE TROUT
By Jeff Kurrus
The opportunity to catch bluegills and put-and-take rainbow trout is just
another reason to fi sh CenturyLink Lake. JEFF KURRUS, NEBRASKALAND
