18 Nebraskaland • August-September 2025
IN THE FIELD
August in Nebraska is hot. There's no way around it.
Because of the weather, and the belief that fi sh don't "bite"
this time of year, many rods and reels gather dust until
cooler temperatures return. But Nebraska Game and Parks
Commission Fisheries Biologist Daryl Bauer suggests
otherwise.
"Fish are eating the entire time in August," he said.
Nebraska's fi sh are cold-blooded, meaning their body
temperature is proportional to the water temperature, and
they're constantly feeding and burning calories. But they can
also fi nd something to eat pretty easily during warm weather.
By late August, however, a couple of factors increase angler
chances of catching a nice fi sh. One, fi sh begin to put on
weight as water temperature and metabolism lower. Second,
the baitfi sh population in our water bodies thins, making
fi shing easier for those willing to sweat through a few casts
for them.
Channel catfi shing is one of Nebraska's most productive
species during this transition from August to September.
"When channel catfi sh fi nish spawning in July," Bauer
said, "they go hard until the fi rst part of October. If you're
catfi shing in September, it's on."
Another warmwater species that starts feeding more is
bluegill. They can be found on weed lines and deeper water.
"It's diff erent than the shallow spawn bite in the early
spring," Bauer said. "But some really big fi sh can be caught."
A third species to target during this transition is wiper.
"Bites begin to last longer," Bauer said. Instead of a 20-minute
feeding at the beginning or end of the day, he said, a topwater
bite might last for an hour or two.
If coldwater stream fi shing is what you're after, the main
change is fl y choice. "August and early September is hopper
time," Bauer said.
The changes this time of year will be subtle, but anglers
willing to go from short-sleeves to jackets will see the skinny
fi sh they're catching in August start to transition to fatter
ones in September — fi sh looking to eat and anglers dealing
with less competition for their lures in the water.
High-quality bluegills, like this one, can be targeted in August and September on weed lines. JEFF KURRUS, NEBRASKALAND
FROM WORST TO FIRST
By Jeff Kurrus
