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/440846
When and where should I fish? These questions have been asked as long as anglers have been wetting hooks. While weather, wind and time of year factor into the first question, the simplest and most important answer is "when you have time to go." Regarding where you should fish, we've given you a starting point with NEBRASKAland Magazine's 2015 fishing calendar. Now it's up to you to see if we're right. Fish Here Now The 2015 Nebraska Fishing Calendar By Daryl Bauer and Jeff Kurrus January Start your fishing calendar big. Really big. Now that good ice can be found statewide, it's time to tackle Nebraska's biggest waters through the ice. Merritt Reservoir Mixed Bag A perennial favorite, Merritt has pike, big bass, walleye, crappie, yellow perch and even an occasional trophy channel catfish. Therefore, you have several options. Jig deep-water timber in the old Snake River channel and Boardman Creek for crappies using your favorite 1 ⁄16 to 1 ⁄32 ounce jig or jigging spoon. Use tungsten jigs because they have a greater density than lead. Keep your sizes relatively large, 3 ⁄8 to 1 ⁄2 ounce, to get down to the desired depths, which could be up to 40 feet, for walleye and channel catfish trophies. Look for bluegills and largemouth bass on one of the lakes's three arms with jigs tipped with waxworms and run tip-ups for pike using smelt or live chubs. Swanson White bass Ice usually doesn't last long at this southwestern reservoir, but when it's there take advantage of it. It's a numbers game at Swanson, with wipers, channel catfish and walleye being caught. Fish with the same jigging spoons and tailspinners you use during the summer, no more than ½ ounce in size. Sherman Crappie Use the same jigging strategies that you would at Merritt this month, but cover more water. With less underwater structure, fish at Sherman are much more nomadic. Be ready to move with them. Where should you start? Look for everyone else. If you're the last person on earth, fish the brush piles in the arms, drop-offs and humps throughout the lake. Locate these areas with topographic maps that can be found at OutdoorNebraska.org/gisapps. Sleeper Mid-winter can be a lull on the ice-fishing calendar, even more so on smaller bodies of water. Look for big lakes, such as Branched Oak, which has good numbers of crappie more than 10 inches. Drill a lot of holes, for underwater structure is scarce, and concentrate along the dam when all else fails. 42 NEBRASKAland • JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2015 Chubby Darter