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
44 NEBRASKAland • JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2015 February You never know what the Nebraska winter is going to give you, especially this month. Be prepared to fish on ice or open water. Summit Lake Bluegill This northeastern hotspot is perfect for the new or aged ice angler. Look for bluegills next to green vegetation or its myriad of brushpiles, many of which are located near the lake's six larger breakwaters, using two-pound test line or less with 1 ⁄64-ounce jigs. Verdigre Creek Rainbow Trout For the fly-fishing purist, it's a bead-head nymph bite. For the rest of us, put on a Berkley trout worm or half a nightcrawler and start drifting. Valentine National Wildlife Refuge Mixed Bag First ice and last ice are the best times of year to fish hard water at the refuge. Start on Pelican, Dewey and Hackberry lakes for bluegills and yellow perch, but be prepared to see a northern pike or fat, beautiful largemouth as well. Because you're able to use up to five lines per person, set up three or four tip-ups for pike with frozen smelt on a quickstrike rig with a steel leader and keep a jigging pole in one or both hands with a 1 ⁄32 ounce teardrop and a waxworm for panfish. One-pound plus bluegill are a possibility. Note: you may need to upsize with your lure choices due to the stain of Sandhills lakes. Sleeper Last year was a banner ice-fishing year at Lake Wanahoo. However, flooding in 2014 has some anglers curious if any fish moved out of the lake and if production will lower due to poorer water quality. Take a look for yourself and hope the crappie fishing is anything close to how it was last winter. March Search for coldwater species this month when the ice is starting to disappear and warmwater fish are still inactive. Ogallala Rainbow Trout Stay flexible when fishing Lake Ogallala during the late-winter warming trends that March always gives us. Start with hard lures – spoons, in-line spinners and small crankbaits – but be ready to downsize to other baits like nightcrawlers, salmon or trout eggs or PowerBait. For fly-anglers, try a white streamer, but also know that these trout are eating midge larvae year-round. It's always a good go-to pattern. Lake McConaughy Northern Pike Look for Lake Mac's good population of big northerns in bays on the lake's upper end. Last year, Otter Creek was hot, but there are also other bays on the north side of the lake worth trying. Catch these fish on smelt or suspend crankbaits or even spinnerbaits on warm afternoons. Tri-County Canal Sauger Above Johnson Lake, cast for sauger with a jig and a minnow, or Gulp minnows, near each of the canal's check dams. Sleeper While at Lake Mac chasing trophy toothies, try for big channel catfish in those same areas by fishing smelt on the bottom. You can also use winter-killed gizzard shad on wind-blown shorelines. This can also work for pike. April Because the weather can be so inconsistent in the spring, think both warm and coldwater species this month. I-80 Lakes Largemouth Bass Look for trophy, pre-spawn bass early in the year on the I-80 lakes, as well as private sandpits and even Open Fields and Waters lakes. Begin on the north shorelines and M atch the hatch is another one of fishing's most common tips. But it remains a steadfast technique, year after year. When you're seeing two-inch alewives, find lure choices of similar size. When bullfrogs start croaking at dawn and dusk, imitations are great starting points. Crawfish should also be an angler favorite, especially when they can be found on nearly every water body in the state. Lastly, when cleaning fish spend a few moments to check stomach contents. This may help you land a few more fish the next day on the water when yesterday's strategies aren't working so well. By Jeff Kurrus Lure Choices ize When bull llfrogs start PHOTO BY ERIC FOWLER PHOTO BY JUSTIN HAAG