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
JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2015 • NEBRASKAland 49 Sleeper Don't wait for dawn or dusk on farm ponds to catch largemouth this month. Topwater frogs at high noon, even on windy days, work great near vegetation. August You only have a few more weeks of extreme heat left. You may be one of few on the water, so take time to learn a new lake. Harlan County Lake Mixed Bag Fish for white bass by setting out floating lights at night. The lights attract plankton, which attracts shad, which attract white bass. Fish near the dam with a minnow and prepare for strikes just out of range of your lights. Stick around and also drift for channel catfish using bloodbait or fresh shad. White River Trout Use floating grasshopper patterns for browns and cutthroats on the White River at Fort Robinson State Park. Seven miles of river to the south of the park are also accessible through the Open Fields and Waters Program. Simply walk the bank and look for feeding fish. Missouri River Catfish Fish the channelized portion from South Sioux City to Rulo for blue, channel and flathead catfish. Use fresh cut bait, such as a silver carp, and try behind wing dikes along the river. Because you're fishing for 100-pound fish and there is constant current and a lot of snags, tackle up. Sleeper Use the same drifting techniques from Harlan for channel catfish at Calamus and Merritt reservoirs. September When many anglers become hunters this time of year, hit the water for one of fishing's most productive months. Missouri River Smallmouth Bass Now go to the unchannelized stretch of the Missouri River above Niobrara for the state's best smallmouth fishing. The Missouri River offers many different types of structure and habitat to fish, including sandbars, riprap and vegetation. You could fish it for a lifetime and never learn it all. So pay attention to where you catch each fish and look for similar structure. Boat ramps are found at Verdel Landing, Niobrara and Sunshine Bottoms. Fremont Lakes Mixed Bag Pond hop these 20 sandpit lakes for a number of species, including largemouth bass, bluegill and even muskies this month. If fishing is slow at one lake, drop your john boat in the one down the road. Rapalas are good starting lures for bass, and all species will bite a beetle-spin. Target drop-offs and shoreline structure. Northeast Reservoirs Largemouth bass Those still on the water can chase numbers at Buckskin Hills Lake. Also take a look at Chalk Rock, Powder Creek and Norfolk's Skyview Lake. Sleeper Pond-hopping can also be done using the same strategies from Fremont on sandpits at Bridgeport, Fort Kearny, Louisville, Mormon Island, Sandy Channel, Two Rivers and Windmill state recreation areas. October Try something different this month, with ideas of providing food for the dinner plate as well as chasing some of the state's most elusive trophy fish. Trout Ponds Statewide Rainbow Trout Each fall and spring, the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission stocks fry-pan sized trout in lakes throughout T he Nebraska Game and Parks Commission's yearly fishing forecast is a must-have for every angler's tackle box, even when the survey year has passed. By studying the year-by-year statistics at the surveyed lakes, you can get an idea of the production you might experience at a lake from previous data. For example, if a lake's walleye production year to year reveals high numbers of fish and a strong percentage of big fish, like Lake McConaughy, then one can expect good success as long as no other factors have interrupted the lake's consistency, such as low water levels. So don't just keep these surveys for a year and then pitch them. This information can be valuable years after a survey has been conducted. By Jeff Kurrus B J ff K Fishing Forecasts a View the 2015 Fishing Forecast. V