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/963498
40 NEBRASKAland • APRIL 2018 S trong and aggressive, northern pike are the alpha predators of freshwater. Being at the top of the food chain, they have little to fear and viciously attack anything they can swallow, including frogs, crayfish, mice, muskrats, other fish and even baby birds. Due to their voracity, pike have many nicknames: northerns, gators, snakes, slough sharks and water wolves, just to name a few. Most fly anglers think they must travel to remote locations in Canada to experience this aggression, but Nebraska has many bodies of water where anglers can target pike. Until recently, Nebraska anglers had to head to the Sandhills to find good pike fishing, and while that area continues to produce quality fish, now anglers in the eastern part of the state can enjoy prime pike fishing at Lake Wanahoo. Most bodies of water in Nebraska that contain pike are tailor- made for fly-fishing with deep creek channels, rip rap points, flooded timber and abundant vegetation. With quality pike fishing within striking distance of anywhere in the state, now is a great time to chase them with a fly rod. Location, Location, Location Northern pike are forenamed "northern" for a reason, and Nebraska marks the southern edge of their range. Yet pike can adapt to a wide variety of conditions. They live in small ponds, big lakes, and even rivers; can tolerate turbid water and low oxygen levels; and rarely die from winterkill. Adults prefer water temperatures in the mid 50s, while juvenile fish don't mind temperatures in the low 70s. This means that many lakes in Nebraska become too warm for pike during hot summer months. When you find pike, they will likely accept your fly, so locating fish is the most important skill in a pike angler's repertoire. The crucial part to catching pike on the fly is identifying lakes that contain pike and then isolating areas within those lakes where you are likely to find them. Luckily for anglers in Nebraska, the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission does yearly pike samplings throughout the state and shares this information with the public. For those in the west, Valentine National Wildlife Refuge contains some of the best pike fishing in the state, including Dewey and Hackberry lakes. During 2016 surveys, Hackberry contained both the highest density of pike as well as the largest pike sampled – a toothy monster measuring 40 inches. Box Butte and Merritt reservoirs are also excellent locations for pike, with many anglers landing trophy fish every year. Perhaps most exciting for eastern anglers is the healthy population of pike in Lake Wanahoo, just 30 miles north of Lincoln. The majority of fish in Wanahoo are between 20 and 30 inches, but several fish collected during the yearly sampling approached the coveted 40-inch mark. In years to come, there will be massive specimens lurking in Wanahoo, as pike in warm water grow more quickly than their far north cousins. With this information, finding a lake containing pike is easy, but once on the water, locating pike can seem like a daunting task. Lake Wanahoo, for example, is more than 650 acres and the amount of structure in the lake, Lake Wanahoo's vast diversity and size makes a great location in eastern Nebraska to fly-fish for pike. Big Red Water Wolves Story and photos by Ryan Sparks Fly-fi shing for Pike in Nebraska PHOTO BY ERIC FOWLER