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/977334
46 NEBRASKAland • MAY 2018 C hannel catfish are the third most preferred fish in Nebraska, following walleye and largemouth bass. While the majority of catfish are taken out of the Missouri and Platte rivers in southeastern Nebraska, a 2002 angler survey showed that river anglers are also looking for catfish in lesser known streams. In fact, 40 percent of southeastern Nebraska anglers fished in rivers and streams other than the Missouri and Platte rivers when targeting catfish. The four largest interior rivers in southeastern Nebraska are the Little Blue, Big Blue, Little Nemaha and Big Nemaha. These rivers have long been popular among catfish anglers. However, little is known about the current state of fisheries in these river systems. Because of the high demand of lake and reservoir fishing, the management of southeastern Nebraska streams has not been a priority, said Tony Barada, a fisheries biologist in the southeast district. He and Fisheries Biologist Aaron Blank set out to change that in 2013, when they began a 4-year project to learn as much as they possibly could about the Blue and the Nemaha river systems. Not only was the goal to monitor and index catfish populations, but also to learn more about the overall fish community in all four rivers, both native and invasive. "We know people are fishing in these areas, and we know they're important locally," said Barada, "but we don't have much data on our catfish populations. The Nemahas are also directly connected to the Missouri River, which is a hotbed for aquatic invasive species. We need to figure out what is going on in these river systems." "Rivers are so dynamic, always going up and down, and fish populations follow those trends," said Fisheries Biologist Tony Barada. In drought years, the Blue and Nemaha rivers can experience water depletion. When that happens, fish are forced to move downstream; fish that don't make those movements die. When bigger rain events occur, the fish recolonize. The Blues and the Nemahas Story and photos by Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley In 2002, the Game and Parks Commission conducted a survey to find out more about Nebraska's river anglers. Fishing in the Missouri and Platte rivers predictably scored high, but the survey also showed that angling opportunities in smaller rivers and streams should not be dismissed.