December 2025 • Nebraskaland 51
on that, it might be a good way to
get some information, but boy that's
difficult," Schuckman said, pointing
to the braided nature of the river in
the delta and the area it covers that
makes it hard to cover with gill nets or
electrofishing.
Schuckman said he was most
surprised by the number of fish that
moved out of the reservoir to spawn
in the delta or beyond, a fact that
explains the difficulty they had
helping Radigan capture fish to tag
there during the spring. "In most of
our reservoirs in the state, you go to
the dam in the spring of the year and
it's full of spawning walleye," he said.
"That is not the case in Lewis and
Clark Lake."
Radigan said area fishing guides
were instrumental in the study,
helping Radigan catch fish to tag with
rod and reel or telling him where they
could catch them with electrofishing
gear.
With low releases in recent years,
biologists' catch rates have improved
significantly, as has the fishing. "We're
building numbers, and fishing in 2025
is indicative of that," said Schuckman.
"Life is good. They caught a lot of
limits of walleye out of Lewis and
Clark Lake this spring."
Radigan and Schuckman agree
anglers need to enjoy catching and
keeping those fish now. "We're
one high-water year away from
losing a bunch of them again,"
Schuckman said.
N
Game and Parks
biologists Jeff
Schuckman and
Phil Chvala wait as
Radigan sutures
a walleye after
implanting a
transmitter for
his study.
