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: https://mag.outdoornebraska.gov/i/1545575
May 2026 • Nebraskaland 55 WIPERS I have broken down wipers in their own category outside of white bass. White bass and wipers tend to run with one another up until about the 15- to 18-inch length in their lifespan. Once wipers exceed this length, they operate on their own program. Similar to most predator species in the lake, they are well- tuned to alewife locations at all times. In the spring, they can be found searching the shallows in schools I call wolf packs. You will often see these packs of 24- to 30-inch fish as they search the shallows for food. They will even push water like redfish in the coastal shallows. In March and April, my favorite way to target wipers is with a fly rod. They seem to favor a very light streamer that acts almost like a jerkbait. Common colors are white, white and purple, and white and chartreuse. These flies are anywhere from 3 to 7 inches in length. On a warm and windy spring day in the shallows, there can be quite a good bite. When the alewife start to spawn, I switch over to m o re b a s s - l i ke te c h n i q u e s o f ca s t i n g s p i n n e r b a i t s, jerkbaits and topwaters. I like to chase them during the midday throwing f lutter spoons off rocky points and deeper sand points as they retreat to deeper depth with the bait fish. Another great technique in targeting wipers is to fish for them at night. During May, June and July, the alewife will seek the shallows and the wipers will be right with them. There are times you can camp on the beach and throw for wipers feet from your camper. As late summer and fall appear, the wipers really start to disperse throughout the lake and can be found trolling or throwing slabs spoons over fish that you mark in 20 to 60 feet of water. COMMON CARP Another species that seems to be getting more and more attention each year at McConaughy is the common carp. You will see several people targeting them with fly rods in the spring and summer months. I like to fish for them in the shallows throwing small crayfish and micro leech patterns as June and July roll around. I like to throw imitation cotton seeds or puke flies (white rabbit fur) on top of flat glass water. It is a sight-fishing exercise that is a lot harder than it sounds, but at times carp have chased these surface cotton imitations 20 feet, the takes are just like watching trout sip a hopper. As you can see, McConaughy gives you many options to get a bite on your trip. Even after fishing this lake for 50 years, almost on every trip, something new surprises me. It could be a new spot, a new technique or even seeing something new for the first time. Ultimately, I'm still chasing my boyhood feeling of "the thunk" and what is on the other side of the line. It's the catalyst that invokes the same emotions I had when I was 10 years old and the pure joy of just fishing. N Jack Wemhoff and Blake Steinke wait on the photographer to head out fishing. Mitch Rother of Grand Island catches wipers on the fly. Blake lands a common carp with a fly rod.