58 Nebraskaland • July 2026
Portrait s from the Past
Gravel Pit Fishing, 1987 or 1988
These photos are of my father-in-law, Julius Weverka, and me taken in the
fall of 1987 or 1988 after an afternoon and long evening fishing a gravel pit
in Loup County. The smallest fish on the stringer weighed over 6 pounds, and
the ring on the stringer, where it was wrapped around the pole, gave out just
after the picture was snapped. I remember discussing, somewhat prophetically,
after one such trip how someday we'd look back on those trips as "the good ol'
days," and we were right! Julius passed in April 2004.
The second photo was taken the same night. Most folks throw carp back, but
Julius knew a guy who worked at Joe Tess Place in Omaha who taught him how to
"score" carp for cooking. My mother-in-law, Lucille, also canned them, and we used
the meat like tuna or salmon.
– Jerry Davenport, Sargent
Send contributions to: Portraits from the Past, Nebraskaland Magazine, P.O. Box 30370, Lincoln, NE 68503-
0370. Or e-mail to Jenny.Wheatley@Nebraska.gov. Photos should show people enjoying Nebraska outdoor
activities, such as camping, boating, hunting or fishing, and must have been taken before 2000. We will give
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