Iowa's free fishing weekend for 2010 is June 4 - 6th.
Unlike Nebraska's, it is for residents only. Sorry!
May 26, 2010
May 21, 2010
Fishing Report: Northern Pike fishing near Valentine, NE - May 2010
For the fifth year in a row, I fished the Valentine National Wildlife Refuge lakes near Valentine, NE, for northern pike during the middle of May (13th - 15th to be exact). The fishing was pretty good this year.
Dewey, on the other hand, was pretty good fishing. The lake was full, and the water was the clearest I remember. Past years found us fishing mostly the east end along the reeds, and the middle of the lake. This year, we fished mostly the west end of the lake. We put in on the western most ramp (there are now 4 ramps on Dewey). We caught a lot of fish, northern and a couple perch, about 50-100 yards straight south of the ramp. We repeatedly passed through that general area and caught fish nearly every time.
We threw mostly brightly colored spoons (I am a fan of Little Cleo's) and retrieved pretty slowly to get them nearer the bottom (it's only about 6 foot deep there). 
The refuge boasts some of the best northern fishing in Nebraska, but due to these lakes be shallow, sandy bottom lakes, they get pretty mossy and weedy come mid-summer which makes them hard to fish.
On the refuge we fished mostly on Dewey, though we tried Clear Lake as well. We didn't catch anything on Clear - the lake was a good foot or foot and a half higher than previous years, but it was extremely murky.
Dewey, on the other hand, was pretty good fishing. The lake was full, and the water was the clearest I remember. Past years found us fishing mostly the east end along the reeds, and the middle of the lake. This year, we fished mostly the west end of the lake. We put in on the western most ramp (there are now 4 ramps on Dewey). We caught a lot of fish, northern and a couple perch, about 50-100 yards straight south of the ramp. We repeatedly passed through that general area and caught fish nearly every time. We threw mostly brightly colored spoons (I am a fan of Little Cleo's) and retrieved pretty slowly to get them nearer the bottom (it's only about 6 foot deep there). Most of the northern we caught were in the 21 - 26 inch range, with one 30 incher in the 2.5 days of fishing.
The refuge boasts some of the best northern fishing in Nebraska, but due to these lakes be shallow, sandy bottom lakes, they get pretty mossy and weedy come mid-summer which makes them hard to fish. Now is a great time to get to Valentine NWR and catch some northern! My 6 year old had a blast catching this 25.5 inch northern all by himself!
May 19, 2010
Nebraska Free Fishing & Park Entry Day - May 22, 2010
Nebraska holds a free fishing and park entry day each year in May on the Saturday prior to Memorial Day weekend. This year that day falls on Saturday, May 22nd.
This Saturday, residents and non-residents, can fish without a license and enter state parks for free. This is a great opportunity to either give fishing a try, get back into fishing, or for checking out a state park for free. Also a great, cheap, family outing option. (We can all use those!)
In addition, several state parks have "family fishing clinics" - click here to download the poster with the full list.
Mar 23, 2010
No Crappie length minimums in April on Zorinsky & Wehrspann
If you love crappie fishing and you fish in the Omaha metro area, you need to know that the 10 inch minimum length on crappie is lifted for the month of April on both Zorinsky & Wehrspann.
This is perfect for those that love to eat crappie but seem to only catch 9 inchers.
The best part is that the crappie usually spawn in April so they are a lot more likely to bite as they store up energy for the spawn and vigorously defend their eggs and fry.
Here is the proof from the 2010 Nebraska Fishing Guide:
Mar 10, 2010
Changes to Nebraska Fishing Regulations for 2010
If you fish in Nebraska, be sure to double check with the changes to fishing regulations for 2010. As usual, there aren't a lot, and some changes are pretty obscure and won't likely affect that big trip you have planned, but it is good to at least check them out before you start fishing this year.
Below are the changes for 2010 straight out of the 2010 NE Fishing Guide, p. 5. Hope they are helpful.
(from the 2010 NE Fishing Guide, p. 5)
NEW FOR 2010
The following are changes to fishing regulations for 2010:
- Iron Horse Trail Lake is added to the list of waters with a 21-inch minimum length limit on black bass.
- It is unlawful to harvest wipers at Zorinsky Lake. Wipers have been stocked into Zorinsky to prey on abundant gizzard shad. The regulation will reduce premature harvest of small wipers.
- The new walleye spawning reef habitat at Sherman Reservoir is included in the area closed to fishing from sunset to sunrise, April 1 - 20.
- It is unlawful to possess live baitfish at Hedgefield Lake in Lancaster County. The lake is being rehabilitated, and the goal of the regulation is to reduce introduction of undesirable fish.
- It is unlawful to possess live baitfish at Lake Wanahoo in Saunders County. The goal of the regulation is to reduce introduction of undesirable fish.
- The following have been added to a list of waters managed as High Use Fishing Areas: Open Fields and Waters program lakes and ponds, Big Springs City Pond, Birdwood Lake, Friend City Lake, Hedgefield Lake, Hooper City Lake, Humphrey Pond, Kramer Park Lake, Lake Wanahoo, North Platte Interstate 80 Lake, Oxford City Lake, Papio 4, Schwer Park Pond, Silver Creek City Lake, and Stanton Lake.
- Regarding bait collection and dealer regulations, the maximum legal opening size of a baitfish trap throat increased from 1.5 to 2 inches.
Mar 9, 2010
Available online - NGPC's Guide to Nebraska Fishing
Need to double check the rules and regs for fishing in Nebraska? Stop by the NGP website and view or download the 2010 Fishing Guide.
Jason
@heartlandfishin
Hearland Fishing Blog
FISHING GUIDE
Browse or Download 2010 Fishing Guide
The Fishing Guide provides information you need to fish Nebraska water.
- Current Regulations
- Seasons
- Limits
- Special Area Regulations
- Where to Fish - Public Waters Guide
- Where the Fish Are - Stocking Reports
- Reports from the field - Outdoor Reports
- A Fish Identification Guide
- Who Caught What - Master Angler Awards
- Show Me Your Fish - Angler's Anchive - Photos
- Purchase a Permit Online!
- Discussion Forum
via ngpc.state.ne.us
Feb 24, 2010
Omaha - 63rd Annual Boat, Sport, and Travel Show - Feb. 25-28, 2010
Consider attending the 63rd Annual Boat, Sport, and Travel show in Omaha at the Qwest Center from Thursday, Feb. 25th through Sunday, Feb. 28th.
You get to roam through row after row of outdoor wonderment including fishing equipment, RV's, fishing destinations, boats and more boats, and various outdoor related exhibits. There's always some good food being peddled by exhibitors, a trout fishing pond for the kiddos, and various seminars and "shows" throughout the weekend.
Check out http://www.gototheshows.com/bst-v-home.html for more information.
Growing up in the Omaha area, this is a show my family attended quite frequently when it used to be held down in the Civic Center. I have great memories of walking through all the exhibits and watching the shows (including lumber jack competitions, including log rolling, pole climbing, etc., as well as unusual performers like Wes Harrison).
I attended last year for the first time since the early 90's and was a little disappointed to see how much smaller the show has become. Everything now fits in one exhibition hall at the Qwest (instead of multiple exhibition halls and the main arena at the Civic back in the day). I will say it was still a pretty good day for the family and I picked up several helpful pieces of information from various exhibitors on fishing locations and strategies.
Anyone planning on attending? Please share your comments below...
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