2015 2014 Fish Sampling Charts

Guide to Nebraska in 2015

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OutdoorNebraska.org BLUEGILL CHANNEL CATFISH CRAPPIE Per Trap Net Per Gill Net Per Trap Net Skyview East Twin Island West Wood River Johnson Powder Creek Zorinsky War Axe Louisville 1 Wanahoo Maple Creek Sutherland Sandy Channel 8 Davis Creek Rockford Darr Willow Creek Sandy Channel 2 Harlan Lone Star Wherspann Branched Oak Maskenthine Louisville 2 Sandy Channel 4 Louisville 2 Wildwood Cheyenne Wehrspann Summit Willow Island Walnut Creek 2a Maloney Pibel Oliver Whitney Buckskin Hills Stagecoach Tower (Yellowthroat) Coot Shallows Cozad I-80 Maple Creek Czechland Louisville 3 Czechland Sherman Wellfleet Pawnee Island Branched Oak Carter P. Johnson Winters Creek Louisville 1 Burchard Wagon Train Big Indian 11a Walnut Creek 2A Wanahoo DeSoto Bend Blue <5“ Kea West Sherman Hedgefield Rockford Calamus 5-8” West Brady Ballards Marsh Yankee Hill Swanson <11“ 3-6“ 8-10” Iron Horse Trail Minatare Jeffrey Cozad (South Pine) 11-16” 10-12” Willow Island 6-8” Jeffrey Wellfleet Blue Hole Holmes 16-24” Holmes >12” Grove >8” Davis Creek Tower (Yellowthroat) Red Willow Walgren >24” West Long Twin South Union Pacific Enders Chalkrock Twin North Wildwood Box Butte Frye Meadowlark McConaughy Pawnee Pressey Lewis & Clark Duck Medicine Creek Louisville 2 Medicine Creek Goose Whitney Hackberry Walgren Big Alkali Baright East Hershey Clear (Brown Co.) Box Butte Home Valley Pelican Elwood Clear (Brown Co.) Goose Merritt Hackberry Box Butte Frye Johnson 0285684 112 140 Home Valley Summit Louisville 1 Rockford Willow Creek Blue Red Willow North Platte I-80 Yankee Hill Ballards Marsh Dewey 0816 24 32 40 080 160 240 320 400 LARGEMOUTH BASS WHITE BASS Per Hour Electrofishing Per Gill Net Per Gill Net Crystal (I-80) Johnson Maloney Sampling Charts Sampling Louisville 2 Maloney 4 Iron Horse Trail Johnson Lawrence Youngman Maple Creek Jeffrey Carter P. Johnson

201 Mormon Island West Merritt Calamus Summit Davis Creek Sherman Sandy Channel 2 Duck McConaughy Harlan Coot Shallows Sutherland East Twin Hedgefield Minatare Frye Whitney Sandy Channel 4 Calamus <6“ Czechland Swanson Stagecoach Darr Medicine Creek 6-9” West Long Sherman Cheyenne McConaughy Whitney 9-12” Skyview Sutherland Dewey Harlan 12-15” Kea West Elwood Lake Wanahoo Elwood Enders >15” East Hershey Box Butte Big Indian 11a Davis Creek Lewis & Clark Two Rivers 1 DeSoto Meadowlark East Twin West Brady Minatare Two River 4 Winters Creek Lewis & Clark Tower (Yellowthroat) Willow Creek Union Pacific Red Willow Two Rivers 2 Jeffrey <10“ <8“ 0918 27 36 45 Buckskin Hills Oliver Lone Star 10-15” WIPER 8-12” Summit Walnut Creek 2a Per Gill Net Cozad (South Pine) Wehrspann 15-20” Yankee Hill 12-15” Sutherland Medicine Creek Chalkrock 20-25” Cozad I-80 >15” Holmes Maloney West Wood River Yankee Hill >25” Sandy Channel 8 Calamus Walgren Wanahoo Two Rivers 3 Medicine Creek Swanson Hackberry Willow Island Branched Oak Elwood Blue Hole Wildwood Wellfleet Johnson Clear (Brown Co.) DeSoto Bend <8“ Carter Lake Wagon Train Zorinky Oxbow Trails 8-12” Pelican Enders Minatare East Twin Red Willow 12-15” Powder Creek Stagecoach Stagecoach Czechland 15-20” Two Rivers 6 Jeffrey Wagon Train Pawnee >20” Clear (FWS) Cottonwood-Steverson McConaughy Rockford Big Alkali Box Butte Red Willow Wagon Train Rockford Branched Oak Swanson 0714 21 28 35 0 145 290 435 580 725 0714 21 28 A GUIDE TO FISHING NEBRASKA IN 2015 By Daryl Bauer, Game and Parks outreach program manager WALLEYE – Large reservoirs will always WIPERS – Wipers are large, open-water few truly natural lakes in Nebraska; they will offer some of the best numbers of be the best walleye fisheries in Nebraska predators that also thrive in Nebraska’s tend to have lower densities of bluegills, but largemouth bass 15 inches and larger. Carter because they are large enough to be excellent largest large bodies of water - reservoirs. can offer some trophy fish with the biggest P. Johnson, Buckskin Hills and Summit are walleye habitats. Reservoirs that will be Therefore, some of the same Nebraska specimens in excess of 1 pound. West Long other good examples of small- to medium- good for in 2015 are traditionally waters are consistently good for wipers year Lake on the Valentine National Wildlife size reservoirs that will produce some good some of the best walleye fisheries year after after year. Along with excellent white bass Refuge (NWR) and Tower Lake on the this year. Sandhills lakes can year. Walleye anglers can always count on fishing,Calamus also will offer some of Yellowthroat Wildlife Management Area also be good largemouth bass habitats and some excellent walleye fishing at Merritt the state’s best wiper fishing this year, and (WMA) will be two of the best Sandhills produce some beautiful, fat bass. Duck and McConaughy. In addition, especially anglers often can catch wipers right along bluegill lakes, but Cozad Lake on the South Lake on the Valentine NWR will be the best for numbers of eating-size, 15- to 20-inch with white bass. Minatare and Sutherland Pine WMA, Hackberry on the Valentine example of sandhill lake bass fishing this walleyes, plan to fish Johnson, Calamus and are a couple of other reservoirs that will NWR and Frye Lake will also be good. year. Private pits and ponds always produce Sutherland reservoirs. Maloney, Oliver, be good for wipers in 2015. Red Willow some of the best bass fishing in the state, and Davis Creek and Minatare also will offer has long been known for its wiper fishing CRAPPIES – Crappies are another many Nebraska anglers have permission to some good walleye fishing. If a fish larger and is home to Nebraska’s hook-and-line species that can be found throughout fish at least one of those privately-owned than 25 inches is your target, Merritt and state record wiper; anglers will have a Nebraska. Small- to medium-size reservoirs waters. In addition, some of those private McConaughy will be the best bets, but do good chance of catching some big wipers tend to be excellent crappie habitats and pits and ponds have been enrolled in the not overlook Lewis and Clark for some big there again this year as well as at Swanson those can be found across the state. Whitney Open Fields and Waters program and are walleyes. Small- to medium-size reservoirs Reservoir. Elwood and McConaughy will in northwest Nebraska will again offer some open to the public. Interstate lakes and other tend to have fewer walleyes because smaller be two other Nebraska reservoirs that will excellent crappie fishing in 2015, while public pits like Cheyenne, East Hershey, waters are less ideal walleye habitats, but offer anglers a good chance of catching a Branched Oak, Yankee Hill and Walnut Darr, Blue Hill and Sandy Channel No. 8 anglers will have some opportunities to trophy wiper in 2015. Smaller waters are Creek 2A in the opposite corner of the state will also offer some excellent bass fishing. catch walleyes, and perhaps some big ones, less ideal wiper habitats, but Stagecoach will be good. Jeffrey Reservoir in central at Stagecoach in southeast Nebraska. Maple and Wagon Train reservoirs in southeast Nebraska will be a good crappie as CHANNEL CATFISH – Channel catfish Creek Reservoir is relatively new and has Nebraska support some wipers including well as Blue Lake and Ballard’s Marsh in are one of the most popular fish among a growing population of walleyes; some of fish in excess of 20 inches. the Sandhills. Water level fluctuations on Nebraska anglers, and can be found across those fish will be larger than 15 inches. irrigation reservoirs tend to be detrimental the state. Some of the best channel cat BLUEGILL – Bluegills thrive in smaller to crappie populations, but Sherman waters for 2015 will range from Sutherland, WHITE BASS – Numerous Nebraska waters, especially those that have clean water Reservoir consistently offers good crappie Swanson and Harlan reservoirs in reservoirs will offer excellent white bass and an abundance of aquatic vegetation. In fishing in spite of annual draw downs, and south-central and southwest Nebraska fishing again in 2015.Harlan is consistently Nebraska anglers can find small bluegills Davis Creek is another irrigation reservoir to Branched Oak in the eastern part of one of the best white bass waters in the almost anywhere, but have to hunt to find crappie anglers should target. the state. Davis Creek Reservoir will be state. It will be again, and Calamus also the best waters with an abundance of fish another good channel catfish spot. Anglers will be outstanding in the coming year. The larger than 8 inches. Small- to medium- LARGEMOUTH BASS – Small reservoirs, looking for trophy channel catfish will southwest reservoirs also are traditionally size reservoirs will offer some of the best Sandhills lakes, pits, and ponds tend to want to spend some time on Wagon Train, good for white bass and Enders will be the bluegill fishing in 2015, fromBox Butte be the best largemouth bass habitats in Pawnee, Wildwood, Box Butte, Merritt best of those. Likewise, the canal reservoirs in northwest Nebraska to Burchard in the Nebraska. Those waters offer the stable and Calamus reservoirs. All catfish have always produce some good white bass southeast. In the northeast part of the state, water levels, clean water and abundance of to be released at Wildwood Reservoir; fishing;Maloney and Johnson should be the anglers will discover that Buckskin Hills shallow water cover in which largemouth that is why there is an abundance of big best of those reservoirs this year. Sherman Reservoir will be one of the best in that part bass thrive. Some of those waters can have channel cats there. Anglers should consider was very good for white bass in 2014 of the state for quality bluegills. Summit very high densities of bass, which may voluntarily releasing big catfish at other and that will continue into 2015. Smaller has also been a very good bluegill fishery produce excellent panfish fishing (bass keep reservoirs to maintain the quality of fishing. reservoirs that will also offer some white in recent years and it will be again in 2015. panfish numbers in check), but those waters For a different experience, do not overlook bass in the coming year include Whitney in Yankee Hill Reservoir will be another good with lots of bass may not necessarily be the Nebraska’s warm-water Missouri, Platte, the Panhandle and East Twin in southeast bluegill fishery to check out in the coming best for producing big bass. Small reservoirs Elkhorn and Niobrara rivers, where public Nebraska. year. The Sandhills lakes are some of the like Czechland, Skyview and Meadowlark access is available in some areas. REDEARS, ROCK BASS AND NORTHERN PIKE – Sandhills lakes are SMALLMOUTH BASS – Nebraska some of the best northern pike habitats in has opportunities to catch other species the state and once again Valentine NWR of sunfish like redears at West Brady or lakes Hackberry and Dewey will be some East Hershey interstate lakes or Pawnee of Nebraska’s most popular pike fisheries. Slough WMA, and rock bass at East Goose and Twin lakes are other Sandhills Hershey. Lewis and Clark Reservoir and lakes that will be good for northern pike this the Missouri River in northeast Nebraska, year, but do not overlook reservoirs like Box War Axe State Recreation Area, Johnson Butte, Merritt and McConaughy. Southern Lake, Lake McConaughy and Box Butte and eastern Nebraska waters can be too Reservoir will offer some of the state’s best warm for the cool-water northern pike, but smallmouth bass fishing in 2015. in southeast Nebraska, Lake Wanahoo will continue to offer anglers a chance to catch- BLUE CATFISH – Blue catfish can and-release some pike. be found in reservoirs like Swanson, Wehrspann and Branched Oak, but look to BULLHEADS – Bullhead fishing will be the Missouri River in southeast Nebraska particularly good at Holmes, Czechland, for the biggest blue cats in the state, Wanahoo, Yankee Hill and Zorinsky potentially some fish weighing up to triple reservoirs. Catchable-size bullheads are digits. stocked annually at state recreation area lakes Louisville No. 2A, Two Rivers No. 6, FLATHEAD CATFISH – Flathead catfish Two Rivers No. 7 and Fremont No. 3. are another big, bad catfish species, and anglers can catch some trophy flatheads MUSKELLUNGE – The “king of in Harlan, Sherman or Branched Oak freshwater sport fish,” muskellunge, can reservoirs as well as the Tri-County also be found in Nebraska waters. To catch and Loup canal systems. All flatheads this large, toothy predator, anglers should at Branched Oak must be released target Merritt, Calamus and Wagon Train immediately after capture and anglers reservoirs, as well as Fremont No. 20, and should consider releasing those big cats on Grand Island’s L.E. Ray Lake. other fisheries, as well; it takes several years for those fish to reach trophy proportions. TROUT – Nebraska has waters capable of supporting cold-water fish year-round, SAUGER – Lewis and Clark Reservoir where anglers can find rainbow, brown, and and the Missouri River in northeast brook trout. Most of the cold-water trout Nebraska is the best sauger fishery in the streams are found in western and northern state, but Johnson Reservoir and the canal parts of the state; the East Branch of system and associated reservoirs above Verdigre Creek, Long Pine, Soldier, Plum Johnson also have some excellent sauger and Ninemile creeks are perennial favorites fishing. among trout anglers. In 2015 the rainbow trout fishing at Lake Ogallala will continue YELLOW PERCH – Yellow perch are a to be good, and anglers might even catch very tasty and popular panfish. Some of the some cutthroat trout from Lake Ogallala or best yellow perch fishing will be found at the White River. Crescent, West Long, Blue, Home Valley and Frye lakes in the Sandhills. Cover Photo: NGPC/NEBRASKAland Magazine