You can catch any fish that swims on a jig.  Moreover, if you learn to be a good jig angler, you will flat out be a good angler, period. Those statements are a little misleading as especially in today’s angling world jigs come in an infinite variety of shapes, styles, actions, colors, bodies, tastes, etc.  They all work in the right place at the right time.  Like any bait or lure they are all just tools–use the right tool for …

I hope you were able to sit in on at least one of our public Fisheries meetings last week.  If you could not, never fear, we have ’em on tape! Before I post the links, let me say this:  If you fish in Nebraska, you should take the time to watch at least one of these videos.  If you get around the state and fish a variety of waters, you might want to watch ’em all! First one was southeast …

Disclaimer:  My “lighten up” blog post for Friday this week has nothing to do with fishing in Nebraska.  If you are going to get bent outta shape over that, stop reading here.  Just move along. . . . However, I know many of you, like me, are just plain fascinated by fish.  As a hardcore angler, the whole predator/prey interaction intrigues me.  In addition to that, is there anything better than watching ’em bust on top?  Well, this video takes …

As you know the Lake Ogallala fishery was renovated last fall, Lake Ogallala Renovation.  Rainbow and tiger trout as well as yellow perch have been re-stocked.  The trout are large enough to catch, but I have not made it out there to see if I could dry any off yet. If you are going to be doing some fishing on Lake Ogallala, the canal or North Platte River below the reservoir, you should know that there are a few tagged …

You may have caught wind of this by now: Anglers, biologists join forces in Midwest Walleye Challenge Anglers and biologists are joining forces to bring a new kind of fishing tournament to Nebraska. The Midwest Walleye Challenge will give anglers in states across the Midwest a chance to compete for prizes while collecting important data for biologists. The collection of angler catch data during the Nebraska challenge, which runs March 30-June 30, can help the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission …

If you have been paying any attention at all to modern sportfishing, you know that forward-facing sonar is THE latest, greatest technology.  There are all kinds of debates ongoing about what this powerful technology means for the sport and for our fisheries.  I am still trying to decide exactly what I think about it. I will tell you that I have always believed that the most important tool any angler can have is the one between their ears.  The mental …

We have open water early this spring.  I know, everyone has the fever and cannot wait to hit the water and catch some fish. . . . Then they find out that the water is still darned cold, the weather is erratic and catching fish right now ain’t easy.  In my opinion, early spring is the most challenging fishing of the entire year. I have blogged often about some early spring strategies, so I am not going to repeat that …

It is that time of year again.  Wanna spread the word on this: Join Game and Parks in virtual discussion on fisheries in March Join the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission in a virtual discussion on fisheries management during meetings March 18-21. These four regional public informational sessions – one for each Game and Parks Fisheries district – will provide local updates on the fishing outlook and special projects in respective areas. The informal, interactive gatherings will provide a chance …

I am betting many of you were at least a little bothered with the FaceBook outage this week. That reminded me of a meme I had seen.  Some of you are old enough to “get this”. For those of you who do not “get it”, listen close: This chord was struck again on a calm afternoon on the water recently.  Sound carries far over water.  I listened to a guy’s stupid cell phone ring all afternoon, WHILE HE WAS FISHING! …

As you know we have open water early this year.  Yes, fish are being caught already.  I am also hearing questions about early open water and spawning seasons.  This discussion comes up every spring.  I have and will give the same answers every spring:  Weather will modify spawning activities a bit, but you can count on spawning occurring pretty much the same time every year.  The amount of daylight or photoperiod is the primary driver of spawning activity on most …