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FOR: • 2017 Fish Sampling Charts

• Guide to Fishing Nebraska • Best Waters to Catch Larger Fish• Forecast for 17 Fish Species

2018

OutdoorNebraska.org

FORECAST

FISHING

A GUIDE TO FISHING NEBRASKA IN 2018 By Daryl Bauer, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, fisheries outreach program manager

WALLEYENebraska’s largest reservoirs are the state’s best walleye habitats and consistently provide the best fishing. Merritt Reservoir will top that list this year, but other perennial favorites like McConaughy, Sherman, Minatare, and Calamus will also be good. Lake Winters Creek in the Panhandle will offer numbers of eating-size, 15- to 20-inch walleyes this year, as well as Yankee Hill in southeast Nebraska. Anglers targeting big walleyes should plan trips to Merritt, Elwood, McConaughy, and Sherman. Smaller reservoirs in eastern Nebraska are less than ideal as walleye habitats, but stocking does provide anglers with opportunities to catch walleyes from those waters. Youngman, Wildwood, and Zorinsky will join Yankee Hill as the best waters to catch walleyes in eastern Nebraska in 2018. Several walleyes were sampled at Oliver and Skyview last fall, but most of those fish were less than 15 inches and need some more time to grow. WHITE BASSWhite bass also are open-water predator fish that thrive in Nebraska’s largest reservoirs. The best white bass fisheries in 2018 will be found at Sherman, Calamus, and Harlan – which are three of the best every year. Enders, Johnson, Medicine Creek and Swanson reservoirs will have high numbers of white bass next year, but most of those fish will be smaller than 12 inches. Big white bass can be found in waters that have lower densities, so also look to Maloney, Whitney, and Lewis and Clark for some white bass larger than 15 inches this year. Smaller reservoirs are not ideal habitats for open-water white bass, but East Twin will offer anglers some opportunity to catch white bass in southeast Nebraska.

WIPERSWipers are white bass-striped bass hybrids and, like their parent species, they are most successful in open-water habitats – Nebraska’s largest reservoirs. McConaughy, Elwood,

Medicine Creek, and Calamus will offer the most wipers for anglers 2018. The wiper population in Branched Oak Reservoir has made a rebound in recent years, and Red Willow and Davis Creek will be good, too. Jeffrey and Maloney reservoirs also will offer good numbers of wipers in 2018, but most of those fish will be less than 20 inches long. Anglers looking for trophy wipers in 2018 will find McConaughy and Elwood hard to beat.

BLUEGILLBluegills can be found in a variety of waters across Nebraska, and anglers can take their kids out to catch some “sunnies” on just about any small body of water. Our state can produce many 8-inch-and-larger bluegills, as well; several waters will do that in 2018. Small- to medium-size reservoirs offer some of the best bluegill fishing every year, with Olive Creek, Leisure, Maple Creek, and Meadowlark topping that list. Ponds like Crystal near Ayr and Jenny Newman in Platte River State Park also will be good spots. Anglers are reminded that all fish must be released while fishing at Jenny Newman. Some other waters that will be good for 8-inch-and-larger bluegills this year will be Wildwood, Lone Star, Wanahoo, Walnut Creek, and Verdon. Nebraska’s Sandhills lakes offer lower densities of bluegills, but can produce some trophy ’gills, with the biggest fish in excess of one pound. Anglers should remember that bluegills that big are rare fish and worthy of having a picture taken and then returned to the water. The best Sandhills lakes in 2018 will be Duck, West Long, and Watts on the Valentine National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) as well as Frye and Walgren lakes. Sandpits like those on the Louisville State Recreation Area (SRA) will offer some excellent opportunities for quality-size bluegills this year.

CRAPPIESCrappies are another panfish that can be found in abundance throughout Nebraska, with anglers always on the look for waters that will produce fish larger than 10 inches. There will be

numerous places in 2018 that will offer some very good crappie fishing, with Sherman, Davis Creek, Wanahoo, Branched Oak, Wildwood, and Whitney reservoirs heading the list. Other waters that will be good for crappies in 2018 include urban reservoirs such as Holmes and Wehrspann, as well as Czechland, Atkinson, and Johnson. Sandhills lakes tend to have lower densities of panfish such as crappies, but can offer some of the biggest, fattest, black crappies in the state; Blue and Home Valley lakes will be the best of those lakes this year for crappies.

LARGEMOUTH BASSWaters that offer stable water levels, clean water and an abundance of shallow-water cover, especially aquatic vegetation, are those in which largemouth bass thrive. In Nebraska, small reservoirs, Sandhills lakes, pits, and ponds tend to provide the best of that habitat. Some of those waters can have high densities of bass, which tend to produce excellent panfish fishing as largemouth bass keep panfish numbers in check. However, when looking at the sampling data for the best bass waters, those with the highest numbers of bass may not offer the best opportunities to catch fish larger than 15 inches. On the other hand, lower densities of largemouth bass can offer anglers the best opportunities to catch bass larger than 15 inches. Pioneer Trails near Aurora and Walnut Creek #2A near Crete will offer anglers tremendous numbers of 15-inch-and-larger bass in 2018. Other small- to medium-size reservoirs such as Memphis, Wanahoo, Walnut Creek, Skyview, Burchard, Olive Creek, and Wehrspann will also be excellent for largemouth bass this year. Interstate lakes and public pits such as Louisville #3, East Hershey, Fremont Slough, Birdwood, Heartland Shooting Park, and Grand Island Rest Area will also offer some excellent bass fishing in 2018. Sandhills lakes can also be good largemouth bass habitats and produce some pretty, chunky bass; Walgren Lake and Hackberry on the Valentine NWR will be good bets in the Sandhills

this year. Private pits and ponds always produce some of the best bass fishing in the state, and many Nebraska anglers have permission to fish at least one of those privately owned waters. In addition, some private pits and ponds have been enrolled in the Open Fields and Waters Program and are open to the public. Refer to the Public Access Atlas for those waters (visit Outdoornebraska.org).

CHANNEL CATFISHChannel catfish are popular in Nebraska, and are found widely across the state. That will be demonstrated in 2018, as some of the state’s best channel cat waters will be found from Zorinsky and Branched Oak in eastern Nebraska to Sutherland in the west central and Oliver in the southwest Panhandle. In addition, Prairie Queen, Enders, Lone Star, Powder Creek, Harlan, Big Indian 11A, and Lake North will all offer good numbers of 16-inch-and-larger channel cats in 2018. For 24-inch-and-larger cats, anglers should fish Burchard, Willard Meyer, Pawnee, Czechland, Davis Creek, Medicine Creek and Johnson this year. Voluntary catch and release of trophy catfish is a practice that should be considered by anglers on any Nebraska water as it takes years to grow channel cats to that size. For example, Box Butte, Merritt, and Calamus reservoirs have lower densities but trophy catfish, fisheries that took years to develop, that can be maintained by voluntary catch and release. For a different experience, do not overlook Nebraska’s warm-water rivers such as the Missouri, Platte, Elkhorn, or Niobrara. There are some areas where public access is available, and in addition, check out the Open Fields and Waters Program for additional access to warm-water streams and rivers on private lands.

OTHER SPECIES

Redear Sunfish – In addition to bluegills, Nebraska offers opportunities to catch other sunfish species, such as redear sunfish at Jenny Newman, Wildwood, and Louisville SRA Pit #2.

0 50 100 150 200 250 300Birdwood

Rat & Beaver

Frye

Wanahoo

Watts

Hackberry

Tower

Twin North

Prairie Queen

Mormon Island Mid

Helen

Memphis

Twin South

Wehrspann

Verdon

Walgren

Kramper

East Hershey

Louisville #1A

Duck Creek

Wildwood

Pioneer Trails

Big Indian

West Brady

Yankton

Atkinson

Jenny Newman

West Long

L.E. Ray

Meadowlark

Lone Star

Crystal

Duck

Maple Creek

Louisville #3

Walnut Creek

Bowling

Louisville #1

Alda

Powder Creek

Mormon Island West

Skyview

Louisville #2

Lexington

Leisure

Olive Creek

3-6“

>8”

6-8”

BLUEGILLPer Trap Net

2017

Samp

ling C

harts

0 5 10 15 20 25

Big Alkali

Merritt

Walgren

McConaughy

Willow Creek

Wildwood

Iron Horse

Sherman

Olive Creek

Calamus

Elwood

Johnson

Cunningham

Czechland

Walnut Creek

Swanson

Meadowlark

Winters Creek

Medicine Creek

Wagon Train

Prairie Queen

Youngman

Burchard

Wehrspann

North

Minatare

Davis Creek

Harlan

Lewis & Clark

Willard Meyer

Lone Star

DeSoto Bend

Big Indian 11A

Red Willow

Enders

Powder Creek

Holmes

Maloney

Jeffrey

Louisville #2

Skyview

Pawnee

Branched Oak

Buckskin

Sutherland

Zorinsky

East Twin

Oliver

CHANNEL CATFISHPer Gill Net

11-16“

>24”

16-24”

<11”

0 12 24 36 48 60

Rat & Beaver

Fremont Slough

Birdwood

Twin North

Louisville #2

Walgren

Blue

Whitney

Pawnee

Clear

Home Valley

Wildwood

Willow Creek

Jeffrey

Watts

Wanahoo

Hackberry

Branched Oak

Czechland

Atkinson

Holmes

Johnson

Tower

Sherman

Davis Creek

Wehrspann

CRAPPIEPer Trap Net

<5“

>12”

10-12”

8-10”

5-8”

0 100 200 300 400 500 600PawneePelican

HackberryAtkinson

DeweyGI Rest Stop

Lone StarEast Hershey

CzechlandNorth Platte I-80

BowlingZorinsky

Big Indian 11aLexington

AldaBirdwood

HolmesL.E. Ray

MemphisWest Long

Such'sMormon Island Mid

WehrspannLeisureCrystal

BowmanBurchard

WanahooMeadowlark

YanktonWest BradyOlive Creek

WalgrenLouisville #3

SkyviewFremont Slough

Louisville #2Walnut Creek #2a

Heartland Sh. ParkVerdon

WildwoodMormon Island West

Pioneer TrailsLouisville #1

Walnut CreekPrairie Queen

Duck CreekLouisville #1A

Jenny NewmanHelen

LARGEMOUTH BASSPer Hour Electro�shing

8-12“

>15”

12-15”

<8”

0 12 24 36 48 60

Big Alkali

Enders

Cottonwood/Steverson

Cunningham

East Twin

DeSoto Bend

Powder Creek

Branched Oak

Whitney

Medicine Creek

Buckskin

Swanson

Wanahoo

Prairie Queen

Pawnee

Johnson

Jeffrey

Lewis & Clark

Czechland

Harlan

Willow Creek

North

Maloney

Holmes

Walnut Creek

Island

Wildwood

Sutherland

Zorinsky

Davis Creek

Sherman

Elwood

Calamus

Skyview

Oliver

McConaughy

Minatare

Youngman

Yankee Hill

Winters Creek

Merritt

WALLEYEPer Gill Net

<10“

>25”

20-25”

15-20”

10-15”

0 9 18 27 36 45

Minatare

Plum Creek

Lewis & Clark

Elwood

Whitney

Enders

East Twin

Johnson

Midway

Medicine Creek

McConaughy

Davis Creek

Sherman

Red Willow

Calamus

Sutherland

Jeffrey

Swanson

Maloney

Harlan

<6“

>15”

12-15”

9-12”

6-9”

WHITE BASSPer Gill Net

WIPERPer Gill Net

<8“

>20”

15-20”

12-15”

8-12”

0 2 4 6 8

Minatare

Wagon Train

Enders

Willow Creek

Sutherland

Swanson

Maloney

Harlan

Johnson

Davis Creek

Jeffrey

Red Willow

Branched Oak

Calamus

Medicine Creek

Elwood

McConaughy

WHITE BASSPer Gill Net

<6“

>15”

12-15”

9-12”

6-9”

0 5 10 15 20 25

Lewis & Clark

Whitney

McConaughy

Sutherland

Red Willow

Jeffrey

Minatare

Maloney

Davis Creek

East Twin

Sherman

Swanson

Johnson

Medicine Creek

Calamus

Harlan

Enders

Photos: NGPC/NEBRASKAland Magazine

Smallmouth Bass – The top waters will be War Axe, Johnson, McConaughy, and Blue Lake, as well as the Missouri River in the northeast.

Blue Catfish – Try reservoirs such as Swanson, Pawnee, Medicine Creek, Elwood, and Branched Oak. Look to the Missouri River in southeast Nebraska for the biggest blue cats – some weighing in triple digits.

Flathead Catfish – This large catfish can be found in the Missouri River, as well as in reservoirs like Harlan, Sherman, Branched Oak, and the Tri-County canal system. All flatheads at Branched Oak must be released immediately after capture. Anglers should consider releasing big flatties on other waters, as well.

Sauger – The best sauger fishing will be on Lewis and Clark Reservoir and the Missouri River in northeast Nebraska, but Johnson Reservoir and the Tri-County canal system also have good numbers of sauger.

Saugeye – Stocking this hybrid cross between a walleye and sauger is producing some excellent opportunities for anglers to catch those fish in Olive Creek, Meadowlark, Lonestar, Cunningham, and Willard Meyer reservoirs.

Yellow Perch – In 2018, some of the best fishing for this popular and tasty panfish will be found at Crane, Atkinson, Rat & Beaver, Frye, and West Long lakes in the Sandhills.

Northern Pike – Sandhills lakes are some of the best northern pike habitats in the state as well, and lakes on the Valentine NWR – Dewey and Hackberry – will be some of Nebraska’s most popular pike fisheries. Reservoirs in southern and eastern Nebraska are typically too warm for cool-water northern pike, but Wanahoo is relatively new and has some pike habitat now. Remember that all pike must be released at Wanahoo.

Bullheads – “Yellow bellies” are a great fish for beginning anglers, as they are usually willing to bite. Bullhead fishing will be particularly good in 2018 at Yankee Hill, Czechland, Olive Creek, and Wanahoo.

Muskellunge – To catch this “king of freshwater sport fish,” anglers should target Merritt, Calamus, and Wagon Train reservoirs, as well as Fremont SRA Pit #20, and Grand Island’s L.E. Ray Lake.

Trout – Nebraska also has waters that support cold-water fish year-round where anglers can pursue a Trout Slam catching rainbows, browns, brooks, and possibly even cutthroats and tigers (brown-brook hybrids). Most of the cold-water trout streams are found in western and northern parts of the state; the East Branch of Verdigre Creek, Long Pine, Soldier, and Ninemile creeks are favorites among trout anglers. In 2018, the rainbow trout fishing at Lake Ogallala will continue to be good, and anglers might even catch some cutthroats from the White River in Nebraska’s Pine Ridge.

Do not forget to pick up a copy of the 2017 Public Access Atlas to find places to fish. It is available wherever fishing permits are sold and online at OutdoorNebraska.org.