Nebraska Fishing Report from Anglers

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August 5, 2012 - Freemont Lake #20 - Fremont Lake #20 water is way down. A lot of the timber and cover is out of the water. We caught a few of the smaller bass on jigs and crank baits in 10-13 ft. No fish over 12-13 inches. Water temp was 79 degrees. Smaller bass were being caught on drop shots on North end of lake.

June 1, 2011 Omaha Lawrence Youngman Lake - Here's a quick post for a local "shoreline" jaunt:

With only a few hours to fish on Saturday evening, 28 May 2011 … Tristan and I each grabbed a custom rod and headed out to try a new local lake in Omaha, Nebraska that recently opened this spring. The lake is located on 192nd and West Dodge and is named "Lawrence Youngman Lake." We only fished for about an hour and from the shore, but managed three bass - all about 1 pound. As this lake was just opened to the public, we were pretty certain the bass would be smaller, but probably hungry ... and definitely worth a scouting trip to see how things looked ... and fished.

Air temperature was approximately 55 degrees with 5-10 knot winds out of the northwest, there was a slight chop to the water surface, which played in our favor as we loaded our custom rods with KVD spinnerbaits and began to stalk likely casting spots on the bank. We headed around towards the southern end of the lake, casting as we maneuvered the perimeter. After just a few casts, we realized that due to the wind piling the algae/scum on our end of the lake, we needed to swap our tactics ... and our lures. So we each tied on a plastic frog, Tristan in bullfrog natural color and a bullfrog with yellow highlight for myself. And then, back to fishing ... but ready for topwater excitement ... and man, there's nothing like a good bass topwater strike on a frog!

With clouds moving in and light sprinkles across the water, Tristan worked his frog and scored the first fish of the day on his Cajun Custom Rod - picture below.

: Lawrence Youngman Lake - Omaha

I hooked up with a smaller bass about 5 minutes after, and with time running short before we needed to depart, Tristan hooked up with the third bass of the day - in between the two largemouth already caught.

So, after only an hour or so, we landed three bass on frogs from the shoreline and as we headed up to the truck, spoke with a few anglers who said they were catching similar sized-bass ... that they were hungry and definitely "fun" to catch. Everyone I spoke to, including ourselves, were practicing C.P.R. (Catch. Photograph, and Release). As this lake matures and becomes more established, Lawrence Youngman is certain to become an excellent "in city" fishing lake for Omaha ... as long as we anglers protect the privilege and help maintain the fishery. Pack out what you pack in, and if you see trash that someone forgot .. pick it up. File off barbs on hooks to make for easy hook removal after a successful catch ... and take a kid fishing!

Jaesen Yerger - Cajun Custom Rods

May 31, 2011 -Fremont - Wow! Talk about putting the custom fishing rods through the ringer ... try on 50+ bass and a muskie in an afternoon of fishing! On Saturday, 21 May 2011, my son and I headed out for Fremont Lakes, Nebraska for an afternoon/evening fishing trip. We arrived at Fremont Lake #20 around 1:00 PM and launched the boat ... and headed for the far eastern end of the lake. Tristan loaded up his custom rod with a 3/8 ounce white spinnerbait (KVD double willow-leaf with the red stripe in the skirt) and I threw on a Terminator white and chartreuse 3/9 ounce (modified with a single brass thumper) spinner bait. Before too long, we were into the bass and into them thick. We placed the boat about 15 yards from the bank and trolled slow around the perimeter in anywhere from 8-14 feet of water, throwing the spinnerbaits as close to the shore as possible and began a steady retrieve back to the boat. Strike after strike and bass after bass, we landed our fair share of 1 to 2.5 pound largemouth. It seems, they were in a post-spawn feeding frenzy and were ravenous for our lures. The fishing was so fantastic, that throughout the day, Tristan and I shared catching bass together with 6 doubles throughout the afternoon! Here's a picture we took together of the first double we had together ... check out the kids smiling - priceless ;) !

: Tristan & Dad (1st Bass Double of the day)

Water clarity was about 3-5 feet and there was a 5-10 knot wind that blew off and on ... just enough to keep a decent ripple in the water. The day was beautiful with a high overhead clouds, but lots of sun and air temps ranged from 65-78 degrees the 4-5 hours we fished. Water temps ranged from 65-66 degrees on the western end of the lake with temps up to 68 degrees near the eastern end of Lake #20.

To top off the stellar bass fishing day we were having, as we trolled towards the western end of the lake, Tristan wanted to try a Rapala shad rap (black back with silver body, 1-3 feet depth on the lip). He threw a few casts into open water and lo' and behold, caught a a muskie! Now don't get me wrong, this particular muskie still had some growing to do, but what was so great about the catch is that when Tristan landed the fish, he says to me, "Look Dad, I caught my own 'River Monster' ... here in Nebraska!" I almost fell out of the boat I laughed so hard ;) ! We're both fans of the show and to hear his comparison to the little Muskie he landed was the "right humor at the right time!" Man - you gotta' love some of the things that can come out of a kids mouth ... completely innocent ... but hilarious!

: Tristan Fremont Bass (21 May 2011)

Around 5:30 PM we had caught more than our fair share of largemouth and with clouds on the horizon darkening, decided we'd pack it in and head for the house. For the day, our fish count was a solid 50+ largemouth bass landed and one "A River Monster" (a.k.a. - Muskie). All fish were safely released back into the lake as we are big fans of C.P.R. (Catch, Photograph, and Release). So with big "cheshire cat smiles" on our faces, my son and I ended our trip and headed for the house ... another day of fond fishing memories added to the count. The Nebraska bass bite is definitely here for the warm months ... so get out and take a kid fishing!

Jaesen Yerger - Cajun Custom Rods

May 11, 2011 - Swanson Reservoir - Just came back from 3 day trip. Caught 3 walleye. Very slow.

May 11, 2011 - Fremont SRA Lake #20 and others - Submitted by Jaesen Yerger of www.cajuncustomrods.com - The bass fishing for Nebraska is finally starting to warm and soon we'll be staking claims for those "lunker" largemouth during the spawn. You can bet, the rod builders of Cajun Custom Rods will be out there ... fishing, testing casting and spinning rods, and determining the very best custom rod components so that we can offer more "Freedom of Choice" to our customers for their custom fishing rod designs. We've been out to some of our local haunts as of late and have managed to hook up with quite a few largemouth bass and even went toe to toe with a 30-35 inch muskie in Fremont SRA Lake #20. Talk about a fantastic fight! However, in the end ... the muskie bested us for a chance at a free boat ride and picture. No worries though, we know where that muskie lives and we'll be back for more on our future fishing adventures.

: Cajun Custom Rods - Fremont SRA Lake 2 Largemouth

Over the last few weeks, the CCR crew has taken a few outings on the weekends to try our luck on the local bass population. Weather has been back and forth between rain, sun, clouds, warm afternoons, cold mornings and nights, and wind ... yep, we've simply been running the entire gamut with old man weather over the last few weeks of May and early April 2011. However, based on what we've been throwing at the bass and how the bite has been improving I am certain that the spring spawn in Nebraska is going to light off hot and fast in the very near future ... most likely with the full moon on or about 15 May.

Water clarity has been tea/coffee-stained when the wind is blowing, but overall most of the local lakes in the vicinity of Omaha, Nebraska have been fairly clear and a few have had excellent water clarity with visibility as far as 10-25 feet. Fremont Lakes SRA (lake 20) is where we've been having the best success with 1-2.5 pound bass, but we've managed a few bass on our custom fishing rods in some of the older lakes in the Fremont Lake compound, to include a few nice 4-5 pounders in the older lakes (lakes 2 & 3).

So what are we casting to those local bass in Fremont to entice them for a free boat ride? Good thing you ask, because just like our rods at CCR ... we have no secrets and are willing to share the info with you to ensure you have the best fishing experience you can. Work the banks in tight with jerk baits (red, gold, opaque white, or rust colors) or shad raps in 2 to 8 feet of water both out from the bank or parallel/diagonal from the bank. Fish slow! I cannot stress this enough ... be patient .. the bass are there and they're getting hungrier by the day. The vast majority of our bites have felt like a tug, or as if you're pulling a wet rag through the water. When you feel that, load up and swing away ... because it will take a good hook set to ensure the bass are caught ... they're somewhat finicky and soft on the bite (most likely due to the colder water temps which are averaging from 53 degrees in late May to the now balmy 56 degrees we saw last weekend).

Additionally, we've been throwing spinner baits (small to medium sizes in the 1/4 to 3/8 ounce weights) with the key being presentation and color. We're flipping when in tight to the banks and casting soft, "no splash" drops when off the points and on clear or sandy banks. The fish are scattered right now with bass being caught in the 6-8 foot range (coming up and taking the bait) as well s coming off the banks in and around any cover, lie-downs, or timber that the environment presents. We're not quite slow rolling, but we certainly aren't burning the baits ... a nice steady retrieve on a 6:3:1 or slower reel seems to be doing the trick. below are a few picks of the guys and some of their landed fish.

: Jack's 1st Bass of 2011

: Jack and Jon - Bass Fishing 2011

: Cajun Custom Rods - Custom Fishing Rods Built to Catch Bass!

So, as you can see ... the bite continues to warm with the weather. So far, we haven't seen any nests to include a lack of fish with any spawn rub or wear marks. However, the fish are moving up and beginning to stage in the shallower water. From what I know of fishing the largemouth spawn all over the U.S., I believe the "magic" combination is going to be a full may moon, stable weather in the 55-70 degree range during the days to heat up water temps to around 60 degrees and then "Booyah! The spawn is on!"

As we all hold our breath for that moment, remember, any fish caught off beds should be returned to the water ensure that the populations are continued and that we all have a few fish to catch out there ... especially for the youngsters. if you haven't practiced C.P.R. - then let me tell you how easy it is in just a few simple words: Catch. Photograph. Release. The more CPAR practiced out there the brighter our fishing is certain to be in the future. Remember, boat safe, fish hard, practice C.P.R. and whenever you can ... take a kid fishing!

Tight lines and we'll see you on the water!

Jaesen Yerger, Cajun Custom Rods

April 15, 2011 - Lake Cunningham Omaha - April 10, 2011, While the water temps are slowly warming at Lake Cunningham, in the Omaha area, the bass are starting to move shallow, still about ten feet from the banks. I caught a nice 22 inch bass using a wiggle wart. Although it was slow, what was caught were nice.

Lefty

March 27, 2011 - Fremont Lake #20 - Submitted by Jaesen Yerger of www.cajuncustomrods.com - Here's a blog of our recent fishing trip in Nebraska:

On 19 March Jon Vroom and Cajun Custom Rods headed out for some winter Nebraska bass fishing at little lake #20 in Fremont, Nebraska SRA. Just one week after the ice thaw here in Nebraska, we hit the open water in hopes of giving a few largemouth a free boat ride ... and even with some ice still in the coves and on the banks ... we boated a few bass ;)

We started out on the south side of the lake about 3:30 PM or so and began working the shoreline break in 6-8 feet of water and reeling our baits out to 12-15 feet of water. On our arrival, winds were from the southwest around 5 knots, but within an hour they picked up to 10-15 knots with occasional gusts to 20+ knots ... yep, wouldn't you know that a front would move in and attempt to spoil our afternoon on open water for some Nebraska bass fishing fun. Water temps in the southern end of the lake were 37-39 degrees and as we fished towards the northern end of the lake temps increased a few degrees ... topping at 43 degrees. We saw a few fish in the colder water on our fish finders, but didn't get to meet any in person until we reached those warmer temps. On the colder water, the fish were deep and we were seeing only singles.

We fished slow retrieves casting out Rapala Shad Raps in bronze/red/black colors and other similar jerk-baits towards the bank and into deeper waters. Fish began striking almost on the first lure jerk ... but the hits were super soft and slow tugs as opposed to the knock out, teeth-sinking strikes we know from warmer months fishing for bass. I'll be honest when I tell you, both Jon and I fished custom made fishing rods that day and we saw a few folks fishing "off-the-shelf" rods ... maybe it was sensitivity of the rods, maybe it was our custom rods were tuned to our personal fishing techniques ... but we were the only folks catching fish ... and we caught quite a few. Knowing that almost everyone we saw that day was fishing slow a slow retrieve, I have to think the sensitivity of our custom fishing rods and the subtle bass tugs is exactly why we were landing fish and letting them take a photo or two with us.

All in all, our Cajun Custom Rods landed us a total of 8 Nebraska largemouth and one Nebraska white perch, or crappie (BTW: the crappie was smaller than the jerk-bait he was trying to eat). Jon landed 4 bass and I landed 4 bass with each of our fish weighing in between two to 2 1/2 pounds ... not huge, but man-o'-man was it a blast catching those fish after such a long, cold, icy winter. So, after giving each of the eight bass a quick free boat ride, all were released back into the lake to catch another day - we practiced flawless C.P.R. or "Catch, Photograph, and Release" throughout the afternoon. After catching bass for a few hours we ramped out the boat and headed for the house knowing that we hadn't lost our fishing edge over the winter and the full spring lake thaw was in earnest. It won't be long now before the midwest is fully engulfed in the spring spawn and we'll be certain to keep folks posted as we explore the fantastic fisheries and areas in and around the greater Omaha, Nebraska, and surrounding areas in search of largemouth, smallmouth, walleye, northern pike, muskie and other freshwater gamefish.

Here's a video of Jon landing one of the largemouth bass on Fremont Lake #20:

Bass Fishing on Lake #20 Fremont with Cajun Custom Rods

: Catching Winter Bass in Nebraska - "Three!"

: Fremont Lake #20 - Catching Winter Largemouth

: Cajun Custom: Jerk-Baits for Largemouth Bass

And here's a few pics of a few of the Nebraska bass we landed using our "Cajun Custom Rods - handcrafted, custom-fit fishing rods that as are unique as the anglers who fish them."

A few last words from Cajun Custom Rods on safety. As the thaw continues, remember that the air temps are still cold and the water (though warming) remains brutally cold. Safety check your gear and transportation before every outing. From Personal Flotation to batteries, truck and trailer tires to proper foul weather gear ... if you're prepared when you leave the house, then the adventure on the water will surely prove to be safe, warm, and fun. Be safe out there, know regulations of the state your fishing and abide by them (so we have excellent futures for our children to fish), and practice Catch, Photograph, and Release (C.P.R.). Until next time, tight lines and remember to take a kid fishing!

- Jaesen Yerger, Cajun Custom Rods

March 19, 2011 - Summit Lake - the ice is off the lake, but the fish bite is super slow. only caught about 12 nine inch golden shiners. Uhgh. any one who catch these pesky little things are encouraged to feed them to the local wildlife. If your thinking of fishing Summit Lake, give the weather a couple more weeks of water warm-up before wettin a line. -Tom

December 29, 2010 -Nebraska and South Dakota Ice Fishing - Fished Willow Creek Reservoir (Pierce, NE) yesterday (Dec. 28th), bite was slow with small crappies hitting during daylight hours. At sundown caught a few nice crappies and one 3.5 lb walleye, also one catfish. Bite was over at about 7:30 PM. Barometric pressure dropping ahead of a storm, going back today, however not expecting much with cold front moving in. About one foot of good ice on entire lake. Most of the other fishermen that I talked to were having some success.

Good reports of perch bite on Hackberry Lake at Valentine NE. Hope to go there next week, weather permitting.

Nebraska will be lowering the panfish limits after the first of the year, they will only allow 15 fish per day, all panfish species combined. This is going to severely limit the cost/benefit ratio of any given planned fishing trip. I can understand their reasoning in the eastern end of the state with the large numbers of people, however in the west, there are plenty of fish to go around. Our Game and Parks Commission continues to give us reasons to camp & fish in South Dakota.

RKC - Tilden, NE.

December 27, 2010 -Nebraska and South Dakota Ice Fishing - Dec. 12, 13, 14th. Was on Lake Thompson SD until sundown, caught one small walleye on minnow, moved to Brush lake on the 13th, strong winds & blowing snow made for tough conditions, bait shop in Lake Preston said limits of perch coming in, didn't get a bite (must be the weather)

Moved to Willow Creek Lake near Pierce NE on the 14th, daytime bite was terrible, however for 1/2 hr after sunset crappie bite was good with fish running up to 12".

Dec. 21st. hit private ponds in Northeast NE. daytime bite was slow with only largemouth bass up to 3 lbs. Evening bite was good with crappie up to 3/4 lb. Mostly minnows.

Question, have relatives in Lawrence KS. Does ice get safe enough on Clinton or Perry?

End of report.

RKC - Tilden, NE

September 9, 2010 - Omaha area - Submitted by Jaesen Yerger of www.cajuncustomrods.com - Not only have we been turning out a few rods here at Cajun Custom Rods, but we've also had some time to hit the water and scout out some of the local ... and not so local fishing spots in the vicinity of the Omaha, Nebraska area with family and friends. We've fished Prairie View Lake, Lake Burchard, Summit Lake, as well as Lewis and Clark Lake over the last couple of weeks (some more than once) and have been catching fish left and right. Here's a quick rundown of these lakes and how they've fished:

- Prairie View: close to Omaha (about 10 minutes from the house) and a decent evening fishing spot. Bass can be caught in the shallows or deeper water using plastics ... but my favorite tactic is to throw big crank baits to the hungry little largemouths in the deeps ... and run em' fast for the big hit. Lots of 1-3 pounders in this lake and the occasional 4-5 pounder ... locals claim there's a few sixers in here ... but I've yet to land one and we've fished this lake several times over the last few weeks. All-in-all ... a great lake to take a buddy or children to catch a few bass.

- Lake Burchard: this watering hole is "out there" ... about an 1.5 hour drive from Omaha and on two-lane rods all the way. if you don't have a good mapping system or have been there before ... be sure to get solid directions. Gorgeous lake and decent fishing overall. You have to work the shallows and points real slow right now. The few fish we caught were landed on either senkos wacky-rigged in the shallows or a shallow-running crank-bait thrown off the points. Note: there is no cover on this lake, so be prepared to get creative - recommend you "think like a bass" before heading here. Talked with a few folks who frequent the lake and there are some decent size 4-6 pound bass caught in this lake ... from what i saw on the depth finder ... maybe so. I just couldn't get anything over 2 pounds to take the lunch pail that day.

- Summit Lake: ahhh ... quickly becoming a favorite fishing spot of ours ... a relatively easy drive of about 40 minutes from Omaha and well worth the gas money. Took a buddy of mine who was passing through and again, we hammered the bass. A great day fishing either shallow or deep water. There is some cover spread about the lake and the weeds are already rescinding around the perimeter ... makes for some great jig & pig and worm fishing. Running a crank-bait in the deeper water seems to always produce here as well. After 4 trips in all to this lake, I am convinced ... if you want to catch a lot of bass in the 2-3 pound range ... the drive is worth the gas money and your time.

- Lewis & Clark Lake: took the family on a weekend camping trip and fished a couple of times over a weekend. Let me just say W I N D ... and lots of it. Not being familiar with this lake, we fished rocky points and any structure ... let's just say the bass won. Over the course of the weekend we probably landed about 20 freshwater drum and 4 white bass. While we were there, a walleye tournament was in progress and folks didn't fair too well ... i'd have to say the wind played a huge factor in the equation. On a side note, the campgrounds in the area are superb and the scenery is spectacular. if you're looking for a great location to get away with the family and land somewhere that everyone can have fun ... this is an excellent choice.

Enjoy the pics below and be sure to build your next Cajun Custom Rod design on our Build-A-Rod page. Until next time - tight lines and take a kid fishing!

September 9, 2010 - Sonar Question - Anyone experience this? I have a Lowrance LCX 19 sonar, (fish finder). Its 6 years old or so. Been experiencing when I turn it on the unit, (Cristal's) are upside down. All the readings, water temp. depth are upside down. Then after a few Min's. the problem corrects itself and functions fine. I know I can call Lowrance and be put on hold for awhile and ask them if I can get home in time before they close but just thought I'd put this out there for remarks. I'm afraid one day it's not going to correct itself.

August 15, 2010 -Summit Lake State Recreation Area - Submitted by Jaesen Yerger of www.cajuncustomrods.com - Jack and I loaded up the boat and headed north to fish Summit Lake State Recreation area this afternoon. It took about 45 minutes from Omaha, but man was the drive worth it! We started throwing grey pepper-flaked senkos (weedless and carolina rigged) on our Cajun Custom Rods about 4:30 PM under a high overcast sky, and after about 20 minutes of fishing ... we started catching ... and boy did we catch fish today! In all, we landed between 20-30 fish (mostly bass and 1 surprise), of which we had a legitimate 8-10 Nebraska largemouth bass that were "keepers."

The keepers ranged in size from 15 1/4 to 19 inches, and all bass were "football bellied" and heavy. All fish were released shortly after catching them, but I put a few in the live-well for about 30 minutes or so to see if they'd spit out a bit of their lunch ... so we could se for ourselves what they were eating. Shad ... and little minnows that look like "glass minnows." The sky was a bit overcast and we got a few light sprinkles around 5:15 PM or so. Water was aqua-green to coffee stained depending on where you were ... the stain in the western part of the lake as wind was anywhere between 5 to 15 mph out of the east. We fished about 20-30 yards off the bank and pitched the senkos to holes in the grass mats or just to the edges of the weed lines until around 6:00 PM. Heck, if I didn't know any better ... I'd say these fish were hungry.

Another point to note, the lake was relatively light on boat traffic and folks in general ... a good thing seeing as today was Saturday. I mention this because usually the little Nebraska lakes that I have fished on Saturdays are essentially parking lots with traffic ... not here, not today ... and it was real nice for a change. Then we headed to the eastern end (near the damn) to get out of the wind for awhile and try our luck there ... same results, but this time with crankbaits. I threw a silver sexy shad-colored lure (running fast at 5-8') and Jack threw a bronze perch-colored lure (3-5') ... we both kept hammering the bass.

About 7:00 PM, I threw my lure into about 6 feet of water (about 5-10 feet from the dam bank) and saw the swirl come off the bank ... then it was on! I knew from the hit, the tug, and the fight at hand that surely I had a Nebraska trophy largemouth hooked up ... this thought ran threw my mind as the fight took a solid 3 minutes ... around the boat, around the motor, diving again under the boat, another loop around the boat ... and deep too ... and finally the big fish gave into to my custom fishing rod ... coming up from 15 feet of water ... like reeling a cinder block hooked to my crankbait ... straight up and slow. I called for the net at some point during the fight knowing that Jack would be ready when I had the fish worn down. With a few more cranks and a steady high rod tip ... Jack lowered the net and then ... "Surprise!" What we had on the end of the line was a monster channel catfish. All in all, the catfish weighed in at just over 12 pounds and measured in at 28 3/4 inches.

I've had cats hit bass lures before, but not like this one today ... this cat was mean hungry and he hammered that crankbait ... all six trebles in his mouth ... not lipped, but engulfed (reminded me of the way you see the great whites on TV hammering those poor seals off some remote African coast). We had a few fishermen that we were close to, so we meandered their way for a photo of Jack and I with the big catfish ... so we would have the proof for mom ... and then let the big fish swim away ... to raise havoc with the lake populations again.

After the excitement of the catfish, we tied on frogs and started our way back to the boat ramp ... long-casting to every patch of weed, muck, algae, and grass mat we could find. Yep, hungry Summit Lake largemouth bass ... and they hammered the frogs too! I think we caught our last bass this evening about 10 feet from the boat ramp before we put the rods down and readied the boat for the pull out and drive back to Omaha.

What a fantastic day fishing with my son ... I know he'll remember today forever and I'm just glad I got to be a part of that memory. I wonder, will he remember how many fish we caught? how beautiful the sunset was? or will he remember today because of the "surprise" catfish who thought he was a bass for an afternoon? No matter, I'll remember the smiles and good time spent with my son fishing ... and be thankful that not only did we have a good time, but that we were using custom-tuned fishing rods that can handle whatever happens to be on the end of your next cast! Take a kid fishing and tight lines! BTW: here's one of the "pot-bellied" largemouth landed we landed today at Summit lake SRA in Nebraska. Check our CCR Gallery out and see other pictures taken from today's fishing trip.

August 8, 2010 - Omaha area lakes - Submitted by Jaesen Yerger of www.cajuncustomrods.com - A few pics of some of the bass my boys have been landing at local lakes around Omaha. The shot with the young man holding the 4-pound bass is quite a fish, caught on late July in a small man-made reservoir ... Standing Bear Lake (not known for big bass and referred to by locals as "silted in") - I can now honestly day, maybe a little silted in ... but pretty good and we've caught some good fish in this lake ... (pictures prove it). He landed this one on a 6 inch Yamamato worm, carolina-rigged (christmas tree colored - green worm with green, red, and gold flake). BTW: he's not all wet from fighting and falling in ... it was so hot that day, I trolled out to the middle of the lake and let em' roll off the boat to cool off in the water for a bit. When we got back into the fishing after a thirty (or so) minute break ... he started catching fish again.

I have been taking my boys out to multiple Nebraska lakes over the last couple of weeks and fishing has been "hot" ... not just temperature-wise, put catchin'-wise too! We've been throwing lots of crankbaits recently and have been doing pretty good on any rif-raf ... down deep as well as the shallows ... anywhere there is cover and most importantly ... "SHADE."

As far as where we've been over the course of the last few weeks, here's just a few in/near the Omaha area: Lake Wehrspan, Lake Zorinsky, Standing Bear Lake, Glen Cunningham Lake, Fremont SRA Lakes, Walnut Creek, Summit Lake, and a few of the I-80 Lakes in Nebraska. We've hit these lakes multiple times each and the pattern is running true on each of them - colder water, shade, rif-raf and laydowns, early AM or late evening, Yamamato worms (downsized and in darker colors), scum frogs, crankbaits, and small booyah jigs (dark colors).

We're fishing slow and picking everything apart methodically ... sometimes, casting as many as 15-20 times to a log or stump to get that "reaction/feeding" strike. The strategy is working, but it's tough and you've got to be patient. Water temps all around are in the upper 80's (I've seen as high as 88 degrees Fahrenheit in some lakes). You'd think the temp would get the bass moving around ... but it's been the opposite. When it gets this hot, they get somewhat sluggish and need a "trigger" to feed.

Additionally, I believe with the water temp (and outside air temp in the 90's each day), the algae and water weeds have had a hay-day growing. We've seen blooms in all lakes (not severe, but the green-tinted water with algae is certainly taking its toll on the oxygen in the water) and my guess is the fish are holding shallow in cover where its cooler and they can ambush food ... or they are holding deep on cover (above the thermocline and where its cooler). All of us boys have downsized our fishing tackle, fishing line, and custom fishing rods ... we went to lower-geared fishing reels to help us "slow" down our plastic bait presentation, and are really working our crankin' ... the more life-like on the cast-and-retrieve ... the better we seem to do with these artificial baits.

BTW: we've been successful on several different crankbaits: crawfish, shad, minnows ... if I had to say a color, I'd say "different" or 'as close to the baitfish color as possible." We got skunked a few times out and I sat down to "rethink" what we'd done on those trips and what we needed to change. So, we pulled out the custom fishing rods designed for smaller line and lure weight, strung em' up and gave it another shot at those same lakes. Voila! Smaller and slower ... hammer-time!

We've been netting between 3-12 bass on our 4-6 hour weekend fishing jaunts and the boys have had a blast with their light-tackle Cajun Custom Rods ... makes a pound-and-a-half or two pound bass feel like a five-pounder every time. As we dig in and get ready for the end of summer, I suspect the "bite" will prove to be steady state for the next month or so ... then comes the fall and the bass are certain to start lining up for the buffet in preparation for the winter. Keep at em' and remember to take a kid fishing ... they'll never forget you and will make it their sport of choice in the coming years. Tight lines.

July 7, 2010 - Fremont State Recreation Area - I took my 6 year old son out on Monday afternoon (5 July) ... in search of a good time on some new bass-fishing water close to Omaha. We took a short drive to Fremont and fished Fremont State Recreation Area. We arrived approximately 1:00 PM at the main gate to the "south lakes" at the state park and were greeted by a young man who was knowledgeable about the area. After a radio call or two to a few of the park rangers, they suggested #20 based on the recent restock and renovation to Lake #20 that occurred in 2007 (they said there were "good" numbers of bass). Additionally, we were told that Lakes #1 and #2 held some decent size bass, but not quite the numbers. After consulting the map provided, we decided to go to lake #20 as it allowed a boat and motor to be used whereas #1 and #2 Lakes only allowed electric motors (and I believe only Lake #2 had a boat ramp). Additionally, I wanted my son to have the best opportunity to catch fish ... so "good numbers" sounded "great" to me. So, with our minds made up, we briefly rigged out and were fishing by 1:30 PM. Lake #20's water was relatively clear for about 2 feet vertically and light-tea-stained after that; water temps ranged from 82-84 degrees Fahrenheit; the skies were overcast with a light mist on occasion (clouds at 5-8 thousand feet); wind was light (less than 5 mph). For the most part, Lake #20 has good vegetation and lay-down around the perimeter of the water with trees, logs, and other stick-ups scattering the clay and sand banks. Additionally, there are hydrilla and other aquatic weed scattered around the lake's banks ... but not too much ... just enough to provide a nice forage base and cover for the fish. From what we could decipher on the fish finders, the weed line ceased on average 5-20 yards from the bank and the lake had some good coves and points with good shade and cover. We started with a 6 inch root-beer Senko and a 6 inch "christmas-flecked" Senko (dark Senko worm with red, green, and gold flake) rigged without weights and Texas-style. We each caught a 14 inch bass after about 30 minutes - tucked in close to the bank and throwing to any structure, twitching our retrieves with pauses to get the Senko about a foot or so beneath the water ... all the way to the boat. The little bass hit about half-way from the bank to our boat (or about 10-15 yards off the bank). As there were multiple jet skies running rampant in the lake (another post for another day will involve "water courtesy"), we fished a little faster around the northeast and southeast sides of the bank on the larger portion of the lake than I would have liked, but I wanted to make our way around to the western end of the lake where there were no jet skiers and a bit more "peace and quite" in the smaller portion of the lake. As we thought, once we got to the back of the lake, slowed our fishing down and began to pick apart the banks and any structure we could find using black and blue Berkely Power "Flappin" Craws with a 1/8 ounce pegged-weight in front of the lures. My son worked the outside of the weeds and lay-downs and I worked flipping, skipping, and casting to those "hard-to-get-at-spots and cover." We were pretty successful with this approach and ended up catching 6 bass ... all between 13-16 inches between 3:30 and 5:00 PM. After making our way around the bank perimeter to the boat ramp, we decided to pull the boat and head over to Lake #2. We wanted to use the same strategy we used in Lake #20, but were looking for bass with a bit more size. Well, wouldn't you know it, but I noticed when I was doing my walk-around on the trailer noticed that my trailer lights were out. So I troubleshot the wires/lights for about 30 minutes and made the call to head back to the house in the daylight versus at night (as I was able to get the lights up and working with my main headlights on). I didn't want to chance the drive at night with questionable lights ... or worse, losing them completely. So we called it a day and headed to the house, main beams on, and with trailer lights.

In all, we had a blast and caught 8 bass total in the Fremont State Recreation Area, Lake #20 ... all bass between 13 and 16 inches. My son ended up catching half of the fish and reeled in all of mine for me ... so the trip was a success ... he had a blast fishing and "catching" ... and I got to spend some "dad-time" with my youngin' ... a win-win for both of us.

Here's a few pictures of my son and his fish ... notice the "Big Smile" of success ... can't beat that and it's the type of "fishing-smile" that will turn a kid into a fisherman for life.

Feel free to check out our website at: http://www.cajuncustomrods.com/

Take a kid fishing, be safe, and "Tight lines!"

Very respectfully,

Jaesen V. Yerger

Cajun Custom Rods, Inc.

Email: info@cajuncustomrods.com

Web: www.cajuncustomrods.com

Phone: (904)-738-0301

July 3, 2010 - Carter P Johnson - My son and I went to the lake at Ft Robinson State Park, Carter P Johnson, last Saturday. We did well catching Largemouth (7) Catfish(3) and (5) good size trout. The trout were delicious. We returned the others. We have always had good days at Carter P when others areas are not producing well. We will try again next weekend after the 4th.

Good luck and good fishing

Wade, (big guy)

July 3, 2010 - Omaha Area Lakes - July 1 - Fished from 1:00 PM until 5:00 PM on Lake Zorinsky in Omaha, Nebraska. Caught three small bass: 15, 14, and 17 inches - all released in good condition. Landed the first on a grey, pepper-flaked Zoom lizard near the northwest bridge piling. Second bass hit a grey, pepper-flaked tube on the northeast side of the lake in about 4 feet of water off of a rock-structured bottom. Third bass hit a white spinnerbait (with silver willow leaf blades) on the southeast side of the lake (off of timber in about 4 feet of water). The water temp was between 82-84 degrees at surface, air temp was 8 degrees Fahrenheit, wind was 5-15 mph, clear skies, water seemed high due to rains as of late (maybe a foot or so the norm?), and the water was tea/coffee stained. Weeds weren't too bad on the lake, just a slow day fishing ... so we pulled the boat and made a run south.

We headed south to Lake Wehrspan (again in Omaha) and were fishing by 5:45 PM ... fished until dark. Threw a grey, pepper-flaked; a baby-bass, a root-beer, and a black 6 inch senko without weight (Texas-rigged) ... lots of "looks" and miss strikes, but no takers. Launched a few buzz baits in chartreuse, white-black, white, and green pumpkinseed but again, missed strikes and no fish. Last hour or so, switched between a green and a black scum frog and missed a few strikes. Only a couple of the strikes were legitimate ... the rest were swirls, but all the fish seemed to be fighting through the same weeds we were ... us to get to the fish and the fish to get to the bait. Lake Wehrspan is thick with milfoil and hydrilla grasses ... clogged the trolling motor all evening ... the "no-see-um" gnats were out in swarms as well. The highlight of the day was that we got to watch a young boy (maybe ten to twelve years old) land a 3-4 lb largemouth bass (he was fishing a dark-colored sluggo in about 3-4 feet of water). Nice fish and I am certain there wasn't a bigger smile on the lake that day. The few boats in the vicinity gave the boy some good cheers while he fought the bass to his father's boat. After a few pictures with the fish, they released the bass unharmed.

My first time out in Omaha fishing (just moved here from Florida about a two weeks ago) ... same fishing styles, just different areas and the fish tend to be smaller overall. As I get to know the area and try out all the little "honey hole" fishing spots, I'll continue to keep y'all posted. If you have any recommendations or favorite spots for bass fishing from a boat (18 foot aluminum Triton), please drop me a line. Who knows? Maybe you'll put us in the right spot so my sons have the opportunity for that "big-bass-fish-smile?"

In summary, we had a great trip out that day and we can't wait to get on the water this weekend (though we know there'll be plenty of pressure on the fish). My 6 year old and I just look forward to hanging out and spending some "dad-time" together and fishing is a perfect fit for the two of us. Feel free to check out our website at: http://www.cajuncustomrods.com/

Tight lines!

Jaesen V. Yerger

May 27, 2009 - Zorinsky - To the Nebraska Fishing report titled Zorinsky on April 22nd: Yes, there are muskie in Zorinsky Lake. When I was 10 years old (about 11 years ago), my dad caught a 27 inch Tiger Muskie on a topwater frog while demonstrating to me how to cast. It is something I will never forget. I'm sure there are still some in there.

May 23, 2009 - Carter P Johnson Lake - Fishing yesterday at Carter P at Ft Robinson State Park. Caught several Large mouth Bass one of which measured 18". Also caught several Trout from 10 to 16" Lots of Crappie. Good day conditions were partly cloudy with a light wind mostly from the northeast. returned all fish to the lake and didn't kill one of them. I was wondering if any one has been fishing in any of the other lakes in the panhandle this year.
Good luck

Wade

My name is Paul and I live in North Platte, NE (where I-80 meets Hwy 83). We have a track of lakes along I-80 that has a reputation for producing good fishing. I fish 2-3 lakes in the immediate North Platte area. Almost all my fishing is done from the bank and I have caught 2-3 fish each trip, which is less than an hour. If you stay to the calm sides of the ponds, that seems to be key.

Small trout are biting on nightcrawlers and plastic worms at Fire Lake, west of North Platte. Floating plastic nightcrawlers or minnows on floating "gum drop" fluorescent hooks seem to really attract the largemouth bass at the airport pond and Maui lake east of North Platte. Have heard the walleye are hitting at the inlet to lake Maloney. If you enjoy bowfishing, or catching carp or drum, you can get em at the tailrace (local term for the junction of the canal and the North Platte River), and I have seen 24-30" lake carp in Maui. The pan fish are everywhere, not sure what they are biting on.

I like bass fishing, but I catch a lot of different fish in the process. To talk fishing, my e-mail is papaogre0710@hotmail.com.

April 22, 2009 - Zorinsky - Last fall while casting for bass in a cove north of the dam just as I was about to lift my crank bait from the water I saw a very large what appeared to be a Muskie swim by my bait. It scared the hell out of me. Has anyone seen or caught a Muskie from Zorinsky? Fished the lake last week. Caught a 12, 14, 16 & 17" Bass on 4" Plastic worm.
Dozer Dave

December 10, 2008 - Ice Fishing Question for Southeast Nebraska - I know it's a little early for ice fishing yet but trying to get a heads up on some fishing spots. Can some one tell me a good place to catch some yellow perch through the ice in or around southeast Nebraska? Sure would appreciate it and will let other know how I do this year on through the ice. I have a new underwater camera I am ready to try out.
Thank,

September 12, 2008 - Lake McConaughy - Went fishing at mcconaughy on the 9th and 10th of septemper.Fished the dam most of the day in 10 to 15 feet trolling Berkley flicker shad number 5.Caught 3 nice smallmouths and 3 nice walleyes.Fished others parts of the lake with the same crank baits and just caught white bass.Hope this helps anyone who fish this lake.

August 25, 2008 - Lake Ogallala - Hi,

I live in Denver but was raised on catfish in Missouri most of my younger years. I found Lake McConaughy about 3 hours from Denver and have been in heaven ever since! I do about 10 trips a year and have NEVER had bad luck but if I did I wouldn't complain. I have caught Walleye, trout on typical baits and some huge catfish using hotdogs soaked in garlic over night, night crawlers and shrimp. If you want to take your boys fishing and it's not too far for you to drive...DO IT!

I live in Denver but my heart and tackle is in Nebraska! GO CORN HASHERS!

May 22, 2008 - Offutt AFB Base Lake - All the way in the back past the RV's we've been catching a lot of nice size BASS as well as DRUM

May 14, 2008 - Answer to Omaha fishing question - To Robin, On how and where to catch fish in omaha, try standing bear lake on 144th and fort. There is a small cove just east of the boat ramp parking lot. Try using a minnow on a small hook (hook minnow through the back) with a bobber about four feet deep for largemouth, trout, and crappie. This works anywhere in the lake. Zorinsky, Wherspahn, And walnut creek good also. Hope this helps, good luck!

May 8, 2008 - Omaha Lake Zorinsky - Went out to Zorinsky on May 8th, 2008 from about 3 pm-5 pm. Trolling in my two man bass boat with a Rapala swimming crankbait at about 5'-10' of depth. Caught two small crappies, both under 10", but then to my surprise, I hooked a 23" walleye. First walleye I've ever caught anywhere and it put up a heck of a fight. Not bad for just wanting to get out to test my new trolling motor for a couple of hours.

May 7, 2008 - Omaha Questions - Hey my name is Matt, and I am coming over their from California in late june to early july, and I was wondering if you could tell me some good spots to fish for trout at, and I was wondering is you had to have a licence and how much it was and where you could get that sort of thing.

May 3, 2008 - Omaha help - Use tubes jigs with small weighted bobber for crappie at walnut creek 96 &370 good luck try the dam

May 1, 2008 - Need help for boys to catch fish in Omaha area (If you have any suggestions, email them and we will post them)

Hi,

I am a mom and my boys love to fish but they are so bored from never catching anything! They are 7 & 9.

Can you give me some tips, or where to fish with them at in Omaha, NE?

April 29, 2008 - Southeast Nebraska ponds and quarry lakes - April 20th -Get out and fish the crappie and bass are biting very well at farm ponds and quarry lakes caught 15 crappie and 10 bass crappie were 12" and bass were all about 2 # each. All in Nebraska southeast.

April 29, 2008 - Lake McConaughy - Thought I'd send you a few Walleye that were caught recently at Lake McConaughy. 4-08
Julie

April 10, 2008 - Lazey River Acres - two of went to Lazey River Acres Friday and cought 3 keeper Walleye and 2 Northerns. Sat we cought 8 Walleye between 17 and 24". Good fishing Before and after the strong winds. Chuck

April 7, 2008 - Harlan County Lake April 5, 2008
Fished Harlan County Lake at Cedar point south side of dam along the rocks. Began using minnows but had no luck, switched to rapalas and caught one carp. Talked to a few other anglers that were using rapalas and had caught a few walleye in the 17 inch range. They had fished the night before and caught their limit in a few hours. Fishing during the day has been fairly slow, walleye seemed to be biting the best during the night from 9 p.m. on. One guy I talked to said he fished the night before till 3 a.m. catching walley all night.

John Hlavinka Minden, NE

March 28, 2008 - Omaha Standing Bear Lake, Fished Standing Bear on Easter Sunday. Expected not to catch anything since 1) I have not landed any fish on artificials in that lake since I moved here last May, 2) a front had just blown through and the wind was howling at 25-30 mph, and it was fairly cold. After an hour of not even a bite on the south side of the lake, in the main cove, I moved to the point, and while split-shottin a small white power grub I caught 4 rainbows. One after another. Seemed to be on the edge of a drop-off and in a spot that harbored a pretty good current thanks to the wind. Best day so far given the conditions, I'll take it. Good luck!

March 26, 2008 - Omaha Standing Bear Lake, I spent about two hours on 3/24/08 caught one nice crappie, that was my only bite and only fish.

March 16, 2008 - Gavins Point Dam - 3 of us went below Gavins Point yesterday afternoon and caught 12 all were Sauger except 2 that were Walleye. the size was smaller than the last 3 weeks only 14-18'. The water is stained now with all the flooding .All were caught in 13-15ft of water along the rocks on the north side. chuck

March 9, 2008 - Gavins Point Dam - Went below Gavins Point dam Sat afternoon # of us cought 7 Walleye all between 16 and 18' and one that was 22'

February 12, 2008 - Lake Ogallala Nebraska - Feb 8,2008 - Fished all day no bites. Few ice fishing but never seen a fish.

January 14, 2008 - Lincoln area - Caught a dozen keeper bluegill on wax worms Saturday at Wild Plum a few at Merganzer southwest of Lincoln.

January 9, 2008 - Rock Creek SRA - WENT TO PARKS, NEBRASKA (ROCK CREEK SRA) AND FISHED THRU THE ICE (8 INCHES). USED WAX WORMS, NIGHT CRAWLERS, AND POWER BAIT ON A JIG HEAD. CAUGHT AND RELEASED 20+ TROUT,BLUEGILLS, AND ALSO CAUGHT A FEW KEEPER SIZE PERCH. HAS ANYONE REPORTED ON SWANSON RES? FISH ON! MIKE

November 5, 2007 - Pictures from Lake McConaughy - Thought I'd send you a couple of our pictures to add to your photo album. The first two are white bass caught in August and the walleye were caught in June.
Thank you,
Julie Baker

July 19, 2007 - Calmus - My wife and I fished for channel cat on Saturday night July 14-15 and caught 6 channels between us. My wife Robin caught the largest fish, 12.70 pounds on white bass. I caught the most, four, on shad gizzards. We had a total weight of 43 pounds for the six fish. We did release them to fight another day.

Al & Robin Fitz
Nebraska

July 9, 2007 - Two Rivers Lake 3 - - Two Rivers is located in Waterloo, Nebraska - I caught a 22 inch largemouth bass at two rivers lake 3 while using cut bait fishing for catfish. I have enclosed the picture of the fish. I also caught one 14 inch channel catfish on a nightcrawler while fishing there. It is catch and release. It is fun though.

Jeff Faust

June 17, 2007 - Johnson Lake - Limited out today off the dock a Johnson Lake, NE on Walleye. Range from 17" to 20"

June 15, 2007 - Genoa Canal - Hello Kansas angler
I wanted to report some good fishing here in ne. I have been catching 8 to 10 lb flat head cats at the Genoa canal on night crawler and chub plus I have caught a few nice channel cat on chicken liver and cut carp 3 to 4 lbs.

June 5, 2007 - Lake Minatare - Went to good ole' Lake Minatare early on June 1st. Got there, all boat ramps are useable so far. We trolled along the south side with a Green and Pink jig head with a half of crawler on the back, produced 6 walleye, all about 14 and a half inches. Then spun the boat around and took off over to the north side of the lake, just started drifting because them lovely winds where picking up, produced 10-12 Walleyes, 1 keeper, a 17 IN. the rest where short by anywhere from a inch to a quarter of a inch. Ended up with a master angler crappie too, and a 3 lDS white bass also. (strong fighter that one was!). I suggest you start to head out there before they start to let the water out!

April 24, 2007 - Lake McConaughy - Went to lake mac to fish the spawn at night. We arrived at 3:00 . Had no bites until dark. Most guys were trorlling or casting stick type rapalas x- rap, org. floater, or husky jerks. We started out with x-raps, but our biggest fish was about 19 inches. so i decided to drop a little shad rap and get down a little deeper. That did the trick. We caght some nice "eyeballs", a 26 incher, 24, two 22inchers and quite of few between 17 and 20 inches.That was my first experiance night fishing the spawn at Lake mac. I had a really good time, although there is a lot of traffic, snags, and money lost in rapalas. I am excited for the live bait bite to take off. We had good results leting our baits smack against the rocks in 3 to 8 feet of water, moving at 1.5 to 1.8 mph. Let out just enogh line so your bait is slapping off the tops of the rocks and then reel up about 6 inches. For your own saftey beware of obstructions in the water, some are hard to see.

April 9, 2007 - Calmus - fished calmus the last two aftenoons without a bite. i have been waiting for the walleyes to move into the shallows, but i think this cold snap has definitley slowed the process! The rest of this week is supposed to be on the cool side. The first of next week there calling for warmer temps, so i am anticipating the weather to break. Once the water temp rises the fun should began. I will try to keep up the reports on the calamus as the season progresses.

April 2, 2007 - Sherman Reservoir Loup City - started about 9:00 a.m., drifting sand points in20 to 30ft of water. was lucky enough to land a 27incher that weighed in at 6lbs. 13 oz. I started with minnows which produced smaller fish in the 15 to 17 inch range. so i decided to rig up some nice sized chubs for a bigger presentation.Rigging chubs in deeper water has beeen good to me in the past.Today it produced a very nice "eye". The rest of the afternoon i decided to pitch jigs to the points but they were all short fish. That 15 to 17.5 inch range. It was 60degrees with a south east breeze. The water temp. was right at 50 degrees.

April 2, 2007 - Prarie View Lake west of bennington - Started fishing with wriggler jigs about 6 pm on the 1st. Tried several skirt/jig combos, including some jigs with spinners. Finally got the combination right and caught several bass and a sunfish just before sundown.

December 28, 2006 - Hamburg Bend in Nebraska City - I caught a large number of sturgeon and golden eyes, and one small channel cat, at Hamburg Bend WMA December 23, 2006 using night crawlers.

November 22, 2006 - Standing Bear Lake in Omaha -Well I went out today around 10:30 a.m. I started out with jigs and corn, and little bit of Marsh mellows, did not have the luck at first. But around 11 am I started to catch some Trout. But I caught them on my spinner which was gray in color, it kind a looks like a fish with scales. It seems when I threw it out on my first cast Ii caught one after the other. Then I took it off and tried something different but didn't work as well, but then I put it back on and it started again. I ending up with only five. The lake I was at is called Standing Bear in Omaha, they stock it with some very nice Trout. So if you'er in the area give it a try!!

September 16, 2006 - Answer to Florida Bass question - Hello. I read your question about how to catch those bass you are seeing. I am a florida native and have been fishing central florida for over 30 years and i can tell you that if you put a live golden shiner in front of those fish you will indeed connect with them. If you need more information on how to fish with this kind of bait let me know and i will send to you a link to all the info you need. I have a few places where i catch my own golden shiners and keep them in a tank to use when i want to go fishing. This is another complete subject i know but once you start catching bass with shiners you won't want to stop. If you buy them they run from $16.00 to $20.00 a dozen, this is to much for me to pay so i catch my own. Catching the bait is almost as much fun as catching the bass! Jeff Morrow, Sarasota, Fla

August 21, 2006 - Calamus - Aug 18th..at night
..The high winds that weren't supposed to happen.....did happen!!!........we ended up fishing from our boats on the shore near a boat dock.

...4 hrs of fishing produced....... an 11 and a 12 pound MA Channel Cat

Aug 19th...at night......5 hours of fishing

....Boated 4 fish over 11 lbs.....1 Master Angler...all were released

.....caught another 13 channel cats from 4-8 lbs

.....cleaned and took home 10 of the so-called..."smaller ones".

...all fish were caught in 32-45 ft of water

Kurt Koster- Omaha, NE

August 16, 2006 - Merrit Res. near Valentine - Catfishing report for Merrit Reservior near Valentine, NE

Wed..August 2...at night

...We boated 3 master angler channel cats ..and ..another 9 that went from 5-8 lbs......largest fish was 19.5 lbs.

Sat...August 5...at night

...boated 5 Master angler Channel Cats....released another 2 that were 11-12 lbs...released another 3 that were 5-8 lbs....the first 5 fish we caught all weighed over 12 lbs......largest fish went 18 lbs

...All fish were caught in 35 ft of water and all fished except 1, 12 pounder, were released.

...We also spent 4 hrs fishing on Saturday during the day.....Caught over 4 perch, 100 Bluegill.......kept 12 Perch, about 50 Bluegills.....the rest were released.

Kurt Koster- Omaha,NE

July 21, 2006 - Bluestem near Sprague - Fishing at Bluestem near Sprague, NE slow. Few catfish 8 - 10 inches on nightcrawlers early morning. Tried bass fishing got zero bites. Tried several color/lure combos. Lake seems dead, water low throughout lake.

May 22, 2006 - Answer to Florida Bass question - You might try some garlic sent found at most tackle shops. It covers a lot of smells and bass seem to like it.
Bill Rose
Lincoln NE

May 12, 2006 - Sutherland Reservoir - Good success on largemouth bass at the Sutherland Reservoir. I fished for 3 hrs on two occasions. The first time I caught maybe 5 fish averaging 12-15 inches at the inlet. The second time I caught a 19 incher and 3 that were at least 15inches. I also caught many between 12-15 inches.

First time out to the Interstate Lake just short of the Hershey exit if you are westbound on I-80 it's on the South Side. Windy day but did have some success. It's amazing how clear the water is, wish I had a boat. I was out for about an hour and a half with step son and I caught 5 bass. I had two that were about 15-16 inches but they appeared really skinny. Anyways, all bass caught were using a 3\8 oz. black jig with power grub.

Mark McKnight - North Platte, NE

April 21, 2006 - Burchard Lake - burchard lake is awesome right now.....the water is clear and the crappie are bitting like mad....using a small jig and a bobber...throwing out about 25 feet.....i caught two 11'' crappie......and a basket full of 9'' crappie.....pat barber,beatrice, Neb

March 20, 2006 - Answer to Florida Bass question - I've fished for Florida strain bass in Texas lakes most of my life, and have found that when the big girls are on the nests, down sizing to a small 4in lizard with an 1/8 oz. weight is hard to beat. Watermelon seed or watermelon with red flake is dynamite on east Texas lakes, especially Fork (cotton candy if the water is unusually clear). Pitch the lizard in there and just leave it. This takes an extreme amount of patience, but the subtle movements created by the water look most natural and will eventually drive them nuts. And remember, if you can see them they'll likely see you first. So if the fish are leaving the nest when you make your presentation, mark the spot, leave, and come back. Sneak up with a push pole and stay off the trolling motor. Stay far enough away not to spook the fish (tie up if necessary but don't use the trolling motor); then, make your presentation. If the water is stained to murky, and your casting for spawning bass instead of site fishing, a 6in lizard with gold flake in it can be good. Zoom's mossy pumpkin color will get you tore up on Fork. If you're not having any luck getting the bedding bass to bite, leave 'em alone. Move out to 8ft deep in the mouths of spawning coves or secondary points up the creeks. Tie on a Gene Larew Hawg Craw (the big one) in black w/ blue claws, fish the trees, and hold on to your rod. Shorter trees with some broken-off limbs (laydowns) or horizontal limbs just beneath the surface in 8ft of water are best. This pattern put a 13.86 in the boat for my partner one early spring. One last comment- please do not use shiners or other live bait for bass, especially for trophy bass in the spring, as fish mortality is higher with live bait rigs. Best of luck.

March 19, 2006 - Fremont NB public water - air temp 41 deg.cloudy. east 15 mi/hr wind.
water still very cold. fished before sunset. no muskies but caught a 22 in. bass under tree on jig. I was casting jig but she bit when jig was nearly vertical. I think that you need to fish these jigs nearly vertical in this cold water so the jig doesn't move so fast.

March 16, 2006 - Answer to Florida Bass question - My answer will stay simple since each body of water is different as well as each day and down to each hour fishing can be different, but there is one method of fishing that can offer up excellent bass fishing

The secret is to simply fish at night. You only need to try a few lures to make night fishing a success. One is the buzzbait, the next will be a single big cupped bladed spinnerbait, and then you can stick with a big black juicy worm. And night fishing can be done at the shore. Only thing is it will be dark, but fishing can be very successful. Bass move to the shallows to eat, there are very few if any other fisherman out on the water as well.

Just scope out a good spot that has plenty of weeds or other cover and fish there. If you don't get a fish in ten minutes then move on. But once you get a good spot you can catch fish after fish.

March 14, 2006 - Answer to Florida Bass question - If you are primarily sight fishing in clear water you need to be able to make repeated 100% accurate casts. When I sight fish i like to be able to cast to where the bass can't see the lure comming until it comes in front of the fishes face getting a reaction strike. you will have to experiment to know what to use whether it be crankbait, worm, jig. From my experience, i can usually find a jig that will work in any condition. you just have to modify weight and trailer size for balance and drop speed.

March 10, 2006 - Answer to Florida Bass question - try to use a big shiner on lite line and a bobber if you are in thick vegitation use fire line 15-25 lbs test also try plastics with a lot of salt jiging for them if they are agressive and not much vegitation try a rattlie trap

March 8, 2006 - Answer to Florida Bass question - what about water clarity? If it is very clear maybe they are getting to good of a look at your bait. if this is the case i would probably use a mostly clear bait and fish a little faster possibly getting more reaction strikes.

March 8, 2006 - Freemont Lake #7 & 8 - caught muskies after ice out on jig/plastic. slow-pull just off bottom retrieve. not very big (24 to 30inches) but still fun to catch. Also buddy caught 19 in. bass yo-yo'in jig in trees. as water warms into the 40's i would use a #5 mepps or a husky jerk. stick with the jig for bass. remember muskies have to be 40in. to keep.

February 26, 2006 - Question from Florida on catching bass - Can you help my brothers and I catch bass? Heres the problem, we see a lot of bass here in central Florida, but they just wont bite our bait! They just sniff it and swim away, and our hands dont have anything like oil or anything that will repel the bass! Can you please help us by giving us some tips and telling us what tackle to use on bass? Thank You so much. Send us and answer and we will post it.

October 18, 2005 - Lake McConaughy - My husband Thad Mellott, caught this walleye Oct. 18, 2005 at Lake McConaughy, NE using a Mr. Twister. The fish weighed 13.1 pounds after spitting out a 8 inch shad in his livewell. Not looking forward to the two hour drive to Lake McConaughy, he woke up at four in the morning not wanting to go and at six he decided to go. The two hour drive was well worth the fish he caught. He was glad to see the water level was up quite a bit compared to last year. P.S. he appreciates the state of Nebraska for providing a great fishery. Thanks

August 10, 2005 - Two Rivers - Two Rivers SRA Lake #4-
Hello, I have recently been fishing at Two Rivers SRA near Venice, NE. We threw out our first lines around 7:30pm. We used Chicken Liver, and cheese flavored doughbait. We landed our first caught near 8:15 pm, within 5 more minuets, we landed 2 more.

August 9, 2005 - Memphis SRA - Still lots of large mouth bass being caught on minnows & nightcrawlers, mainly small but you will see the occasional 17-19 inch fish (all bass catch & release). 4-6 pound channel cats in the northeast portion of the main lake, on shrimp or livers, best fishing after sunset. Small channels biting all day on just about anything. Very heavy weed cover near the shoreline. Still a good place to bring the kids, lots of action if you use a bobber or weedless presentation to stay out of the vegetation.

August 8, 2005 - Two Rivers - Hi. I have had some great success fishing at Two Rivers SRA on lake #4. I stated out around 6:45pm- had a couple bites, but they really started to hit around 9:00pm (or right before dark). We landed 4 nice Channels, had a decent nite. -CATCOMMANDER

August 6, 2005 - Zorinski Lake omaha Ne - August 3rd-- Tried trolling the deep water channels for walleye with very little success. Caught around twenty 8-10 inch crappie in the trees in 6ft water using minnows on crappie rigs. Caught two five pound plus largemouth bass casting and retrieving from those same trees out toward center of lake with purple walleye divers using a reel and pause technique. Fished from 9 am until 2pm. Fish total around 25 crappie a handfull of blugill one short walleye and two monster largemouth. Nate Rohda

July 20, 2005 - Lake McConaughy, JULY 14-16 - Trolled the south end of the dam at 8-10 ft deep pulling rattle traps. Caught many large wipers 8-15 pounds, and a few walleyes 3-8 pounds. These fish were caught when the bait fish hit the dam and game fish started splashing right on the shoreline. The time varied the 3 nights we were out from 1 AM to 4 AM. The fish moved in and out of the dam usually within 45 minutes once they start splashing.

May 31, 2005 - Sherman Reservoir - Sherman Reservoir In Nebraska Yielded some nice walleye to five pounds over the weekend on nightcrawlers drifting the flats in 5 to 15 feet of water in the rain.

August 29, 2004 - Teal Lake - in reguards to the nebraska fishin world there has been good luck out at teal lake bullhead up to 4lbs and almost legal size bass off the north shoreline gotta get there around 4ish. and bring plenty of nightcrawlers. hope this helps ya out Mike

July 11, 2004 - Burchard Lake - Caught numerous crappie on tube jigs. A few to 9 inches most were small. Caught numerous perch on twisters and tubers with a few keepers. A few bluegill and bass in the mix. Fished from 7:00 am to noon.

July 9, 2004 - Stagecoach near Hickman 6/29/04 -Stagecoach-It's right by Hickman. Me and two of my buddies were fishing along a bank with plain old worms. We were pulling in blue gills constantly. Also not alot of people fish in there so it is a QUIET peaceful place i highly recomend it.

June 26 - 27, 2004 - Nebraska, Yankton, Lewis and Clark Lake, Gavis Point Dam - Fishing was slow both days. Walleye caught in 18 foot of water on walleye divers, silver only. A few caught on thin fins trolling in 7 foot of water. Largest 16 inch. Very slow overall. Water at full pool. Pressure was high on the shelf drop. Lake is basically a 30 foot deep lake with lots and lots of 4 to 10 water. Surface water temp is 69. Mark Long Lincoln, NE

June 3, 2004 - Sherman - We were to have spent Memorial Day Weekend at Sherman Res. But we got blown off the lake on Saturday and ended up going home. Had my two boys with me and better safe then sorry. Before the storms hit, we did pretty well on walleyes (good numbers of fish under the 18 inch limit) and crappies all on the east side. We got the walleyes drifting spinners rigs and crawlers and the crappies on jigs with small minnows under a slip bobber in the trees. PigBoy

May 3, 2004 - Cheyenne - Fished Cheyenne last night for about 2 hrs. Windy and cold but I caught 2 small largemouths around 12 inches and the highlight of the evening a 4lb. 4oz. largemouth. That made the cold evening worth while. With the weather forcast the bass should be turning on this week!
FSN LUHR

April 28, 2004 - Wanting to see more reports from Nebraska Anglers -I know there are a lot more nebraska anglers out there fishing. If you stumble onto this great website put your report on here. We all love to here and read about fish being caught and where they're biting. Good luck to all you fishermen this season! Jake

April 10, 2004 - Calamus - Gave it a try at Calamus 4/8/04. Pretty good luck off Homestead Knolls Point. Fished 3pm til 10:30. All were males 16 to 21". B. Henry, Albion.

January 29, 2004 - Central Nebraska, Pibel - I have no reports to give but I can let everyone know that we are having extremely cold temps here in Central Nebraska and most all of the lakes around here should be ready to fish by the weekend. Heard one report from Pibel that they were catching some Bluegills but most were on the small side.

October 10, 2003 - Smith Lake - In 4 hours 2 of us caught 4 large northern and 25 perch.

September 22, 2003 - Box Butte - 9-22 we caught 1 walleye, 3 northern and 6 blue gill using night crawlers at Box Butte. The 20 inch walleye was smaller than the northern.

September 5, 2003 - Swanson Reservoir - We just came back from a weekend at Swanson Reservoir and had a great time fishing. We were just shore fishing but, but had a great time catching wipers and a few small white bass. We were using night crawlers and shrimp and had a catch on almost every cast. Nothing huge, but had a lot of fun. The folks on boats were catching some pretty big Catfish, 18 lbs and up. We also had a great time and great food at the Good Life Marina. Lot's of friendly folks willing to share their fishing knowledge. We'll definitely be going back, next time with a boat.

July 12, 2003 - Harlan -Hullo, I was looking thru your reports & thought some other might like to know what fish are hitting on @ Harlan. Wipers, Walley & White Bass are hitting on Hot-N-Tots (mostly Chartreus) trolling in about 15-20' of water & the Walley are also hitting on Drifting White Spinners! Cats are hitting on Goldfish & Crawlers. This was correct as of last weekend. Fellow NE fisherman

June 21, 2003 - Omaha Area - Summer time is Catfish time here in Nebraska! Excellent stringers of 3 to 35 pound Cats are being caught off the jetties of the Missouri River near Fort Calhoun up river to Blair. Area lakes in eastern and central Nebraska are producing good stringers of Channel Catfish at night, using crawlers and stink baits. Hot lakes to try are: Pawnee, Branched Oak, Two Rivers, and Fire Creek. A 55# Flathead was caught recently under the I-480 bridge in downtown Omaha, out of the Missouri River. Good luck and warm the frying pan Ma! Bullhead RicK Omaha, Nebraska

May 18, 2003 - Meadowlark Lake - We fished Meadowlark Lake 3 days this week. Caught limits of crappie on minnows exceeding 9 inches all 3 days. Mixed in with these were 4-6 bass each day in the 16 to 18 inch bracket.

April 1, 2003 - Two Rivers State Recreation Area, Venice, Nebraska (Just west of Omaha) -The area's Lake #5 Trout Lake is turning out limits of 12 to 14 inch Rainbows on small spoons and baits including: Power bait, corn, marshmello's and cheese baits. The state stocked the lake with over 14,000 fish on 3/25/03. New this year is the addition of a large number of 3 to 7 pound rainbows. A special $4.00 fee is charged for fishing ths lake, with a limit of 4 trout per tag. Fishermen are allowed two tags per day. Come try for a trophy Rainbow! Submitted by R.E. Froehlich

July 29, 2002 Question - I'm actually trying to get info on Lake McConaughy, NE. Any news on what's bitin' and when??? Thanks, Email us any information and we will forward it to the angler asking. We will also post your answer here.

June 8, 2001 - Big Blue River - Flatheads are biting in the Big Blue River in Gage county Nebraska on bluegill.

May 30, 2001 - Wherspan - Lots of small crappie to 8" on minnows throughout the day, picking up into the evening. Some good news hopefully is the number of small (6"-9") walleye that we caught. Maybe the mild winter did this lake some good? We will see... Moose

May 30, 2001 - Ansley Park Pond - while everyone else is fishing at the lakes and rivers im going to stick with the Ansley Nepraska park pond where i have been catching cat fish every nite last week and this week weighing 6 lbs to 24 lbs. I real;ly enjoyed pulling that 24lb catfish from the park pond.

May 24, 2001 - Cheyenne State Rec Area I-80 Lakes - On monday, may 20 I caught several nice 2-3 pound largemouths and one 5lb.9oz. largemouth! They are biting very well. Catfish are slow but the ones you catch are 2-5 lbs. This is on Cheyenne state rec. area. I fish the I-80 lakes from Grand Island to Kearney! Feel free to e-mail or call me for any information. Jake Luhr (402) 463-2816

May 20, 2001 - Calamus Reservoir - Fishing report for the weekend of 5 -18-02 For Calamus Res.by Burwell Nebr.good fishing until around 3:oopm Wipers up to and including 20" were common on the lake.But most were 2 to 3 lbs.Some walleye and a few at 18"but most were 16 1/2 to 17 1/2 "

May 15, 2002 - Lake in Omaha - This is my first Catfish of the year, I caught it on a ultra-light outfit, while fishing for Crappies, he weight 9 and 3/4 lbs. I was lucky. It took me about 10mins, on very light line to bring it in. It was caught in Omaha, Ne. in one of the area lakes near my home. I was very happy belive me! It was caught on a jig of course, bright green, with sparkle. But lately I've been catching some nice Crappie too, all about 11 inches and up to 14inches. So show this to all the readers. And good luck fishing!!

April 23, 2001 - Southeast Nebraska/Ashland - First and foremost, I would like to say that we (girlfriend and myself) are very pleased to have found others who like to catfish as much as we do. We would like to report great catfishing success in the Southeast sections of Nebraska, predominately in the salt creek and Platte River region in and around the city of Ashland.

Although we have been catching smaller channel and flat head catfishing on Canadian night crawlers (generally under 1 LB), we have caught bigger ones on stink dip worms dipped in stink baits. Average weight is about 5-7 lbs.

Good luck to all and happy catfishing. Sincerely,
Heidi Mensching @ Lou Carlentine

March 25, 2000 - Central Nebraska/Kearney- Submitted by Jason Hasselquist - I've had good success catching Largemouth on spinnerbaits w/ pork trailers. These fish were caught on Friday the 24, and Saturday the 25. Most fish were small, but still keeper size. The water temperature was in the 53-56 degree range.