Conservation Officer Murray Johnson says thousands of dollars worth of outdoor equipment is stolen from campsites, vehicles and boats throughout the year and that anything that is not put away or tied down is liable to come up missing. “Most of the items stolen had been left on a picnic table, outside of a tent, an unattended boat or in an unlocked vehicle,” he said.

Coolers, regardless of their contents, lanterns, portable radios, and portable stoves are easy prey for an opportunist that finds a campsite left unattended and the gear left lying around. Anglers must also be careful about what they leave in their boats. Those who leave rods, reels, tackle boxes and other accessories in their boat unattended overnight or out of sight of their camp are inviting someone to make off with their gear.

“A campsite can be ripped off in as little as 10 or 15 seconds,” Johnson said. “Someone may park on a nearby road, run into a campsite, pick something up and run back to their vehicle. Bicycles are also occasionally stolen from a campsite. The thieves may use the stolen gear themselves, or it may show up at a garage sale or pawn shop somewhere.”

“A good rule of thumb is, you shouldnt leave anything unattended at a campsite at the lake that you wouldnt leave unattended in your front yard,” Johnson said.

Hunters or target shooters should avoid displaying their firearms and other equipment in unattended vehicles or on pickup gun racks, advertising the condition, type and value of the guns inside the vehicle.

Schuckman said lake levels are very low because of continuing drought conditions and have made the boat ramp unusable and the lake unsafe for power boating and personal watercraft.

An aquatic habitat project at the lake was recently completed, the lake was renovated last year and fish stocking to re-establish the fishery is continuing this year, which means angling opportunity in 2004 is limited due to the small size of the restocked fish.

The recommendation that people not use power boats on the lake is also being made to protect the water quality necessary for the developing fishery by limiting the suspension of sediment caused by boats and watercraft when the lake is low, according to Schuckman.

While spawning, carp thrash around in shallow water and are challenging targets. Carp and other nongame fish may be taken statewide by archery and surface spear, from sunrise to sunset between September 1 - March 30, and 24 hours per day from April 1 - August 31. Two Rivers SRA, Louisville SRA, Fort Kearny SRA, Mormon Island SRA, Windmill SRA; Platte River State Park, Eugene T. Mahoney State Park and trout streams are closed to bowfishing year-round.

All you need for bowfishing is a hand-drawn traditional or compound bow and an arrow with one barbed point. The arrow must be attached to the bow by a line. While there is no minimum draw weight required by law, most bow archers use a bow that pulls about 40 pounds to retain enough energy when the arrow enters the water to penetrate a fishs tough scales and skin.

Most modern bows have a threaded hole in the riser where a stabilizer or bow- fishing reel can be mounted. Many traditional bows have no hole, but brackets to hold the reel can be purchased or made, then strapped to the riser. Hand wrap drum reels are still available at some shops, but closed-face spinning reels, such as the Zebco 808, are now more common for holding the line. Heavy braided line is easier to use with a hand-wrap reel because it wont cut your hand or glove as easily when you pull the fish in, while the line used with a closed- face spinning reel is often 200-pound, thin-diameter monofilament. The heavy line is important because the fishs scales can be sharp and fray the line if they roll, and because the fish are usually shot in shallow water, where other objects found there can easily cause abrasions and line fraying.

Carp are plentiful in many areas, are strong fighters and can be a challenge to land on any tackle. They grow to good size – the state record bighead carp weighed 46 pounds, 8 ounces, and the record common carp went 33 pounds, 12 ounces. Four and five pounders are common. Carp are also great on the table, whether scored and fried, smoked, canned, or grilled.

Dave Tunink, administrative assistant of the Game and Parks Commissions Fisheries Division, says Pawnee Lake near Emerald, Calamus Reservoir near Burwell, Bluestem Lake near Sprague, Lake Ogalalla, Dead Timber SRA near Scribner, East Twin at Twin Lakes WMA near Pleasant Dale, Cottonwood-Steverson Lake WMA near Hyannis, and DeSoto Bend NWR near Blair, all offer excellent populations of carp, as do many other lakes across the state.