Nebraska Games &
Parks News
THE AREA FISHING UPDATE &
TIPS:
Unseasonably cold, rainy weather
has slowed fishing activity in the area, but here are several tips
to increase your odds for angling success:
- Fish the northern bays, coves
and shorelines of your favorite water bodies as these are most
exposed to the sun, have warmer water and more active game fish
- Fish tight to structures
(docks, rocks, stumps, timber, etc.) as these objects radiate
heat, provide cover and yield food for fish
- Where allowed, use minnows and
do not be afraid to use those under slip bobbers! Light-colored
jigs (white or pink) tipped with minnows also work well in the
Omaha reservoirs to catch crappie and walleye
- If you are not allowed to use
minnows at a certain water body, such as at the Memphis Lake SRA
near Ashland, the GULP baits made by the Berkley Corporation are
proving quite effective for area anglers for everything from
channel catfish to largemouth bass
- Remember, water temps are
colder than normal for this time of year, so slowly retrieve your
presentation or drift-fish with the wave action. Good luck!
OTHER PERTINENT OUTDOOR NEWS
COME TO THE PLATTE RIVER ART SHOW
& BARBEQUE EVENT ... Do not miss the grand- scale Platte River Art
Show to be held at the big Kiewit Lodge at Mahoney State Park near
Ashland on April 14 & 15. The works of some 30 or more noteworthy
artists will be highlighted. Much wildlife art will be on display
as well! Former Husker Football Standout Matt Herian will be
greeting park visitors and signing autographs there on Saturday
from 9:45 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. Old West-style BBQ Ribs will be on
the menu from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. both days, too!
ATTENTION PLATTE RIVER BOATERS
... Conservation Officer Levi Krause of Louisville reports that
the boat ramp on the Platte River at the Highway 50 bridge
(northwest side) is now unusable for air boats and motor boats due
to extremely low water levels. The ramp, however, could be
utilized by those hand-launching canoes and kayaks.
SEE THE FALCONS ... View the
adult peregrine falcons and their recently laid eggs in the north
nest box of the Woodmen Tower in downtown Omaha via a video
monitor in the lobby of the Woodmen Tower building, or by logging
onto www.woodmen.com and clicking on the falcon page
NG & PC METRO OFFICE CLOSED ON
ARBOR DAY, APRIL 27 ... Just a note to let everyone in the outdoor
community know that our Metro Office of the Nebraska Game and
Parks Commission in southeast Omaha will be closed for Arbor Day
on Friday, April 27 which is an official state-observed holiday to
promote tree planting. Please plan to take care of your outdoor
business with us prior to that day or use this website, at:
www.OutdoorNebraska.org. THANK YOU!
TROUT STOCKINGS IN THE AREA ...
To help anglers usher in springtime, thousands of pan-sized
rainbow trout were stocked on St. Patricks Day at the following
locations with the number of fish put in each water body:
Halleck Park Pond in Papillion --
1,200
Mahoney State Park Qwest Lake
near Ashland -- 1,800
Weeping Water Pond #1 in Weeping
Water -- 1,500
Fremont SRA Lake #5 near Fremont
-- 4,250
Pawnee Park East Pond in Columbus
-- 1,500
Holmes Lake in Lincoln -- 3,000
Steinhart Park Pond In Nebraska
City -- 1,200
IMPORTANT FISHING CALENDAR NOTES
... Some 200, 12-14 inch muskie were stocked in Zorinsky Lake in
Omaha on Tuesday, April 3 ... The popular Two Rivers SRA Trout
Lake near Waterloo is now open to pay fishing at 7 a.m. to sunset
daily with thousands of trout awaiting anglers there ... The
minimum length limit on walleye in the Omaha area reservoirs is 15
inches ... A great crappie fishery, the Desoto National Wildlife
Refuge Lake near Blair will open to daylight sport fishing 30
minutes before sunrise on April 15. Reminder that the 10-inch
length limit on crappie will be lifted during the month of April
at Zorinsky and Wehrspann Lakes in Omaha ... River anglers in the
area are reminded to check ID on the sturgeon they catch as the
shovelnose may be possessed, but the pallid and lake must be
returned to the water immediately ... Additionally, river anglers
should not overlook fishing the recently constructed chute at the
Schilling Wildlife Management Area near Plattsmouth
SPRING TURKEY PERMITS ... The
Nebraska Game and Parks Commission Office at 1212 Bob Gibson Blvd
is your over-the-counter source for purchasing spring wild turkey
hunting permits here in the Omaha-Metro. This spring in Nebraska
an individual hunter may have up to three turkey permits! The
spring archery wild turkey hunting season is open. The special
youth turkey season is now underway. The shotgun turkey hunting
season begins on April 14. All seasons go through May 20.
FREE OUTDOOR EDUCATION EVENT ...
A free morel mushroom hunting seminar is on tap at the Cabelas
Retail Store in La Vista on Sunday, April 15 at 3 p.m. The seminar
will be conducted by accomplished woodsman and morel mushroom
hunting expert Mark Davis who is an outdoor writer for the Omaha
World-Herald newspaper
STATE PARKS LODGING REMINDER ...
Be reminded that Mahoney State Park (Ph: 1-402-944-2523) and
Platte River State Park near Louisville (Ph: 234-2217) both have
lodging discounts available on weeknights (Sundays through
Thursdays) through the end of April. Come park it in a park on a
quiet weekday evening and enjoy nature!
Various Other Outdoor News
Notes
CUNNINGHAM LAKE RESTORATION
PROJECT ... Anglers, boaters and other users of Cunningham Lake at
96th & State Street in northern Omaha should note that an aquatic
habitat/lake restoration project is underway. A drawdown of the
390-acre lake is done. The first phase of the construction project
(excavating sediment & silt in the upper portion of the lake) is
expected to begin this spring of 2007. The restoration project of
the lake will feature sediment/silt removal, construction of two
islands, rock riprap structures for shoreline protection, rock
fishing jetties and rock off-shore breakwater structures. For more
details on the Cunningham Lake aquatic habitat/restoration
project, please call Jeff Jackson of the Game and Parks Fisheries
Division, at: (402) 471-7647
BIRD COUNTS/INFO ON REFUGES ...
Counts of various bird species as well as up-to-date information
about Desoto and Boyer Chute National Wildlife Refuges in
Washington County, NE are now available on-line at this website:
boyerdesotofriends.org
MOUNTAIN LION SIGHTINGS ...
Alleged sightings of mountain lions are taken seriously and need
to be immediately reported to 911 Emergency, Game and Parks
Commission Officials or the Nebraska Humane Society.
Parklands in southeast Nebraska
-- Hiking Trail Miles
Platte River State Park near
Louisville -- 12 miles
Mahoney State Park near Ashland
-- 7 Miles
Schramm Park State Recreation
Area near Gretna -- 3 miles
Louisville Lakes State Recreation
Area near Louisville -- 2 miles
Indian Cave State Park near
Brownville -- 22 miles
Hunter Education Information
For information on firearm and
bowhunter education courses scheduled in the Omaha-metro area, or
to become a certified volunteer instructor in the Nebraska Hunter
Education Program, call Barb at 332-4543
Omaha Office Information
Nebraska Game and Parks
Commission, 1212 Bob Gibson Blvd. Omaha, NE 68108-2020 (One block
north of Rosenblatt Stadium)
Game & Parks hours of operation
are from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, but closed on
state government-observed holidays that occur during the week
Ph: 402-595-2144
Fax: 402-595-2569
E-mail: greg.wagner@ngpc.ne.gov
For Nebraska Travel and Tourism
staff & information at our location, call 402-595-3990
Travel & Tourism hours of
operation are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Seven days a week -- March 1
through October 31; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday --
November 1 through February 28, but closed on state
government-observed holidays that occur during the week in this
period
For information about building,
grounds and maintainence, call the Nebraska State Department of
Administrative Services / Building Division in Omaha, at:
402-595-2115
Great Outdoor Radio Talk Show
Produced by Great Plains
Marketing Of Omaha, NE (Ph: 393-0492). Title sponsor is the Eugene
T. Mahoney State Park at I-80 Exit #426 near Ashland (Ph:
1-402-944-2523). For more details about the show, visit:
www.myspace.com/greatoutdoorshow
Listen each and every Saturday
morning from 9 to 10 a.m. on ESPN Radio 1620 AM (KOZN - The Zone)
for exciting guests, news and information about the great outdoors
and beyond! Callers to the show are welcome at any of these
telephone numbers: Locally 951-1620, Nationwide / Toll-Free
1-877-951-1620, or #1620 on your Alltel Wireless Phone. You can
also listen to this program LIVE on the Internet, at:
www.1620thezone.com
April 14, 2007 -- Live broadcast
from the Mahoney State Park Kiewit Lodge near Ashland for the
grand-scale Platte River Art Show & Barbeque Event
-- Greg Wagner
