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Fall and Winter 2019 - 2020 Events

DISCOVER ICE FISHING Learn the basics of ice-fishing or pick up a few new tips from experienced anglers at four Discover Ice-Fishing clinics in January.

The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission’s Youth Fishing Program will host two on-ice and two ice fishing classroom events. Please join us to help or learn.

January 6, Monday, Classroom event, Discover Ice Fishing. 6-8 p.m. Nebraska Outdoor Education Center. 4703 N 44th Street. Lincoln. This will be a very basic how-to-ice-fish event delivered for beginners and families.

January 11, Saturday, On-ice event, Discover Ice Fishing at Lincoln’s Holmes Lake from 1-4 p.m. Look for us in the parking lot about mid-lake along the north shoreline drive.

January 18th , Saturday, the Nebraska Fish and Game Association will host a Classroom Clinic at Yanney Heritage Park’s Environmental Resource Center in Kearney from 1- 5 p.m. This clinic will

feature presentations by some of Nebraska’s top ice fishermen. Seating is limited, so registration is requested by emailing Harold@nefga.org.

January 19th, Sunday, On-ice event at Kearney’s Fort Kearny State Recreation Area (SRA) Lake No. 6 from 8 a.m.-noon.

Limited loaner equipment will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Bait and instruction will be provided. Participants are encouraged to bring their own equipment.

A park entry permit is required at Fort Kearny. All fishing regulations apply. A lack of safe ice will force the cancellation of the on-ice clinics.

ROD AND REEL REPAIR Join us for food and YFI networking. These are great events to meet new and greet old friends!

There are over 700 rods and reels spread out in the YFI Fishing Activity Trailers and Tackle Loaner Boxes that need attention. Please consider helping us clean, restring

and repair them. No experience is necessary. February 5th, Wednesday, 9 AM – 3 PM Nebraska Outdoor Education Center. 4703 N 44th Street. Lincoln. Chili, soup and snack potluck. February 9th, Sunday, 2 – 6 PM. Nebraska Outdoor Education Center. 4703 N 44th Street. Lincoln. Snack potluck. March 28th, Saturday, 1 – 5 PM. Grand Island Izaak Walton League Clubhouse. 3rd and Bismark (East on Bismark to 3rd Road from GI, or South on 3rd Road from Highway 30 to Bismark). Grand Island. Snack potluck.

YOUTH FISHING INSTRUCTOR TRAINING Watch the NGPC Fishing Volunteer Calendar for – Continued page 2

LARRY PAPE larry.pape@nebraska.gov

402-471-5447

CLINT MCKINNEY clint.mckinney@nebraska.gov

ngpc.fishmaterial@nebraska.gov 402-332-3901

www. outdoornebraska.org

FISH TALES Fall 2019

The Discover Fly Fishing event at Mormon Island on July 31st drew a surprisingly large crowd. Kenneth

Whisenhunt demonstrated fly-tying while other YFI instructors taught casting and other skills.

For the Volunteer Calendar of these and many more events see website:

outdoornebraska.gov/fishingvolunteers/

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dates and times of YFI Certification Trainings this spring. Class events will be in Lincoln (Feb., March, April) and in Kearney (May). Please consider attending and teaching a section of the class. The class structure is very hands-on and your expertise and input is welcome. Contact; Larry Pape, larry.pape@nebraska.gov , 402-471-5447.

COMMUNITY FISHING EVENTS? You may have notice the brochure for Family Fishing Events had new titles and programs this past summer.

We are now calling most of our general events Community Fishing Events to be more inclusive of all ages and interests. New programs for the summer of 2019 included Fishing with Friends and Discover Fly Fishing and Catfish Fishing. For 2020, we will be having more of these. Your ideas for new programs are welcome. Your help makes them possible! These new types of events help those who are ready for the next-step in their fishing adventure. Discover Fly Fishing was particularly well attended in the three venues of Lincoln, Bellevue and Grand Island.

If you are interested in hosting a Community Fishing Event or specialized program in your area, please contact me to discuss. Planning the dates and locations of Community Fishing occurs in December and early January. Events can be published on our printed brochure if received prior to mid-January and all events can be placed on the NGPC Calendar and Facebook pages. Contact Larry Pape, (larry.pape@nebraska.gov , 402-471-5447) to discuss your Community Fishing Event ideas.

Used Fishing Equipment to be “Reelused and Reelcycled” The phone calls I receive usually begin; “My father was an avid fisherman, and over the years he collected a huge amount of fishing poles and tackle. Can you use any of this stuff in the youth fishing program?”

The stories are often about a decease father, grandfather or other relative and how much this equipment meant to them and the family. The equipment is sometimes almost new, but most often is vintage and time worn. It can be anything from Zebco fishing rods/reels to lures and other tackle.

I have a tough time telling them I cannot practically use it in my programs… so, I accept the equipment with the promise that it will be passed along to Youth Fishing Instructors and then passed along to kids and families in their communities.

If you are interested in reelusing and reelcycling some of this equipment, it will be available at the three Rod and Reel Repair dates listed above. Most of it will need cleaning, repair and attention. Some is just good for parts. But, it all comes with a history and donors hopes that it will see a new life.

Fishing Lures as Unique as Art Several years ago a box of fishing lures showed up on my desk, which is not an uncommon occurrence, but this box of lure were unique; made of beads, shrink tubing, frayed rope and a variety of other shop and household items. Unfortunately there was no note or any other sign of where

they came from. I would normally just pass donated lures along to YFI volunteers, but these were special and without indication of where they came, did not feel right getting rid of them.

They have set on my desk as conversation pieces since.

The mystery was solved this past September when Glen Oliver of Lincoln called and asked if our program was interested in some homemade lures for the Youth Fishing Program. What thoroughly amazed me about the collection he brought was the creativity and fine craftsmanship involved. These lures are made of literally anything. Nails, electric wire, brush bristles, costume jewelry parts, soda straws; with these as example, there is nothing that cannot be turned into a fishing lure.

My immediate plan is to photograph each of these lures and make the images available for examples of what is possible. So many of the ideas of these could be integrated into our Lure Making Kits. My

long term hope is to display and show an appreciation of what Mr. Oliver has created. For now, they will be housed in my office with photos to be posted on Facebook sometime this winter.

Mr. Oliver also shared an ingenious idea for transporting fishing equipment. With the use of a golf cart, he has attached a platform that holds his tackle boxes and tubes to safely carry his tackle and rods.

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The Mystery of the Green Sunfish x Bluegill Hybrid Where did they go? By Josh Johnson Introduction: Lake Halleck and Fontenelle Park Pond are

urban fisheries with high utilization by anglers, and people

using it for other recreational purpose. They are stocked

with a variety of fish species to create a high quality fishery

for a beginning angler. The main fish of interest in the two

bodies of waters were: largemouth bass (Micropterus

salmoides)(LMB) and bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) x green

sunfish (Lepomis cyanellus) hybrid (BG). Lake Halleck was

stocked in 2006 with 130 LMB at 248 mm. Halleck was

stocked in 2017-18 with 1706 152 mm BG and again in 2019

with 1200 127 mm BG. Fontenelle Lagoon was stocked in

2018 with 1001 76 mm LMB. In 2018, it was stocked with

2200 66 mm BG and in 2019 with 1106 127 mm BG.

Bluegill x Green Sunfish hybrids are a fish that has positive

characteristics of each of the parents which are appealing

to new and inexperienced anglers. They possess a large

mouth, are aggressive feeders, can be propagated easily in

a hatchery, and are an attractive fish to the eye. Bluegill x

Green Sunfish hybrids in Halleck Lake seemed to disappear

after a few short months of being stocked according to

creel surveys and catch observations, yet in Fontenelle

Lagoon, they appear to be maintaining their stocked

numbers. The efforts of this work were to discover the

population dynamics of the stocked BG of these two

fisheries.

Methods: Boat electroshocking was used to collect bluegill

x green sunfish hybrids and largemouth bass at Halleck Lake

and Fontenelle Park Pond on two consecutive dates (August

12th and 13th). Data was collected on the number and

length (mm) of each species. Fish captured on August 12th

were marked with a hole punch in the dorsal fin and

released. Fish captured on August 13th were recorded as

new captures or recaptures. The data was used to calculate

a Lincoln-Peterson Population Estimate for each species at

Halleck Lake and Fontenelle Park Pond.

Discussion: Lake Halleck: On August 12th, a total of 14

bluegill x green sunfish hybrids (BG) and 43 largemouth

bass (LMB) were captured and marked. On August 13th, a

total of 17 BG and 46 LMB were captured, of which 2 BG

and 9 LMB were recaptured from the previous day. Of the

2906 BG stocked in Halleck, it is estimated there are 119

fish remaining in the lake. It is estimated there are 220 LMB

in the lake. A Creel survey conducted by the University of

Nebraska found no BG were harvested as of August 2nd,

2019. A total of 8 were recorded caught and released by

anglers as of August 2nd, 2019.

Fontenelle Park Pond: On August 12th, a total of 44 BG and

53 LMB were captured and marked. On August 13th, a total

of 35 BG and 32 LMB were recovered of which 0 BG and 5

LMB were recaptured. A Lincoln-Peterson Estimate on the

BG was not possible due to no fish being recaptured on the

second day of shocking. In Fontenelle Park Pond, an

estimate of 340 LMB remained of the 1001 bass originally

stocked.

Conclusion: Based on these findings, I would hypothesize

the largemouth bass (LMB) were preying on the bluegill x

green sunfish hybrid (BG) stocked in Lake Halleck. In 2019,

Halleck was stocked with BG at a mean length of 127 mm.

According to Lawrence (Lawrence 1954) largemouth bass

ranging from 300 to 399 mm are of length that can

consume BG from 100 to 145 mm. The LMB captured in

Lake Halleck show a length frequency distribution (mean

350 mm) that could easily consume the lengths of BG

stocked. The BG found during the electroshocking

collection have an average length of 155 mm, which is

greater than the average when stocked (127 mm) and are

larger than the mean size of the LMB bass population of

Lake Halleck will easily consume (Lawrence 1954). The data

does not show exact correlation between the two species

but it does have an indication it could be possible. Another

factor that could limit the population of BG would be

hooking mortality, although this is not likely based on the

creel surveys indicating only 8 being caught from the time

they were stocked in 2019. BG’s could also have been

outcompeted by bluegills. In the spring of 2019, 490

bluegill were shocked in Lake Halleck by Nebraska Game

and Parks staff. This data shows there is a plentiful

population of bluegill in Halleck Lake which would imply

competition between the two species.

Fontenelle puts forth a different story. The LMB were

stocked at 76 mm (October 2018) and the BG were stocked

at 64 mm (October 2018) and 127 mm (May 2019).

Lawrence (1954), showed that a 77 mm bass could only

swallow a green sunfish of 33-35 mm. This information

tells us that the LMB could not physically be consuming a

bluegill x green sunfish that was stocked in Fontenelle.

Based on this information, a good –Continued page 4

FISH TALES FALL 2019 P A G E | 4

strategy when implementing both species in a new body of

water is to stock both species at coinciding lengths or larger

BG to prevent predation on the new BG.

Special thanks to Alexis Vrana, Nolan Watkins, and Larry Pape for help collecting data.

Take ’Em Fishing 2019 This past spring, Nebraska Game and Park launched a program to promote fishing mentoring. Take ‘Em Fishing encourage anglers to take a pledge to take someone new fishing. Participants who submitted a picture with the new angler were entered into a drawing for a variety of prizes. The first place Bass

Tracker boat from Cabela’s was won by Tanner & Jenni Hess of Battle Creek, Nebraska.

Nebraska Fish and Game Association donated two fishing kayaks. One of these kayaks was awarded in the general public drawing and claimed by Steve Loyd of Plattesmouth. The second kayak was dedicated to a Certified Youth Fishing Instructor participating in the Take ’Em Fishing program and was won by Kurt Seevers of Elkhorn (below center with Fisheries Division Administrator, Dean Rosenthal (left) and Larry Pape (right)).

By the numbers, the program was a success. There were 4,270 photo entries from 3,547 individuals. Pledges to take someone new fishing were made by 3,796 generous

anglers. First time anglers (2,072) made up 44% of the entered photos.

The smiling faces of new anglers are the real proof of Take ‘Em Fishing success.

Take ’Em Fishing 2020!