State Record Summary, 2011

I want to mention here that our listing of state record fish has been updated and placed on our Game & Parks website, http://outdoornebraska.ne.gov/fishing/pdfs/recordfish.pdf .  I am not going to review all of the new records from 2011, but I will give you a summary.

We had 23 fish certified as state records in 2011.  If you look at the list close enough you will find only 21 new records listed as only the current records are listed there and we had two record Chinook salmon caught by hook and line in 2011 and two record white bass taken by underwater spear-fishing in 2011 (both of the white bass were taken by the same diver, Dustin Noble of Gothenburg).  In 2011 ten fish were recognized as new records for underwater spear-fishing, seven new records for bow-fishing, four new records taken by hook & line and two new records taken by surface spearing.  We continue to have more fish submitted for records each year in the spear-fishing and bow-fishing categories because there are not as many folks who take fish by those methods and for some species no records have been established, yet.  There has been far more activity in the hook & line category over the years and the state record bar has been set high for most species.

The smallest fish that qualified as a state record in 2011 was a 3 ounce creek chub taken by bow-fishing.

I believe the most impressive thing about that state record fish is that Shawn Church from Elwood was able to hit it with an arrow.

The biggest fish certified as a new state record in 2011 was the 107 pound 12 ounce paddlefish taken from that Missouri River last fall.

I believe last fall was the first time Louis Maring from Merna had ever participated in our paddlefish snagging season.  His first time resulted in one of the largest fish ever documented from Nebraska waters!

The Missouri River produced some other surprises last fall as we had two state record Chinook salmon caught from those waters.  Chinooks have been stocked in Nebraska waters in the past, but there are no waters where anyone could expect to catch a Chinook salmon now.  That is there were no Chinooks swimming in Nebraska waters until last year’s flooding brought some down from the Dakotas.  So, a new state record Chinook salmon would have to have been one of the least expected state records from last year.

James Ludlow posing with his 7 pound 5 ounce Chinook salmon caught from Lewis & Clark Reservoir last October.

I am going to vote for Tyler Ciurej’s hook & line record goldfish as the prettiest state record taken in 2011.

Tyler and his 4 pound 3 ounce goldfish taken from Halleck Park Pond in Papillion. Tyler discovered that apparently goldfish like hot dogs. (Tyler needs to get a new T-shirt!)

You can see a list of state record rules and an application form in any copy of the 2011-2012 Fishing Guide, http://outdoornebraska.ne.gov/fishing/guides/fishguide/pdf/FishGuide.pdf .  In the Fishing Guide you can also see a list of species and their respective state record weights.  Take a look at that list and you will see which species do NOT have a fish that has been recognized as a record, yet.  Those open records are mostly found in the bow-fishing, underwater and surface spear-fishing categories.

Now, just for the fun of it. . . . I have heard a lot of speculation about Nebraska’s hook & line records and which species might have their records broken.  So, let me finish this rambling post by “handicapping” and commenting on our hook & line records.  Now, I am no gambler nor handicapper and I really have no idea how to go about determining the odds of new state records being caught, so let me just rank the chances of a new state record this way:  “Good Chance”, “Maybe”, “Chances are Slim and None”, and “Better Chance of Winning the Lottery”.

Alewife — 3.5 oz. — Maybe– alewives can be found in McConaughy and Merritt.  In marine waters they can grow quite a bit larger and it may be possible to catch one larger than 3.5 oz.

Largemouth Bass — 10 lbs. 11 oz.–Slim and none–10 pounds 11 ounces is darned big for a largemouth bass in northern waters like Nebraska.  This record has stood for years and I am betting it stands for a lot more.

Rock Bass– 2 lbs. 4 oz. –Slim and none–we have some rock bass in Nebraska waters including some big fish, but 2 pounds 4 ounces is a darned big rock bass.

Smallmouth Bass– 7 lbs. 4 oz.–Slim and none–Ditto, see my comments about largemouth bass and rock bass just above.

Spotted Bass–3 lbs. 12 oz.–Maybe–Elwood Reservoir has had a good population of spotted bass in the past.  With higher and more consistently high water levels, could a new state record be a possibility in coming years?

Striped Bass– 64 lbs. 15 oz.–Better chance of winning the lottery–Our state record for striped bass is HUGE for inland waters, and we just plain do not have many stripers left in the state.  If you want to catch any, there might be a few left in McConaughy or might a big one show up in the same place the state record did–Sutherland Reservoir inlet?

Striper Hybrid–20 lbs. 1 oz.–Good chance–There are some big wipers swimming in McConaughy right now and I believe with high water levels and an abundance of cool-water prey (i.e. alewives) there could be a new state record wiper swimming in McConaughy right now.

White Bass–5 lbs.–Slim and none–Again, a 5 pound white bass is near the ultimate size for the species and it would take a very rare fish to beat that record.  Maybe Merritt, McConaughy or our upper Missouri River could produce such a fish, but I believe it would be a long shot.

Yellow Bass–1 lb. 7 oz.–Slim and none–Yellow bass are an introduced exotic species found only in a few Nebraska waters.  They can grow larger than our record, but in most of our waters they stunt and are not large at all.

Bowfin–8 lbs.–Maybe–Bowfin can grow a lot bigger than our hook & line record.  With last year’s Missouri River flooding, could there be some more surprises out there?

Bigmouth Buffalo–64 lbs–Maybe–Ditto, see my comments just above for bowfin.

Black Buffalo–41 lbs.–Maybe–Ditto.

Smallmouth Buffalo– 56 lbs. 3 oz.–Maybe–Ditto.

Black Bullhead–3 lbs. 15 oz.–Maybe–Larger black bullheads have been documented in other states.

Burbot–6 lbs. 9 oz.–Maybe–See my comments for bowfin just above.

Bighead Carp –53 lbs. 3 oz.–Good chance–Bighead carp get a lot larger than our hook & line record and I am afraid we have plenty of them swimming in the Missouri River downstream from Gavins Point Dam.  The biggest challenge will be getting one to take a hook in its mouth so it can be considered a legal catch (snagging is prohibited).

Common Carp–33 lbs. 12 oz.–Maybe–Common carp get larger than our hook & line record and could be swimming in a number of Nebraska waters.  The best chance would be a water body with only a few large carp.  However, this could be one of the hardest fish to catch as carp and especially large carp are one of the smartest fish that swim in our waters.

Grass Carp–64 lbs.–Maybe–Similar to my comments on common carp just above, they can get larger, but a state record specimen is not going to be easy to catch.

Hybrid Grass Carp –OPEN–Slim and none–We have no recognized hook & line record for hybrid grass carp, but I would have to tell you that documentation of a true hybrid is going to be difficult if not impossible.

Silver Carp–OPEN–Good chance–Plenty of silver carp swimming in the Missouri River below Gavins.  The hard part will be getting one to bite on a hook (see my comments above for bighead carp).

Quillback–13 lbs. 10 oz.–Slim and none–Our hook & line record for quillback carpsucker is larger than the all-tackle world record recognized by the Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame (FWFHOF), http://www.freshwater-fishing.org/index.php .  There is not much chance we are going to see that broken.

River Carpsucker–13 lbs. 4 oz.–Slim and none–Ditto what I said above for quillback carpsucker.

Channel Catfish–41 lbs. 8 oz.–Slim and none–Our hook & line record for channel catfish is very respectable.  They can grow larger, but with the angling pressure most of our waters receive, we likely are not going to see a new state record channel cat anytime soon.  If it is ever to happen, folks are going to have to release all of the big channel cats they catch.

Flathead Catfish–80 lbs.–Maybe–What I said above about the catch & release of big channel cats applies to our big flatties too.  However, I believe there might be a slightly better chance of a new state record flathead being caught because they are less likely to be caught unless a person is targeting them, and we have some large waters that could harbor some ginormous flatheads (e.g. lower Missouri River, Loup Power Canal, Tri-County Canal).  But, a big flattie will have a hard time reaching state record proportions on any waters where we have set-liners working.  Sorry to any set-liners I just offended, but set-line fishing is primarily a harvest fishery and we ain’t gonna see a new state record unless there are some darned big flatheads that are caught & released.

Blue Catfish–100 lbs. 8 oz.–Maybe–We have had larger blue catfish sampled from Missouri River waters.  It is possible a new state record blue is swimming in Nebraska waters right now.  The hook & line blue catfish record we have on the books was taken by snagging when it was legal to take that fish in that way.  I wish someone would bump that record out of the books.

Stonecat– 5.2 oz.–Slim and none–How many anglers even know what a stonecat is?  They can be found in some Nebraska rivers and streams, but even then I am betting our hook & line record would be hard to beat as a 5 ounce stonecat is a very respectable stonecat.

Creek Chub–9.5 oz.–Maybe–There may be larger creek chubs swimming in some Nebraska river or stream and one of these days some kid might catch one.

Black Crappie–4 lbs. 8 oz.–Slim and none–Our record is darned nice, and the chances of catching one larger will not be good.  If we ever see this record broken, I would predict it would come from private water just like the existing record did.

White Crappie–4 lbs. 1 oz.–Slim and none–Ditto what I just said for black crappie.

Freshwater Drum–29 lbs. 6 oz.–Maybe–I believe our current hook & line record drum was a fish spawned during a major flood event on the Missouri River.  Freshwater drum certainly can grow a lot larger than our state record and might we see some more Missouri River surprises in the years following the flood of 2011?

American Eel–5 lbs.–Maybe–Eels rarely show up in Nebraska waters, but occasionally they do migrate up the Missouri River as far as Nebraska, and they do grow larger than our current hook & line state record.

Longnose Gar–20 lbs. 7 oz.–Maybe–Longnose gar can grow larger than our current record.

Shortnose Gar–6 lbs. 14 oz.–Slim and none–Our hook & line state record is larger than the all-tackle world record recognized by the FWFHOF.  A bigger one ain’t likely.

Spotted Gar–4 lbs. 8 oz.–Maybe–Spotted gar can get a lot larger, but spotted gar are not common in Nebraska waters, and I suspect they grow a lot larger in warmer waters to the south where they are also much more common.

Goldeye–3 lbs. 15.5 oz.–Slim and none–Our hook & line record is larger than the all-tackle world record recognized by the FWFHOF.

Goldfish– 3 lbs. 7 oz.–Slim and none–Ditto what I just said for goldeye.

Skipjack Herring– 2 lbs.–Maybe–Skipjack herring are another species that only occasionally migrates up the Missouri River as far as Nebraska.  They can occasionally be caught in the Gavins Point tailwaters and they certainly can grow larger than our current hook & line record.

Muskellunge–41 lbs. 8 oz.–Good chance–We have had excellent success stocking muskies in Nebraska waters since we switched to stocking all pure-bred muskellunge, fish that are raised on minnows until they are a year old and 12-14 inches long when they are stocked.  We switched to that stocking strategy in the late ’90′s and I believe there are some of those fish that may now be reaching state record proportions, especially in Merritt Reservoir.

Tiger Muskellunge–33 lbs. 5 oz.–Slim and none–Tiger muskies are northern pike X muskellunge hybrids.  We phased out all tiger muskie stocking years ago and there likely are hardly any of those fish left.  There are some waters where a tiger muskie hybrid could be produced in the wild, but it is extremely unlikely that we will see one larger than our hook & line record.

Paddlefish–107 lbs. 12 oz.–Maybe–Our new hook & line state record paddlefish caught last fall was most likely a fish that traveled downstream from one of the Missouri River reservoirs during last year’s flooding.  Could there be other big paddlefish out there?

Sacramento Perch–2 lbs. 8 oz.–Better chance of winning the lottery–Sacramento perch were introduced to some Nebraska waters years ago.  I know of none and I doubt there are any swimming in any Nebraska waters now.

White Perch–2 lbs. 6 oz.–Slim and none–We certainly have white perch in some Nebraska waters, but most of them never get close to weighing a pound, let alone over 2 pounds.  The biggest white perch are most likely to be produced a short time after they invade a body of water and I am afraid for the waters where we now have white perch, that time passed a long time ago.  And we do NOT want them to expand to any other waters!

Yellow Perch–2 lbs. 10.75 oz.–Slim and none–Our hook & line state record is very respectable and since most good-sized yellow perch that are caught from Nebraska waters end up going home in a bucket, I doubt we will ever see a larger one caught.

Grass Pickerel–5.75 oz.–Maybe–Grass pickerel are a small member of the pike family and are actually native to Nebraska waters.  If someone was to look hard enough, they might be able to find one that would be big enough to be a new record.

Northern Pike–30 lbs. 1 oz.–Slim and none–Our hook & line state record pike was a fish that grew fat and happy on stocked rainbow trout in Terry’s Pit in Gering.  I suppose there is a possibility of a similar fish being produced in some Nebraska water, but we have not seen anything even close to our state record since it was caught.  Chances of a pike escaping harvest until it reached state record proportions are not good.  Who would release a 20-pound+ pike?  That likely would have to happen to produce a fish over 30 pounds.

European Rudd–2 lbs. 12 oz.–Maybe–Rudd are another non-native exotic species.  They can grow quite large and they will occasionally bite on a hook.  Our hook & line record is respectable, but maybe Box Butte Reservoir could produce a still larger fish?

Chinook Salmon–7 lbs. 5 oz.–Maybe–A year ago I would have told you there was little chance of this hook & line record being broken, but then the Missouri River flooded and surprises started showing up in our waters.  Maybe there are more?

Coho Salmon–5 lbs. 12 oz.–Better chance of winning the lottery–There are no Cohos in Nebraska waters and little chance of them showing up here.

Kokanee Salmon–4 lbs. 2 oz.–Better chance of winning the lottery–Ditto what I just said for Coho salmon.

Sauger–8 lbs. 5 oz.–Better chance of winning the lottery–Our hook & line sauger record was taken back in 1961, back when technology did NOT exist to determine the actual genetics of sauger and saugeye.  Chances are our hook & line record sauger was a saugeye as walleye and sauger do hybridize in the wild and it is not at all uncommon in our Missouri River.  Research has shown that the true identity of walleye, sauger and saugeye in our Missouri River can be hard to determine with certainty based solely on external characteristics.  Pure-bred sauger simply do not get as large as our hook & line record.

Saugeye–8 lbs. 14 oz.–Maybe–Saugeye do grow larger than our hook & line record.  The problem is any fish of that size likely would be considered to be a walleye, and DNA testing would be necessary to verify the identity as a true F1 hybrid X walleye hybrid.

Gizzard Shad –4 lbs. 7.75 oz.–Slim and none–Yes, adult gizzard shad can get as large as our hook & line record, but they do not get much larger and they are rarely caught on a hook.

Golden Shiner–14 oz.–Slim and none–Our hook & line record is a darned big golden shiner.

Shovelnose Sturgeon–4 lbs. 5 oz.–Slim and none–Our hook & line record is very respectable, and it will be hard to beat, especially with a pure-bred shovelnose.

Longnose Sucker–2 lbs. 9 oz.–Maybe–Longnose suckers can get a lot larger, but they are not common in Nebraska waters and most anglers are not aware of them (i.e. a sucker is a sucker).

Blue Sucker–18 lbs. 14 oz.–Maybe–We have had biologists sample larger blue suckers on the Missouri River.  I would say the chances of beating our hook & line state record would be good, but who is going to set out to catch a state record blue sucker?

Shorthead Redhorse–2 lbs. 12 oz.–Maybe–Shorthead redhorse suckers can get a lot larger than our hook & line state record.

White Sucker–5 lbs. 14 oz.–Slim and none–It would take a white sucker of nearly 6 pounds or larger to beat our hook & line record; that is a darned big white sucker.

Bluegill–2 lbs. 13 oz.–Slim and none–Our hook & line record is darned big for a bluegill from northern waters and that is why it has been on the books for 34 years.

Green Sunfish–1 lb. 8 oz.–Slim and none–Ditto my comments just above for bluegill.

Hybrid Sunfish–1 lb. 15 oz.–Slim and none–Ditto.

Orangespotted Sunfish–3 oz.–Slim and none–A 3 ounce orangespotted sunfish is actually a darned nice orangespot and that record is going to be hard to beat.

Pumpkinseed–11.25 oz.–Maybe–Pumpkinseeds can get a little bigger than our state record.  Maybe there is a fish like that somewhere out in the sandhills?

Redear Sunfish–1 lb. 10 oz.–Maybe–Redears certainly can grow larger than our hook & line record, but they obtain those sizes in places a lot warmer than Nebraska.

Brook Trout–5 lbs. 1 oz.–Better chance of winning the lottery–Our hook & line record brook trout is HUGE for Nebraska waters and was produced under perfect circumstances.  I see little chance of it happening again although I wish it could!

Brown Trout–20 lbs. 1 oz.–Better chance of winning the lottery–Ditto what I said for brook trout just above.  I do not see how this record could ever be broken.

Cutthroat Trout–5 lbs. 7 oz.–Slim and none–Currently there are no cutthroats in Nebraska waters.  If there ever were again, then it could be possible to see a bigger cuttie; they certainly grow larger than our hook & line record.

Rainbow Trout–14 lbs. 2 oz.–Slim and none–Rainbows can certainly grow a lot larger than our hook & line record, but there is not much chance we will see any fish like that in Nebraska waters.

Tiger Trout–6 oz.–Maybe–Tiger trout are a brook trout X brown trout hybrid and we actually see a few of those fish produced naturally in the Soldiers Creek drainage.  Tiger trout can grow a lot larger than our hook & line record.

Walleye–16 lbs. 2 oz.–Maybe–Our hook & line record walleye is another fish that has been on the books for a long time and is a very respectable walleye.  However, just a couple of years ago there was a walleye caught from Lake McConaughy that missed the record by only 3 ounces!  With the water, habitat conditions and prey base in McConaughy right now, there is a chance a state record walleye could be swimming there right now.  Our upper Missouri River would be a long shot to produce a new hook & line record walleye and Merritt would be an even longer shot.

There you go, that is my assessment of the chances of those hook & line records being broken.  I am sure some of you will disagree with my opinion, but that does not bother me one bit–go out and prove me wrong!  I want to have some new state records to talk about next year!

2012 BASSMASTER Classic

10 Things You Need To Know About The 2012 Bassmaster Classic

No fishing tournament in the world gets the kind of fan and media attention as the BASSMASTER Classic, http://www.bassmaster.com/classic , the Super Bowl of bass fishing, as it’s often called. This year it takes place Feb. 24-26 on the Red River out of Shreveport-Bossier City, La., the same site as the 2009 Classic. In that tournament, Skeet Reese won by just 11 measly ounces. Will the Classic this year be as close, or will Kevin VanDam dominate again? There’s a lot going on for this year’s Classic: here’s 10 of the top things to keep in mind as the championship draws near.

KVD Aims For First Ever Three-peat

Kevin VanDam on stage with his 2011 Bassmaster Classic winning trophy.
B.A.S.S./Jason Cohn

No angler in the history of the sport has ever won three Bassmaster Classic titles in a row. In fact, until Kevin VanDam’s back-to-back victories the last two years, only legendary angler Rick Clunn has ever won even just two in a row, way back in 1976 and ’77. Clunn – who also shares the record for all-time Classic wins (4) with KVD – came as close you could in ’78, finishing second to Bobby Murray. Will KVD succeed where Clunn couldn’t and get that three-peat, and also stand alone for all-time Classic wins with five?

History’s Not On His Side (sort of)

Kevin VanDam hopes to weigh in some bass like this at the upcoming Classic.
B.A.S.S./Jason Cohn

Not only is KVD trying to be the first angler to win three in a row, he has to battle the demons left behind after a relatively poor finish in 2009, the last time the Red River hosted the Classic. KVD placed 30th in that tournament, finishing well behind winner Skeet Reese. Despite the result in 2009, VanDam has won two Classics in Louisiana already, and though it’s a different beast altogether fishing the Red River than the Delta, it would not be a surprise to see him successful at Shreveport. But perhaps VanDam says it best: in a blog for Bassmaster.com, he writes, “I’ve finished in the top five of every Classic since 2004 – except for one – on this same Red River in 2009. You have no idea how badly I want to make amends.” A pumped up VanDam out seeking revenge? Anglers and fish beware!.

Speaking of Skeet Reese…

Skeet Reese holds tight to his 2009 Bassmaster Classic trophy.
BASS Communications

Skeet Reese, a fan favorite and winner of the 2009 Bassmaster Classic, had an off year in 2011, failing to qualify for this year’s championship. While KVD is technically the one defending his title, Reese won’t have that chance to defend his Red River crown. Though Reese won’t be there, the runner-up of the 2009 Classic will be. In a way, Mike Iaconelli’s the “defending champion”  and so an obvious favorite alongside VanDam to win it all this year. And winning is something’s Ike’s used to – after all, he did win the Classic back in 2003, at the Louisiana Delta, no less.

Welcome Back After 10 Years

Jamie Horton and Chris Price better be prepared for crowds like this as they make their first trip to the Classic in 10 years.

Jamie Horton and Chris Price, good to see you guys again! Neither of these anglers have fished in this championship since 2002 – a 10 year gap that probably feels like a lifetime for these competitors. The gap is not a record, as Danny Correia and David Gregg both had to wait 16 years between appearances at one point. Horton and Price both qualified for the Classic through the B.A.S.S. Federation Nation, the same route they took to fish in the 2002 Classic.

Home Field Disadvantage?

Greg Hackney is the only Louisiana native at this year’s Classic.
B.A.S.S.

No angler has ever fished a Bassmaster Classic in their home state more than three times…until now. Greg Hackney from Gonzalez, La. hopes that his fourth try in his home state of Louisiana will be the one that sees him hold up that $500,000 check. In previous years, he’s never finished higher than his 20th place in Shreveport in 2009. Were Hackney able to pull out the victory, he’d only be the second to win in his home state: Alabama native Boyd Duckett is the only one to do it, back in 2007 in Lay Lake.

Brotherly Love

Bobby Lane at the 2011 Bassmaster Classic.

The Lane brothers – Bobby and Chris – are back in the Classic together for the first time since 2008. They’re the third brother duo to compete against each other, but the very first to do it more than once. Bobby hasn’t missed a beat over the last few years, making them every year since 2008. Though Bobby has had a better time of making Classics in recent years, Chris can take comfort knowing that he’s already qualified for 2013 after winning a Bassmaster Southern Open event in January. Can he carry that momentum forward?

Former Champions

2008 champion Alton Jones hopes he can hoist the trophy again this year.
BASS Communications

This year’s field is one of the most experienced ever to fish the Classic. Among the competitors are six former champions who would love to taste victory again: Denny Brauer (1998), Davy Hite (1999), Michael Iaconelli (2003), Alton Jones (2008), Takahiro Omori (2004) and of course, Kevin VanDam (2001, 2005, 2010, 2011).

Always A Bridesmaid, Never A Bride

Aaron Martens (right) can only look on as he finishes second to a jubilant Kevin VanDam at the 2011 Bassmaster Classic.
B.A.S.S./Jason Cohn

Every sport has that competitor that accomplishes everything you can as an individual, has received every award under the sun, except for the ultimate prize of winning a championship. Athletes like Charles Barkley and Patrick Ewing in the NBA, or Dan Marino in the NFL, or for the longest time golf pro Phil Mickelson, who for years held the title as “best golfer to never win a major” before he finally won at Augusta. In the world of fishing, Aaron Martens is among some of the best anglers to never win a Classic. He has four second-place finishes (including last year), and three other top 10 finishes. He placed ninth in the 2009 Classic, indicating he’s capable of making some noise once again this year. Can this be the year he wins and shakes off that unfortunate nickname “Deuce?”

Palaniuk’s Red River Roots

Brandon Palaniuk finished 4th in his first ever Classic in 2011.
B.A.S.S./Seigo Saito

24-year-old Brandon Palaniuk is the youngest competitor at this year’s Classic, and already he has quite the history with not only the Bassmaster Classic, but Red River as well. Firstly, Palaniuk just barely made the 2012 Classic, earning the very last spot for qualifiers from the Elite Series in terms of angler of the year points, doing so as a rookie pro. Though this is his first Classic as a professional, he actually made the championship in 2011 as an amateur (where he amazingly finished 4th place), becoming just the 11th angler to make the tournament at both levels. How’d he qualify for the Classic as an amateur? By winning the 2010 B.A.S.S. Federation Nation Championship at, you guessed it, the Red River. It would be quite the story if Palaniuk managed to win bass fishing’s biggest tournament at the same site that launched his professional career less than two years ago.

For All The Weekend Anglers Out There

Allan Glasgow is all smiles after winning the Bassmaster Weekend Series National Championship.

The Bassmaster Classic field is filled with names of popular and successful anglers like Denny Brauer, KVD, Alton Jones, Iaconelli, and many more. These guys have made it their number one priority in life to fish big-time tournaments, and to do it well. But what about the rest of us, who can’t fish all the time and only have the resources to fish tournaments on weekends where available? If that sounds familiar to you, then pencil in Allan Glasgow as your representative for weekend anglers everywhere. Glasgow achieved what we all dream of, an Ordinary Joe who gets to fish the Classic. The Ashville, Alabama native won the ABA Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Weekend Series National Championship last year to receive the once-in-a-lifetime shot at bass fishing’s greatest prize.

You can follow all the Classic news and happens here, http://www.bassmaster.com/classic .  When the tournament starts I am sure you will be able to follow it there.  I see that it will be broadcast on ESPN2, but not until the next week.

I am going to be cheering for “KVD”, again!

Wolverines

Yes, I normally blog all about fish and fishing, mostly in Nebraska but other places too.  However, once in awhile I find some other “stuff” that is just so good I have to share it.  If you have not seen it, the show Nature, broadcast on public TV, http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/ , recently had an episode on wolverines.  I watched the whole thing from start to finish and thought it was excellent.  If you have not seen it, take some time this weekend and watch, it will be well worth your time.

Wolverine: Chasing the Phantom

I used to hang around Morrill Hall on the University of Nebraska–Lincoln campus all the time when I was going to school.  I seem to remember something down on the lower level that mentioned that at one time wolverines roamed Nebraska.  I doubt I will be seeing any loping along over Nebraska soil in my life time, but I have to tell you that a wolverine would be near the top of the list of animals I would like to see in the wild.  I have not heard the whole story, but my fly-fishing nephew spent last summer guiding fly anglers in Alaska and he got to see a wolverine!  That would have been so cool!

Blinded Me with Science–February 15, 2012

I am in the middle of a couple, three relatively busy weeks.  So, this is going to be a short blog post, but I want to let you know what I have been up to.

Cue the theme song:  Blinded Me with Science by Thomas Dolby .

The past two days I have been at the annual meeting of the Nebraska Chapter of the American Fisheries Society.  The American Fisheries Society, AFS, is THE professional society for pointy-headed fish biologists, http://www.fisheries.org/afs/ .  The Nebraska Chapter AFS is our local, state chapter.  We get together once a year, typically in February, conduct some business and catch up on what every one has been doing.  I estimate that we had 80+ fisheries professionals in attendance this year including folks from the Nebraska Game & Parks Commision, Nebraska’s Department of Environmental Quality, Nebraska Public Power District, The Nature Conservancy, University of Nebraska–Omaha, University of Nebraska–Kearney, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, South Dakota State University, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and I am sure others that I am forgetting.

Our meeting consists mostly of oral presentations of the work Nebraska fisheries professionals have been conducting.  I take lots of notes at these meetings and usually learn tons of things that would make good blog posts.  I will get around to telling you about some of those things in the coming weeks.  For now, let me just show you the agenda, titles of the “papers” that were presented orally and those that were presented in poster format.

Nebraska Chapter of the American Fisheries Society

Annual Meeting

February 14 – 15, 2012

Ak-Sar-Ben Aquarium

Schedule at a glance

February 14, 2012

8:00 – 12:00 am                 Registration and poster set-up

9:00 – 10:30 am                 Keynote presentations

10:30 – 10:50 am               Break

10:50 – 12:20 pm              Oral Presentations

12:20 – 1:20 pm Lunch

1:20 – 3:00 pm                   Oral Presentations

3:00 – 3:30 pm                   Break

3:30 – 5:00 pm                   Business Meeting

5:00 – 6:00 pm                   Social / Poster Session

6:00                                        Dinner

7:30                                        Auction

February 15, 2012

8:30 – 9:50 am                   Oral Presentations

9:50 – 10:10 am                 Break

10:10 – 11:30 am               Oral Presentations

11:30 – 12:00 pm              Meeting wrap-up and poster take-down

Lunch (not provided)

Contributed oral presentations (see Abstracts for list of co-authors)

February 14, 2012

9:00 am                Source water protection and the farm bill. – Brett Lorenzen

9:45 am                 Land management, habitat improvement, and biological change: time for change?– Don Huggins

10:50 am              Geomorphology and instream habitat associations of shovelnose sturgeon in the lower Platte River, NE. – Jeremy Hammen

11:10 am              Update on Nebraska’s regional fish tissue monitoring program. – Greg Michl

11:30 am              Movement patterns of plains topminnow, Fundulus sciadicus, in Nebraska lotic systems. – David Schumann

11:50 am              Do common carp deserve their bad reputation? – Mark Kaemingk

1:20 pm                Using LP hook timers to understand the dynamics of trotline catches in a large river.– Kirk Steffensen

1:40 pm                Size-dependent scaling of ontogenetic diet shifts in an age-0 piscivore. – Christopher Uphoff

2:00 pm                Mud pies: Is direct ingestion of sediment-bound endocrine disrupting compounds a significant route of exposure in fish? – Lindsey Knight

2:20 pm                Just go with the flow: documenting sturgeon use of the lower Missouri River floodplain. – Michael  Archer

2:40 pm                The freshwater mussels of Nebraska. – Steve Schainost

February 15, 2012

8:30 am                Spatial and temporal variation in catch rates following trout stocking. – Dustin Martin

8:50 am                Assessment of fish presence and distribution in floodplains during a high water event on the Missouri River. – Dane Pauley

9:10 am                A mobile application for the identification of different types of fish species.  – Shankar Lakshmanan

9:30 am                Bioassessment of the wadeable streams and rivers of Nebraska using a posteriori classifications. – Thomas Heatherly

10:10 am              Missouri River habitat assessment and monitoring program: larval fish, benthic macroinvertebrates and water quality of constructed off-channel habitats during a high water event within the channelized Missouri River.  – Schuyler Sampson

10:30 am              The influence of hatching date on recruitment dynamics of bluegill. – Kristopher Stahr

10:50 am              Comparing predator functional density and bioenergetics modeling to estimate stocked yellow perch consumption. – Seth Lundgren

11:10 am              Sturgeon growth characteristics: the good, the bad, and the ugly. – Martin Hamel

Contributed poster presentations

Channel catfish population estimates in the lower Platte River, Nebraska.– Aaron Blank

Movement of big river fish in the Missouri and Platte Rivers.– Jeremy Grauf

The distribution of six species of concern in Nebraska headwater streams.– Kelly Turek

Evaluation of PIT tag retention from two tagging locations in juvenile pallid sturgeon.– Martin Hamel

Floodplain habitat use of large river fishes.– Nicholas Hogberg

Length distributions of channel catfish that were available, harvested and caught at an urban reservoir.– Chris Wiley

Modeling effects of predation and deformation on eggs of walleye Sander vitreus at Red Willow Reservoir, Nebraska.– R. A. Kill

Assessing zebra mussel habitat suitability in Nebraska reservoirs.– Danielle Haak

Interactions between juvenile bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) and yellow perch (Perca flavescens) for prey and habitat resources in a natural lake.– Aaron Andrews

Characteristics of bluegill nesting colonies within a Nebraska sandhill lake.– Kristopher Stahr

Decline in the fish community in the Niobrara River at Agate Fossil Beds National Monument following establishment of northern pike (Esox lucius).– Dr. Richard Stasiak

Missouri River sauger and the flood of 2012.– Brandon Eder

Food habits of pallid and shovelnose sturgeon utilizing the Missouri River floodplain.– J. David Adams

Impacts of fish predation on Platte River caddisfly (Ironquia plattensis) populations in Nebraska.– Michael Cavallaro

Partitioning angler effort in a complex system.– Christopher Chizinski

Now some of you may wish to see a little more detail and if you wish here is the Nebraska Chapter AFS website, http://nebraskaafs.org/ , and you can take a look at abstracts of all of those papers here, http://nebraskaafs.org/abstracts-and-agenda-2012-meeting/ .  Yes, there are a lot of things that will be of interest to Nebraska anglers, so dig into those abstracts if you wish.  Just keep in mind that these were professional presentations made at a professional meeting of pointy-headed fish biologists and other resource professionals.  Unless you are familiar with the state of the science, you may see things in the abstracts that do not make sense.  I can probably answer questions, just keep in mind the intended audience of those abstracts.  And, as I said earlier, given time I will get around to telling you about some of the things that would be of particular interest to Nebraska anglers.

I hope folks and especially anglers understand that the management of our fish and fisheries resources in this country is based on science.  I believe it is important that Nebraska anglers and fishing license buyers understand that there are a bunch of professional scientists working with Nebraska’s fish, water, and fisheries resources.  Many of us at times hear comments from Nebraska anglers that we should find out what the pointy-heads in some other state are doing with the implication that those biologists in other states know what they are doing.  In fact, we sometimes joke with each other that all the “good” biologists obviously work in some other state.  I hope Nebraska anglers realize that our fisheries professionals here in Nebraska are very much current and well-versed in the state of the science.  We frequently attend professional meetings with fisheries professionals from our own and other states; we are very much aware of what others are doing and how well it has worked and they are very much aware of what we are doing and how those things have worked.  Science is always advancing, always learning, and you have a bunch of excellent pointy-heads right here in Nebraska that are part of it!!!!

Oh yes, you could also say that there was a bunch of dorky, “geeks” that did not have anything better to do on Valentine’s Day than get together to have a meeting, socialize, and have an auction to raise some money.  But, we had a lot of fun doing it!  Besides, haven’t you heard that “geek is the new sheik”?

Update on Aquatic Invasive Species

Karie Decker is our Invasive Species Project Coordinator in Nebraska and she recently sent me some updates on invasive species efforts here in Nebraska.  This update ran in the Lincoln Journal-Star yesterday,  http://journalstar.com/ , but I cannot find that story on-line.  Anyway, I thought I would repeat it here.

The Zebra Mussel Scare in Nebraska

In the summer of 2010, Nebraska was seemingly free and clear of zebra mussels (after chemically treating Offutt Base Lake). But, in the fall of 2010, Nebraskan’s were hit with devastating news…twice. In September 2010, officials at Offutt Air Force Base Lake indicated that the prior treatment to eradicate zebra mussels had failed; adult zebra mussels had been found on their sampling structures, again. Then in November 2010, the Nebraska Invasive Species Project received a report from a Boy Scout that he had seen a zebra mussel at an Omaha lake while collecting cans for recycling. Shortly after, this report was confirmed: zebra mussels were now in Zorinsky Lake. The multi-agency task force decided that it was our responsibility to try something to control this new infestation at Zorinsky. Based on previous research in other states, Zorinsky Lake was drawn-down approximately 20 feet to freeze/dry out the invasive species during the winter. That fall, the state’s first Aquatic Invasive Species Management Plan was approved by Governor Heineman and the national Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force – just in time to help with our zebra mussel problem.

Fast forward

In April 2011, the Nebraska Invasive Species Project was awarded a grant from the Nebraska Environmental Trust to develop an Aquatic Invasive Species Prevention Program, and received additional funding from Nebraska Game and Parks Commission to ‘beef up’ our zebra mussel sampling. Technicians hired by the UNL Invasive Species Project (NE Coop Fish & Wildlife Research Unit) and Nebraska Game and Parks Commission sampled over 40 reservoirs from around the state for zebra mussel veligers (larvae). Zorinsky Lake was also sampled each week throughout the summer to gauge our level of success. All samples from 2011 were negative for zebra or quagga mussels. Great news, looks like the infestation was limited to Zorinsky Lake, for now. As for Zorinsky Lake – things are looking up. The lake is refilling and fish were stocked last fall. We anticipate a full recovery.

Legislation

To help Nebraska Game and Parks Commission better manage zebra mussels (and other aquatic invasive species) in the future, legislation is currently in the Natural Resource Committee. LB391 would create the Nebraska Invasive Species Council and an amendment under this bill (formerly LB392) would provide powers and duties to Nebraska Game and Parks Commission relating to aquatic invasive species. It would allow for the development of rules and regulations to prevent the introduction and spread of zebra mussels and other species. Without this bill, our state agency has no regulatory authority over aquatic invasive species.

Prevention Plans and

As we approach the spring again, we are optimistic about all the happenings associated with the Aquatic Invasive Species Prevention Program: the Zorinsky Lake treatment, intensive zebra mussel sampling, our tremendous outreach efforts and surveys and so much more. We are processing all of the data from our summer and fall surveys to better direct our efforts in 2012.

Boaters and anglers – plan on seeing us out there again this year. Preliminary analysis of surveys indicates that Lake McConaughy, Harlan County Reservoir, and various reservoirs in Eastern Nebraska are still at high risk for invasive species (zebra mussel) introductions. We will continue surveys and outreach at these locations, but are hoping for expansion. Zorinsky Lake and Offutt Base Lake served as great warnings; given the opportunity, we would really like to increase prevention efforts across the state. In addition, we plan to expand our program to include additional natural resources users that are impacted by other invasive species (waterfowl hunters and common reed, for example). We would like to follow the campaigns led by our neighboring states that empower recreationalists and sportsmen alike in the ‘Fight Against Invasives.’

To learn more about invasive species in Nebraska, visit the Nebraska Invasive Species Project Website: http://snr.unl.edu/invasives .