December 31, 2014

Youngman Lake-  My son and I went to Youngman to check on the ice conditions and fish for a couple hours.  The ice was consistently good throughout the entire lake.  We caught some nice crappie and several catfish including one catfish that was too large to fit through the ice hole. 

November 9, 2014

Wildwood Lake-  I met a man and his father at Wildwood for an afternoon of fishing.  The weather was very pleasant and the fishing was very good.  We targeted crappies and they caught many crappie along with bluegill and a few bass.  They were able to keep a limit of very nice 10 to 12+ inch crappie.  A wonderful fall day to be on the lake with a father and son who have enjoyed fishing together for years.

November 5, 2014

Wildwood Lake-  I took a friend to Wildwood for the afternoon.  We started by going into the trees and looked for fish but they were not there.  We headed out to the main lake and found the fish stacked in huge schools in different areas.  We used the electronics to sit on fish and caught lots of crappie along with a few bluegill and bass.  He had an easy time keeping a limit of nice crappie.

November 4, 2014

Walnut Creek-  I fished Walnut Creek.  The fish were stacked in spots and the bite was excellent.  This is the time of year you use your electronics and sit on fish.  Many nice crappie along with some bluegill and bass in the mix today.

October 27-31, 2014

South Dakota-  I spent a few days in northeast South Dakota with a friend, Jerry Nice, who started a fishing guide service this year.  The weather was miserable with high wind days and lows at times in the teens.  The fishing was excellent.  We fished for walleye and could consistently catch over 100 walleye a day with the largest walleye right at 29 inches.  Jerry will launch his guide service into high gear next year and based on the results we had on this trip, he should grow his business at fast pace.

October 25, 2014

Youngman Lake-  I met a person at Youngman Lake for a morning of fishing.  He likes to catch and eat crappie.  The weather and fishing were excellent.  He was able to sort through numbers of crappie and keep a limit of 10 to 12 inch fish.  A fabulous fall day of fishing.

October 24, 2014

Youngman Lake-  I met a father and daughter at Youngman Lake.  The daughter was back on break from military service and enjoys fishing.  The weather was excellent and the fishing was good..  They caught mostly bass and crappie along with a few bluegill.  A great father and daughter day on the water.

October 21, 2014

Youngman Lake-  I met two people at Youngman for an afternoon of fishing.  The weather was excellent and so was the fishing.  They wanted to catch some crappie to eat and they were able to catch their limit of very nice crappie.  Fall fishing can change rapidly and when it turns back on, it makes for a fun day on the lake.

October 19, 2014

Walnut Creek-  I met a father and his two boys for the morning at Walnut.  They wanted to get out and enjoy a fall day of fishing together.  The weather was chilly and the fishing was slow.  They caught some crappie, bluegill and bass.  Fall fishing can be up and down and unfortunately this was one of the slower days.

October 18, 2014

Walnut Creek-  I met three people at Walnut Creek for an afternoon of fishing.  They wanted to learn where and how to catch fish on a regular basis at Walnut Creek.  Even though the fishing remained slower than I would like, they were able to catch fish on many different spots with some very basic techniques.  As always on my trips, I taught them how to catch fish without the use of live bait.  They caught some nice crappie, bluegill, and a couple of bass.

October 16, 2014

Walnut Creek-  I took a person to Walnut Creek for a half day of fishing.  The exceptional fishing of the past several finally came to an end.  We caught crappie, bluegill, and bass just nowhere close to the numbers of earlier trips.  We kept eight nice crappie up to 12 inches.

October 15, 2014

Lake Wanahoo-  A friend and I went to Wanahoo to check on the water clarity and the fish bite.  The south side of the lake still has poor visibility.  The north side of the lake has decent visibility.  The fishing was slow on the south side of the lake and decent on the north side of the lake.  We focused mostly on crappie and caught good numbers of crappie but the overall size was small.  We fished only a short while for bass and caught a few nice bass. 

October 10, 2014

Walnut Creek-  I took a father, his son and his son's friend to Walnut Creek for a short day of fishing.  The weather was chilly but the fishing was hot.  They caught tremendous numbers of bluegills along with very good numbers of very nice crappie.  They kept a dozen crappie for a meal and released the rest of the fish.  School was out for the day and they took advantage of it by catching lots and lots of fish. 

October 8, 2014

Walnut Creek-  I met one person at Walnut Creek for some fall fishing.  The weather and the fishing continue to be very good.  We were able to find good numbers of fish in various spots around the lake.  We caught many very nice crappie and bluegill along with some bass.  Another great fall day of weather and fishing.

October 5, 2014

Walnut Creek-  I met a man and his father at Walnut Creek for an afternoon of fishing.  I started by getting out of the wind and teaching them how to fish with jigs.  The fish were biting which helped them learn the technique quickly.  We went to many different spots and caught good numbers of crappie and bluegill along with some bass.  We kept a nice mess of fish and I helped the son learn how to clean them.  The good fall bite continued and they a had a very enjoyable father and son day on the lake.

October 4, 2014

Wildwood Lake-  A father and son were returning home to California and took a day off from the drive to go fishing.  We met at Wildwood.  The weather had turned much colder but the fishing stayed hot.  They caught lots of nice sized crappie and bluegill along with a few bass.  We were able to find fish in areas that were out of the wind and stay comfortably warm.  An excellent father and son day of fishing. 

October 1, 2014

Walnut Creek-  A gentleman brought his elderly neighbor to Walnut Creek for a few hours of fishing.  We lifted the elderly man into the boat and headed out to catch some fish.  I casted out for the elderly man and he wound in the lure.  The fishing was very good and they were both able to catch many fish.  They caught lots of crappie and bluegill along with bass and catfish.  This was a trip where we were able to help a disabled person have a great time successfully reliving his passion for fishing.  A great day on the lake.

September 29, 2014

Walnut Creek-  I spent a few hours fishing at Walnut Creek.  The good fall bite was on.  I caught lots of nice crappie and bluegill along with some bass.  The quality was very good with crappie up to 12 inches and most of the bluegill around 8 inches.  Another day of great fall weather and fishing.

September 25, 2014

Beaver Lake-  I had two people hire me to help them learn to catch more fish at Beaver Lake.  Beaver Lake is a highly developed private lake south of Plattsmouth with a lot of fish.  We traveled around the lake and fished various areas with varying techniques.  Fishing was excellent.  They caught lots of crappie and bluegill along with bass, perch, drum and a walleye.  Great weather and a great day on the lake.

September 23, 2014

Cunningham Lake-  I met two people at Cunningham for a morning of fishing.  Cunningham maintained very good water clarity during the recent rains and the fishing has remained consistent.  We focused on walleyes and they were able to land a dozen walleyes during the morning trip.  They also picked up some crappie.  The weather was cool with light rain but the fish were biting good enough to make for an enjoyable morning of fishing.

September 21, 2014

Lake Wanahoo-  I went to Wanahoo for a few hours to check on the water clarity and see how the fish were biting.  The water clarity has improved slightly in the south part of the lake and has improved moderately in the north part of the lake.  The fishing was fair at best.  I could catch many crappies but they were mostly from 7 to 8 inches.  The bass were good sized but they were a lot of work to catch.  Water clarity should continue to improve and the fish should continue to adapt to the water color and begin their good fall bite soon.

September 20, 2014

Wildwood Lake-  My son and a college buddy road tripped home and wanted to fish.  We wanted to catch some fish to eat so we went to Wildwood to catch some nice panfish.  The weather was excellent and so was the fishing.  We caught lots of crappie and bluegill.  Many of the crappie were in the 10 to 11 inch range and the bluegill were mostly from 8 to 9 inches.   Always a great day on the lake with my son.

September 18, 2014

Youngman Lake-  I took a quick trip to Youngman to check the bite at the lake.  Youngman is a smaller lake near 192nd and Dodge.  The bass were plentiful but as usual small.  The panfish have reached good size.  The crappie were nice 10 inch crappie and the bluegill were quality 8 inch fish. 

September 17, 2014

Wehrspann Lake-  I met a person at Wehrspann for an afternoon of fishing.  He likes to eat fish and we targeted crappie.  The fishing was fair.  He was able to sort through enough to keep his limit of 9 inch crappie.  We also caught some bluegill and catfish.

September 9, 2014

Lake Wanahoo-  I spent a couple hours at Wanahoo before the rain hit.  The lake still has very poor visibility and with the recent heavy rains, the lake will probably have poor visibility for some time.  I picked a few bass, crappie and bluegill but the fishing is still very slow.

September 7, 2014

Lake Cunningham-  I had an afternoon trip with two friends at Cunningham.  They wanted to target walleyes.  We do not have a lot of walleye in eastern Nebraska but Cunningham has been good for this part of the state.  We boated 7 walleye, numerous crappie and some bass and catfish.  Seven walleye is a very good half day of fishing in this part of Nebraska.  More outstanding weather and a very enjoyable few hours on the lake.

September 6, 2014

Wehrspann Lake-  I took two people to Wehrspann for the day.  They live close to the lake and wanted to learn shore and boat spots and how to catch walleye.  We started out walleye fishing and caught a nice walleye and a few catfish.  We then went around the lake and fished spots where the fish would be catchable from shore at different times of year.  We finished by going to various good places to boat fish.  The bite had improved considerably from a week earlier and they caught lots of crappie with better than average size for Wehrspann.  Outstanding weather and a very good day on the lake.

September 2, 2014

Lake Wanahoo-  I went to Wanahoo to check out the water conditions after all the recent rains.  Visibility was maybe 2 inches.  Very poor water clarity and the fishing was slow.  I caught some crappie and bass but the bite was very tough.

August 31, 2014

Wehrspann Lake-  I spent a day on the lake with a father and son who wanted to learn how to read a depth finder and how to better catch fish.  They had recently purchased a nice Humminbird and I showed them how to read the different modes of down imaging, side imaging, basic sonar, mapping and a few other features.   We then proceeded to use the sonar and go to different parts of the lake and catch fish.  They wanted to keep some fish and they kept about 25 crappie to eat and released all the other fish.   The fishing was slower than normal but still good enough to make for a successful day on the lake.

August 30, 2014

Wehrspann Lake-  My wife and I went to Wehrspann for a short while to catch some crappie to eat.  The recent rains have muddied up the water and made the fishing slower than normal.  We fished a few hours and sorted through enough fish to keep ten crappie in the 9 inch range for a meal.

August 25, 2014

Lake Wanahoo-  I took a person to Wanahoo for some fishing.  We targeted crappie and after showing him the technique to catch the fish, he caught more and more fish as the day went on.  We fished numerous spots with some spots holding good numbers with size and other spots having very few fish on them.  We had very comfortable weather and a good day on the lake.

August 24, 2014

Lake Wanahoo-  I took two friends to Wanahoo to fish for the day.  They wanted to focus mostly on bass fishing and learn some new techniques to catch them.  We used techniques such as topwater frogging and pitching Texas rigged plastics in the timber, and switched to dragging worms and twitching jigs on the bottom on mud flats.  All the techniques were successful with some better than others.  The lake came up a couple feet from the recent rains but the bite was still good and they had a very sucessful day on the lake.

August 23, 2014

Lake Wanahoo-  I took a father, son and grandson to Wanahoo for a day of fishing. The focus for the day was to have the grandson to catch and learn to enjoy fishing.  We targeted panfish and caught lots of crappie and bluegill.  We fished for bass for a short while and caught some very nice bass.  I brought my portable grill along and we grilled brats for a lunch break.  We went back out and caught many more fish after lunch.  This was a great family day on the lake.

August 20, 2014

Wildwood Lake-  I took a person to Wildwood for some fishing.  He likes to catch and eat panfish and Wildwood is on a good cycle for numbers of quality panfish.  He had his limit of nice crappie by mid-morning along with catching bluegill, bass and numerous other crappie.  The weather was very nice in the morning and with the hot weather forecast in the afternoon, he called it day late morning and lined up family to come over for a fish fry.

August 17, 2014

Lake Wanahoo-  I took a group to Wanahoo for a morning of fishing.  We started out the morning trying for bass and found the best bite to be in the trees, which makes for tough fishing.  They caught some nice bass before we switched to crappie.  They caught many small crappie along with some of the big crappie that Wanahoo has to offer.  Fishing was slower than previous trips but still a decent morning of fishing.  They kept ten crappie for a nice meal.

August 16, 2014

Wildwood Lake-  I had a trip with three brothers at Wildwood for the day.  We fished for panfish and caught steady numbers of crappie and bluegill all day long.  They kept their limit of very nice crappie.  The weather was great and the brothers had an excellent day on the lake.

August 11, 12, 14 2014

Wanahoo, Farm pond, Cunningham Lake-  My son had a few free days before he went back to college.  He was itching to go fishing. We had extremely nice weather the entire week.  We started at Wanahoo and targeted strictly bass.  We caught some of the very nice bass that Wanahoo has to offer.  A very good day at Wanahoo.  We then went to his favorite bass place:  a private farm pond.  We caught very good numbers of 15 to 19 inch bass with the best part being a topwater frog bite the entire day.  The final trip before college was to Cunningham to try and somewhat satisfy his walleye fix.  We landed twenty walleye with three over the 15 inch state wide minimum.  A very good walleye day in eastern Nebraska.  My son has been a boat with me since he was ten days old and I always look forward to spending quality days on the lake fishing with him.

August 10, 2014

Lake Wanahoo-  I had a trip to Wanahoo with a father, daughter and a family friend.  They wanted to target bass and they got off to a great start.  The first spot we stopped at had a stack of nice 15 to 17 inch bass on it and the daughter quickly learned the technique and was able to hook up bass ten casts in a row.  A great start.  We moved to different spots on the lake and even though we did not hit another stack of bass, they caught good numbers of nice bass throughout the lake.  We fished just enough for crappie to catch ten very nice fish for a meal and called it a day.  A very good day on the lake.

August 8, 2014

Lake Wanahoo-  My trip schedule is slowing down so I headed out to Wanahoo to experiment with  some new techniques and try some different areas on the lake.  I focused mostly on bass and the bite and size was good.  I caught some nice crappie on bass techniques and stopped once at a new spot and caught very good numbers of decent sized crappies.  Great weather and a relaxing morning of fishing.

August 6, 2014

Wildwood Lake-  A mother and her two children met me at Wildwood Lake for the afternoon while their husband was in Lincoln on business.  This was their first trip fishing on a boat.  The trip started showing them how to use spinning reels.  As the day progressed, they were casting better and catching more fish.  They caught decent numbers of nice crappie and bluegill along with a few bass and walleye.  A very pleasant afternoon of fishing.

August 5, 2014

Wildwood Lake-  A wife bought her husband a fishing trip as a birthday present.  They enjoy fishing and eating fish so we headed to Wildwood, which is on a good cycle of decent sized panfish.  They caught good numbers of crappies scattered throughout the lake with a good average size to the fish.  They were able to be selective and keep a limit of nice black crappie in the 9 1/2 to 10 1/2 range.  Nice weather and a good day on the lake.

August 3, 2014

Cunningham Lake-  I met a person at Cunningham for the day.  This was my first trip to Cunningham this year.  Cunningham surveyed lots of crappie last year and he likes to crappie fish.  We caught extremely good numbers of crappie but most of them were smaller.  We also picked up a few bass, bluegill and 8 walleye.  The weather was very nice and there was very little fishing pressure on the lake, which made for a very nice day of fishing.

August 2, 2014

Lake Wanahoo-  A young man is getting married in a few weeks.  I had a trip with him, his father, his brother and future brother-in-law (who had never fished before and caught the first fish).  We focused on crappie for the day and caught lots and lots of crappie with most of them the multitude of 7 inch crappie that Wanahoo has but they were able to catch a fair amount of big crappie around the 13 inch mark.  The brother also caught a master angler bluegill.  This was a great pre-wedding trip for the group and hopefully they will have many great trips in the future.

August 1, 2014

Czechland Lake-  I met a person at Czechland for the afternoon.  His family likes to camp and I told him Czechland is a great place to camp and fish, especially for a family and children.  I showed him how easily he could catch fish from shore with the kids and showed him spots where the crappie hang out all summer long.  We caught lots of crappie with decent numbers over the ten inch minimum.  A very good trip.

July 30, 2014

Czechland Lake-  I had a trip with two people to Czechland for the day.  Czechland has lots of crappie and that was the fish of choice for the day.  We caught lots and lots of crappie but only a handful of them were over the ten inch minimum.  We also caught some bluegill, and a couple of nice bass and catfish.  The people, the weather and the trip were great, I just wish they could have caught more bigger crappie.

July 28, 2014

Lake Wanahoo-  A son was in the area on business and he and his father booked a trip to Wanahoo for the day.  We started out fishing for bass and caught some nice ones, but the bite was slower than desired.  They said they like to fish for panfish so we switched to crappie and bluegill and caught lots of crappie and bluegill along with some more bass.  Most of them were smaller but they were able to catch some very nice crappie up to 13 inches and bluegill above 9 inches.  They kept fifteen for a meal.  A very nice day on the lake.

July 27, 2014

Lake Wanahoo-  I had a short trip with a father and two children.  The father wanted to get the children to catch some nice bass and we caught a few very nice ones but the bite was slower than the past few times out.  We switched to panfish for a short while but the one child was not very interested in fishing and we cut the trip short. 

July 26, 2014

Wehrspann Lake-  I had an evening trip with a couple who live close to Wehrspann and wanted to learn how to catch fish on the lake.  The husband absolutely loves to fish and his wife bought him the trip as a present.  We went to a couple of spots where the fish hang out all summer, casted jigs with plastics and caught crappie, bluegill and catfish.  Most of the time though we trolled Flicker Shads and glass Shad Raps.  The crappie bite was excellent with lots of fish from 7 to 11 inches.   Great weather and a great day on the lake.

July 26, 2014

Lake Wanahoo-  I had an early trip to Wanahoo with a gentleman whose daughter was at Creighton University on a college visit.  We targeted bass and Wanahoo continues to produce very good numbers of quality fish.  Having a lake like Wanahoo is great asset to the fishing in the area.  We had a great time catching bass and with the 21 inch minimum at Wanahoo, the quality should continue to improve.

July 25, 2014

Lake Wanahoo-  I took two friends to Wanahoo for a day on the lake.  The weather was hot, the wind was light and the fishing were biting.  They focused mostly on bass and caught many bass with the majority of them in the 2 1/2 to 3 pound range.  They did some crappie fishing with excellent numbers of crappie but almost all of them smaller.  They caught three walleye and a northern pike also.  They joked and laughed all day long.  Having fun and catching fish is what it's all about.

July 21, 2014

Zorinsky Lake-  I met a dad and two daughters at Zorinsky for a morning of fishing.  They really enjoy fishing and live close to the lake.  They wanted to learn where and how to catch fish.  We stopped at spots where fish hang out all summer and I showed them how to present lures to catch fish from those spots.  The crappie were from 6 to 9 inches, the bluegill from 4 to 7, and the bass were up to 12 inches.  This was very enjoyable and successful morning of fishing with a dad and his daughters who love to fish.

July 20, 2014

Wehrspann Lake-  My son wanted to take a buddy of his from work on a fishing trip.  His buddy had never been fishing before and we headed to Wehrspann for a few hours.  The bite at Wehrspann was similar to previous trips with many crappie, bluegill, catfish and one walleye.  The crappie had been moved closer to the shade and brush piles.  We caught the majority of the fish on jigs with soft plastics.

July 12 to 19, 2014

Minnesota-  We had my wife's annual family trip with thirty in-laws to Boulder Lake in Minnesota.   Boulder Lake is a 450 acre spring fed lake in the Park Rapids area and is a good fishing lake.  We caught good numbers of crappie, largemouth and smallmouth bass, walleye, bluegill, northern pike and perch.  We played cards, did some water sports and greatly enjoyed the family get together.

July 11, 2014

Zorinsky Lake-  My son and I went to Zorinsky to check on locations and size of the fish.  We caught good numbers of crappie, bass, bluegill and three walleye.  The majority of the fish are still too small yet to be a good fishery.

July 9, 2014

Wehrspann Lake-  A young man who enjoys fishing met me at Wehrspann with his girlfriend.  He wanted to teach his girlfriend how to fish.  Wehrspann is an excellent lake for beginners:  plenty of fish in open areas to teach someone how to cast, retrieve, feel the bite and land the fish.  She quickly learned how to use a spinning outfit and they proceeded to catch very good numbers of fish.  Wehrspann has been very consistent this year with many 8 inch crappie, some catfish, bass and a few walleye.  The walleye count was three today with the largest one at 19 inches.  The weather was fabulous and they had a great time on the water.

July 2, 2014

Lake Wanahoo-  I took a couple to Wanahoo for a morning of fishing.  The trip was a wedding present from a friend of theirs.  The weather was unusually cool for July with temperatures in the 50's and winds at 10 to 15 mph.  We started out catching crappie and bluegill in areas we could get out of the wind and stay warm.  The wind died down some late morning and we headed out to catch some bass.  The bass bite was very good again with all the bass from 15 to 17 inches.  A relaxing but chilly morning of fishing.

July 1, 2014

Czechland Lake-  I met a couple at Czechland for a day of fishing.  They wanted tips on catching more fish.  We went through the process of location of the fish and the proper presentation of the lure.  I also helped them learn to read a sonar unit.   The fish were biting very good but the high winds made it very difficult to fish and limited the spots they could fish.  They were able to catch quite a few crappie with  enough over the ten inch minimum for a good meal.  A very successful day on the lake.

June 30, 2014

Wildwood Lake-  I took a mother, son and a friend to Wildwood for the day.  They wanted to enjoy a day of fishing and catch some fish to eat.  Wildwood is an excellent lake for quality panfish and they were able to catch their limit of crappie and bluegill with most of the crappie around 10 inches and the bluegill from 8 to 9 1/2 inches.  They also caught some nice catfish, a few small walleye and some nice bass.  The largest bass was just over 20 inches.  A very enjoyable day on the lake with very good fishing.

June 29, 2014

Lake Wanahoo-  My son had a day off work so we headed off to Wanahoo to catch some bass.  Most of the bigger bass we have been catching have been in the trees so we flipped the trees and caught very good numbers of 2 to 4 pound bass.  The bass are growing well at Wanahoo and with the 21 inch minimum, the quality should continue to improve even more the next few years.

June 26, 2014

Lake Wanahoo-  I took a person to Wanahoo for a day of fishing.  We targeted bass and the bite was very good.  We caught many nice bass from 14 to 18 inches in different places on the lake.  He learned how to slow drag plastics and Texas rig worms in the trees.  The bass at Wanahoo are some of the fattest bass I have ever seen in my life.  Quality and quantity make for very good days on the lake. 

June 25, 2014

Beaver Lake-  I met a person that is new to Beaver Lake to help him locate the summer time spots to fish.  We took his boat around the lake, scouted out the different areas of habitat and targeted specific areas where I thought the fish would hang out most of the summer.  We fished mostly around edges and on top of aquatic vegetation and boat docks.  We caught bass, crappie, bluegill, walleye and perch.  Beaver Lake is a very good fishing lake.

June 24, 2014

Wehrspann Lake-  I met a father and daughter at Wehrspann.  They enjoy fishing for whatever bites and the fish at Wehrspann were cooperating for them.  They caught lots of crappie with most of them the usual Wehrspann 7 to 8 inchers along with a few up to 10.  The catfish were biting very good with fish up to 15 pounds.  The walleye count was 7 today but only one was over 15 inches.  The majority of walleye we have been catching at Wehrspann this year have been 13 inches long.  A great day of weather and father daughter fishing.

June 22, 2014

Lake Wanahoo-  I took a father and three of his boys to Wanahoo for a day on the lake.  The fishing was dramatically better than the day before.  We started out just to catch fish and caught scattered bass, crappie, and bluegill.  We stopped at a bass spot and caught very good numbers of nice largemouths.  We stopped on shore and had lunch, then fished a few more spots with very good results for more nice crappie and bass.  Very good weather, fishing and an excellent family day.

June 21, 2014

Lake Wanahoo-  I took a father and his two children to Lake Wanahoo.  Our goal was to catch some nice bass and the good bite I had been on was not there.  We only caught a few nice bass.  We caught a few bluegill and crappie but the fishing was slow.  I was very disappointed I could not put them on more quality fish.

June 17, 2014

Ginger Cove-  A gentleman who lives at Ginger Cove has some grandchildren who love to fish.  I met the boys at his house and showed them how and where to fish on the lake.  The boys are very good fisherman and were catching nice fish immediately.  The lake is an impressive fishery for both numbers and size.  They caught many bass with fish above 20 inches in the mix.  They also caught some very nice crappie and walleye.  A very productive day on the lake.

June 16, 2014

Lake Wanahoo-  I took three good friends to Wanahoo for some fun on the lake.  They wanted to fish for bass and the bite at Wanahoo was very good again.  We were forced off the lake by thunderstorms for two hours in the morning and had to deal with some high winds but we were able to get to some places with good numbers of bass on them.  Most of the bass were in the 2 to 3 pound range.  As happens with friends and fishing, some of the barbs in the boat were sharper than the barbs on the hooks.  A very fun day on the lake.

June 15, 2014

Wehrspann Lake-  I met a couple at Wehrspann for a half day of Father's Day fishing.  They caught lots of crappie with the usual Wehrspann size of 7 to 8 inches.  They caught some nice bass up to 19 inches along with catfish and bluegill but only one 13 inch walleye.  Very nice weather and a relaxing day of fishing.

June 13, 2014

Wildwood Lake- I spent some time at Wildwood assess the bite.  The water is still extremely muddied up from all the rain.  Visibility was only a few inches.  The fishing was fair.  The best bite was the bluegill bite with decent numbers of bluegill all of them very near the 8 inch mark.  I caught a half dozen crappie from 9 to 11 inches along with fair numbers of 12 to 14 inch bass.  Hopefully the water will clear up and get the bite back to normal.

June 12, 2014

Lake Wanahoo-  I had a family trip to Wanahoo.  They wanted to catch bass and after teaching them how to properly use the equipment, they were off to the races.  We were able to get on a stack of nice bass--perfect to help them feel the bite, set the hook and land the fish.  They did a great job of catching fish and got hooked on fishing.  They will have many more good days of fishing in the future.

June 11, 2014

Walnut Creek and Wehrspann-  I split a full day trip between Walnut Creek and Wehrspann with a gentleman who wants to learn how to fish after his retirement last year.  Both lakes were very good.  We started at Walnut Creek and caught good numbers of bass up to 19 inches, many bluegill from 7 to 8 inches and crappie up to 11 inches.  We casted jigs with gulp the entire time.  At Wehrspann I taught him how to troll crankbaits.  We used Flicker Shads and caught many 8 inch crappie over a large area of the lake.  We then pitched jigs with gulp and caught 8 walleye up to 17 inches along with numerous crappie and bluegill.  A very productive day on the lake.

June 8, 2014

Lake Wanahoo-  I met a couple at Wanahoo for a day of fishing.  They wanted to just enjoy catching fish and learn a few techniques for catching more fish. We spent most of the day catching the multitude of small crappie that are in the lake along with some bass and bluegill.  Toward the end of the trip I stopped to check out a windblown hump and it was a home run.  They caught two to four pound bass almost non-stop for an hour and a half.  Sometimes when your fishing you have one of those highlight fish catching moments and this was one of them.

June 6, 2014

Lake Wanahoo-  I took two friends to Wanahoo for a day on the lake.  The focus was on crappie and we caught hundreds of crappie unfortunately most of them were around 5 inches.  I have never been on a lake and caught as many 5 inch crappie as have been biting on Wanahoo lately.  We caught a few nicer crappie up to 13 inches but they seem very scattered and tough to catch the good numbers of them that were biting earlier this year.  All those 5 inch crappie should make for some tremendous catches of nice crappie in two years.  The bass and bluegill bite was very good also with many bass in the 14 to 17 inch range.  Good people, good weather and a fun day on the lake.

June 5, 2014

Czechland and Wanahoo-  I spent a few hours at Czechland in the morning then headed to Wanahoo for the afternoon.  Czechland is and probably will be a slower than normal bite due to the recent heavy rains.  You can still catch some fish but the fishing will be better once the water clears.  The walkway jetty at Wanahoo keeps much of the silt on the north side and keeps the fishing reasonable on the south half of the lake.  Wanahoo has plenty of fish to catch although most of the crappie I caught were smaller.

May 24 to May 29, 2014 

Stockton Lake, Missouri (not Canada)-  While on our way to Canada, we received a phone call that the outpost we were headed to was unreachable due to the lake being iced over.  We repacked our gear, did a 180 and headed south to Stockton Lake.  Stockton Lake was again very good for fishing.    We caught mostly bass (largemouth, smallmouth and spots) along with very good numbers of walleye, crappie and catfish while pitching jigs or trolling crankbaits.  The catfish bite was the surprise of the trip.  We caught them all over the lake using jigs and plastics.  It is sure nice to have a place to stay as a backup to unforeseen circumstances. 

May 19, 2014

Lake Wanahoo-  I took a group to Wanahoo for a day of fishing.  They wanted to target crappie and the bite was similar to the day before-lots of crappie with most of them small.  We picked up a few nice crappie but the bite was much different than it had been before the storm.  When I cleaned the female crappie some of them had spawned out and some had not.  The weather this week should bring the rest crappie into the spawning areas.  The lake being three feet higher than the last spawn will move them to new spawning areas.

May 18, 2014

Lake Wanahoo-  My son and I went Wanahoo to get caught up on the stage of the crappie spawn.  We caught lots of crappie, unfortunately most of them were small.  The weather from a week ago raised the water level about 3 feet and reduced the visibility to just a few inches.  The small and big crappie were in the same areas. 

May 13, 14, 15, 2014

Stockton Lake, Missouri-  I had a group that wanted me to take them fishing out of state.  I am somewhat familiar with Stockton Lake and have a place to stay near the lake so we headed to Missouri.  The weather was not very good but the fishing was good and the trip went extremely well.  The largemouth bass bite was very good, they caught about 40 walleyes, decent numbers of crappie up to 14 inches along with some white bass and drum.  We ate fish for supper, played some cards, drank a couple beers and had a very good trip.  

May 11, 2014


Lake Wanahoo-  I took a dad, son and two grandsons to Wanahoo for a half day of fishing on Mother's day.  We were out to catch fish and enjoy the day.  We focused on crappie for the day.  We caught a 12 inch crappie on the first cast and they continued to bite the entire time on the water.  We caught many sizes of crappie from 5 to 12 inches and bluegill up to 9 inches.  With the crappie bite as good as it is, I was glad the weather broke and I was able to get the family out for a great day on the lake.

May 10, 2014


Lake Wanahoo-  I guided three friends at Wanahoo for the day.  They wanted to catch crappie and the crappie bite continues to be very good.  They wanted to keep about a dozen for a meal and we caught lots of sizes of crappie with many in the 12 inch range.  We cleaned the fish, put them on ice and headed out to catch some toothy critters.  We were able to get a couple of northern to bite and land a 33 inch fish.  The friends had a lot fun in the boat and had a very good day of fishing.

May 9, 2014


Lake Wanahoo-  I took two people to Wanahoo for a day on the lake.  The focus was on bass and the bite had changed from the pattern I was on the last days.  We switched to crappie and caught very good numbers of crappie from 8 to 12 inches.  The weather was nice and we had a good time fishing but I was disappointed I did not make the adjustment to the changing bass bite.  

May 8, 2014

Lake Wanahoo-  My son returned home from college and we went to Wanahoo to bass fish.  The bite was fair with all the bass from 14 to 18 inches.  The fish are moving toward the spawning areas.

May 7, 2014


Lake Wanahoo-  I fished with a friend at Wanahoo for a few hours.  He is retired and going to start some part time guiding.  He has a place to stay and fish in the glacial lakes area of northeast of South Dakota.  He will be targeting walleye, perch, crappie, northern pike, and bass.  We are in the process of working out the details.  
The weather was hot and so was the fishing at Wanahoo.  The crappie have moved to the spawning areas and the males are turning black.  We caught many crappie from 8 to 13 inches.  The bass bite was also good and the bluegills were tough to keep off the hook.  We released all the fish today.

May 4, 2014

Sherman Lake-  My nephew and I fished a walleye tournament at Sherman Lake.  We were one of only eight teams to weigh a limit of 15 to 20 inch slot fish and had a top ten finish in the tournament.  We pitched jigs with plastics in 1 to 6 feet of water to catch all the fish.  We also caught good numbers of nice crappie and white bass.  

May 3, 2014

Wehrspann Lake-  I met two people at Wehrspann for the morning.   The fishing fair with walleye, bass, crappie and bluegill in the mix.  All the walleye were again under the fifteen inch minimum, the crappie were all around eight inches, the bass were thirteen to fifteen inches and the bluegill were around six to seven inches.  The weather was nice and the winds were light, which was a pleasant relief form many of the recent trips this year.

May 1, 2014

Lake Wanahoo-  I took the same person from out of state to Wanahoo.  His plan was to fish Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday but the with the bad weather we chose to fish Monday and Thursday.  The fishing was much slower today.  The bass and bluegill bites were decent but the crappie bite was slow.  Fish will still bite after the weather cools, the wind just makes light line fishing for crappie very difficult.  The forecast is excellent for the next week and the fishing will become very good again.

April 28, 2014

Lake Wanahoo-  I took a person from out of state to Wanahoo for some fishing.  He wanted to target crappies and the fish were cooperating.  We finally had a day with light winds where we could get to different spots on the lake.  The panfish were biting everywhere with many large crappie in mix.  The water had cleared and we could see many of the fish bite our jigs.  Toward evening the northern pike were attacking bluegills all over the lake.  An excellent day of fishing.

April 26, 2014

Wehrspann Lake-  I met a father and two sons at Wehrspann.  They do not have a boat so the plan was to show them various spots they could catch fish from shore.  We anchored close to shore on different areas of the lake and caught scattered fish on most of them.  We caught some bass, bluegill, crappie, fourteen walleye (unfortunately none were over 15 inches)  and one large carp, which the boy did a great job of landing on four pound test ultra light equipment.  They are a family that likes to fish and they should be able to consistently catch more fish from shore in the future.

April 25, 2014

Czechland and Wanahoo-  I met two brothers in Wahoo and the plan was to show them Czechland in the morning and finish up at Wanahoo.  We started at Czechland and the bite was nonexistent so we headed to Wanahoo.  As has been the case lately, the wind was blowing so we went to an area out of the wind.  There were lots of small bluegill, some small crappie and a moderate number of northern pike in the area.  When the wind let up we headed to some spots and found some nice crappie but it was too late in the day to get to the numerous areas where the quality fish where hanging out.

April 24, 2014

Lake Wanahoo-  I took a father and son that were in from out of town to Wanahoo.  They arrived in town late the night before and the boy not up to fishing for very long.  We caught a few bass and a northern pike at the first spot we stopped.  We had just stopped at a second spot that appeared to have good numbers of crappie and bluegill when the boy was ready to stop fishing.  We drove back and the son had a good nap on the way back.

April 23, 2014

I helped a person rig a boat he just purchased with a trolling motor and depth finder.  We were planning on fishing afterwards but with 48 degree temperatures and scattered rain, we decided there would be better days to fish.

April, 22, 2014

Lake Manawa-  I went to Lake Manawa in Council Bluffs.  This was the first time I have ever fished Manawa.  I targeted crappies and the bite was very good.  All the crappie were 8 to 10 inches.   Manawa is a shallow lake.  The deepest water I found was 7 feet.  I found very little distinguishable cover in the main lake.  Manawa should be easy to find early season fish but be challenging  in the summer.

April 21, 2014

Lake Wanahoo-  I met a person at Wanahoo for an afternoon of fishing.  He wanted to catch crappie and with the heavy winds this was going to be a challenge.  We were fortunate to find fish in an area we could cast to them reasonably well.  We caught decent numbers of fish with excellent size crappie up to 14 inches.  We also caught fair numbers of bluegills up to 8 inches and a few bass.

April 17, 2014

Lake Wanahoo-  The weather was nice and I headed to Wanahoo to catch some bass from shore.  I used wacky rigs and the bite was very good.  Wacky rigging works to catch bass from shore every spring in lakes across the country.  The equipment is simple:  some 3/0 hooks and some 5 inch senko type plastic worms.  All of the bass were between 14 and 18 inches and many were females full of eggs

April 13, 2014

Lake Wanahoo-  I headed to Wanahoo to see if the wacky bite from shore was on.  The weather had changed dramatically from the previous few days but the bass were still biting.  The warm weather brings the fish in shallow in the spring and they will often stay near the shore the first day the cold weather hits, as was the case today.  The fishing will soon slow with the sharp drop in temperature and pick up again as the weather warms.

April 12, 2014

Beaver Lake-  I met a father and son who bought a place on Beaver Lake to help them learn to the lake.  The focus was to teach them techniques and locations of fish.  We spent most of the time motoring around the lake to show them the better locations for fish and showing them some methods to catch the better fish.  Beaver Lake is an impressive looking fishery.  They caught some nice crappie up to 13 inches and perch up to 11 inches.

April 10, 2014

Wildwood Lake-  I had not fished Wildwood in the spring for a few years and with the good quality fish we caught ice fishing, I wanted to find their early season location.  The bite was mixed with some areas having good numbers of fish and other areas having fewer fish than anticipated.  The quality of the fish was good with most of the crappie around 10 inches, bluegill up to 9 inches and bass up to 18 inches.

April 9, 2014

Lake Zorinsky-  I fished from shore at Zorinsky for two hours in the afternoon.  Fish move shallow as the weather warms in the spring and I wanted to check on the size of fish at Zorinsky.  The bite was very good but the size of the crappie, bass and bluegill were small.  Zorinsky probably has some nice fish in it after the restoration of a couple years ago, just not in good numbers yet.

February 17, 2014

Czechland Lake-  I had another trip to Czechland with a grandfather and two grandsons.  The weather was windy but warm with highs in the 50's.  The fishing was excellent again with tremendous numbers of bluegills, very good numbers of crappie and a few bass.  The warm weather helps with the ability to move to different locations and find the better fish.  An excellent day to introduce the group to ice fishing.

February 14, 2014

Czechland Lake-  I took a grandfather and two grandsons to Czechland for some ice fishing.  The wind had a bite to it so I set up the ice shack, drilled some holes and proceeded to teach them how to catch fish through the ice.  Czechland continues to be very good.  They caught good numbers of bluegills and crappie along with fair numbers of bass.  We turned on the heaters, kept comfortable and had a great day on the lake with grandfather and grandsons. 

February 13, 2014

Czechland Lake-  I had a trip with two people to Czechland.  The weather was fabulous for a day of ice fishing:  high around 50 with light to moderate winds.  They caught excellent numbers of crappie and bluegill with some nice sized bluegill up to nine inches but all of the crappie were under the ten inch minimum.  A great day to be on the lake fishing.

February 12, 2014

Czechland Lake-  I went to Czechland with a person.  The plan was to fish for the day but his bad back was acting up and we were only able to fish for a few hours.  We had some crisp winds but the bluegill and crappie bite was very good, which helps one forget about the weather.  Hopefully his next trip will last for the entire day.

February 9, 2014

Czechland Lake-  I took a group of three buddies to Czechland for the day.  This was their first experience at ice fishing and were focused on just being on the lake and enjoying a day out.  With the cold weather it was important to set up on a spot where they could catch fish inside the hut with the heater on. After shooting through about twenty spots, I located some fish, set up the huts and we basically just hung out for day.  They caught fish consistently all day long, stayed warm and enjoyed a few beers.  They kept about 25 bluegill and crappie.  A good day for the friends to spend together.

February 8, 2014

Lake Wanahoo-  I had a trip to Wanahoo for the day.  Wanahoo ice is over a foot thick in many areas but has open water on a large stretch of the east shore.  The fishing continues to be the same at Wanahoo:  lots of smaller panfish with an occasional large crappie and some nice bass.  Good weather and a good day to be fishing.

February 3, 2014

Wildwood Lake-  I went to Wildwood to fish a few hours and to check out the ice conditions before the snow hit.  Wildwood has some very inconsistent ice areas and needs fished with appropriately.  I fished some main lake brush and caught good numbers of crappie and bluegill.  Due to the ice conditions, I did not try to fish some areas that had been productive on previous trips.  Whether the ice gets consistently good again will be determined by the temperatures and snow cover in the coming days.  One should only fish if they are aware of ice conditions.

February 2, 2014

Lake Wanahoo-  I spent a few hours at Wanahoo.   The bite was the same as previous trips.  Lots of 5 to 7 inch bluegill,  some crappie with and occasional large crappie and some nice bass.

February 1, 2014

Czechland Lake-  I took a father and sons to Czechland for some ice fishing.  About fifteen minutes after we got the ice house set up, the wind started to blow 30 mph.  This limited our ability to move around the lake.  The good news was they could catch fish the entire time on the setup spot.  The bad news was there were limited numbers of quality of fish on the spot.  They caught bluegill, crappie, and a few bass.

January 30, 2014

Czechland Lake-  I had a trip to Czechland with a group of experienced fishermen.  Czechland continues to produce tremendous numbers of fish.  They caught excellent numbers of bluegill and crappie with many bluegill in the 8 inch range and crappie up to 12 inches.  The Hali Sukkula tipped with a waxie was working great today. An excellent day on the lake.  The recent weather has created open water spots in many of the area lakes.  Be aware of the ice conditions.  The forecast should refreeze the ice to good conditions again next week.

January 25, 2014

Czechland and Wanahoo-  I did a two lake trip with a group of experienced fishermen with a morning trip to Czechland and an afternoon trip to Wanahoo.  Czechland continues to be excellent for numbers of bluegills with many in the eight inch range.  They also picked up a few crappie.  We went to Wanahoo to try and pick some bass and caught a few but not the numbers of bass I had hoped to find.  They also caught lots of mostly smaller bluegill at Wanahoo.  Overall a very good day of fishing.

January 23, 2014

Lake Wanahoo-  I went to Wanahoo for the afternoon to try and target some bigger fish.  I fished mostly for bass and picked up around twenty bass with most of them in the 15 inch range and very fat.  When I targeted panfish, I found many places with very good numbers of fish but again not overall good size.   One of the crappie was 14 inches but most of the other panfish were under keeper size.  Very few people on the lake.

January 19, 2014

Wehrspann and Czechland Lakes-  I spent a day fishing with a grandfather, son, grandson and son-in-law.  The son lives near Wehrspann and wanted to learn where to ice fish the lake.  We went to some of the  "known" spots and showed them how to catch heavily pressured fish.   I then showed them how to find new spots and found some very active fish.  They caught good numbers of crappie and bluegill along with bass and a walleye.  We then headed to Czechland to show them how to fish a different lake.  They caught tremendous numbers of bluegills along with crappies and a couple bass.  Great weather, lots of fish biting and a family spending a day on the lake: days do not get much better than this. 

January 17, 2014

Wildwood Lake-  I went to Wildwood for an afternoon of fish finding.  I used my flasher to shoot through the ice and find current locations of fish.   Some of the usual spots were good and I went some different spots with moderate to very good success.  The best bite is still the bluegill bite along with moderate numbers of crappie and some bass.

January 15, 2014

Lake Wanahoo-  I spent the afternoon ice fishing at Wanahoo.  It has been a few weeks since I have been to Wanahoo and I am attempting to relocate the fish.  I was able to catch lots of bluegill and fair numbers of crappies but very few quality fish.  I will continue to check on various locations and methods to try for the better fish. 

January 13, 2014

Czechland Lake-  All the holiday travel and commitments ended and it is time to get back to fishing.  I went to Czechland to relocate fish and found the bite similar to trips in the past:  lots of panfish in many places with many bluegill in the 7 to 8 inch range and lots of crappie with some over the 10 inch minimum.  I used a variety of small plastics or wax worms to catch the fish.  Both worked equally well.  Czechland continues to be an excellent action lake. 

January 9, 2014

Wehrspann-  I went to Wehrspann for a few hours with my son and his friend.  We located fish quickly and caught good numbers of crappie, bluegill and a decent bass.  Ice spoons with a chain hook and wax worm worked best.  The crappie were above average size for Wehrspann.  We released all the fish.  A good morning of fishing.