Waters are starting to cool and stocking trucks are starting to roll!
Rainbow trout stockings scheduled this fall
LINCOLN, Neb. – Catchable-size rainbow trout are being stocked in city ponds and lakes across the state by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. These stockings will enhance fishing opportunities this fall and winter.
Trout fishing is a great way to introduce children to fishing because simple and inexpensive equipment may be used. A spinning or spin-cast rod and reel with a hook baited with a worm will work well. Add a split shot a couple of feet above the hook and a bobber a couple of feet above the split shot. Spinners, salmon eggs, dough baits and artificial flies also can catch trout.
The 90,000-plus stocked trout are approximately 10 inches in length. The following is a tentative stocking schedule, including quantities:
Sept. 24 – Elm Creek, Red Cloud, 1,000 trout
Sept. 25 – Gilbert-Baker Wildlife Management Area (WMA) Pond, Harrison, 600; White River, southwest of Fort Robinson State Park (SP), 750; Bridgeport State Recreation Area (SRA) Middle Pit, Bridgeport, 2,000
Oct. 2 – Carter P. Johnson Lake, Fort Robinson SP, 2,500; Laing Lake, Alliance, 1,500
Oct. 9 – Crystal Cove Lake, South Sioux City, 4,500
Oct. 10 – Fremont Lakes SRA Lake No. 2, Fremont, 5,000
Oct. 11 – Benson Park Pond, Omaha, 1,050; Lake Halleck, Papillion, 1,200
Oct. 15 – Hitchcock Park Pond, Omaha, 450; Towl Park Pond, Omaha, 300
Oct. 16 – Standing Bear Lake, Omaha, 3,750; Niobrara SP Pond, Niobrara, 1,000; Gracie Creek Pond, Burwell, 1,000; Ord City Lake, 1,500; Bessey Pit, Halsey, 500; City Pond, Auburn, 800; Stanton Park Pond, Falls City, 300; Pawnee City Pond, Pawnee City, 300; Humboldt City Park Pond, Humboldt, 600; North Morrill Pit, Morrill, 1,350; Middle Morrill Pit, Morrill, 450; South Morrill Pit, Morrill, 400; Riverside Discovery Center Pond, Scottsbluff, 900
Oct. 17 – Bowling Lake (south pond), Lincoln, 400; Holmes Lake, Lincoln, 3,000; TaHaZouka Park Pond, Norfolk, 1,500; Pawnee Park West Lake, Columbus, 1,500; CenturyLink Lake, Eugene T. Mahoney SP, 1,500
Oct. 18 – Standing Bear Lake, Omaha, 3,750; Heartwell Park, Hastings, 900; Such’s Lake, Grand Island, 650; Curtis Golf Course Pond, Curtis, 150; Lexington City Lake, Lexington, 750 Lake Helen, Gothenburg, 2,000; Windmill SRA Pit No. 2, Gibbon, 600
Oct. 19 – Oxford City Lake, Oxford, 300; Holdrege City Park Pond, Holdrege, 2,000; Fort Kearny SRA Pit No. 6, Kearney, 1,200; Melham Park Lake, Broken Bow, 875; Ansley City Pond, Ansley, 1,200
Oct. 22 – Humphrey Pond, Ogallala, 600; Bridgeport SRA Northwest Pit, Bridgeport, 1,400
Oct. 23 – Steinhart Park East Pond, Nebraska City, 1,200; Weeping Water Pond, Weeping Water, 1,500; Bowling Lake (south pond), Lincoln, 400; Grove Lake, Royal, 1,500
Oct. 24 – David City Park West Pond, David City, 600
Oct. 30 – Birdwood WMA, North Platte, 4,000
Oct. 31 – Rock Creek Lake SRA, Parks, 3,000
Nov. 1 – Crystal Springs Middle Lake, Fairbury, 1,000
Nov. 5 – Lake Ogallala, Ogallala, 4,000
Nov. 7 – Lake Ogallala, Ogallala, 4,000
Nov. 9 – Lake Ogallala, Ogallala, 4,000
Nov. 12 – Lake Ogallala, Ogallala, 3,000
Dec. 20 – Birdwood WMA, North Platte, 4,000
Visit OutdoorNebraska.gov/fishing for more information on fishing in Nebraska.
Once again let me remind folks that we have a number of personnel, trucks and hatcheries involved in these stockings. The schedule you see is our plan, but a flat tire, breakdown, or Nebraska weather can change all of that.
I blog about put & take trout stockings at least a couple times of year, spring and fall, so this ain’t the first time by far. If you want some ideas on catching these fish, and what to do with them after you have kept a couple, Fall Trout Stockings, 2016 covers that.
I also always post a message to the fish hogs: We stock these catchable-size trout not so folks can fill their freezers. We stock them so that beginning anglers and especially kids can have an opportunity to catch these fish because they are relatively easy to catch. Find a kid and take ’em fishing, it should be a requirement for anyone taking advantage of these stockings.
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