Nebraska Fishing
by Daryl B. - January 8, 2008
 Nebraska may not be known for the amount of water that some other states are known for, but anglers that take the time to explore the state find a great diversity of fishing opportunities. Geographically, Nebraska is located in the middle of the continent and is truly a place where "east" meets "west" and "north" meets "south". The geographic diversity is reflected in the state's flora and fauna including its fish. Approximately 100 species of fish can be found in Nebraska waters and anglers might encounter as many as half of those species. From brook trout to flathead catfish, bluegills to muskies, and bullheads to walleyes, someplace in Nebraska anglers can find great fishing for all of those species of fish and more.
Many of the most important fisheries in Nebraska are found in some type of man-made standing waters or impoundments. The state has approximately 280,000 acres of standing waters. Some of the largest fishing waters are man-made irrigation reservoirs where anglers can find excellent walleye, white bass, wiper, and channel catfish fishing opportunities. A variety of other species including northern pike, flathead catfish,  crappie, largemouth and smallmouth bass can be found in some of those irrigation reservoirs. Smaller reservoirs throughout the state offer some of the state's best crappie fishing along with largemouth bass, bluegill, channel catfish and other species. Over 30,000 farm ponds and pits have been created throughout Nebraska and those small waters produce some of the biggest largemouth bass, bluegills and crappies caught in the state. Most of the pits and ponds are privately-owned and require permission to fish, but anglers who acquire access to those waters or fish some of the publicly-owned pits and ponds will find them well worth the effort.
Long before the creation of the many man-made waters, Nebraska was a land of rivers and streams. Thirteen major river basins are found in the state and include over 12,000 miles of rivers and streams. Not included in that total is the largest river, the Missouri, along the eastern border of Nebraska which provides another 380 miles of fishing opportunity. Cold-water streams are found mostly in northern and  western parts of Nebraska and some of those waters support naturally-reproducing, "wild", populations of brook and brown trout. The rest of the rivers and streams in Nebraska provide a lot of opportunities for channel catfish and common carp along with a variety of other fish that can be found in waters connected to those rivers and streams. The Missouri River has everything including smallmouth bass and sauger found in the upper reaches of the Missouri River in Nebraska to channel, flathead and blue catfish found in the lower reaches of the Missouri River in Nebraska and in other large rivers in eastern Nebraska. The Missouri also offers unique opportunities to catch paddlefish, sturgeon or even goldeyes.
Beside the man-made waters, rivers and streams, Nebraska does have some natural lakes. A few of these waters would include oxbow lakes associated with rivers and streams, but most of the natural lakes in Nebraska are found in the north-central area of the state. In this region are the Nebraska  sandhills, a region of sand-dunes stabilized by native grasses, and in spite of its apparent aridness there are approximately 1500 sandhill lakes. Many of the sandhill lakes are either too shallow or too alkaline to support fish, but the ones that have "fresh" water supplied from the ample underwater aquifer produce some fantastic fishing for northern pike, yellow perch, largemouth bass, black crappies and some of the fastest-growing, largest bluegills to be found anywhere.
The diversity of habitats and species provide Nebraska anglers with many challenges. Regardless of one's preference for fishing techniques, styles, or favorite fish, Nebraska provides plenty of opportunities to exercise those angling skills. Go Fish!
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