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I hear Lincoln, NE has some pretty decent YP fishing! If you want to create a trophy fishery like this for YP, SMB, WE, HSB [Wiper] and other cool water species fish, it can be done and I can help you get there! Drop me a PM!
Land ownership is far cheaper than home ownership - and if you can get yourself on 3-5 acres you have plenty of room to create the fishery of your dreams and build a home. I saved my entire professional life for my farm - but hey, that's always been my ultimate goal, so every penny went towards it. Primary point of the post is to relate that local farm ponds, which we likely have access to, can be transformed into trophy fisheries of "specialty species" with a little hard work and knowledge. It doesn't necessarily require more fiscal investment to establish fisheries with different species, but it does require some thoughtful planning of strategies and knowledge. The next point, then, was to simply offer my help should anyone want to learn how to get there. I enjoy working with others to help achieve their dream fisheries.Last hope was that by sharing some ice YP pix we could all get into the spirit of the coming hard water bite.
wow nice pics guess us poor people will just have to drive to sd
witch lake did those come from?
Thanks teehjaeh57. Living close helps, but it still takes cutting a lot of ice.4 different lakes. All state or federal owned water. All within 100 miles of Mullen Ne. dc
Might have to ask about feeding...all that'll be put in my pond will be yp. I'm not sure what feeding I'd need to do
You'll need something to manage YP population [WE or SMB can work] and you'll need to feed the YP something. You could also consider a female YP fishery - trophy only - everything is 13"+. I am working on that as we speak...so much fun! I can help, PM me anytime.
Reach out anytime - I'm between projects waiting for all the waters I manage to freeze up!
In consideration of all this listed above, pressured trophy fish taken from public waters earn special merit in my book - they are treasures. Urge everyone to practice highly selective harvest on these brute-i-ful girls this winter - keep a few 8-10 males for the skillet and let the fishery benefit from another season of her genetics through release! Her strands every Spring consist of 20k - 200k eggs, so these trophies are truly one in a million [or maybe 10 million]!
Quite a pond you have there tj57. Couldn't agree with you more. YP are vital in most Sandhill lakes. Not only are they tough enough to withstand this region's harsh environment, but also flourish in high water years providing yoy forage for other game fish species. Plus being cannibalistic, they can basically feed themselves. I've been keeping records of our ice fishing trips on these lakes for over 20 years. One of the most obvious signs of an up and coming fishery for a multitude of species, is above average yellow perch recruitment. Even better if they can get off good hatches in consecutive years. Perch are competitive, aggressive feeders. Angler exploitation can change the dynamics of a lake in a hurry. Those big females are much more important in the water than they are in a skillet. dc
People just get excited and keep evey fish they catch. I wish that was not the case so often but it is ....I
Unfortunately, you are right, and that is a big reason there are not more and bigger panfish in a number of Nebraska waters including our sandhill lakes. http://neblandvm.outdoornebraska.gov/2013/01/pigs-ice/Daryl BauerFisheries Outreach Program ManagerNebraska Game & Parks Commission[email protected]http://neblandvm.outdoornebraska.gov/category/barbs-and-backlashes/
Daryl, why do they not have more strict size and limit regulations for YP on the Sandhills lakes? Seems here in central NE we never hear a report about a good perch bite until we hear that guys were hauling bucket loads home!!! We have lots of walleye regulations that very lake to lake.
I would love the state to dedicate a little patch of water [20+ ac] to you and I, Daryl, to design and implement a trophy fishery through intensive management strategies and highly controlled harvest regulations. Would be unique - chance for a 5# SMB or 14" YP but nearly all C/R. I'd like to see some RES, WE and maybe HSB in there, too. Magnolia Crappie? State could rent it out on reservation basis...trophy fishing - and supervised to ensure regs are followed. I would be willing to make the sacrafice to live on the lake, to keep an eye on things. I'm just that kind of guy.
"One for the plate, one for the freezer." That's my dad's old motto! Smart guy in hind site.