Friday, October 9, 2020

Nebraska commissioners to consider sport fishing orders

LINCOLN, Neb. – The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission will consider amendments to sport fishing orders when it meets Oct. 15 in Ogallala.

The meeting will start at 8:30 a.m. Mountain time at the Keith County Fairgrounds Exhibition Hall, 1000 W. 3rd St.

Proposed sport fishing amendments will include orders for two reservoirs under construction in Sarpy County – Black Elk Lake and WP-6. Each will be stocked only with smallmouth bass and yellow perch. Proposed daily bag limits at each are two smallmouth and five perch, with a maximum length limit of 12 inches on smallmouth.

Another sport fishing change would add an exception for Pelican Lake on the Valentine National Wildlife Refuge for muskie and tiger muskie that the daily bag limit of three not include more than one fish 34 inches or greater in length. A possession limit of three would be established for those species at Pelican Lake.

In another sport fishing recommendation, fishing would be permitted at Crane Lake on Crescent Lake National Wildlife Refuge during daylight hours from Nov. 1 through Feb. 15.

The Commission also will consider recommendations to:

• create Commission orders for wild turkey, which would contain season dates, bag limits, number of permits, shooting hours and areas open;

• remove the nonresident paddlefish permit fee increase from regulations approved at the August meeting;

• approve the acquisition of approximately 58 acres in Kearney County adjacent to Fort Kearny State Recreation Area as an addition to the area; and

• approve the acquisition of two small tracts totaling approximately 6 acres in Cherry County adjacent to Chat Canyon Wildlife Management Area as an addition to the area.

The commissioners also will consider for approval a 2021 meeting schedule and hear updates on Lake McConaughy and bighorn sheep, as well as a staff environmental report.

A complete agenda is available at OutdoorNebraska.gov/commissioners.