Spring Fishing: Has recent rain helped water levels?
It's been a wet spring, but what does it mean for fishing?
By News Channel NebraskaBURCHARD, Neb. - It’s been a warm and wet spring for southeast Nebraska - which is good, because much of the region, and the entire state, have been in a severe drought, but what does it mean for fishing?
News Channel Nebraska spoke with Daryl Bauer of Nebraska Game and Parks fisheries to find out.
“Especially down in the southeast part of the state, as you guys know, it’s been dry and it’s been dry for awhile,” Bauer said. “Water levels in a lot of these reservoirs is kind of low and the rain has helped, but we need a lot more.”
NCN met with Bauer at Burchard Lake in Pawnee County - an area that’s registered several inches of rain already this spring, but water levels still remain below average. With late spring spawning underway, fish are moving into the shallows, but low water won’t stop them.
“Most species will just move to lower water level and still find good habitat to spawn,” Bauer said. “Bass, crappie, catfish, bluegills… They’ll still be able to spawn successfully it may just be a little different from when it was higher water levels.”
The spring has been a warm one for the region, after warmer temperatures took awhile to arrive consistently in the last few years. But Bauer still believes spawning will end around normal time.
“Spawing periods happen to be about the same form yeah to year, maybe fluctuate a bit based on weather conditions, but it usually averages out.”