Many fun summer activities in Nebraska involve being in or around water. Remember these tips to make sure everyone comes home safe at the end of the day.
For Swimmers
• Only swim in designated swimming areas, especially in large reservoirs where there are boaters and personal watercraft users.
• Don’t dive into water less than 12 feet deep. Enter the water feet-first to check for depth and to avoid head or neck injuries or drownings. Never dive into rivers.
• Be cautious of drop-offs that can happen fast and catch you or children off guard.
• Wear a Coast Guard-approved life jacket. Small children always should wear a life jacket while swimming. It only takes seconds for a child to drown.
• Avoid areas with strong moving currents — which can happen in rivers or even some lakes — and possible underwater debris.
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• Never swim in cold water temperatures. Water should be at least 67 degrees Fahrenheit before swimming occurs. Water temperatures below that can affect breathing and may induce hypothermia.
For Boaters, Personal Watercraft Users and Paddlers
• Always wear a Coast Guard-approved life jacket.
• When recreating on a river, leave a float plan with a friend or family member, including where you are going and when you expect to return.
• Be sure your boat is in good running order and legally equipped. Carry a life jacket for each person on board your boat and a type IV throwable device. No child aged 12 or younger is allowed aboard any vessel when not wearing a life jacket that properly fits them.
• When pulling a person on skis, a tube or similar device, you must have a person aged 12 or older as an observer unless your vessel is equipped with a wide-angle rearview mirror. A hunter orange flag of at least 12 square inches must be displayed when a skier/tuber is down in the water. The skier/tuber must wear a Coast Guard-approved life jacket.
• Pay attention to the weather as you recreate. Severe weather can cause large waves and produce lightning. Exit the water before storms arise.
• Anyone born after Dec. 31, 1985, is required to successfully complete a Boating Safety Course and possess a course certificate while operating a boat or personal watercraft. You must be at least 14 years of age to operate a motorboat or personal watercraft in Nebraska.
Read the 2024 Boating Guide and know the rules and regulations regarding state waterway markers, right of way and navigation rules and unlawful practices — including boating under the influence.
The best places to catch fish in the Lincoln area in 2024
Walleye
Crankbaits are a popular lure when fishing for walleye at Lake McConaughy State Recreation Area in Keith County. While the state's biggest lakes are the best habitats for walleye, area anglers can find keeper-sized (15-inch or larger) walleye at Czechland and Yankee Hill lakes. Branched Oak, Wanahoo, Stagecoach, Wildwood and Conestoga are other lakes where you can expect to catch walleye.
White bass
A doll fly jig tricked this white bass at Swanson Reservoir in Hitchcock County. While the commission's guide had nothing to say about Lincoln area lakes, Yankee Hill Lake WMA had the best gill net rate in the region, with about half of those fish in the 12- to 15-inch range.
Wiper
Daryl Bauer, fisheries outreach program manager with the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, holds a Master Angler wiper he caught at Swanson Reservoir in August 2011. Branched Oak Lake is the place to catch the white bass-striped base hybrid near Lincoln, with some larger than 25 inches. But remember that all wipers caught there must be released immediately.
Bluegill
Any body of water in Nebraska that is too big to jump across probably has some bluegill in it. Homestead Lake had the highest 2023 catch rate for bluegills in the survey's trap nets, followed by Meadowlark, Stagecoach and Redtail. If you want fish 8 inches or larger, try Conestoga, Czechland Hedgefield and Redtail.
Crappie
An angler releases a crappie caught on a fly in a Sarpy County private pond. In the 2023 survey, Memphis Lake had the highest catch rate. For larger fish, try Oxbow Trails, Yankee Hill and Branched Oak.
Largemouth bass
Eli Kurrus of Gretna holds a largemouth bass caught at a pond in Cass County in June 2019. Hedgefield had the highest catch rate, with many of the fish larger than 15 inches. Bowling, Meadowlark, Stagecoach and Holmes lakes should also be good for targeting bigger fish.
Channel catfish
Channel catfish are the most widespread and common of the large catfish in Nebraska. East Twin had the greatest number of sampled fish. For eating-sized catfish, the commission says to try Stagecoach, Pawnee and Branched Oak. For larger catfish, try Meadowlark or Wildwood (a catch-and-release lake for channel cats).
Blue catfish
Branched Oak and Pawnee lakes continue to be the places to go near Lincoln for blue catfish. Anglers can find fish from 20 to 35 inches from the 2015 stocking at Pawnee.
Flathead catfish
Richard Hagen caught this 89-pound flathead catfish — the state record — in the Missouri River in June 2020. Branched Oak Lake has trophy-sized flatheads in excess of 40 inches, but remember you must immediately release any that you catch there.
Saugeye
The commission's report says saugeye, a sauger-walleye hybrid, are doing well in Southeast Nebraska. If you are after legal, 15-inch or larger saugeyes, head for Olive Creek Lake. But if you're after a master angler saugeye, try Pawnee Lake.
Northern pike
A northern pike is guided into a landing net at Elwood Reservoir in Gosper County. Some of the pike in Lake Wanahoo are now over 40 inches, and the commission says additional stockings have added recruitment. All pike you catch there must be released immediately. If you catch a tagged fish, please report it to ngpc.fishtags@nebraska.gov.
Rainbow trout
Rainbow trout are stocked across Nebraska in city ponds and state park lakes, including Lincoln's Holmes Lake in the spring, fall and winter; and at Bowling Lake's south pond in the fall and winter.
