As soon as our ice season came to its unfortunate early end, my phone started ringing. “When will you be stocking trout?”
About the same time every year, March.
And now we have a schedule:
Two Rivers Trout Lake to open March 9; statewide stockings to follow
Spring has come early and Nebraskans are eager to fish. The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission is scheduling the release of rainbow trout in waters across the state this spring.
This will give anglers and families, especially at city ponds and lakes, additional angling opportunities for this popular species.
It starts March 9, opening day of the Trout Lake at Two Rivers State Recreation Area in Douglas County. All trout caught in this lake must be harvested and not released. Anglers first must purchase from the park office a daily trout tag for $6. Each tag is good for a daily bag limit of four trout. A person may have up to three tags per day and 12 trout in possession. An adult angler may have two children under the age of 16 fishing under the authority of his/her tag, but the group bag limit still is limited to four trout per tag.
The Trout Lake (Lake No. 5) will be open from 7 a.m. to sunset each day. Anglers, except residents younger than age 16, must have a Nebraska fishing license. All vehicles entering the park must have a park entry permit. Anglers possessing trout on any other lake at Two Rivers must have a trout tag, as well. Anglers will be allowed to use one fishing rod and reel each.
Adults might enjoy it, but trout fishing is a great way to introduce children to fishing, too, because simple and inexpensive equipment may be used.
“Rainbow trout are especially good for new anglers because they will bite readily on anything, including corn, wadded up pieces of bread or worms, and are easy and safe to handle,” said Larry Pape, aquatic education specialist with Game and Parks. “You can use a simple spin-cast combo or a spinning rod and have a fun day catching trout.”
For resources to help beginners or even experienced anglers, visit OutdoorNebraska.gov/fish/learn-to-fish. Buy a fishing permit at OutdoorNebraska.gov.
Stockings begin the week of March 4 when tiger trout – a hybrid of brown and brook trout – are released at the following: Chadron State Park Pond, 500 fish; Bessey Pond, Nebraska National Forest, Halsey, 500; Alliance Golf Course Pond, 300; Curtis Golf Course Pond, 150; and Rock Creek State Recreation Area Lake, Parks, 1,000.
The following is a schedule for rainbow trout set to be stocked, including quantities. Dates can change because of weather or unforeseen circumstances and times, where listed, are tentative:
March 11
-CenturyLink Lake, Eugene T. Mahoney State Park, Ashland, 2,500
-Gretna Crossing Pond, 200
-Humboldt City Park Lake, 350
-Pawnee City Pond, 300
-Rotary Club Lake, Auburn, 800
-Stanton Lake, Falls City, 200
-Steinhart Park East Pond, Nebraska City, 800
-Fremont Lakes State Recreation Area No. 2, Fremont, 4,500
-Ponca SP Pond, Ponca, 750
March 12
-Heartwell Park Lake, Hastings, 450
-Suck’s Lake, Grand Island, 650
-Lake Halleck, Papillion, 1,200
-Weeping Water Pond 1, 1,500
-Louisville SRA 1A, Louisville, 600
-Fort Kearny SRA No. 6, Kearney, 1,200
-Windmill SRA No. 2, Gibbon, 900
-Ponca SP Pond, Ponca, 750
March 13
-Geneva Pond, 300
-Bethphage Pond, Axtell, 200
-Holdrege City Lake, 800
-North Morrill Pond, 2,250
-Middle Morrill Pond, 450
March 14
-Auble Pond, Ord, 750
-Victoria Springs SRA Lake, Anselmo, 1,200
-Carney Pond, O’Neill, 750
-Terry’s Pit, Terrytown, 1,500
-Riverside Park Pond, Scottsbluff, 900
March 16
-Ta-Ha-Zouka Park Lake, Norfolk, 1,500 at 8:30 a.m.
-Pawnee Park West Lake, Columbus, 1,500 at 9:30 a.m.
-Neligh Park Pond, West Point, 800 at 10:30 a.m.
-Holmes Lake, Lincoln, 4,000 at 1 p.m.
-Lake Helen, Gothenburg, 2,000 at 12:30 p.m.
-Plum Creek Park Lake, Lexington, 750 at 2 p.m.
March 18
-David City Park Pond West, 600
-Rock Creek SRA Lake, Parks, 500
-Oxford City Lake, 150
March 19
-North Platte I-80 Lake, 2,700
March 20
-Bridgeport SRA Middle Lake, 2,000
-Bridgeport SRA Northwest Lake, 1,400
Additional March rainbow trout stockings as time and weather permit
-Lake Ogallala SRA, Ogallala, 10,000
-Gracie Creek Pond, Burwell, 1,000
-Elm Creek, Red Cloud, 500
-East Branch of Verdigre Creek, Royal, 1,000
-Two Rivers SRA No. 5 (Trout Lake), Waterloo, 10,500
April rainbow trout stockings as time and weather permit
-East Branch of Verdigre Creek, Royal, 800
-Two Rivers SRA No. 5 (Trout Lake), Waterloo, 6,000
-Keller Park SRA No. 4, 250
-Keller Park SRA No. 5, 400
-Grove Lake Wildlife Management Area Sandpit, Royal, 50
-Sand Springs, Plum Creek Valley WMA, 250
-North Platte I-80 Lake, 2,700
-Lake Ogallala SRA, Ogallala, 10,000
-South Grable Pond, Fort Robinson SP, Crawford, 1,200
-Middle Grable Pond, Fort Robinson SP, Crawford, 600
-Gilbert-Baker WMA Pond, Harrison, 600
-Chadron City Reservoir North, 1,700
-Chadron City Reservoir South, 1,700
-Chadron SP Pond, 500
-North Morrill Pond, 2,250
-Middle Morrill Pond, 450
-Riverside Park Pond, Scottsbluff, 900
-Bridgeport SRA Northwest Lake, 1,400
-Terry’s Pit, Terrytown, 1,000
-Bridgeport SRA Middle Lake, 2,000
-Cherry Creek Diversion Pond, Fort Robinson SP, Crawford, 250
-Laing Lake, Alliance, 1,000
-Rock Creek SRA Lake, Parks, 1,500
For information on fish stocking online, including upcoming trout stocking dates, visit OutdoorNebraska.gov and search “Fish Stocking Database.”
I always mention this, if you are looking for more tips on catching them, and what to do with them after the catch, check out this old blog post, Spring Trout Stocking, 2021.
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