12-18-2006, 05:10 PM
LINCOLN, Neb. -- The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission reminds anglers that several changes in fishing regulations will become effective Jan. 1. They are:
- removal of the Sacramento perch from the list of sport fish because it is no longer found in Nebraska;
- removal of the 20-inch minimum length limit on brown trout in Lake Ogallala, as few remain there;
- addition of Cottontail Lake, Lone Star Recreation Area (SRA), Meadowlark Lake, and Merganser Lake to the list of waters with 21-minimum length limits, daily bag limits of one and possession limits of two black bass;
- the addition of Stagecoach Reservoir to the list of waters with daily bag and possession limits of three and six, respectively, on striped bass, white bass and striped bass hybrid (wipers);
- removal of Conestoga Reservoir from the list of waters with daily bag and possession limits of three and six, respectively, on striped bass, white bass and striped bass hybrid (wipers);
- addition of Cottontail and Meadowlark lakes to the list of waters with channel and blue catfish daily bag and possession limits of three and six respectively;
- a change in regulations at Box Butte Reservoir that establishes a daily bag limit of 10 northern pike and a possession limit of 20 and a slot length limit that protects northerns between 28-34 inches and restricts the harvest of pike longer than 34 inches to one per day;
- a change in the daily bag and possession limits of panfish at Cottontail Lake, Meadowlark Lake and Smith Lake Wildlife Management Area to 10 daily and 20 in possession. Panfish are black crappie, white crappie, bluegill, yellow perch, rock bass, green sunfish, pumpkinseed sunfish, orange-spotted sunfish, redear sunfish and their hybrids;
- establishment of no minimum length limits, daily bag or possession limits on bullheads, except at Fremont, Louisville and Two Rivers SRA, where the fisheries division plans to establish put-and-take bullhead fisheries on the areas. On those three areas the daily bag will be five bullheads, the possession limit will be10;
-- elimination of the catch-and-release regulation that prohibits the possession of largemouth bass and muskellunge at Watts Lake on the Valentine National Wildlife Refuge in Cherry County;
- a change that makes it illegal for anglers to possess live baitfish or any fish other than those taken from Meadowlark Lake while fishing that lake because of its recent renovation;
- establishment of regulations at Halleck Pond in Papillion and Tecumseh City Pond requiring that all largemouth bass caught be released unharmed; set bag limits of 10 panfish per day and three channel catfish per day.
Before heading out to your favorite fishing spot on Jan.1, be sure you have a 2007 Nebraska fishing permit and aquatic habitat stamp, which can be purchased online from the Commissions web site at www.OutdoorNebraska.org, from Game and Parks offices, or any of 900 permit vendors across the state. With a few exceptions, any angler 16 years old or older is required to have a Nebraska fishing permit and aquatic habitat stamp to fish in Nebraska. The 2007 resident annual fishing permit and aquatic habitat stamp will cost $21 and a 2007 nonresident annual fishing permit and aquatic habitat stamp will be $51. Also pick up a free copy of the 2007 Nebraska Fishing Guide, which has information about fishing regulations and public waters across the state.
- removal of the Sacramento perch from the list of sport fish because it is no longer found in Nebraska;
- removal of the 20-inch minimum length limit on brown trout in Lake Ogallala, as few remain there;
- addition of Cottontail Lake, Lone Star Recreation Area (SRA), Meadowlark Lake, and Merganser Lake to the list of waters with 21-minimum length limits, daily bag limits of one and possession limits of two black bass;
- the addition of Stagecoach Reservoir to the list of waters with daily bag and possession limits of three and six, respectively, on striped bass, white bass and striped bass hybrid (wipers);
- removal of Conestoga Reservoir from the list of waters with daily bag and possession limits of three and six, respectively, on striped bass, white bass and striped bass hybrid (wipers);
- addition of Cottontail and Meadowlark lakes to the list of waters with channel and blue catfish daily bag and possession limits of three and six respectively;
- a change in regulations at Box Butte Reservoir that establishes a daily bag limit of 10 northern pike and a possession limit of 20 and a slot length limit that protects northerns between 28-34 inches and restricts the harvest of pike longer than 34 inches to one per day;
- a change in the daily bag and possession limits of panfish at Cottontail Lake, Meadowlark Lake and Smith Lake Wildlife Management Area to 10 daily and 20 in possession. Panfish are black crappie, white crappie, bluegill, yellow perch, rock bass, green sunfish, pumpkinseed sunfish, orange-spotted sunfish, redear sunfish and their hybrids;
- establishment of no minimum length limits, daily bag or possession limits on bullheads, except at Fremont, Louisville and Two Rivers SRA, where the fisheries division plans to establish put-and-take bullhead fisheries on the areas. On those three areas the daily bag will be five bullheads, the possession limit will be10;
-- elimination of the catch-and-release regulation that prohibits the possession of largemouth bass and muskellunge at Watts Lake on the Valentine National Wildlife Refuge in Cherry County;
- a change that makes it illegal for anglers to possess live baitfish or any fish other than those taken from Meadowlark Lake while fishing that lake because of its recent renovation;
- establishment of regulations at Halleck Pond in Papillion and Tecumseh City Pond requiring that all largemouth bass caught be released unharmed; set bag limits of 10 panfish per day and three channel catfish per day.
Before heading out to your favorite fishing spot on Jan.1, be sure you have a 2007 Nebraska fishing permit and aquatic habitat stamp, which can be purchased online from the Commissions web site at www.OutdoorNebraska.org, from Game and Parks offices, or any of 900 permit vendors across the state. With a few exceptions, any angler 16 years old or older is required to have a Nebraska fishing permit and aquatic habitat stamp to fish in Nebraska. The 2007 resident annual fishing permit and aquatic habitat stamp will cost $21 and a 2007 nonresident annual fishing permit and aquatic habitat stamp will be $51. Also pick up a free copy of the 2007 Nebraska Fishing Guide, which has information about fishing regulations and public waters across the state.