Rainbow Trout Stockings Scheduled This Spring

LINCOLN, Neb. – Catchable-size rainbow trout are being stocked in city ponds, park lakes, and other waters across the state by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. These stockings will enhance fishing opportunities this early spring.

Trout fishing is a great way to introduce children to fishing because simple and inexpensive equipment may be used. A spinning or spin-cast rod and reel with a hook baited with a worm will work well. Add a split shot a couple of feet above the hook and a bobber a couple of feet above the split shot. Trout also can be caught with spinners, salmon eggs, dough baits and artificial flies.

The stocked trout are approximately 10 inches in length. The following is a tentative stocking schedule, including quantities:

The Trout Lake (Lake No. 5) at Two Rivers State Recreation Area (SRA) near Waterloo will open for fishing March 10. It will have been stocked with 9,000 rainbow trout. All trout caught in the lake must be harvested and not released. Call the park at 402-359-5165 for more information. A park entry permit is required.

Other scheduled stockings are:

March 13 – Elm Creek, Webster County, 1,000 trout

March 14 – Lake Halleck, Papillion, 1,200; Steinhart Park East Pond, Nebraska City, 1,200; Weeping Water Pond, 1,500; CenturyLink Lake, Eugene T. Mahoney State Park (SP), 2,500

March 15 – Fremont No. 2, Fremont State Lakes State Recreation Area (SRA), 5,000; Such’s Lake, Grand Island, 650; Heartwell Park Lake, Hastings, 450

March 16 – Humboldt City Park Lake, 350; Auburn Rotary Club Lake, 800; Stanton Lake, Falls City, 200; Pawnee City Pond, 300; Fort Kearny SRA No. 6, Kearney, 600; Holdrege City Lake, 1,000; Windmill SRA No. 2, Gibbon, 600; Auble Pond, Ord, 750; Ponca SP Pond, Ponca, 1,500

March 17 – Gracie Creek Pond, Calamus Reservoir, Burwell, 1,000

In addition, stocking trucks are scheduled to release trout at the following locations and times. The schedule is tentative and can change for various reasons.

March 16 – Northwest lake, Bridgeport SRA, Bridgeport, 1,400, 11 a.m.; Terry’s Pit, Terrytown, 1,500, noon; Riverside Discovery Center Pond, Scottsbluff, 900, 12:30 p.m.

March 17 – Holmes Lake, Lincoln, 4,000, 1 p.m.; TaHaZouka Park Lake, Norfolk, 1,500, 11 a.m.; Pawnee Park West Lake, Columbus, 1,500, 12:15 p.m.; Curtis Golf Course Pond, 150, 11 a.m.; Lake Helen, Gothenburg, 2,000, noon; Lexington City Lake, 750, 12:45 p.m.; Oxford City Lake, 150, 2 p.m.

March 19 – North Morrill Sandpit, 1,350, noon; Middle Morrill Sandpit, 450, 12:15 p.m.