Zebra Mussels

Zebra mussels have been in the news lately and have actually shown up in the Omaha area. There are quite a few websites on the Internet to learn about them. I'm including one in this blog that is pretty straight forward. It would be a good idea for all of us to keep an eye out for them when using the CDC lakes.

http://www.nationalatlas.gov/articles/biology/a_zm.html#two

Wood Duck Houses

Those of you that enjoy walking or riding around the trails by the lakes may have noticed that the wood duck houses located at the West end of Copper Dollar Lake are gone. The boxes have been there for several years but unfortunately no birds have ever taken up residence. The boxes have now been relocated to Copper Penny Lake. One is on the Southeast corner and the other is close to the Northeast end where wood ducks have been seen in the past. The latter bird house can be seen best from a boat. Wood ducks can start to nest as early as April. Updates will be provided on this blog.

Copper Penny Cover

With approval from the CDC Board, the Fish & Wildlife Committee added a bit of cover into Copper Penny Lake. Quite a bit of the standing timber has been disappearing over the years in Copper Penny mostly due to high winds. We added four tree limbs each about twenty feet long into the deepest part of the lake. They were anchored with heavy cinder blocks and basically all dropped in the same location. Thanks goes out to Gale Mathison for taking the time out of his day to help me yesterday.

Fishing Bloopers

http://www.wimp.com/classicbloopers/

Article - Benefits of Catch & Release

"Thanks" to one of our residents for sending me this website. I think it should be interesting reading for anyone who likes to fish. It's mostly about a fishing catch and release study right here in Nebraska.

http://barbsandbacklashes.wordpress.com/2010/09/08/catch-and-release-makes-a-difference/

Set Lines Found - Again!

For those of you that are unfamiliar with a set line, it is a long piece of heavy duty fishing line with a series of hooks located at certain intervals. One end is tied up to something on the shoreline like a stake, rock, tree stump, or even the limb of a tree. The other end is sometimes anchored somewhere out in the lake. This way the hooks are in the water at various depths ranging from very shallow to whatever depth is desired. This type of fishing is against the law in all inland lakes of Nebraska.

It seems that at least a couple of times each year these lines are found at Copper Dollar Cove, usually in Copper Penny Lake. Last week a set line was found in Copper Dollar Lake. This particular set line was much more of a professional grade than those that have been found here before. It had a series of large hooks and heavy duty line that would normally be used in places like the Missouri river for very large fish. The part of the line that was recovered was almost one hundred feet long. Copper Dollar Lake is considered the recreational lake and is used primarily for water skiing, tubing and swimming. Once again, this type of fishing is not only against the law but it poses a threat for everyone that enters the lake. If anyone was to get caught up in these lines under water, I guarantee you would never be able to get out alive.

In the past, even though I think we all knew better, we hoped that this type of fishing was done by trespassers who pulled in their lines from the shore. The type of set line found last week in Copper Dollar Lake was the kind that had to be worked from a boat. There is no telling the numbers, locations and the depths of these lines that could still be out in the lakes at the present time. I would like to suggest that when people are out enjoying the lakes to check the shorelines often and if you see anything that looks like a set line to report it to me or someone on the Board or Fish & Wildlife Committee. If you see anyone working these lines from either the shore or a boat, I encourage you to call the sheriff or local game warden immediately.

Tree Swallows

Tree swallows are very common around Copper Dollar Cove and are sometimes mistaken for bluebirds. They are sparrow sized birds with blue upperparts but have clear white underparts. They like to live along lake shores, flooded meadows, marshes and streams. They like to move into the bluebird houses especially around the sewerage ponds by Copper Penny Lake. That is another reason why the bluebird trail needs to be checked at least once a week to remove unwanted nests before eggs are laid. The tree swallows nest is very similar to a bluebirds nest but it also contains feathers. Their eggs are also white instead of blue. We let a swallow family nest in one of our boxes in our backyard and we were able to watch them from the building of the nest to the four fledgelings that took off last week.

Sweet Success

In late March of this year, we put out a trail of bluebird houses starting on Copper Penny Lake and extending onto Copper Dollar Lake. The boxes have been monitored each and every week with detailed records being recorded that will be furnished to "Bluebirds Across Nebraska" at the end of the season. A number of boxes contained bluebird eggs earlier in the year but for some reason, all the eggs disappeared. Finally, there was a box containing five eggs that all hatched and although there were some difficulties, all the birds survived and fledged in a little less than three weeks. There is still time for bluebirds to nest again so hopefully I will have more good news in future posts.

Fish Transfer Completed

The 2010 fish transfer has been completed. We again transferred 300 bluegills and 300 crappies from Copper Penny Lake into Copper Dollar Lake. All the fish were healthy and big enough that they won't be eaten by all the bass in the lake. We are hoping that with this latest stocking that we will help increase the numbers and size of the panfish in Copper Dollar Lake. The results are in the hands of the residents. Please refrain from taking the fish out of the lake. They should grow fast in Copper Dollar and next near they will spawn if given the chance. If you have to catch bluegills and/or crappies for meals, please take them from Copper Penny Lake. They are more abundant there and taking a few more out will actually help increase the size of the ones that are left. Please pass this information on to people that do not have access to this blog. Also, please report any trespassers you see to one of the Board members. Thanks.

White Perch

I already have a post dedicated to white perch but it was written quite awhile ago. Things haven't changed much since then so a couple of people have asked that I write another one. White perch are found in Copper Dollar Lake. We assume they were introduced into the lake by pumping water in from the creek below. Although this is an edible fish, it is also an undesirable fish to have in our lakes. They can quickly overpopulate and in some instances lakes have had to be completely killed off and started new with the stocking of desirable game fish. We ask that anybody that catches white perch to not return them into the lake. Also please report the numbers and sizes of the fish you catch to a F&W Committee member. We will then share that information with the Nebraska Game & Parks department and abide by their recommendations. At this time they are recommending that we return all bass and of course we are trying to build up the bluegill and crappie populations again so not too many of those should be harvested either. Here is a website to learn a little more about this type of fish. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_perch

What's the latest?

Bluebird house trail.......At one time we had two houses with bluebird eggs. Last week when I checked the houses, the eggs were gone. I'm not exactly sure what happened to them but I couldn't find any shells or evidence that they had been tampered with. So, today I checked all the boxes again and tore out the sparrow and swallow nests and we will start from scratch again.

On another note, the Committee has decided, with approval from the Board, to transfer panfish from Copper Penny Lake to Copper Dollar Lake again this year. The applications for permits will be mailed into the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission today. Hopefully we will transfer another 300 small bluegill and 300 small crappie within the next two months. As previously requested, if you desire to catch and keep these type of fish for meals, please take them out of the small lake and give the transferred fish from the last two years a chance to grow and spawn in Copper Dollar Lake.

Bluebird Trail Update

If you've got a bird feeder, bird house or even a bird bath on your property, you know that this is a very busy time for all kinds of birds. Today the new bluebird trail was monitored for the fourth time since it was installed late last month. A lot of the bluebirds natural nesting areas have disappeared over the years and they now have to compete with wrens, swallows and most of all, sparrows. The sparrow will attack and take over a bluebirds nesting area and use it for itself. Last week one of the boxes had a perfect bluebirds nest in it with two eggs. When I checked it today, the eggs were gone and the nest pretty much destroyed. Most of the other boxes had to be completely cleaned out also and the sparrows nests removed. At this time only one bluebird nest is intact and it contains five eggs. There's still plenty of time for more bluebirds to move into the houses though and I will keep everyone informed of their progress.

The bite is on!

Every year at this time the fish start to get active in the warmer water and start thinking about spawning and eating. It's usually easier to catch fish now more so than any other time of the year. Therefore, we have to remember that the lakes at CDC are really more like big farm ponds and can be fished out if we're not careful. We are trying hard to get the crappie and bluegill populations built back up in Copper Dollar so for residents that like to eat fish, please consider catching those species from Copper Penny. They may be smaller but there are plenty of them to go around. Most of the people I know and see fishing at CDC seem to practice catch and release which is great. If you feel the need to keep some fish for a meal, that is fine also but please don't feel that is is necessary to fill the freezer every time you go out. Also, please don't feel that by keeping an abundance of one species that you are helping to control the population of that type of fish. Although it seems sometimes like there are still too many small bass in Copper Dollar Lake, we need them all in there to help control the growing numbers of white perch. Again this year, please do not return any green sunfish or white perch back into either of the lakes.

New CDC Boat Stickers

This year the CDC Board has decided to issue new boat stickers to the residents. As in the past, the sticker is to be applied to the starboard (right side) of the boat. The proper way to travel around the lake is in a counter clockwise direction. This way the sticker will face towards the shore when you are taking a cruise.

I went on Copper Dollar lake today for the first time this year with one of my neighbors. While fishing, we both heard the sound of a loon. Both of us are familiar with fishing northern waters and recognized the sound right away. After a few minutes the loon surfaced and we were able to get a few pictures. Our guess is that this bird is just visiting for awhile on his way up north. For a rare treat around here, try to keep a lookout for him in the water and also try to hear a few of his calls. They are definitely beautiful birds.

Bluebird House Trail Update

The Fish & Wildlife Committee installed ten bluebird houses today starting at the northeast corner of Copper Penny Lake and extending onto Copper Dollar Lake. They are evenly spaced at one hundred yards apart. The boxes will be monitored and the progress will be reported on this blog. We would appreciate it if everyone (especially children) would leave the boxes alone. If anyone is interested in helping or has any questions, give me a call or send me an email.

With the lakes mostly thawed, there doesn't seem to be much evidence of a fish kill over the winter. There were a few as expected on Copper Penny but today Copper Dollar still had quite a bit of ice on it. If anybody notices what they feel to be an excessive amount of dead fish in the lake, please notify anyone on the Committee so we can take a look or do a cleanup if necessary. Thanks.

Bluebird nest box trail

The latest topic being discussed right now with the F&W Committee is the idea of having another bluebird house trail at Copper Dollar Cove. This one would start on Copper Penny Lake and probably extend to the East end of Copper Dollar. I will be attending a "Bluebirds Across Nebraska" workshop in a couple of weeks at Schramm State Park. Here I hope to learn the exact number of boxes that we will need, the correct way to monitor them and also make the purchases all at the same time. There are three types of bluebird houses available and they all come with the mounting poles included. These are really nice houses and cost only about eleven or twelve dollars each. This workshop is free and open to the public. Anyone interested in attending, give me a call for the particulars.

2010 Update

Since the creation of the Fish and Wildlife Committee, we have always had seven members. This seemed like a good size group with the right number of people when things came down to a vote. Over the years some people have left the group and others have joined. We have also had people in the wings that just wanted to be volunteers when a project got underway. This year we have decided to open up the Committee to all residents that are interested in joining. We would like to hear new ideas and concerns in regards to improving the fishing and wildlife habitat at the Cove. Please email or give me a call if interested in joining.

Q & A from the CDC Annual Meeting 2-2-10

Thanks goes out to Matt and Terri Bellini for hosting the CDC Annual Meeting yesterday. Here's the answers to a couple of questions that came up at the meeting.

Do we need a fishing permit at Copper Dollar Cove?

Answer: YES

References: 2010 Nebraska Fishing Guide, Nebraska Game & Parks Private Lakes Specialist

Some people are under the assumption that a permit is not required because the lakes are private. The State does not consider these private lakes in this situation because all the fish were not entirely privately stocked. Also, Copper Penny Lake is not totally located on Copper Dollar Cove property but extends onto the farm south of Cove Rd.

Are boats required to be registered with the State of Nebraska?

References: 2010 Nebraska Boating Guide, Cass County Treasurers Office

Answer: YES. All vessels powered by any mechanical device (gas, electric and diesel) capable of propelling the vessel over any public or private waters of Nebraska needs to be registered with the State.

Exceptions: Vessels not powered by machinery at any time. Examples: canoes, kayaks, pedal boats, etc. Note: According to the Treasurers office, these vessels would also have to be registered if required by the CDC Association.

The States definition of a vessel is -- Every description of watercraft used or capable of being used as a means of transportation on water with the exception of a seaplane.

Outdoorsman Swap Meet & Flea Market

If interested, there is a local bass club sponsoring a Flea Market at the Holiday Inn at 72nd St. and Grover on Saturday, 2-6-10 from 8:00AM to 3:00PM. Admission is $3.00. There is supposed to be a large selection of new and used fishing tackle and other outdoor equipment. For information call 402-502-0275 or 402-490-2699.

Ice Condition Update

During the last week I have been out on Copper Penny Lake twice. The ice is about twelve inches thick but some areas have quite a bit of snow. There seems to be some water between the snow and ice so you might want to bring a shovel to clear it off before you start fishing or set up a shanty. Warmer weather is in the forecast for the immediate future so always be careful when exploring new ice. We caught fish but nothing I would consider as "keepers".