Fish Transfer Update

As of yesterday, 8-20-09, 300 crappies and 300 bluegills have been transferred from Copper Penny Lake to Copper Dollar Lake. Thanks to everyone who participated.

The recommendations by the State of Nebraska Game & Parks Commission Wildlife Specialist are to have catch & release on all crappies, bluegills and bass in Copper Dollar Lake for the rest of this year and 2010 to help this program succeed. The reasoning of course with the bluegills and crappies is for them to reproduce. The big ones already in the lake will be the best spawners and the new fish we entered this year and last would have the chance to establish themselves. The purpose of not harvesting the bass is to keep the white perch hatches under control and also the crappie and bluegill fry so there is no chance of overpopulation for them.

With a couple of walleye being caught lately in Copper Penny Lake, some people have been asking about stocking some more in the future. We now know for sure that they will survive in the lake but most likely will not reproduce. The stocking could probably be low in numbers but must require using substantial size fish. This will be a subject to be discussed at a future F&W Committee meeting.

2009 Fish Transfer

The F&W Committee has again this year received approval from the CDC Board of Directors to transfer fish from Copper Penny Lake into Copper Dollar Lake. Just like last year, we plan to transfer 300 small crappies and 300 small bluegills. There seems to be an overabundance of them in Copper Penny and very few in Copper Dollar. The necessary applications for permits have been mailed to the State of Nebraska Game & Parks Commission and the transfer should be able to start sometime next week. If anyone is interested in helping, please contact me so I can add your name to the list that is furnished to the State and the Game Warden in our area.

As previously requested, please refrain from harvesting bass, crappies and bluegills from Copper Dollar Lake this year. Please pass this request on to neighbors that may not be able to read this web page. Thanks.

Interesting Website

A friend of mine sent me this website to look at. If you're interested in fishing and like to spend time on the computer, you'll probably find this very interesting. Enjoy. http://www.aa-fishing.com/index.html

We need to remember.......

Nebraska fishing rules and regulations apply to the lakes at Copper Dollar Cove. What we need to remember is that the lakes here are actually more like farm ponds and fishing pressure can be devastating on small bodies of water. The legal length limit for largemouth bass in Nebraska is 15 inches. In Copper Dollar Lake, that is one of the bigger fish. Fifteen inches and bigger are the ones we really need to keep in the lake to control the white perch and are the fish that can actually grow into trophies. They are also the best spawners.

There are also some nice bluegills and crappies in Copper Dollar Lake and last year we put in 600 more of them to try and replenish the population. Nebraska rules are very generous with the limits on these panfish. If we were all to keep limits on these fish in Copper Dollar, we would soon be back to square one. If you feel the need to take some bluegill or crappie for table fare, consider Copper Penny Lake. They may be a little smaller but they are more plentiful. Once again though, we need to remember that Copper Penny is smaller and we really should only keep the amount of fish we need for our meal and not feel that it is necessary to catch a total limit all the time.

The goal of the Fish & Wildlife Committee is to create two great fishing lakes for every resident to enjoy. We need the help of everyone to accomplish this task. Thanks.

Fishing permit needed or not at CDC???

Do we need a fishing permit to fish at Copper Dollar Cove? That is a very popular question around here. It has always been kind of a gray area when reading the Nebraska fishing rules and regulations. It was pretty clear that you needed one for Copper Penny Lake but probably not for Copper Dollar Lake. It used to state that one was not needed for a totally private lake with no connection to any other body of water. In 2009, the rule has been written a little differently. It now states that the private lakes must be entirely stocked. According to the interpretation of the State of Nebraska, our lakes have types of fish such as Green Sunfish and White Perch which were never stocked so therefore the answer is "Yes" we do need to have fishing permits.

Ticks

Unfortunately, part of the wildlife that exists at Copper Dollar Cove are ticks. They like to inhabit wooded areas and fields with high grass. Those of us with dogs are pretty familiar with the wood tick. This is the time of year when the tick becomes most active. People who like to walk their dogs on the paths around the lake may want to check their dog very carefully for ticks before going back into the house even if the dog is wearing a flea and tick collar. Ticks are blood suckers and also like to attach themselves to people. To get more info on how to prevent ticks and how to remove them properly, see http://www.essortment.com/all/woodticks_rgjq.htm

White Perch - Update

I already have a post dedicated to White Perch but I went fishing this evening in Copper Dollar Lake and caught three of them. I thought I'd try to put up a picture of one so everyone would know what to look for. If you catch one of these fish in either lake, please do not return it into the water. By the way, this fish was 12 inches long and weighed a little over a pound which qualifies it for a "Master Angler Award" in Nebraska.