In 2018 Nebraska Game and Parks introduced the Nebraska
Trout Slam, a competition to highlight trout fishing opportunities in Nebraska.
Since fly fishing is one of the most effective ways to capture trout, we here
at Cornhusker Fly Fishers are excited for the opportunity to teach the public
about our trout and cold water streams in Nebraska, and help anglers complete
the trout slam.
Have a question about completing the slam? Attend a meeting,
join the club, and pick the brains of anglers already on the Trout Slam
Completer’s webpage. Contact us here!
How do I complete the slam?
-All you need to do is catch each of our four trout species
in Nebraska, take a picture of the fish, and then submit the picture to
Nebraska Game and Parks here: https://outdoornebraska.gov/troutslamentry/
-The four species of trout needed are: Rainbow Trout, Brown
Trout, Brook Trout, and Cutthroat Trout
The four species…
Rainbow Trout:
-Difficulty: Easy
-Nebraska’s most common trout, Rainbows are commonly stocked
in the fall, winter, and spring in our urban fisheries as a put and take fish.
Great places to find them include Standing Bear Lake in Omaha, Two Rivers State
Recreation Area Trout Pond, Holmes Lake in Lincoln, and Lake Ogallala below Lake
McConaughy. They are also stocked in other waters throughout the state and can be
found with the Fish Stocking database linked at the bottom of this page.
-For an additional challenge, Rainbow Trout can also be
captured from our moving water streams as well. East Verdigre Creek above Grove
Lake, the North Platte River and the Sutherland Supply Canal below Lake
Ogallala are great options for moving water rainbows.
Brown Trout:
-Difficulty: Intermediate
-Brown trout are only found in cold water streams in northern
and western Nebraska, making them slightly harder to come by. For Lincoln/Omaha
anglers, the closest streams would be East Verdigre Creek above Grove Lake and
Long Pine Creek by the city of Long Pine. In western Nebraska, the brown trout
is more common being found in most of our trout supporting streams. Ninemile
Creek by Scottsbluff is a good suggestion. Fort Robinson is also a great place
to travel to complete the slam, with brown trout being very common in the White
River and Soldier Creek flowing through park property. In Nebraska, brown trout
are rarely stocked and our populations are generally self-supporting through
natural reproduction, making it important to practice good stewardship of our
brown trout stocks.
Cutthroat Trout:
-Difficulty: Intermediate to Very Hard, depending on
stocking schedules.
-Cutthroat trout are a rarer trout in Nebraska. Before the
fall 2019 stockings of Cutthroat Trout, the fish was extremely rare in
Nebraska; typically only found in the waters associated with Fort Robinson
State Park. The stockings have made the fish more common, and great places to
target the fish are the White River at Fort Robinson State Park, and Middle Soldier Creek and the Woods Reserve Ponds at Soldier Creek Wilderness area.
Other fisheries in western and northern Nebraska also received some 2019 stockings,
and those can be found on the Nebraska Fish Stocking Database. The more time
that has passed since the last stocking makes this fish considerably more
difficult to find.
Brook Trout:
-Difficulty: Very Hard
-The brook trout is arguably the most difficult species to
capture in the slam. It is only found in small creeks of Pine Ridge in the
northwestern panhandle. For anglers in eastern Nebraska, this does mean a road
trip to the panhandle is required to complete the slam. These small creeks are
often only a couple to few feet wide with grass and trees hanging over the
stream. This creates difficult casting conditions requiring accuracy and
stealth to sneak up on fish. The best place to target this fish is Middle
Soldier Creek followed by South Soldier Creek on the Soldier Creek Wilderness
by Fort Robinson, but they can also be found in the public access sections of
many other nearby creeks. Brook trout are not stocked in Nebraska, and their
populations are wild and supported through natural reproduction, making it
important to practice good stewardship of our brook trout stocks. While a hard
fish to catch, it is not impossible and a very rewarding way to complete the
slam.
Bonus Fish – Tiger Trout:
-Difficulty: Hard to Very Hard
-While not officially part of the Nebraska Trout Slam, Tiger Trout
can also be found in our state. Catching one is what many Nebraska trout
anglers consider the Nebraska Grand Trout Slam. This rare fish is a cross between Brook
Trout and Brown Trout. Naturally occurring wild Tiger Trout are amongst the
rarest trout that can be caught, occurring only in waters that hold both brown
and brook trout. However, they can be raised in a hatchery setting and there
were some stockings in Nebraska that made the fish slightly easier to find.
Currently the best places to target Tiger Trout would be the Woods Reserve
Ponds at Soldier Creek Wilderness Area, or Lake Ogallala and associated waters.
Flies:
-Still waters: Small streamers like woolly buggers are very
effective. Nymphs under an indicator can also be highly successful. Common
patterns like Hare’s Ear and Prince Nymphs are a good starting place.
-Moving waters: Nymphs are very productive, Prince and
Hare’s Ears work well, and midge nymphs in red or black are also effective. Dry
flies like the Adams, Parachute Adams, Elk Hair Caddis, and small Stimulators
are great flies for when the fish will hit the surface. In late summer and
early fall when the grasshoppers are flying, any hopper pattern can be perhaps
the best dry fly of all.
Resources to complete the slam:
-Buy a Nebraska Fishing License: https://ngpc-home.ne.gov/
-Nebraska Trout Slam Info and Submission Form: http://outdoornebraska.gov/troutslam/
-Trout Fishing in Nebraska Streams: http://digital.outdoornebraska.gov/i/191334-trout-fishing-in-nebraska-streams
-Nebraska Fishing Regulations: http://outdoornebraska.gov/guides/
-Nebraska Public Access Guide: http://outdoornebraska.gov/publicaccessatlas/
-Nebraska Fish Stocking Reports: http://outdoornebraska.gov/fishstockingreports/
