2025 Fishing Guide and regulation changes in the new year

Be ready for a new year of fishing adventures with the 2025 Fishing Guide. It includes useful information including regulations, state records, fish ID, public fishing areas and more. View it online at the link below.

Note that this guide also includes some fishing regulation changes in 2025, affecting various species and waterbodies. Here is a quick rundown of those changes.

View Guide

2025 Fishing Forecast out online

With about 450 lakes and streams open to public fishing, deciding where to fish in Nebraska can sometimes be challenging. Our annual fishing forecast can help.

It includes fish sampling charts and the best waters to catch large fish across the state. View it online at the link below.

View Forecast

Use caution on ice: What to know about ice-fishing safety

Keep safety top of mind whenever you venture onto the ice. Remember the following clear-ice thickness guidelines:

• Under 4 inches: Stay off the ice
• 4 inches: Can support ice fishing or other activities on foot
• 5-7 inches: Can support a snowmobile or small ATV
• 7-8 inches: Can support side-by-side ATV

Use an ice chisel or spud bar to strike the ice and evaluate conditions as you venture out. Remember as winter progresses, ice changes. Cloudy ice of frozen slush is about half as strong as clear lake ice, so people should double the minimum thickness when encountering such conditions.

If venturing out, tell someone your plan, bring a long throw rope and ice picks, and pack extra dry clothes. Read further tips on our website.

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Attend an ice-fishing clinic

It's not too late to learn how to ice-fish. Attend an ice-fishing clinic and learn the basics, or pick up new tips from experienced anglers.

Workshops are planned in Lincoln and Norfolk, with limited loaner equipment available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Join us and begin your ice-fishing journey in 2025!

See Events

Winter trout stream fishing

If ice-fishing isn't for you, you're in luck. Even now, in the coldest part of the year, open-water fishing options exist in Nebraska.

Fed by groundwater springs, many of Nebraska’s trout streams, or at least stretches of them, remain relatively ice-free all winter. Most are located in the northern and western parts of the state. 

Here are some helpful tips for those ready to pursue that opportunity.

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