Nebraska’s fisheries managers employ many tools to maintain and enhance our state’s fish populations and fishing opportunities. Stocking fish is just one of those tools. Each year millions of fish are stocked in Nebraska waters from one end of the state to the other, dozens of species are stocked in hundreds of waters.

Trout stocking schedule

2020 Spring stocking

Each spring, the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission stocks catchable-sized rainbow trout in community lakes and ponds across Nebraska. The stocked trout are approximately 10 inches in length.

The following is a tentative stocking schedule, including quantities:

March 9 – Northwest Lake, Bridgeport State Recreation Area (SRA), 700; Terry’s Pit, Terrytown, 1,500; Scottsbluff zoo pond, 900

March 10 – Northwest Lake, Bridgeport SRA, 700; North Morrill sandpit, 2,000; Middle Morrill sandpit, 450

March 14 – Two Rivers SRA trout lake (No. 5) scheduled to open

March 17 – Auble Pond, Ord, 750

March 18 – Lake Halleck, Papillion, 1,200; Steinhart Park East Pond, Nebraska City, 800; Weeping Water Pond, 1,500; CenturyLink Lake, Eugene T. Mahoney State Park (SP), Ashland, 2,500

March 19 – Lake No. 2, Fremont Lakes SRA, 4,000; Such’s Lake, Grand Island, 650; Heartwell Park Lake, Hastings, 450

March 20 – Humboldt City Park Lake, 350; Auburn Rotary Club Lake, 800; Stanton Lake, Falls City, 200; Pawnee City Pond, 300; Lake No. 6, Fort Kearny SRA, 600; Holdrege City Lake, 1,000; Lake No. 2, Windmill SRA, Gibbon, 600; Ponca SP Pond, 900; Oxford City Lake, 150; Curtis Golf Course Pond, 150

In addition, rainbow trout are scheduled to be released at the following locations (times are tentative): March 21 – Holmes Lake, Lincoln, 4,000, 12:30 p.m.; TaHaZouka Park Lake, Norfolk, 1,500, 10 a.m.; Pawnee Park West Lake, Columbus, 1,500, 11:15 a.m.; Neligh Park Pond, West Point, 900, 12:45 p.m.; Lake Helen, Gothenburg, 2,000, 12:15 p.m.; Plum Creek Park Pond, Lexington, 750, 1:15 p.m.

Week of March 23 – Ponca SP Pond, 600; Lake No. 2, Fremont Lakes SRA, 1,000; Niobrara SP Pond, 750

Additional March stockings – East Verdigre Creek, 800; Elm Creek, 1,000; Lake Ogallala, 10,000; Lake No. 5, Two Rivers SRA, 13,000

April stockings – East Verdigre Creek, 1,000; Lake No. 5, Two Rivers, 10,000; Pond No. 4, Keller Park SRA, 250; Pond No. 5, Keller Park SRA, 400; Steel Creek, 200; Sand Springs, Plum Creek Valley WMA, 400; Grove Lake WMA sandpit 50; Lake Ogallala, 10,000; Gilbert-Baker WMA Pond, 600; Chadron north reservoir, 1,700; Chadron SP Pond, 500; Chadron south reservoir, 1,700; North Morrill sandpit, 2,000; Middle Morrill sandpit, 450; Scottsbluff zoo pond, 900; Northwest Lake, Bridgeport SRA, 1,400; Terry’s Pit, 1,500; Grabel Pond No. 1, 400; Grabel Pond No. 2, 800; Grabel Pond No. 3, 400; Carter P. Johnson Lake, 2,500

In addition, 8,000 tiger trout were stocked at Lake Ogallala in February. At Fort Robinson SP, 900 tiger trout will be stocked at Carter P. Johnson Lake and 800 will be stocked in the Grabel Ponds.

2019 fall stocking

View fall 2019 stockings schedule