Olive Creek Reservoir fishery to be renovated in February

Starting in early February, the fishery at Olive Creek Reservoir in Lancaster County will be renovated. A chemical will be applied to remove invasive common carp from the fishery.

Prolonged drought conditions have resulted in extremely low water levels, severely degrading the fishery and leaving few fish in the remaining water.

In fall 2025, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission fisheries biologists sampled Olive Creek Reservoir to assess the remaining fish population. Results indicated the fishery was dominated by common carp, with some channel catfish and black crappie also present. The unusually low water levels provide an opportunity to take advantage of favorable conditions to chemically renovate the fishery.

Fish restocking is planned to begin this spring, contingent upon sufficient precipitation to restore water levels. Post-renovation stockings will include largemouth bass, bluegill, channel catfish, black crappie, and saugeye.

Funding for this project is provided by the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Fund. For more information, contact Jake Werner at 402-471-7647 or [email protected].