Omaha angler Joseph Cannia can’t wait to try fishing at Duck Creek Recreation Area.
The 65-acre reservoir, located 5 miles northwest of Peru in Nemaha County, opens Saturday. The Nemaha Natural Resources District owns and manages the area. The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission manages the fishery, helped fund construction and assisted with boating and fishing access.
“We need every bit of recreational water we can get, and Duck Creek will be a good one for years to come,’’ said Daryl Bauer, the fisheries outreach program manager for Game and Parks. “It is nice to be able to be involved in the construction of new reservoirs from the beginning as it is a lot easier to build water-quality, fish- and angler-friendly features from the beginning.’’
Trees were cleared for boating lanes, and the cleared trees were piled and secured bottom of the reservoir for added fish structure.
“It’s going to hold a lot of fish,’’ Cannia said. “It should be a good little fishery there.’’
Other access and in-lake features include a boat launch, several shoreline fishing docks, a breakwater, underwater shoals, drop-offs and deep-water habitats. The lake has a no-wake boating regulation.
The water quality is good at the new reservoir, officials said, good for aquatic vegetation and fish growth. It was stocked with bluegill, largemouth bass and channel catfish in 2016 and black crappie were added last summer.
Game and Parks said the fishery is developing well. The survey found high densities of 8- to 12-inch largemouth bass, with some as long as 15 inches. Numerous bluegill were sampled, mostly 4 to 6 inches, with some up to 8, and the channel catfish collected were 15 to 17 inches.
Entry permit requirements will be waived for the opening, which includes a dedication beginning 11 a.m. Saturday.
A new reservoir is great news for Cannia.
“It makes a guy feel like your habitat and fisheries money is being put to use right back where we need it,’’ he said. “In a couple of years, you are going to have some decent fish in there to catch and release. And in a couple of more years, you’ll have some keepers.''
Visit nemahanrd.org/recreation/duck-creek for more information about the area.
