In 2005, Blake Walter of Dannebrog started things off with an 8-pounder he caught from a private impoundment on Feb. 28 while using a Swedish Pimple spoon. Scott Dietrich of Alliance nailed a 6-pound, 7-ounce fish at Smith Lake in March while fishing a live chub. Monte Maris of Seward used a Mepps spinner to fool a 7-pound, 14-ounce fish on April 30. He was fishing a farm pond in Seward County. Steve Lytle of McCook cast a jig-and-plastic-craw into a Sandpit lake near home and connected with a 22-incher on May 2. Cody Onnen of Wayne used a bluegill to hook a 7-pound, 3-ounce fish at Buckskin Hills Lake near Newcastle in June.

In July, Taylor McHenry of Tecumseh was fishing Burchard Lake using a night crawler when a 21-incher weighing 5-pound, 2-ounce fish inhaled it. Danny Collins of North Platte was throwing a spinnerbait at Cottonmill Lake near Kearney on August 6 when he hooked and landed a 22-incher. In September a Moss Moose lure thrown by Jim Kittel of Kearney put a 21-incher in his diary. He was fishing a private impoundment. Jason Janise of Norfolk threw a crankbait into Maskenthine Reservoir on Oct. 11 and it came back with a 22-incher on it. Allen Naprstek of Valparaiso was fishing a plastic worm at Wildwood on Nov. 23 when a 24-inch largemouth accepted it.

December and January appear to be the leanest month for largemouths. In 2005 there were no trophy bass reported in December. One has to go back to the records in 2004 to find a December-caught bass. Matt Bruntz of Gothenberg caught a 21-incher at Box Butte using a minnow for bait on the 27th. January was just as lean for the bass chasers. Undoubtedly a cover of ice on many bass waters cut down on the catch, and on number of fishermen. Gary Eckmann of Bloomfield connected with a 22-incher on Jan. 23, 2004, while using a minnow for bait on a local farm pond.

If anyone tries to pinpoint some of the best bass lures used to catch the "big ones" plastics -- worms, craws, lizards, salamanders, grubs and frogs -- are most often mentioned. Some of the artificials used sound rather exotic -- how about the Swedish Pimple, Glass Clown Rapala, Green Crawdad, Black and Blue lizard, No. 3XPS Lazer Eye Extreme, Trick Stick, 3-inch Stik-O, Gun Fish Lure, Yum Dinger, Terminator, Weedless Wildeye, Gene Larew Hawg Craw, Lake Fork Ring Fry, Lytle's Secret Tailspin, and Heddon Super Spook?

A writer knows that some anglers don't tell it all when reporting the lures they catch the bass on. Some just say "night crawler"; others speak of a "worm," "mouse," "diver," "lure," "live bait," "topwater lure," "fake worm," "minnow" -- even a "hot dog."

Daryl Bauer, lakes and reservoir fisheries manager for the NGPC in Lincoln had these words on 2007 bass for Great Plains Game & Fish: "We are still suffering from drought in much of the state, but the fishing is still pretty good. Some of the lakes that were renovated and restocked in the past few years look very promising to us.

"Wildwood is coming back and the bass are now measuring around 12 inches or a little better. Summit is a good one, and is producing good numbers of bass in the 15- to 18-inch range. Wagon Train and Olive Creek should offer some good action this year. Frye Lake is coming on, and will likely offer some good fishing this year. Island Lake on the Crescent Refuge needs a couple of years for the bass to grow up."

Check the 2007 Nebraska fishing guide for details on regulations and a guide to public waters.