He mentioned the sandpits, for example, that anglers have access to at places like Windmill State Recreation Area near Kearney and Lewisville SRA, and the more than 20 pits known collectively as the Fremont State Lakes. He also mentioned a series of fisheries that are among the most special in all of the Great Plains, if not the entire United States.

“Out Interstate Lakes are a series of borrow pits adjacent to Interstate 80 across the state,” he explained. “They feature good water quality and good aquatic vegetation. As a result, they are good bets for not only quantities of bass, but also some good quality largemouths.”

Bauer also discussed another interesting element of the state’s approach to managing Cornhusker largemouths and other game fish species -- the Aquatic Habitat Program. “I guess you could call it a silver lining of sorts when it comes to the drought,” he said. Think of it as rehab for lakes that were in serious trouble.

“Ravenna Lake in Central Nebraska is a perfect example,” he noted. “It is an old oxbow lake off the Loup River. It had silted in quite a bit, and rough fish were about all you could expect to find in it. As part of the Aquatic Habitat Program, we drained the lake. We excavated out a lot of the silt, did some boat ramp work, and completed some projects to protect and sculpture the shoreline. We also planted some brushpiles and other fish attractors.”

Rotenone was used to kill off all the rough fish. When the lake was refilled, it was stocked with bluegills, channel cats and bass. “This was a complete rehabilitation of Ravenna Lake,” Bauer said, “and the fishing there is now fantastic. We use the same model . . . the same approach . . . on all the lakes that we include in the project.”

Size, of course, dictates exactly what gets done. Ravenna Lake is only 16 acres. But on 300-acre Wagon Train Lake, the project included the addition of artificial structures that are generally more durable than brushpiles tend to be -- features like islands and reefs. And the rehab of Olive Creek Lake included the construction of jetties with deep water nearby.

The NGPC’s Daryl Bauer reiterated that when it comes to top-quality bass -- the kind that’ll have you thinking about a Master Angler Award application -- anglers need to do some homework on private waters.

“When we look at adding structures and features during habitat projects, we give priority to those things that will provide long-term value to the fisheries and to the anglers enjoying them,” Bauer noted. “That’s why we focus on things like islands, reefs, jetties and so forth.