Spring in Kansas is always a bit tedious. Our biological clocks don’t mesh well with the weather. We have been cooped up with COVID and cold weather for a long time. The wind takes my energy. I have had my boat ready to go for a couple of weeks, and I think if I put it on a lake I could end up in Nebraska. We have had some fun and good food by fishing at Veterans for the trout. KDWP gets a big thanks for continuing that program.  

We always seem to start before the fish do. There have been some good blue catfish caught by tough guys that bundle up and go after them. I tend to go the other way – I went to Texas and visited a friend who lives in a retirement village called “Hideaway” close to Tyler. It has three nice lakes and most people there play golf and don’t fish. We caught some nice crappie which is on my shortlist of best fish to eat. The other fish that have started are walleye. The big females tend to lay eggs along the dam face and are either caught or snagged by tough agile fishermen and women who can tiptoe over those big rocks. I used to do that when I was younger and can remember many nights when ice would form in the eyes of our rods. I lost a lot of sleep and nearly froze to death a few times. I want to give a shout-out to a young man from Hoisington who is a terrific fisherman and caught a 10 pound plus female walleye on the dam. He shared the picture on FaceBook and demonstrated a valuable lesson in conservation and good training by his grandpa when he released her to go ahead and lay the eggs of a future generation. I admire and respect that decision a lot. He makes us proud.

The migration is about to start. I went to Arkansas to visit my grandkids and drove through a couple of wildlife areas with my camera. There are lots of shorebirds in those areas that will be here before very long. We should be seeing some Whooping Cranes soon. There has been a significant group of Sandhill Cranes that have stayed around for a long time. The Crane Center in Nebraska has been closed due to COVID for a long time. That blind in the river is an amazing spot for viewing Sandhill Cranes at a very close and camera-friendly range. I hope it opens up again soon.

The Bottoms gives us a beautiful view all the time, but if you go at an odd time (early or late) you can get some beautiful pictures. It is worth the effort to get these shots – I hope you enjoy them!

The morel mushrooms are out, my asparagus has exploded and the early flowers of spring are starting to show off. Good times are right around the corner!

Doc

Doctor Dan Witt is a retired physician and nature enthusiast.