Doc Talks Fishing Podcast

Latest Episodes:

#24 || Jamieson Atkinson: Predators, Log Booms and Bottlenecks - BC Salmon Under Siege Dec 31, 2024

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Dive into the intricate world of British Columbia's salmon with our latest episode featuring Jamieson Atkinson, Program Manager at the Aquatic Research and Restoration Centre, British Columbia Conservation Foundation. Jamieson shares cutting-edge research into the "survival bottlenecks" that are keeping salmon stocks dangerously low. Learn how PIT tags and micro-fishing are helping scientists track juvenile salmon and uncover the critical challenges the fish are facing in the open ocean.

But the story doesn't stop there. Jamieson explains how human interventions, like hatchery-raised salmon, can complicate wild populations and why long-standing log booms in coastal estuaries may be doing more harm than we realize destroying eelgrass, creating anoxic dead zones, and providing easy hunting grounds for seals. Whether you're an angler, a scientist, or just passionate about the ocean, join us for this deep dive into salmon conservation.

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#23 || Nick Baccante: Walleyes Under the Ice - Unlocking Winter Secrets Dec 17, 2024

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Are you ready to revolutionize your ice fishing game? This week on Doc Talks Fishing, we're drilling beneath the frozen surface to uncover the fascinating world of walleyes during the cold winter months. Our guest is none other than Nick Baccante, the former senior scientist with Ontario's legendary Walleye Research Unit. Nick has spent years studying these iconic fish, and he's here to share groundbreaking insights into their behavior and habitat under the ice.

In this episode, we'll explore what walleyes really do in the depths of winter—how they hunt, where they hide, and why they behave the way they do when the lakes freeze over. Whether you're a seasoned ice angler or just starting out, Nick's expert advice will arm you with the science-based knowledge you need to catch more—and bigger—walleyes. Don't miss this chance to learn from one of the best in the field and take your ice fishing success to the next level!

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#22 || Rebecca Spring: From Microns to Monsters - The Science Behind Trophy Fish Dec 03, 2024

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Rebecca Spring jokingly calls herself the "Bug Lady," but as an aquatic taxonomist, she's much more than that. She's a scientist who unravels the complex food web that supports everything alive in the water-from microscopic plankton to the big fish we love to catch.

What makes Rebecca even cooler? She's also an avid angler and hunter. Living in tiny Alberton, Montana (population around 400), just a stone's throw from Missoula - where A River Runs Through It was filmed - she has a deep understanding of the intricate connections between algae, plankton, insects, and the walleye, bass, trout and whitefish at the top of the food chain. Knowing where these critters thrive is a key to catching the biggest fish in the lake.

This episode is packed with incredible science and practical insights — don't miss it!

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#21 || Dr. Nigel Lester: "Walleye: A Beautiful Fish of the Dark" Nov 19, 2024

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Dr. Nigel Lester, has spent much of his life studying the life history of walleyes as a research scientist with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry and a professor with Trent University and the University of Toronto. Co-author of one of the most groundbreaking studies ever undertaken, Dr. Lester and his team looked at how ambient light and water temperature combine to affect walleye abundance. If you've ever wondered why your favourite walleye lake does or doesn't produce lots of fish, or what constitutes the perfect walleye water, tune into this week's fascinating episode. You'll never look at walleyes, the same way, ever again.

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#20 || Dr. Heidi Swanson: Turnover – What It Means and How It Affects Fish Nov 05, 2024

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Twice a year—spring and fall—lake turnover disrupts the waters and drives anglers crazy. To help us make sense of this phenomenon, we’re joined by Dr. Heidi Swanson, a distinguished fisheries scientist and the inaugural Jarislowsky Chair at Wilfrid Laurier University. Heidi is also the adjunct professor at the University of Waterloo, Dr. Swanson’s work with cold-water fish is legendary.
In this episode, she’ll explain how, in lakes that stratify, the thermocline acts as a ‘glass floor’ for warm-water species like bass and walleye, while it’s a ‘glass ceiling’ for cold-water fish like trout, whitefish, burbot, and ciscoes. So if you’re tired of scratching your head over turnover—what it is, how it forms, and why it matters—this episode is your chance to get the answers you need to become a more informed angler.

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#19 || Dr. Bruce Tufts: Do Fish Scents Really Work? Oct 22, 2024

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Dr. Bruce Tufts is a comparative fish physiologist at Queen’s University where he specializes in fish olfactory senses. On this week’s podcast, Bruce explains how fish use their keen senses of smell and taste. Using hundreds of captive fish, Bruce and his team undertook countless feeding trials to isolate the specific molecules that flip the switch and convince them that your bait is real. And what about garlic and coffee, do fish really find them attractive? Does gasoline and oil on your hands repel fish? Tune into this week’s podcast and get the answer to the question you’ve always wondered about: Do fish scents really work?

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#18 || Dr. David Philipp: A Once in a Lifetime Smallmouth Bass Discovery Oct 08, 2024

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Dr. David Philipp is renowned for his work with smallmouth bass - especially their reproductive ecology. But the Director of the Fisheries Genetics Lab at the Illinois Natural History Society, adjunct professor at the University of Illinois and Chair of the Fisheries Conservation Foundation encountered a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity on Opinicon Lake, in southeastern Ontario, when Covid rules closed access to the fish during the spawning season. How the bass responded has not only shocked the science community, it has led to an experimental management project that may show us how to manage for more and bigger bass in the future. Listen in, as David explains to Gord and Liam, how the good old days may be right around the corner.

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#17 || Danny Swainson: Are Steelhead Doomed? Sep 24, 2024

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Biologist Danny Swainson says steelhead on the west coast have so many nutrients available to them once they hit the ocean that they can grow to 15 pounds in three or four years. But something is happening to them once they enter salt water and it is frightening. Are steelhead different from the rainbow trout in the rivers? What are the survival bottlenecks they are encountering in the ocean? How many adults are returning these days to spawn? What are tracking studies telling us? And how bleak is the future of the fishery? Hold onto your hats folks as British Columbia Conservation Foundation steelhead specialist, Danny Swainson explains if we'll be fishing for steelhead in the years to come.

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#16 || Brian Chan: Triploid Trout - Are They the Future of Stocking? Sep 10, 2024

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Renown biologist, Brian Chan has spent years managing the trout fisheries in British Columbia. You'll be amazed listening to Brian explain how the province produces triploid female rainbow and brook trout that grow twice as large and live twice as long as diploids. There is a reason the trout fishing spotlight is shining so brightly on British Columbia these days. Brian even shares some of his stillwater trout fishing secrets with us. Hold onto your hats, folks, this one is amazing.

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#15 || Steve Quinn: The Lateral Line, A Fish's Sixth Sense Aug 27, 2024

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Biologist Steve Quinn has a foot in the world of fisheries science and fishing itself. The longtime bass editor of In-Fisherman Magazine has authored numerous research reports and served in various capacities for the American Fisheries Society. Steve joins Liam and Gord on this week's podcast to reveal how fish use their lateral lines to communicate with each other, hunt and capture prey. They can even detect the vortex left in the water by a fleeing baitfish (or your lure) and follow it straight to the item. You will be intrigued listening to this week's podcast —and add a trick or two to your game plan - thanks to Bass Fishing Hall of Fame inductee, Steve Quinn.

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