Fish of the Week!

Latest Episodes:

Sport Fish Restoration Act 75th Jul 29, 2025

Show notes

Get to know the history behind the Sport Fish Restoration Act as we kick off a month celebrating its role (and yours) in fisheries conservation and access. Our guests are Mark Madison (a historian at our National Conservation Training Center in West Virginia) and Tom Decker (branch manager with our Office of Conservation Investment).

Yelloweye Rockfish / Spot Shrimp Special! Jul 21, 2025

Show notes

Get to know the Yelloweye Rockfish and (bonus!) spot shrimp! This episode explores the close relationship between these two species in Prince William Sound, Alaska. You'll gain insight into their diet and reproduction, fishing tips and how-tos, and best practices to help both species continue to provide enjoyment and sustenance for years to come. Our guests are Brittany Blain-Roth and Donnie Arthur from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

Lifelist Fishing How-Tos! Jul 14, 2025

Show notes

Katrina and Guy do a deep dive into lifelist fishing including how to start from scratch, lessons learned, tips for parents who want to set their kids up for lifelisting success, and how this fun activity can open doors to deep friendships and fish-focused vacations (the best kind!). Guy also discusses his wearable seine and Katrina catches listeners up on "fanmail darter."

Tennessee's Lovely Laurel Dace Jul 07, 2025

Show notes

Get to know the Laurel Dace, a Tennessee native named for the mountain laurel that covers the streams where it lives. You'll love this handsome fish with the gold, yellow, black and tan ensemble and splash of red on their lips. This endangered Southern Appalachian fish is an emblem of a very special place and what it means to live as part of a community and watch out for your neighbors, both above and below the water. Anna George from the Tennessee Aquarium and Emily Granstaff/Warren Styles join from our U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Tennessee Ecological Services Field Office.

Shorthead Redhorse: Fishiest Fish For All Jun 30, 2025

Show notes

Get to know the beautiful Shorthead Redhorse: a far-ranging, classically shiny fish that's very accessible, tasty, and fun to catch! All while it continues to provide ecosystem services for other valued fish and wildlife. Our guests are Native Fish for Tomorrow's Olaf Nelson and Tyler Winter: two guys who are true sucker lovers willing share a wealth of information and big dose of enthusiasm for perhaps one of America's greatest underappreciated treasures.

Weather Loach! Jun 23, 2025

Show notes

We've got a fascinating story for you about the discovery of nonnative Weather Loaches in Georgia! You'll want to get to know these butt-breathing, temperature tolerant fishes and the cool work being done to understand their distribution and impact. Our guests are researchers from the University of Georgia's Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources: Wesley Gerrin and Sarah McNair!

Story Map: https://bit.ly/weatherloach

Rainbow Darter! Jun 16, 2025

Show notes

Get to know the Rainbow Darter! Whether you're microfishing, snorkeling, or combining the two, this is a great first fish to start your lifelist...and life list fishing is a great way to celebrate the amazing biodiversity of fish! Cody Cromer, a native fish enthusiast, aquarium keeper, microfisherman and lifelist angler from Ohio brings his passion for these pursuits and for these beautiful native fish.

The Fantastic Flier! Jun 09, 2025

Show notes

Meet a really neat member of North America's native sunfish family: the Flier! You can find this fantastic aquaria fish and worthy ultralight target sipping midges and chasing their small fish prey in cypress swamps. You'll come away from this episode with a great understanding of and appreciation for these beautiful, underappreciated fish. Our guests, both members of the North American Native Fishes Association, unpack their knowledge gained through first hand experience catching and keeping these fish: Tyler Goodale is a flier enthusiast and fisherman from Southeast Missouri and Dylan Bane is a teacher, football coach and native fish enthusiast/aquarist in Illinois.

Southeast Snorkeling for Spotfin Chub! Jun 02, 2025

Show notes

Get to know the Spotfin Chub! This beautiful, sometimes shimmery blue fish is endemic/unique to the Tennessee River basin in the Southeast United States and the only species in its genus. After listening, you'll know all about it's cool bedrock/crevice spawning habits, how the impacts of Hurricane Helene are still at play, and tips for interacting with this fish and other cool native species along the increasingly popular Blue Ridge Snorkel Trail. Our guests are Luke Etchison from North Carolina's Wildlife Resources Commission and Pat Ciccotto from Warren Wilson College.

Blue Catfish! May 26, 2025

Show notes

Get to know the Blue Catfish! From their habits in big rivers like the Missouri and Mississippi to fishing opportunities in small reservoirs, we have two great guests to help dig into the details: Kurt Hentschke and Joe McMullen from the Missouri Department of Conservation. Joe is a big river specialist and manages Missouri's commercial fishing program and Kurt manages Missouri's Hunnewell Fish Hatchery. You won't want to miss fun facts about hotdogs, deer hair, and catfish testes!

Learn more:

https://research.mdc.mo.gov/project/big-rivers-catfish-assessment

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