Doc Talks Fishing Podcast

Can fish learn to outsmart us? In this fascinating episode of Doc Talks Fishing, we sit down with Dr. Hal Schramm-legendary bass biologist, pioneering researcher, and inductee into the National Fisheries Management Hall of Excellence— to explore the cutting-edge science of fish learning and conditioning. Hal shares eye-opening research showing that bass—and likely other species— can actually learn...

Why did your go-to walleye lure stop working? Do big females "ghost" anglers after the spawn — and where do they go? Why are some lakes full of daytime biters and others go dead until dusk? In this jam-packed episode of Doc Talks Fishing, renowned walleye scientists Dr. Nigel Lester and Nick Baccante return to answer your questions about walleye behaviour, movement, learning, vision, spa...

What makes walleyes masters of low light, why do they seemingly vanish from some lakes but thrive in others, and what really drives their boom-and-bust cycles? In this eye-opening episode of Doc Talks Fishing, we sit down with fisheries scientist Paul Radomski, author of Walleye: A Beautiful Fish of the Dark to dive deep into the fascinating science behind one of North America's most enigmati...

Ever wonder what REALLY happens before trout hit your favorite lake? We went behind the scenes with Nelson Bergh, head of Saskatchewan's massive fish hatchery, to uncover the secrets of trout stocking-from hand-picked genetics to survival rates, wariness, and why some fish grow into giants while others vanish. Learn how hatchery science can help you catch more (and bigger) trout by understand...

Did you know that a lake trout's brain actually grows in the winter? That's right-when the water gets cold, these incredible fish devote more energy to their brains, enhancing their cognitive abilities for complex reasoning. This astonishing discovery challenges everything we thought we knew about fish behaviour! In this mind-blowing episode of Doc Talks Fishing, we sit down with fisheri...

Lake Winnipeg’s legendary greenbacks are a different breed. Unlike their structure-hugging cousins in Shield-type lakes, these giants roam the vast, featureless expanse in search of pelagic baitfish. In our last episode, Dr. Paul Cooley revealed the science behind their winter habits, but now we’re taking it to the next level—putting that knowledge into action on the ice! Enter Gianni Nevieri, bet...

Ever wondered what walleyes are really doing beneath the ice on relatively shallow, featureless, prairie-type lakes? Join us on this week’s episode of Doc Talks Fishing, as we unravel the mysteries of winter walleye behaviour with renowned fisheries biologist, Dr. Paul Cooley.  Dr. Cooley shares groundbreaking insights from his cutting-edge research, revealing where walleyes go, how they feed, and...

Ever wondered what it takes to consistently reel in slab crappies, trophy bluegills, and vibrant pumpkinseeds? In this must-listen episode of Doc Talks Fishing, we sit down with Scott Smithers, a leading biologist with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and a panfish management expert. Scott dives deep into the fascinating world of panfish, revealing their hidden habits, preferred habitats,...

Are you ready to catch more and bigger lake trout under the ice this winter? We're diving this week into Dr. Christian Therrien's groundbreaking research on lake trout habits and habitat. From their seasonal movements in the winter time to their feeding patterns, we unpack the science behind what makes these incredible fish tick. But we don't stop there—we take Chris' fascinati...

We’re thrilled to welcome back Saskatchewan-based biologist Jeff Matity who has spent years studying northern pike. In this fascinating episode, Matity unpacks the winter habits of pike, revealing how these apex predators use a surprising variety of habitats —they’re not all in the weeds— under the ice. You’ll learn why pike are drawn to specific prey species like ciscoes and yellow perch and how...

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...

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 her...

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 (popu...

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 wal...

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 ep...

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 wh...

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 clo...

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...

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 hi...

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. The...

Ciscoes —also known as lake herring and tulibees— are so favoured by walleye, lake trout, northern pike, bass and muskies that they seem to have a target painted on their backs. Absolutely every predator fish devours them every opportunity they get. Dr. Chris Therrien —who is known as The Cisco Kid— sits down with Gord and Liam on this week’s podcast to explain how ciscoes can totally change the l...

Renowned muskie scientist, Dr. Sean Landsman tells Liam and Gord on this week's podcast that he has observed muskies doing some mighty strange things. Using bio-loggers equipped with pressure sensors, Landsman says he is surprised at the number of muskies that frequent deeper water, lay on the bottom of the lake and suspend in the water column? Do muskies have different personalities? Do they...

Few fish baffle anglers more than lake whitefish. They're found in countless numbers of lakes, often offering up staggering populations of big hard fighting delicious fish. But in other than a few well-known lakes in the winter, whitefish remain an enigma. Rebecca Perry is an instructor at Saskatchewan Polytechnic, who has studied lake whitefish extensively. She talks with Gord and Liam on th...

Imagine surgically implanting radio tags inside 38 smallmouth bass and then tracking them on a daily basis for up to five years. The details you would learn about their habits and habitats would astound you. Well, that is what OMNR biologist Barry Corbett did on one million acre Lake of the Woods, in one of the most monumental bass tracking studies in fisheries science history. Barry shares what h...

Any day now, an amazing pre-summer peak walleye pattern is going to explode. And it is based on something few anglers understand — the shiner spawn.  Dr. Paul Cooley is the fisheries scientist who discovered the phenomenon on massive Lake Winnipeg — but it happens in every lake where walleyes eat shiners — and he tells the boys where you’ll find the fish bunched up big time. Are you ready for this...