Fish of the Week!

Get to know the Trout-Perch, an understudied yet important forage fish that makes its living across a large swath of North America! Katrina and Guy are joined by guests Ray Katula and Justin Lesser.

Co-hosts Katrina and Guy reflect on the past five seasons and take a sneak peek into season 6. Learn which 25 American fish top their lists and their shortlist of Mount Rushmore-worthy fishes. The episode ends with listeners' "fanmail darter" recommendations.

Get to know 'o'opu nākea, 'o'opu 'alamo'o, ‘o’opu nopili, ‘o’opu naniha, and ‘o’opu ‘akupa! From scaling waterfalls to farming algae, Hawaii’s native ‘o’opu gobies embody a mauka to makai (mountains to sea) way of living. These fascinating obligate amphidromous fishes (and our guests - Cory Yap, Cody Chacon, and Tim Grabowski), help us to open a window into Hawaiian culture, sense of place, a...

Get to know the invasive Round Goby! You'll learn about the history of this fish in the Great Lakes, their impacts, and how to tell them apart from native fishes like Mottled Sculpin and Johnny Darter. Our guests are Julie Nitz and Abby Wicks from Wayne State University.

Per listener request, get to know the fish so nice they named it twice! In this episode you'll learn about their fascinating coloration and behavior, fishing and underwater viewing strategies, and how to contribute to our collective understanding of the movements and lives of these fish by participating in one of the world's largest fishermen-driven tagging programs. Our guest is Wess Merten: Dire...

Meet a rockstar of a fish who develops a big pink head adorned with tubercles during the spawning season. Not only that, it moves thousands of rocks into spawning mounds that benefit all kinds of other fish! This species and other chubs in the Nocomis genus are very important indeed. Guy and Katrina dig into this fish and recent fan mail.

Meet the official state fish of Texas and the gem of central Texas: the Guadalupe Bass! Native only to the clear, groundwater-influenced streams of the Texas Hill Country, this spunky fish is an amazing catch and will absolutely tear into your light tackle and crater your topwater. "If they want to eat your fly, there's nothing you can do to get it away from them. They will outrun it, they will ea...

Get to know a fan favorite! Katrina and Guy visit with guests Bo Baxter and Derek Wheaton from Conservation Fisheries to understand the habits and history of this tiny cog and wheel in our amazing, beautiful world. You'll learn how and where to best visit with and photograph bluemask and related darters underwater...and how Conservation Fisheries raises and feeds (!) tiny millimeters-long "set-of-...

Get to know the lunkers of the lake that also need free-flowing rivers...Lake Sturgeon! This episode takes Katrina and Guy to Michigan where they talk with guest Ed Baker from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Delve into the history of Lake Sturgeon in Michigan, learn what makes this fish so very cool, and explore what's being done to help them achieve the comeback they (and anglers) d...

Head to Alaska and get to know the big, beautiful rainbow trout of the Kenai River! You'll learn tips about when and how to float and fish the river, the habits of rainbow trout and other Kenai River fish, and how your fishing license and gear purchases contribute to improved access points along the river and beyond.  Our guests are Tracy Smith (Statewide Boating & Angler Access Program Coordi...

Get to know and explore the state of Utah by discovering its amazing cutthroat trout diversity! We are joined by two guests with the Utah Department of Natural Resources: Mike Slater and Trina Hedrick. You'll learn where these fish live, why they're so cool, how to go about completing the Utah Cutthroat Trout Slam, and how your license and gear purchases are put towards conservation and unforgetta...

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).

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 Arthu...

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."

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...

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 p...

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 Ma...

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...

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 Fis...

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...

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 H...

Take a trip to the middle Rio Grande: a sandy river that, in its heyday, was "a mile wide and an inch deep" and chock full of millions of minnows. Our guests are U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologists Andy Dean from our New Mexico Ecological Services Field Office and Thomas Archdeacon from our New Mexico Fish & Wildlife Conservation Office.

Get to know the peacock basses! By the end of this episode you'll be familiar with the different species, their savage feeding habits and habitat preferences, and how to put that knowledge to use for fishing in South America or south Florida. Our guest, Dr. Kirk Winemiller, professor at Texas A&M University, brings a huge wealth of knowledge about peacock bass ecology, diversity, and behavior.

Come to the southern Sierra Nevada mountains with Katrina and Guy to learn about the fish that some consider the most beautiful of all trouts : the California Golden Trout. You might also like these trout episodes: S5:E9 Greenback Cutthroat Trout S4:E45 Redband Trout S4:E42 Apache Trout S4:E10 Mexico's Native Trout S1:E49 Bull Trout S1:E35 Gila Trout Learn more: Spiciest Trout in the West (cutthro...

We've got two fish, four guests, and one closed basin for you this week! Get to know a couple of New Mexico's special fishes and the place they call home. Our guests are Jill Wick with the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish , Serena Kucera with our NM Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office , Robert Prather with our NM Ecological Services Field Office , and Tracy Diver from our Southwestern Nati...