Fish of the Week!

Prized for their blue spot and legendary as bait for big snook and other sportfish, the frowny-faced Fat Sleeper is valued wherever it is: judging you from your aquarium, breathing air from the top of its head while trying to avoid becoming candy for herons, predicting storms, or unlocking nutrients from mangroves to benefit the entire food chain. You'll learn how this fish is the ultimate survivor, where it lives, and all about its weird "storm minnow parade" and sticky eggs. Guest Eddie Perry joins from our Peninsular Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office to build appreciation for this wonderful fish.
If you liked this episode, you might also like "Florida's Remarkable Opossum Pipefish" (S5:E14)

In waters that are "just right" across America, you can find colorful, unfamiliar fish living on the edge. Embark on a weird treasure hunt with Katrina, Guy, and guest Matt Miller from The Nature Conservancy to learn about Central American Convict Cichlids in Idaho to feral fancy guppies in George Washington's Bathtub and Jack Dempsey Cichlids in South Dakota. We explore American's bizarre relationship with certain fish, as well as tips for travel to and fishing hot springs. Unfortunately, this isn't a fairy tale: we also learn how introducing unwanted aquarium pets into hot springs puts our own unique native fish at risk.

Get the latest scoop on Northern Pike in Southcentral Alaska with Alaska Department of Fish and Game guest Parker Bradley. While this fish is highly sought-after and valued for subsistence and sport in the regions of Alaska where it's native, it is causing problems for salmon in Southcentral Alaska where it's been introduced. We deep dive into a nuanced look at how species can cause harm when they're put into new places, and what's being done to detect and manage populations in a very large and logistically-challenging environment.

Get to know the Golden Redhorse! They fight hard, they're beautiful, and they're a great fish to introduce kids to fishing (soft mouth, no spines). During this episode you'll gain strategies to see their migration and catch/cook redhorse, identify redhorse species in your neck of the woods, learn how anglers are helping scientists understand more about these fish through an amazing piece of anatomy called the otolith and more. Our two Minnesota-based guests are Drew Geving (Native Fish for Tomorrow) and Alec Lackmann (University of Minnesota Duluth's Otolith Lab).
Become the ultimate sucker lover by catching all of our sucker episodes!
S2: E14 - Rio Grande Suckers
S2: E15 - Ugiidatli / Sicklefin Redhorse
S2: E22 - Bigmouth Buffalo
S2: E41 - June Sucker
S2: E46 - Blue Sucker
S3: E5 + S4: E17 Razorback Sucker
S3: E34 - Hogsuckers
S3: E46 - Cui-ui / Pyramid Lake Suckers
S4: E3 - C'waam / Lost River Suckers
S4: E16 - White Sucker
S4: E29 - Smallmouth Buffalo
S5: E25 - Shorthead Redhorse

Get to know the Emerald Bowfin, one of two native species of bowfin found in North America! Always hungry and angry, this gamest of fish is a dedicated parent and will roll and jump spectacularly on the end of your line if hooked...and once landed, it about as close as you can get to holding a living dinosaur. Guests Griffin Blegen and Tyler Winter help Katrina and Guy dig into where this fish is found, its aggressive personality, how their dietary habits help you catch bigger bluegill, how to best cook bowfin at the water's edge, and why you absolutely should NOT throw this treasure on the bank like trash.