Fish University

Sheepshead! | Ep 35

Have you ever caught a marine fish that was dressed like a convict and had goofy-looking teeth that made you think you could hear a banjo playing in the distance? Ok, maybe that was unfair to all the banjo-playing fish out there, but you may have caught a sheepshead. Sheepshead can be found along the Western Atlantic coast from Nova Scotia down to Brazil, with high abundance in the Gulf of Mexico. They are common both inshore and on barnacle-encrusted structures from as shallow as two feet of water out to the oil platforms offshore. They are tender biters, hard fighters, and even better as a table fare. Although they have mostly swam under the radar (pun intended), the word is starting to get out on this species. To discuss sheepshead biology, movement, and management, Wes teams up with Dr. Mike Andres and his graduate student/research associate Alyssa Pagel. No sheep were harmed in the making of this podcast. Do you have questions or comments? Follow the Fish University Facebook community [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100087242320601] and chat with Wes or suggest future episodes! Watch this episode on YouTube (here [https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8g7qBaBGDaQOO1jsSaamrabCRlOEEarO&si=084IkNm0Hib0Ii_8])!

The Trophy Factory | Ep 34

Sometimes you just need to follow your dreams. Eric Mayo is a Mississippi pond owner with a small 1.5-acre pond. After complete renovation, Eric wanted something different. So, he did everything we preach against in pond management. He stocked different species, collected them from the wild, and just threw in as many unusual species as possible. The results? Eric holds nine Mississippi rod-and-reel and fly rod records, many of which came from his small pond. If you want to hear about managing for trophy redspotted sunfish and longear sunfish, well hold my beer and watch this! Do you have questions or comments? Follow the Fish University Facebook community [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100087242320601] and chat with Wes or suggest future episodes! Watch this episode on YouTube (here [https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8g7qBaBGDaQOO1jsSaamrabCRlOEEarO&si=084IkNm0Hib0Ii_8])!

Emergency Trout Restrictions | Ep 33

The State of Arkansas is well known for its quality fishing opportunities, particularly its tailrace trout fisheries. Although Fish University has spent several episodes discussing the self-sustaining brown trout in the Little Red River, the majority of these fisheries are supported with catchable size, hatchery produced trout. Unfortunately, the two biggest hatcheries in Arkansas experienced major issues this past spring and summer, resulting in the loss of more than a million trout. With less trout available, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission had to take drastic measures. In this episode, Wes has a conversation with Trout Biologist Christy Graham to learn about what happened at the hatcheries, what it means for the rivers, and what the future of trout fishing in Arkansas will look like. Do you have questions or comments? Follow the Fish University Facebook community [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100087242320601] and chat with Wes or suggest future episodes! Watch this episode on YouTube (here [https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8g7qBaBGDaQOO1jsSaamrabCRlOEEarO&si=084IkNm0Hib0Ii_8])!

The Slab Lab Has a Setback | Ep 32

A good trilogy establishes the characters and the main conflict in installment one, then installment two deepens the conflict, and finally installment three provides the climax and resolution for the entire saga. Way back in Episode 10, Wes interviewed the Bluegill Queen (Sarah Parvin) to discuss her 5-acre pond that had become notorious for producing the fattest bluegill you can imagine. We are talking fish that weighed twice what a healthy fish of the same length should weigh, with helmets and briskets protecting their disproportionately small heads! These two-handed bream graced the pages of many fishing media outlets, Texas Hunter feeder advertisements, and even had industry sponsorships. The Slab Lab, as the pond was affectionately named, became known far and wide and even has its own logo! Wes even had the opportunity to fish the bream himself! Unfortunately, the Slab Lab experiment had a major setback this past summer. In this episode (Installment two), Sarah walks us through what happened and why, and discusses what is next for the Slab Movement. Hopefully, this episode is not the final episode of the Slab Lab, and we will have Sarah back to complete the trilogy! Do you have questions or comments? Follow the Fish University Facebook community [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100087242320601] and chat with Wes or suggest future episodes!

Return to the Little Red River | Ep 31

The Little Red River is a unique fishery hidden in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas that boasts a world class trout fishery and some unique angling opportunities. The Greers Ferry Dam releases deep, cold water that supports stocked and naturalized trout in the river below. About 30 miles from the cold-water release, the river begins to transition from cold to warm water, and a variety of unique fishing opportunities have developed. Wes asked Dr. Steve Lochmann to return to Fish University and provide an update on his ongoing research activities and to tell us about this stretch of water where you can catch trophy brown trout, smallmouth bass and walleye, and warm water species like blue catfish, crappie, and largemouth bass. Not to mention non-game species like darters, suckers, and invasive species including snakeheads and bigheaded carp! Do you have questions or comments? Follow the Fish University Facebook community [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100087242320601] and chat with Wes or suggest future episodes!