Fish University

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, c…

How do fish colonize newly formed island streams? How do fish get above a 200-foot waterfall? Answers to these questions and more on this episode of Fish University. Wes sits down for a conversation …

The word “jellyfish” may bring up a memory of an unpleasant beach experience, or of nostalgic childhood days watching Spongebob Squarepants. Often jellyfish don’t get the love that many other marine …

The central United States is known for its big rivers. From the mighty Mississippi to its tributaries that include the Missouri, Ohio, and Arkansas River, these large rivers drain about 41% of the U…

We are homogenizing our animal communities. You can hunt Nilgai in south Texas Reticulated Pythons in Florida, and wild pigs just about anywhere. But did you know things are often worse in the aquati…

Fisheries managers have a wealth of information available on how to manage small ponds, and there has been substantial research directed at managing large reservoirs that impound substantial rivers. …

We have scientifically proven approaches to lake and pond management, but there is always an element of art involved. Every lake is different. There is always something just a little odd that needs t…

Fishing has become a game of technology. Some of it is finding fish, like with GPS and sonar, and some of it is catching fish, like electronic lures and synthetic scents. But there’s tool in the bass…

Do you own a property rich in ponds or a small lake? Do you want to make money off those resources? If so, this episode is for you. Wes chats with Dr. Daryl Jones, Professor at Mississippi State Univ…

Are you thinking of building a pond or are managing an existing pond? In this episode, Wes presents his crash course in pond management. Learn about the best approaches for recreational fishing ponds…

You have surely heard of the flying carp that invaded our larger rivers. Videos of water skiers dressed up like gladiators and armed with dip nets pulled at 30 mph are ubiquitous on the internet. In …

In Western Missouri there is a lake that doesn’t follow the standard private pond formula. Lake Deanna is a larger private lake with unique habitat, unusual depth, and an experimental fish community.…

Anglers know that many fish species depend on the structure that trees provide. Habitat, such as standing timber, blow downs, snags, and cypress trees are popular places to fish in lakes and streams.…

This episode quacks me up. Fisheries management to produce quality fishing often requires actions that are counterproductive to attracting migratory ducks and vice versa. But in this episode, we’ll t…

Have you ever noticed that when someone catches a big largemouth or Florida bass, like a double-digit bass, they refer to it as “she”, “her”, or “big girl”? That is because female bass get larger tha…

Hide your dog, hide your kids, stay indoors! Monster fish are taking over! Well, not quite. In this episode, Wes talks with the biologist who was at ground zero of the Northern Snakehead (Channa argu…

Every water body has them. Plants. Sometimes they’re good, like phytoplankton that for the base of the food chain or a patch of American Pondweed that holds a 10-pound bass. Sometimes they are bad, …

Living in a water world comes with challenges that are markedly different than those we air breathers face, and fish have developed unique and creative ways to face these challenges. Understanding fi…

Deep in the Sonoran Desert are various fish species that survive in the harshest of conditions. These extremophiles often live in water that is often much saltier than seawater, much hotter than a ja…

If you like to fish, you have probably caught Largemouth Bass and Smallmouth Bass, and maybe you have caught Spotted Bass. But if you are on a quest to catch all the Black Bass (Micropterus spp.), yo…