Trash Fish Tuesday
Why do we consider some fish iconic and others aquatic refuse? In this series, we focus on American fishes not officially designated as “game fish.” These species, though native, get lumped into a category of “trash fish,” a distinction that’s more than just semantic. Game fish are managed differently by state and federal agencies. They get protection, research, money, and love. Trash fish don’t. We think that’s wrong.
Why do we consider some fish iconic and others aquatic refuse? In this series, we focus on American fishes not officially designated as “game fish.” These species, though native, get lumped into a category of “trash fish,” a distinction that’s more than just semantic. Game fish are managed differently by state and federal agencies. They get protection, research, money, and love. Trash fish don’t. We think that’s wrong.
Fishing
The Trash Fish Revolution
Trash fish were long considered to be the lowest on the worthy fish scale. But recently, anglers have begun to see the value in these non-typical, overlooked, and underappreciated species. How this revolution started is an interesting shift in knowledge and cultural norms. These non-game fish are...
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Fishing
Trash Fish Tuesday: The Other 'Eyes
If you walk into any self-respecting fishing bar across the Great Lakes Region, there’s a high likelihood you’ll find a walleye mounted on the wall and a fried version on the menu. Like cheap beer and matching bar mirrors, it’s the lay of the land.
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Fishing
Trash Fish Tuesday: How to Catch Suckers
There’s a genus of fishes that can be caught on both spin and fly gear, have a willingness to eat when nothing else will, and boast one of the highest and most widespread population densities in the country. Yep, I’m talking about suckers.
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Freshwater
Trash Fish Tuesday: Redhorse
I was in a bind. I keep my fishing spots, even the ones in city parks, secret. But my kids were making a commotion about catching another one, and people had started to notice. In all fairness, it’s hard not to notice two children giggling and catching 20-inch fish. I saw a couple approaching and I...
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Freshwater
Trash Fish Tuesday: The Pikeminnows
If you live east of the Rockies, you would be forgiven for never hearing of a pikeminnow (genus Ptychocheilus), no less an endangered Colorado pikeminnow. For anglers in the Western U.S., however, “pikeminnow” might mean an omnipresent nuisance, or alternatively, an out of sight, out of mind...
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Saltwater
Trash Fish Tuesday: Gafftopsail and Hardhead Catfish
Both hardhead and gafftopsail catfish continue to hold the misaligned label of “trash fish,” that lackadaisical term applied to fishes with little perceived ecological, sporting, or culinary value. But saltwater catfish deserve a fair assessment unsullied by second hand slander.
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Burbot
Trash Fish Tuesday: Burbot
Properly known as burbot, and taxonomically known as Lota lota, anglers have given the fish a number of nicknames (i.e., lawyer, ling, eelpout, and cusk), stemming from their atypical appearance or resemblance to the unrelated marine lingcod. In some circles, burbot have also unwillingly earned the...
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Freshwater Drum
Trash Fish Tuesday: Freshwater Drum
While the fog wisped off Kentucky Lake to reveal a rolling, silhouetted landscape, my mind remained socked in a haze. I was running so low on fumes no energy drink could throttle me up. I tried—32 ounces worth. My tournament partner and I were, nevertheless, methodically casting along a flooded...
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Freshwater
Trash Fish Tuesday: Bigmouth Buffalo
These fish have lived through two World Wars and the Great Depression; Lombardi coaching the Packers to their first two Super Bowl titles; Armstrong walking on the Moon; the growth of the American conservation movement. And, chances are, you think they’re carp, which is kind of like calling a bison...
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