In everything we do here at Fish Hunt Forever, we have a self-imposed high bar. We try to share high-quality content with stories, conservation and some sort of positive messaging that will help you in your outdoor pursuits.

We are constantly upgrading our camera gear to capture the most stunning visuals possible. We dig to unearth unique stories from all corners of the hunting and fishing world. We hope to educate viewers with the latest information allowing them to have long-lasting effects to ensure our way of life continues for generations to come.

Our broadcast show Prairie Sportsman is a great example of this. We are a half-hour Minnesota-based tv show that airs on PBS stations around the region (MN, Dakotas, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Wyoming and MIchigan). We are funded by LCCMR, which is in charge of lottery money proceeds dedicated to the Minnesota environment, so we strive to include conservation efforts in all that we do. Even if we weren’t funded this way, we feel strongly enough about protecting the outdoors, that we’d do it anyway. This is what sets us apart from other broadcast outdoor shows.

Our recent Upper Midwest Emmy nominations reflect those values. We’ve won a few of these awards in the past and our 2023 season has 5 nominations. We find out if we win at the Upper Midwest Emmy Gala, October 19th at Mystic Lake Casino.

Our nominated episodes include: Fighting Forever Chemicals, Connecting Kids to Nature, Deep Crappie Research, Weed Terminator and Healing Purple Hearts.

While I’m extremely proud of all these episodes, our episodes on barotrauma and the veterans event were some of my favorites that we’ve ever done.

“Deep Crappie Research” details the risk of fishing in deeper water for physoclistous species such as crappies and walleyes. Once you get to a depth around 30 feet or so, the pressure these fish feel changes. Their body expands to adjust by filling their swim bladder with gas and as they ascend above that depth threshold, they have to diffuse this gas through their blood. This means the process of regulating themselves as they swim into shallower water can take a long time, possibly hours. If they’re brought up quickly they can experience sometimes-fatal effects similar to the bends in humans.

Conversely, physostomous fish, such as lake trout, can expel those gases through a pneumatic duct that connects their bladder to their esophagus allowing them to travel up and down a water column easier. While they can still suffer barotrauma symptoms if brought up too quickly by anglers, they can be burped if necessary.

Barotrauma research has taken place in many places around the world, with most studies done in the ocean. When I learned that this would be the focus of some DNR efforts, I was excited to film it for Prairie Sportsman. This spurred heavy social media chatter, podcasts and brainstorms on the best practices for research.

For three days last January, Dan Amundson and I joined the Lindner Media crew, the MN DNR and a number of volunteers on a lake near Walker to catch crappies in deep water, then using three different ways to see what effect this was happening on the fish. The lake isn’t private, but there is no public landing and the area residents were in favor of the research. The fish that were caught and died were eaten and not wasted.

It’s important to note that this research is ongoing. The first effort was a year prior and will continue for years to come. The ultimate goal is to educate people on the potential effects of their angling activity in water deeper than 28-32 feet. You can watch the episode here:

“Healing Purple Hearts” will easily be one of my favorite episodes of all time because we filmed Purple Heart Recipients, along with other veterans, LEO’s and first responders. We met some amazing people and heard some incredible stories. The event was put on by Warriors and Walleyes Outdoors, who have multiple veteran events annually. We visited the vets in western Minnesota to walk for pheasants and fish for walleyes.

I was really hoping this would be nominated (and ultimately win) because I feel it has an important message. Freedom isn’t free and these events are helpful for those who served. Some of what these heroes went through is shameful. The majority of those who attended this event were Vietnam veterans and their reception back home is well-documented. This event allows us to thank them and give back.

Thank you to all veterans, as well as LEOs, First Responders and Fire Fighters. Watch our episode “Healing Purple Hearts” here:

Prairie Sportsman is an Emmy awarded Pioneer PBS series that celebrates our love of the outdoors to hunt, fish and recreate provided by Minnesota’s vast resources of lakes, rivers, trails and grasslands. Hosted by Bret Amundson, the show takes viewers on outdoor adventures around the state and explores ways we can protect and restore our natural resources.