Fishbrain's favorite trash fish

No fish are trash, but some are definitely less popular than others, and some are unfairly maligned just for not being a primary sportfish. We don't stand for fish hate around these parts, so we put together a list of our favorite "trash fish": native species that don't get the love they deserve, or have largely been treated poorly throughout the history of sport fishing.

Ryan Hearn, Fish biologist extraordinaire, Fishing for dinosaurs beats lipping a largemouth

The trash fish: Bowfin Bowfin are considered "trash" fish for a few reasons:

• They're slimy and toothy.

• They live in swampy, low oxygen water and often overlap with largemouth habitat, so they end up as unwanted bycatch.

• If not iced and/or bled right away, their meat becomes quite mushy.

• State agencies have always lumped them in with rough fish in regulations.

• Common names like mudfish and dogfish don't do them any favors.

But they're still super hard fighters and you can catch them on artificials, which they absolutely slam. They truly are the apex predator in most places they live. I think they're way cooler than most sport fish.

Jack McKinney Expert guide Lover of pikeminnows

The trash fish: The northern pikeminnow The northern pikeminnow is almost as hated as the mountain whitefish in western Montana rivers, and even has a bounty on its head in Washington, a misguided solution to what is really a dam problem, a salmon problem, and a fisheries management problem. Anyway, back to the pikeminnow. I don't mean the Colorado pikeminnow, which is an epic trophy species (albeit critically endangered), but the northern pikeminnow gets big, can be caught on large streamers, and fights harder than a trout. If it were as pretty as a trout, people would definitely target it.

Nate Roman Cleveland's favorite son Why catch a saltwater drum when you've got freshwater drum?

The trash fish: Freshwater drum Why do people hate them? They're not walleye or smallmouth, but freshwater drum are hard fighting, powerful fish. Drum school up in numbers, so when you find one, you've usually found a dozen, which means fast action. They're a legitimate target that too many anglers walk right past.

Cavan Williams, Takes photos as an excuse for not catching fish The biggest, meanest trout there is

The trash fish: Bull trout Bull trout aren't exactly a trash fish anymore, but they're endangered in some waters and heavily regulated in others, because they were considered a trash fish not that long ago. Sport fishing initially placed more value on the "beautiful" cutthroat and rainbow trout, and since bull trout prey on them, anglers would often catch bull trout up to 25 to 30 inches (or more) and be disappointed they hadn't hooked a 14 inch cutthroat, sometimes throwing them up on the bank. This led to the species crashing in many western waters.

Bulls don't have the same bright colors, but they get massive, are aggressive, and will absolutely slam a lure, a streamer, and often a smaller fish you've already hooked.

Rico Delrosario Too Florida man for Florida Jacks aren't fit for the table, but they are for the reel

The trash fish: Jack crevalle Jacks are considered trash because they're very aggressive, travel in schools, and are thought of as poor table fare. When you're targeting better eating fish like snook or redfish, jacks tend to share the same habitat, and being faster and more aggressive, they'll often grab your bait or lure before your target species does. Some anglers get frustrated with them as bycatch, but make sure to hang on, because jacks are hard fighting fish and you're in for a great fight.

Now let's go fishing. We're gonna target the trash fish.

If you haven't tried the #1 fishing app worldwide, make sure to check out Fishbrain to explore fish data, fishing spots, weather conditions, and much more.