A new fish species has been recorded in Nebraska after a fisherman reeled in the colorful creature.

“We hear about new species in Nebraska from time to time, but most of them are unwanted, invasive species,” Daryl Bauer, Fisheries Outreach program manager of the state’s Game & Parks Commission, told Fox News Digital.

“I get reports almost every year of aquarium fish that were illegally released in our waters and then found dead or even caught by anglers.”

NEW FISH SPECIES WITH HUMAN-LIKE TEETH NAMED AFTER POPULAR MOVIE VILLAIN

But last week, Bauer got a call from his friend Scott Buss, an avid angler who caught a 5¼-inch, 2-oz. longear sunfish.

It’s a bright orange fish with turquoise markings that is native to Kansas. 

“This was the first time in all my career I had ever heard of a longear sunfish in Nebraska,” Bauer said. 

“They are beautiful fish and I was thrilled to get a message from Scott Buss and then see his photo. It got even better when he was able to bring the fish to show me.”

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The catch was made with a rod and reel and a nightcrawler worm.

“I do a lot of fishing and a lot of multi-species fishing, so I like to catch a little bit of everything,” Buss of Norfolk, Nebraska, told Fox News Digital.

Scott Buss, pictured here, said he knew he’d caught something special when he pulled the bright and colorful sunfish out of the water. (Scott Buss)

“I certainly wasn’t specifically fishing for the sunfish, but I was using a small hook and small bait, which gives you a chance to catch a lot of different stuff than just your typical catfish.” 

Buss said he was floating around a piece of worm, a small hook and a bobber when he got a bite and pulled the fish from the river.

NEW FISH SPECIES WITH HUMAN-LIKE TEETH NAMED AFTER POPULAR MOVIE VILLAIN

“Immediately, I said, ‘Whoa, that’s different,’” Buss said.

“It’s a very cool-looking fish. I looked at it and said, ‘That’s a longear,’ and I knew it hadn’t been officially documented here. So, I kind of struggled with what to do.”

Buss was the first person to catch this species of fish in Nebraska. (iStock )

Buss kept the potential record-setting fish in an aerated bait cooler and brought it to the commission office, where it was officially documented and recognized as the first state record for the species in Nebraska.

“By far the most exciting thing about the fish was that none [of these] have ever been caught in Nebraska before, and how beautiful it was,” Bauer said.

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“You just never know what you’re going to catch,” Buss said of his fish. 

“An old 50-inch muskie, a 10-pound walleye or 2-ounce sunfish. It’s all exciting.”

Daryl Bauer, Fisheries Outreach program manager for the Nebraska Game & Parks Commission (not photographed with longear sunfish), said this was the first time in his entire career that he has heard and seen a longear sunfish. (Nebraska Game & Parks Commission)

Buss reeled in his longear from the Little Blue River, which is a typical eastern Nebraska prairie stream, Bauer said.

“[It’s a] relatively shallow, sandy, muddy bottom with some rock and gravel, lots of woody debris,” Bauer added. 

“Right now, mid-summer, flows are low,” he said. “Typical fish species in the Little Blue would be channel and flathead catfish, a variety of minnows and suckers, some sunfish like bluegills, green sunfish and orange spotted sunfish, but no longears.”

Longears are like typical sunfish, but have not been documented in Nebraska before this. Bauer believes the longear swam up from Kansas during the high flow in the Little Blue River. (Scott Buss; Nebraska Game & Parks Commission)

Bauer said that earlier this year there were some periods of high flow in the Little Blue River and during those times a longear sunfish might have made its way up from Kansas.

Longears are typical sunfish, a lot like bluegills that are common in waters all across Nebraska and often the very first fish young anglers catch, Bauer said. 

They readily bite on small hooks, bobbers and worms.

When it comes to the sport he loves, Buss offered some clear advice. 

“Just go fishing,” he said. “Get out outside and have some fun because you never know what you might catch.”

The Brooklyn Nets are adding to their roster, signing point guard Killian Hayes to a one-year deal.

Hayes, who turns 23 years old today, was the No. 7 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft by the Detroit Pistons, but his tenure with the franchise wasn’t very successful.

He played in just 26 games for the Pistons in his first season, failing to convince the team that he could be the point guard of the future. The Pistons then drafted Cade Cunningham with the No. 1 pick the following year, and that sent Hayes’ career on a difficult path.

While Hayes still had chances to shine for the Pistons, it was clear that he was not going to be part of Detroit’s long-term plans. In the middle of this past season, the Pistons decided to cut ties early and waive him.

So, why are the Nets taking a shot on him? But perhaps the more appropriate question should be “why not?”

The Nets are a team not focused as much on results this season as much as development, and Hayes is a player who could use some developing. Hayes had enough potential to be a top-10 pick just four years ago, and he’s young enough to where he can still learn and grow in the NBA.

The move holds very little risk for the Nets, who could still benefit if Hayes begins to look more like the lottery pick he was when he was coming into the league. Worst case scenario? Hayes doesn’t play and the Nets are wasting a roster spot. If he plays and he continues to be a subpar player, then the Nets were going to be bad anyway.

Either way, the Nets only have something to gain with this move, making it a positive one.

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Giannis Antetokounmpo isn’t the only member of the Milwaukee Bucks family who’ll play a big part in the Paris Olympics.

Johnny Watson, the Bucks’ executive producer of broadcast and live events, will, too.

Watson and Antetokounmpo will both help lead teams — just in their own ways. Antetokounmpo will be representing his home country of Greece from the court, and Watson will be courtside as a venue producer for all men’s and women’s basketball games.

“It’s one of the most prominent sporting entertainment in the world,” Watson said. “It’s a huge deal. I’m honored.”

Watson will be show-calling, aka producing, the basketball games’ in-arena presentations with videos, graphics, music, special effects, lighting, on-court entertainment and national anthems. To pull this off, he’ll be working with a crew of at least 25 people per game who’ve come from around the world, including France, Finland, Australia, Canada and the U.S.

While this may sound like a lot, Watson’s done it before. He worked the men’s basketball games and the women’s basketball medal rounds for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics. Plus, the FIBA Basketball World Cup in China in 2019 and in Indonesia in 2023.

Watson said it’s nearly the same as what he does for Bucks games at Fiserv Forum. And, internationally with his team on occasion, like when the Bucks played in London in 2015 and Abu Dhabi in 2022.

Here’s a glimpse into Watson’s Olympic journey, from planning meetings that began months ago to what a day in his life will look like during the Games.

“It’s obviously an honor to be here, represent Milwaukee, the Bucks, my family,” Watson said. “It’s pretty special to be a part of it.”

From months of meetings to what game days will look like

About six months ago, Watson started having meetings for the Olympics, which ramped up as the Games got closer. Those meetings focused on processes, staffing, logistics and more, he said. Once that was solidified, planning the programs, what the shows will look like, commenced.

Watson arrived in Paris in mid-July and took an hour train ride to Lille, where the group phases will take place. He’ll head to Paris proper for the medal rounds and stay there through Aug. 13.

There will be four basketball games a day. Watson will arrive about two hours before the first for meetings and to rehearse, step-by-step, what he and his team — including talent, music DJs and graphic operators — will be doing during the game.

“Then, the doors open and you go and you start,” he said.

When the game ends, Watson and his crew will meet and rehearse for the next one.

“It makes for a really long day, but it’s the Olympics,” Watson said. “It’s the pinnacle of sport.”

Watson will be reunited with fellow Bucks representative Giannis Antetokounmpo when Greece takes on Canada Saturday. Antetokounmpo helped lead his home country into its first Games in men’s basketball since 2008 and was a flag bearer for the opening ceremonies.

Heading into his 13th season with the Bucks, Watson’s been with the organization since B.A., before Antetokounmpo.

“To see his growth and know his story now of where he came from and how much it means to him to be a part of the Olympics is pretty, pretty special,” Watson said. “I’m really excited to obviously see him and see some of the other Bucks staff here, too.”

With this being Watson’s first time in Paris, he’s carved out time to explore before heading back home. He’s planning to check out the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre and the Champs-Élysées.

The Bucks’ Johnny Watson will be headed to the US Open in New York next

As if the Olympics weren’t enough for one summer, Watson will be off to the US Open in New York next month to be a stadium director.

As a former All-American tennis player at Coe College with numerous accolades in the sport, this is a “bucket list lifelong dream” for him.

Watson has attended the U.S. Open as a fan with his dad — who got Watson into tennis when he was 7 — around six times.

Watson helped out with the event for the first time in 2022. He mainly co-managed content for the screens at the Flushing Meadows grounds. His role this time around will be more what he does with the Bucks, he said — programming shows and making them happen.

“My main priority is the (Bucks), but the fact that they look at this as professional development, something I’m very passionate about …” Watson said. “The fact that they give me the opportunity to do this or they tell me it’s OK to do these things in the summer and other times, it means a lot to me.”