(Feb 7, 2019 - ) The quick report of kayak Sand Bass fishing the Sabine River this week to McFadden’s Landing is the trip was fantastic!  Thirty-four sand bass, each weighing close to three pounds, were caught using light spinning tackle with Road Runner lures.

(Aug 26, 2018 - WADDINGTON, N.Y.) After what he claimed was a tough day, Josh Bertrand of San Tan Valley, Ariz., mastered the New York smallmouth bass and produced a giant five-bass limit that weighed 23 pounds, 1 ounce to take home his first Bassmaster Elite Series championship today.

(Aug 1, 2018 - ) Conventional wisdom calls for walleyes to be found in cool, shallow water during spring and fall, and lurking in deeper water during the heat of summer and the dead of winter. However, this binary distribution of walleye locations is far too simplistic; indeed, modern electronics and contemporary presentations have worked in tandem to reveal walleyes living in unexpected places, as well as untapped opportunities to target and catch them.

(Jul 8, 2018 - Southwest Florida) In case you didn’t know it, dogs and boats go together like shoes and socks or gin and tonic.  Dogs love boats!  There is a freedom that being on a boat not only favors the operator and the crew, but also your pet crew.     

(Jun 4, 2018 - Park Falls, WI) High school bass fishing is spreading like wildfire, and, each summer, the best teams in the nation duke it out at the High School Fishing National Championship. Qualifying for the event is an accomplishment in itself, as only the top ten percent of anglers at state qualifiers make the big show.

(May 31, 2018 - ) Bucktooth bandits with a frustrating habit of stealing ill-presented baits. That’s one way to describe sheepshead; but you might also call them sporty, abundant and oh, so tasty.

(May 10, 2018 - ) Anglers can catch largemouth bass in every season; but hands-down, spring dominates in terms of accessibility to quantity and quality. Essentially, the fish are at their heaviest of the year, they display voracious feeding interests — pre and post periods — and often position in areas where they can be visually located.

(May 6, 2018 - ) One of the hallmarks of spring is the predictable movement of walleyes. On inland lakes, walleye slide into shallow waters along rocky, windblown shorelines to spawn. Major rivers see mass upstream migrations of walleyes, to be interrupted only by natural or manmade obstacles. And on the Great Lakes, fish funnel into primary tributaries to reproduce, and then systematically return to their home ranges.

(Apr 16, 2018 - ) The bass pre-spawn period is a time of anticipation and transition. Largemouth and spotted bass slide out of their deeper'n thermally-stable wintering holes and begin a systematic movement toward the warming shallows, where they will binge feed in preparation for the rigors of spawning.

(Apr 4, 2018 - ) After the last sack of bass hit the scales at the 2018 Bassmaster Classic, a final tally of another sort emerged: Seven out of the top ten finishers had cast some type of bladed jig.

(Feb 5, 2018 - ) The vast majority of northern bass anglers hang up their open-water gear for the winter. With most lakes under inches (if not feet) of ice by January, most fishing involves an eight-inch hole in the ice.

(Jan 17, 2018 - Plano, IL) Veteran outdoor communicator Dan Galusha of Milan, Illinois has a resume so stacked with credentials and accolades that it takes four pages to fit them all in.

(Nov 16, 2017 - ) Mention redfishing and a lot of folks will envision technical poling skiffs or a kayak sneaking up on skittish tailers. If that’s not your jam, maybe you like Chatterbaits to marsh pumpkins; or launching topwater baits toward schools of bull reds rumbling across a coastal bay.

(Nov 13, 2017 - Oswego, N.Y) New York Sea Grant has released a video highlighting the value of king salmon to the Lake Ontario ecosystem and local economies, and how Cornell University researchers and Sea Grant personnel are using pop-off satellite archival tags developed to work in freshwater to collect unprecedented data about salmon movement and behavior. Free access to the video is posted at https://youtu.be/pb4wJQc-O7A.

(Oct 14, 2017 - ) Picture the best fireworks display you’ve ever seen: Blast after thunderous blast, with a myriad of dazzling elements all competing for your attention. That’s kind of how it is with the fall bass gorge fest; that exciting time when largemouth, smallmouth and spots crank up the feeding in advance of winter’s approach.

(Sep 8, 2017 - ) As you scan through your fondest fishing memories, they are likely derived from those trips when the fish were, “jumping in the boat,” or “biting everything we threw at them.” These were the days when you, “caught so many, we ran out of bait,” or the bites when you were, “shaking off three-pounders so we could catch the fives.”

(Sep 8, 2017 - ) They’re not the most complicated fish in the sea, they rarely jump and there’s not much hope for a modeling career; but if you’re looking for a roll-up-your-sleeves-and-get-it-on street fight kinda deal, the amberjack will give you all you want.

(Sep 8, 2017 - ) Spinning gear or Casting gear? Live bait or artificial? Walk a stream bank or launch a boat in a lake? These are common considerations before venturing out fishing for the day.

(Aug 25, 2017 - ) There’s one reason anglers crave tarpon engagements; but there are multiple ways of making it happen. The first part of that equation is easy — it’s the fight.

(Aug 3, 2017 - ) Fascinating factoid about panfish: Every year, spawning season a distant memory, a lot of folks manage to mostly, well, forget these fish exist. It seems in some ways, crappies, sunfish and perch are the groundhogs of the fishing world — they show themselves in spring, but folks sort of neglect them after that.

(Jul 31, 2017 - ) Musky activity peaks in late summer, as warm water temperatures drive these apex predators to feed opportunistically on abundant natural forage, and to aggressively chase anglers’ baits. Full-time musky devotees frequently drop their paychecks on custom topwaters and giant multi-blade bucktails, study the moon and sun charts, and target trophy waters to get their summer musky fix.

(Jul 14, 2017 - Richland, MI) When bright, clear light is needed for walkway, task and general ambience use, but space is tight, TecNiq's new M90 Accent Light is the perfect choice. This accessory is completely waterproof and less than 1" in diameter.

(Apr 20, 2017 - ) Let’s face the facts: nearly everyone gets their start in fishing by casting a line from shore. These outings find us anxious to tangle with “whatever bites” and happy to steal a few moments near the water to wash away life’s trials and tribulations.

(Mar 24, 2017 - Old Town, ME) Old Town Canoes & Kayaks is proud to announce official sponsorship of Bassmaster Elite Series pro and 2017 Bassmaster Classic competitor Keith Combs.

(Mar 11, 2017 - ) Folks, I’ve never caught the quality bass in my lifetime I have caught the past thirty-one days.  For full disclosure I have never in my lifetime fished as much as I have the past thirty-one days.  The connection has to be – the more one fishes, the more opportunity one has to catch quality bass.  Another aspect to catching quality fish is one must fish where quality fish are located.

(Mar 11, 2017 - Park Falls, WI) A great football coach once said, “The more you know the better you play.” Makes perfect sense... Picture a quarterback pouring over film, banking to memory the formations and tendencies of a formidable defensive secondary. Heck, the field general will be able to take snaps and throw from his studied mind’s eye without making any game-time assessments. Right?

(Feb 10, 2017 - HOUSTON, TX) When an angler grabs the lead toward the end of the final day of the GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods, he’ll take a rest in a special chair known as the “hot seat” until someone bumps him from the top.

(Jan 17, 2017 - St Louis Park, MN) Open water anglers have long recognized the importance of a two-pronged approach to mobility. First, we burn untold gallons of gasoline motoring around the lake in search of active fish. Then, once we find evidence of our quarry, we churn the water to a fine froth with both vertical and horizontal presentations.

(Nov 15, 2016 - ) When I'm fishing for redfish, trout and the other saltwater inshore fish I find live shrimp or frozen pogies are typically "one fish" baits. That is, the fish strikes and the bait is lost. Doesn't matter if there is a hook up, the strike alone ruins the bait. Anglers were quickly discovering that a single Berkley Gulp! Shrimp was just as good after the first bite as it was on the fourth or fifth.

(Nov 2, 2016 - Coralville, IA) Tungsten jigs activate soft ice plastics like a fat bat on a fastball, a spring on a trap, a hammer on a bullet. Even while the hype over ‘rates of fall’ and ‘sinking fast to active fish’ permeates conventional conversations around holes in the ice, the truth is, heavy-for-its-size tungsten serves another, equally effective function.

(Oct 24, 2016 - Jacksonville, TX) The Spotted Bass (Micropterus panctulatos) is also known as Kentucky Bass or Redeye.   Although very similar to a black, largemouth bass, the Spotted Bass has several anatomical landmarks identifying its species. 

(Sep 22, 2016 - ) The dropshot rig is widely recognized as a fantastically effective finesse approach for presenting both live and artificial baits. Originally developed as a technique for targeting highly pressured bass in deep water, the contemporary dropshot rig crosses all species boundaries and dominates in both fresh and saltwater environments.

(Sep 22, 2016 - ) It happens right after Labor Day every year: Cold front after cold front roll through the Great Lakes states and Canada. And with every frigid rain and stony north wind, another pod of Chinook and coho salmon make their way from the Great Lakes into one of the many tributaries that feed them.



(Aug 19, 2016 - ) After a full summer of chasing ‘glamour fish’—the bass, walleyes, and trout of the world—a dude dubbed Mr. Bluegill is certainly ready to call an audible.

(Aug 12, 2016 - ) Days afloat America’s preeminent channel catfish stream, Captain Brad Durick sees a little of everything. One client, a self-proclaimed ‘fishing expert,’ reels with the rod upside-down. Another customer continuously misses bites, jerking back against a self-setting circle hook rig, despite continued pleas to the contrary.

(Aug 12, 2016 - ) In his countless clinics and tournament appearances, legendary walleye pro Ted Takasaki says he’s asked thousands of anglers what they struggle with most on the water.

(Aug 8, 2016 - Jacksonville, TX) Folks, I’ve seen the Big Trees.  I’ve see the largest, tallest trees East Texas and the Neches River has to offer.  I’ve seen “virgin” pine trees with a perimeter taking three grown men with outstretched arms to surround.  These trees are magnificent!

(Aug 8, 2016 - ) Muskie activity peaks in late summer, as warm water temperatures drive these apex predators to feed opportunistically on abundant natural forage, and to aggressively chase anglers’ baits.

(Jul 20, 2016 - San Antonio, TX) Simply put, college fishing has changed over the past eleven years. In the very first collegiate bass fishing event back in 2005 held on Lake Lewisville, most of the anglers showed up to the event all on their own with old boats and tow vehicles.

(Jul 9, 2016 - ) The old saying goes, “It takes a village to raise a child.” Much the same is true when it comes to ‘raising a company.’ Many individuals must combine unique gifts and unify a team in order to shepherd a vision into real success.

(Jun 15, 2016 - Jacksonville, TX) In 1957, I was a towheaded kid.  My nickname was “Tag-Along” because I was always following my big brother around.  My childhood was typical for the era.  We were financially poor but well-to-do in so many ways – we had freedoms. Our neighborhood on the north side of town was our playground.

(May 18, 2016 - Eufaula, AL.) Bass fishing is a lot like any sport. Fall into a slump and critics crawl out of the woodwork.  And with today’s multitude of media, there are way too many opinions flying around – most of all the realm of social media, where everyone’s an expert.

(May 6, 2016 - Park Falls, WI) Ever hear the story about the guy who set out to catch a state-record fish and, well, actually did? Don’t feel alone if you haven’t. After all, the chances are a million-to-one of it ever coming to fruition, no matter how much time is put in.

(Apr 29, 2016 - Lake Naconiche,TX) Texas is blessed with many lakes that are being called the best bass fishing lakes around. That’s how good bass fishing in Texas has become.  The Inland Fisheries Divisions of Texas Parks and Wildlife are doing a fantastic job in developing these lakes.  Multiple trophy bass are being caught from several lakes, especially in East Texas. 

(Apr 29, 2016 - Lake Sam Rayburn, TX) No other freshwater species of fish have ever generated so much allure, so much pleasure, or such fond memories than the bream. Nor has any other species of freshwater fish influenced so many lifestyles from childhood to adulthood. Bream, though small in stature, often become the keystone for the building blocks of human character.

(Apr 25, 2016 - ) “Electronics always play a huge role, at every tournament.” Brent Ehrler was trying to convince me that, despite spending the entire first day of the 2016 Bassmaster fishing shallow, visible targets, electronics were vital to his approach.

(Apr 20, 2016 - ) As catfish approach prospective prey, taste kicks in. It’s well documented that a catfish’s entire body is covered with taste buds, although the special structures are most densely concentrated around the mouth and barbels. Cats can taste food without mouthing it, simply tickling it with their whiskers.

(Apr 15, 2016 - Woodbury, MN) Rivers can be a difficult challenge for those who are beginning walleye anglers. Water level, clarity, and water temperatures which change depending upon the unpredictable weather patterns are all lessons needed to learn. Rising water one day and falling water the next. Clean, then dirty and clean again. Rising temperatures will trigger fish movement upstream, toward spawning areas then back again. In addition, severe cold fronts can put a halt to the action.  

(Apr 8, 2016 - Jasper, TX) There are actually three species of crappie in Rayburn waters, the white, black, and Mohawk.

(Apr 7, 2016 - ) Spring is a time of transition, both for fish and the anglers that pursue them. Walleyes transition from their deep winter haunts to shallow, wind-driven or current swept hard-bottom areas, responding to changes in water temperature and moon phase that trigger the spawning process.