Tungsten vs Lead Ice Jigs: What Changes, Sizes and When It Pays Off
Tungsten ice jigs are denser, smaller for their weight and sink faster than lead. Learn what that changes, which sizes to carry and when the price is worth it.
Champions Tournament Heads to Final Day With $1.25 Million on the Line
Sixty-two anglers fished Old Hickory Lake for the richest purse in bass fishing history. The top 15 now fish a final day, with the winner taking $1.25 million.
How to Jig for Walleye Through the Ice: Spoons, Rattle Baits and Cadence
A practical guide to jigging walleye through the ice, covering jigging spoons, rattle baits, lift-and-drop cadence and how to read the marks on your flasher.
Fishing Basics
All Fishing Basics
Fishing Stocking Stuffers Under $20 Anglers Will Actually Use
Looking for fishing stocking stuffers under $20? These small tools, terminal tackle items and accessories are practical, easy to wrap and used on every trip.
Fishing Gifts for Dad by Budget: Ideas Under $25, $50 and $100
Practical fishing gift ideas for men and dads under $25, $50 and $100, plus what to check before you buy: rod power, line type and hook or lure sizes.
How to Get a Fishing License: Who Needs One, Where to Buy It and Which Stamps You Need
Every state sells its own fishing license, usually online in a few minutes. Here's how age, residency, stamps and free fishing days work before you buy.
Fishing Gear
All Fishing Gear
Fishing Hook Sizes and Types Explained: Size Chart, Worm, EWG, Circle, Treble and Octopus Hooks
Hook sizing runs in two directions and isn't standardized between brands. Here's how to read the numbers, pick a size for your target fish and choose the right hook style.
Reel Gear Ratio Explained: What 5.4:1, 7.1:1 and 8.1:1 Mean and Which to Choose
The ratio printed on a reel tells you how fast it picks up line, but inches per turn tells the real story. Here's how to read both and match speed to your lures.
Spinning vs Baitcasting Reels: How They Work, Pros and Cons, and Which to Buy First
The two main bass reels work in completely different ways. Here's how each one casts, what line and lures it handles best, and which makes sense as your first reel.
Ice Fishing
All Ice Fishing
First Ice Fishing: When Early Ice Is Safe and How to Fish It Carefully
Learn how thick clear ice needs to be, how to check it as you go, where fish sit at first ice and how to fish early ice with a safety-first routine.
Ice Fishing for Walleye: Structure, Jigging Spoons, Rattle Baits and Tip-Ups
Walleye under the ice follow structure and light. Fish edges and humps at dusk and dawn with a jigging spoon or rattle bait, plus a minnow on a second line.
Ice Fishing for Beginners: When to Start, What Gear You Need and How to Find Fish
You need less gear than you think: safe ice, a way to make a hole, a short rod, small jigs and the right clothes. Here is how to plan your first day on the ice.
Techniques & Seasons
All Techniques & Seasons
Late Fall Bass Fishing: Cold Water Behavior and the Lures That Still Work
When water drops below 50°F, bass slow down, hold near cover and feed on baitfish. Learn where to find them and which lures and retrieves still catch fish.
How to Fish Docks for Bass: Where They Hold and How to Reach Them
Docks are some of the most dependable bass cover on many lakes. Here is how to pick the right ones, reach the fish underneath and stay on good terms with the owners.
Winter Bass Fishing in Open Water: Where Bass Go and How to Catch Them
Winter bass fishing is slow, but it is far from hopeless. Here is where bass spend the cold months in open water and how to tempt them.
Bass Fishing
All Bass Fishing
Bass Fishing From Shore: How to Find Spots, Where Bass Hold and What to Throw
You don't need a boat to catch bass. Find legal access, walk the bank, and fish the cover and drop-offs bass use near shore with a few weedless lures.
Largemouth Bass: How to Identify Them, Where They Live and How to Catch Them
The most popular game fish in the US is easy to recognize once you know the jaw and the stripe. Here's where largemouth live, what they eat and how they move through the year.
How to Catch Striped Bass With Live Bait: Best Baits, Rigs, Hooks and Rules
Live bait is the most dependable way to catch stripers in reservoirs and on the coast. Here's how to choose bait, keep it alive, rig it at the right depth and stay legal.
Lures & Rigs
All Lures & Rigs
Spinnerbait vs Chatterbait: How They Differ and When to Throw Each
Both lures flash, thump and catch bass in stained water, but they behave very differently around cover. Here's how to choose between them.
Topwater Lures for Bass: Frogs, Poppers, Walking Baits, Buzzbaits and Prop Baits
Topwater bites are the most exciting in bass fishing, and the easiest to miss. Here's which surface lure to throw, when to throw it and how to actually hook the fish.
How to Fish a Ned Rig: Jighead Weights, Baits and the Retrieves That Work
The Ned rig looks too small and too simple to work, which is exactly why it catches bass when bigger lures don't. Here's how to set it up and fish it.