The Greatest Largemouth Bass Crankbaits
If you grew up in a fishing family, your Grandpa called ‘em plugs—wooden lures with a metal bill that vaguely looked like local preyfish. Along with topwater lures, crankbaits have been in our bassin’ arsenal far longer than spinnerbaits, jigs, or soft-plastic baits.
Best Gear and Sprays for Repelling Mosquitoes and Stinging Insects
Because nothing can ruin a hunting, fishing, or camping trip quicker than a swarm of skeeters.
Fishing Smallmouth on Light Line
Scan the Internet for light-line smallmouth tactics and we see players shying away from the cutting edge like coyotes from a fire. Most want us to believe 8- and 10-pound lines are light. One tried to convince me 30-pound braid with a 10-pound leader is “light.”
Rigging Soft Bass Baits Correctly
Balance is the goal when tipping bass fishing jigs with trailers. A trailer can’t be overbearing or the package rolls out of control. Hook-sets become problematic. Few anglers would look at a jighead in the nose of a 7-inch soft swimbait and think it looks right.
Filleting Fish: How To Choose The Best Fillet Knife
Whether you’re fixing shore lunch on the banks of a backcountry lake or cleaning your latest limit on the kitchen counter at home, having the right knife for the job makes transforming your catch into fine table-fare infinitely easier.
Throw your Crankbaits to the Right Line
Two things are more important than anything else when you’re fishing with a crankbait — a lively action and a long casting distance. Both of them are directly affected by your line choice.
The Effects of Cold Fronts on Bass
I admit my past skepticism about the effects of cold fronts on bass. Some of my hesitancy to buy into the mother of all excuses for not catching bass is that I’ve enjoyed some memorable catches under post-cold-front conditions, even classic conditions with a high barometer, bright blue sky, sharply colder temperatures, and a strong north or northwest wind.
Finding Big Bluegill in Spring
There are several reasons why spring is the season to invest most of your bluegill-hunting time: Fish are bigger than they’ll be all year and the tall corn—the cabbage, rice, cane, and pads they use to break free—won’t be fully developed yet. From spawn time through fall, the rules change.