The honest fishing blog.
Practical how-to guides, real gear round-ups, and the honest version of what works on the water. 77 articles and growing.
Cleaning and Filleting Fish
There is a deep satisfaction in eating a fish you caught yourself. A meal of fresh fillets is the natural finish to a good day on the water, and it connects…
Bank Fishing Without a Boat
There is a myth in fishing that you need a boat to be successful. Plenty of anglers believe their best days are behind them because they sold the boat or never…
How Weather Affects Fishing
Two anglers fish the same lake with the same lures on the same spot. One has a great day and one gets skunked. Often the difference is not skill or luck, it is…
Best Times of Day to Fish
Every angler has heard it: "You should have been here yesterday" or "The bite was on this morning." Timing matters in fishing, sometimes more than your lure…
Winter Fishing: Cold-Water Tactics
Most anglers hang up their rods when the temperature drops, and that is exactly why winter can be so good. The lakes are quiet, the crowds are gone, and the…
Fall Fishing: The Feeding Frenzy
Ask experienced anglers when they catch their best fish, and many will say fall. As the days shorten and the water cools, fish sense that winter is coming.…
Summer Fishing Guide
Summer fishing is a study in contrasts. The weather is gorgeous, the days are long, and there is no better time to be on the water. But the fishing itself can…
Spring Fishing Guide
Spring is the season every angler waits for. After months of cold water and slow bites, the fish wake up, the days grow longer, and suddenly the lake feels…
Pike and Muskie: Chasing Apex Predators
Most fish nibble. Pike and muskie attack. These two members of the esox family sit at the very top of the freshwater food chain across the northern United…
Inshore Saltwater Fishing: Redfish and Trout
Along the warm coastlines of the southern United States, from the Carolinas down around Florida and across the entire Gulf of Mexico, lies some of the most…
Catching Bluegill and Panfish with Kids
If you want to turn a child into a lifelong angler, don't take them bass fishing. Take them bluegill fishing. Panfish, bluegill, sunfish, redear, and other…
Walleye Fishing Tactics That Actually Work
Across the northern United States, the walleye holds a special status. In the Great Lakes region, the upper Midwest, and the northern plains, it's the most…
How to Catch Crappie
If you want a fish that's easy to catch in numbers, fights with a feisty headshake, and tastes absolutely outstanding in the frying pan, the crappie is hard to…
Catfishing: Baits, Rigs, and Spots
Catfish don't get the glamour of bass or the elegance of trout, but ask anyone who's hooked a 40-pound flathead in the dark and they'll tell you nothing else…
Trout Fishing for Beginners
Few fish are as beloved by American anglers as the trout. They live in the kind of places we all want to be: cold, clear mountain streams, tumbling freestone…
Bag Limits and Slot Limits, Explained
What bag limits and slot limits are, why they exist, how to measure a fish correctly, how to release over- and under-slot fish unharmed, and how to find your local regs.
Best-Eating Freshwater Fish
An honest ranking of the best-tasting freshwater fish - walleye, perch, crappie, trout and channel catfish - with the cooking method that suits each, plus a word on big bass.
Catch More Fish from Shore
You don't need a boat to catch fish. A practical guide to reading bank structure, fan-casting effectively, staying mobile and quiet, and finding the best shore spots.
Catch to Kitchen: Clean & Cook
You kept a fish - now what? An honest, beginner-friendly guide to dispatching, cleaning, filleting and cooking your catch so it tastes its best.
How to Pan-Fry Fish
Why your pan-fried fish turns out soggy and oily, and how to fix it: drying the fillet, a light dredge, the right oil temperature, skin-on technique and when to flip.
Shore Lunch: Cook Your Catch
How to cook a proper shore lunch: the gear you need, keeping fish cold and safe streamside, the classic fried shore lunch step by step, and leave-no-trace cleanup.
Smoking Fish at Home
A practical first guide to smoking fish: brining, drying the pellicle, why beginners should hot-smoke, wood choices, target temperatures, and how to store it safely.
How to Catch Largemouth Bass Year-Round
The largemouth bass is America's fish. From farm ponds in Georgia to mountain reservoirs in California, it lives almost everywhere there's warm, fertile water.…
Finesse Fishing Tactics
Every angler has lived through it: bluebird sky, high pressure, water like glass, and fish that act like they've taken a vow of silence. Your confidence baits…
Surf Fishing from the Beach
There's something timeless about standing in the wash with a rod planted in the sand, watching a tip nod in the breeze. Surf fishing is one of the most…
Ice Fishing: Gear and Safety Basics
Ice fishing turns a frozen lake into a fishery again. While most anglers winterize their boats and wait for spring, ice anglers drill a hole, drop a line, and…
Bass Fishing in Lily Pads
Lily pads are the most reliable bass cover in summer - but they also chew tackle, twist line, and lose fish if you fish them wrong. Here is how to attack pads with confidence…
Boat Anchors for Fishing
The right anchor turns a windy or current-swept fishing spot into a stable casting platform. The wrong anchor drags, swings, or fails when you need it most. Here is the complete…
Bowfishing for Beginners: Bows, Arrows, Regulations
Bowfishing is the bridge between archery and angling - a fast, visual, often nighttime pursuit of carp, gar, suckers, tilapia, and other rough fish with a bow and reel-equipped arrow…
Carp Fishing for Beginners
Common carp are the largest, hardest-fighting, and most overlooked freshwater fish in most of North America. Carp routinely run 10-30 pounds in waters where bass anglers ignore them…
Catch and Cook Guide
The full catch-and-cook cycle is one of fishing's deepest rewards - handling a fish from water to table, knowing exactly what you are eating and where it came from. Here is the…
Fishing by Moon Phase
Anglers have planned trips around moon phases for centuries. Solunar tables, full moon tides, dark of the moon, new moon spawns - every fishing tradition has its lunar lore. How much…
Fishing Kayak vs Canoe
Choosing between a fishing kayak and a fishing canoe shapes how you fish for the next decade. Here is the honest comparison of stability, gear capacity, paddling, and the…
Fishing Pliers vs Forceps
Hook removal is where most fish injuries happen during catch and release. The right tool - pliers or forceps - removes the hook fast, protects the fish, and keeps your fingers off…
Fishing Rod Travel Cases
A broken rod ruins a fishing trip and an expensive piece of gear in one moment. Travel rod cases protect your investment from airline baggage handlers, car door slams, and trunk loads…
Fly Tying for Beginners
Fly tying turns fly fishing from a tackle-shop transaction into a craft - and saves money once you build a basic kit. Here is the gear, tools, and first five patterns every beginner…
Installing a Kayak Fish Finder
A fish finder transforms a kayak from a paddle craft into a hunting platform. Done right, the install is clean, secure, and removable. Done wrong, you end up with leaks, drained…
Live Well Setup Guide
Whether you are running a tournament livewell to keep bass alive for weigh-in or a bait tank to keep shiners and herring fresh, the principles are the same: oxygen, temperature…
River Salmon Fishing Guide
River salmon fishing is one of angling's most demanding pursuits - pursuing a fish that may not eat, in cold water, on technical drifts that punish bad presentations. Done right…
Saltwater Jigging Guide: Depths, Jigs, Techniques
Saltwater jigging puts you in direct contact with bottom-dwelling and suspended predators that other techniques never reach. Here is the complete guide to depths, jig types, and the…
Smallmouth Bass Tactics
Smallmouth bass live in two very different worlds - clear cold rivers and deep northern lakes - and the tactics that crush them in one environment fall flat in the other…
Striper Fishing: Surf, Boat, Best Lures
Striped bass are the most pursued saltwater gamefish on the East Coast and have established freshwater fisheries that produce 50-pound fish in lakes from California to the Carolinas…
Tackle Organizers Tested
A disorganized tackle bag costs you casts. Lost lures, tangled rigs, broken plastics, and corroded hooks all trace back to bad storage. The right system saves money, time, and fish…
Tournament Prep: Gear List, Pre-Fish, Mindset
Tournament fishing rewards preparation more than any other discipline. Days are won on Sunday by anglers who prepared Monday through Saturday - gear ready, lake scouted, mental game…
Trout Streamer Fishing
Streamer fishing for trout is the closest thing in fly fishing to throwing a jerkbait. It targets the biggest trout in the river - the predators that eat baitfish, leeches, and other…
Underwater Fishing Cameras Tested
Underwater fishing cameras put a live feed of the world beneath your boat onto a screen at your seat. For ice fishing, structure scouting, dock fishing, and species identification…
Night Fishing: Tips for After Dark
When the sun goes down, a lake transforms. The pleasure boaters go home, the water calms, the air cools, and fish that were buried in deep water or thick cover…
Fly Fishing for Absolute Beginners
Fly fishing has a reputation for being difficult, expensive, and a little intimidating-a sport of tweed, technique, and secret knowledge. The truth is much…
Bottom Fishing Explained
Bottom fishing is the oldest, simplest, and arguably most universal way to catch fish. Long before crankbaits and forward-facing sonar, anglers were dropping…
Trolling 101
Casting puts your lure in one spot at a time. Trolling-pulling lures behind a moving boat-puts them in front of fish across acres of water until something…
Drop Shot Rigging and Technique
The drop shot rig is the rig you reach for when fish are being difficult. Pressured water, clear conditions, cold fronts, suspended fish, finicky bites-these…
How to Fish a Jig
If a tournament angler could keep only one lure, a huge number would choose a jig. The jig is the lure that catches big fish-it produces some of the largest…
Topwater Fishing: A Complete Guide
There is no thrill in fishing quite like a topwater strike. The water erupts, your heart skips, and for a half-second you forget how to set the hook. Topwater…
Best Coolers for Fishing
A cooler is one of the most-used pieces of gear an angler owns, yet most people give it almost no thought. They grab whatever is in the garage, throw in a bag…
Best Fishing Apps & Tech 2026
Twenty years ago, a smart angler carried a paper lake map, a thermometer, and a notebook. Today, all of that fits in your pocket-and it works harder than ever.…
Best Waders for Cold-Water Fishing
When the water turns cold, fishing doesn't have to stop - but staying out there comfortably and safely depends heavily on one piece of gear: your waders. Good…
Best Polarized Sunglasses for Fishing
Sunglasses might not seem like "fishing gear," but ask any experienced angler and they'll tell you a good pair of polarized glasses is one of the most valuable…
Must-Have Tackle for a Beginner's Box
When you're new to fishing, the wall of lures and tackle at the store can be paralyzing. Thousands of products, every one promising more fish. The truth is…
Best Fishing Kayaks for Anglers
A fishing kayak opens up water that bank anglers can't reach and boat owners can't access - skinny backwaters, quiet coves, narrow creeks, and protected flats.…
Best Tackle Boxes and Bags
Every angler accumulates gear - lures, hooks, weights, line, tools, terminal tackle - and without a good way to organize it, fishing turns into rummaging. The…
How to Choose Fishing Line
Fishing line is the single connection between you and the fish, yet it's one of the most overlooked pieces of tackle. Anglers will agonize over rods and reels,…
Best Spinning Reels for Every Budget
The spinning reel is the most versatile, most forgiving, and most popular reel design in fishing - and for good reason. It handles light lures and live bait…
Best Baitcasting Reels for the Money
A baitcasting reel is the tool of choice when you need power, precision, and the ability to throw heavier lures with accuracy. Once you've put in the time to…
Best Fish Finders Under $500
A fish finder turns guesswork into information. Instead of casting blindly and hoping, you can see the bottom contour, spot structure, mark baitfish, and find…
Best Beginner Rod-and-Reel Combos
Walking into a tackle shop or scrolling through pages of fishing gear online can feel overwhelming when you're just getting started. Rods, reels, line weights,…
Catch and Release Done Right
Catch and release is one of the best things to happen to American fishing. It lets us enjoy the sport, protect fish populations, and pass healthy fisheries on…
How to Land a Fish
The bite is just the beginning. Plenty of anglers feel a fish, get excited, and then watch it come unbuttoned halfway to the bank. Hooking, fighting, and…
Fishing Line Explained
Fishing line is the most overlooked piece of equipment an angler owns. People obsess over rods and reels, then spool up with whatever's cheapest and wonder why…
How to Cast Farther
Every angler has watched someone effortlessly launch a lure twice as far as their own best cast and wondered what the secret is. Here's the reassuring news:…
Live Bait vs Artificial Lures
Ask ten anglers whether live bait or artificial lures catch more fish, and you'll get ten passionate answers. The honest truth is that both work, both have…
How to Set Up a Rod
There's a particular kind of frustration that comes from finally getting to the water and realizing you don't quite know how to put your gear together. Setting…
Spinning vs Baitcasting Reels
Walk into any tackle shop and you'll see two main families of reels staring back at you: spinning reels that hang below the rod, and baitcasting reels that sit…
How to Read Water
Two anglers can fish the same lake on the same day and have completely different results. The difference usually isn't gear or luck - it's that one of them…
7 Essential Fishing Knots
You can own the best rod money can buy, but if your knot fails, the fish wins. Knots are the single most overlooked link in an angler's setup - and the most…
Fishing for Beginners
There's a reason fishing has stayed popular for thousands of years. It gets you outside, it's affordable once you have the basics, and the moment a fish pulls…