Fishing tips and information to help you catch more fish.
The best time to catch catfish is late spring through early fall, with peak action from late April through October. Night fishing produces the most consistent results. Learn the best seasons, times of day, and water temperatures for blues, channels, and flatheads.
A fly tying bobbin seems like a simple tool, but it’s the one you will have in your hand for 90% of the time you spend at the vise. It’s the paintbrush for your thread, the needle for your materials. Mastering its use is the fundamental key to creating clean, tight, and durable flies instead
If you could only tie and fish one fly for the rest of your life, the choice for most experienced fly fishers would be simple: the Woolly Bugger. It is arguably the most versatile, effective, and universally successful fly pattern ever created. It’s a “prospecting” fly, a searching pattern that can imitate a huge variety of food sources,
There is absolutely no reason to sit and shiver on the ice. A small, safe, and reliable portable propane heater can instantly turn a frigid ice fishing tent into a comfortable fishing cabin. It’s the one piece of gear that allows you to take off your heavy gloves, fish in comfort for hours on end, and truly
You’re hunched over your flasher, watching an enticing red line appear on the screen. It’s a fish! But what kind is it? Is it a giant walleye or a small perch? Is it staring at your bait, or just passing by? An underwater camera takes all the guesswork out of the equation, letting you see exactly
Is your ice fishing experience a frantic search through a chaotic sled? Are your rods tangled, your jigs a jumbled mess, and your essential tools buried under a pile of gear? You likely spend more time untangling things and fumbling for what you need than you do actually fishing. A little bit of smart organization
You’re hunched over your ice hole, staring intently at your rod tip, waiting for any sign of a bite. Suddenly, a tiny, brightly colored spring sticking off the end of your rod slowly and deliberately bends downward… fish on! What is that little device, and why is it so incredibly effective? You’ve just seen a spring
The bite of a winter crappie can be as light as a single falling snowflake landing on your line. A perch might just barely “tick” your jig, and a bluegill will often swim up with your lure, creating a sudden slack that is almost impossible to feel. If your ice fishing rod is as stiff and numb
You’re out on the ice, actively working a jigging rod, when you suddenly hear a yell from across the lake. You look over and see a group of anglers sprinting across the ice toward a strange-looking wooden device that now has a bright orange flag sticking straight up in the air. What just happened? You’ve just
Ice fishing is an incredibly fun and rewarding activity, a unique way to enjoy the outdoors during the winter months. But it takes place in a dynamic and potentially hazardous environment. Before any angler, from beginners to seasoned veterans, can even think about their ice fishing rod, their tip-ups, or what live bait to put on their hook, they must first prioritize safety. There
Winter crappie are famous for their incredibly light, often upward bites. Unlike a perch that might aggressively slam your lure, a crappie will frequently float up to a bait, gently inhale it, and just sit there. To catch these “papermouths” consistently through the ice, you need a collection of small, subtle lures that you can
You turn on your new ice fishing flasher for the first time, drop the transducer in the hole, and see a confusing wheel of flashing lights and colors. It looks complicated, like a submarine’s sonar screen from an old movie. But in reality, it’s telling you a very simple and powerful story about the world
The world beneath the ice is a realm of crystal clarity and profound silence. In this environment, panfish like crappie, bluegill, and perch can become incredibly finicky and wary. They’ll scrutinize a bait for long moments before committing. The thick, coily, and highly visible fishing line you used last summer will stand out like a
Your ice auger is the key that unlocks the frozen world beneath your feet. It’s the first and most important tool you’ll use on any ice fishing trip, a popular winter pastime enjoyed by millions. While powerful electric and gas augers are fast, a high-quality manual auger is lightweight, completely silent, and surprisingly easy to use—if you
The number one reason people have a bad first ice fishing experience has nothing to do with the fish; it’s getting cold. A bone-chilling cold that seeps into your core will end your day faster than a tangled line. But staying warm on a frozen lake isn’t about wearing one big, bulky jacket. It’s about
There’s a special kind of excitement on the ice when you find a school of aggressive, jumbo yellow perch. These beautiful, hard-fighting fish are famous for their delicious taste, and finding an active school can lead to some of the fastest and most exciting action in all of ice fishing. While jumbo perch can be