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    Sam Lungren
    Sam Lungren
    Sam Lungren is MeatEater's Fishing Editor and a former freelance writer/photographer, commercial fisherman, and editor of BHA's Backcountry Journal. Though originally from Whidbey Island, Washington, he's been in Montana for almost a decade and probably isn't leaving—except during steelhead season. Send him an email sam@themeateater.com or follow him @samlungrenmedia.

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    Bass

    Best Bass Fishing Lures and Baits
    Selecting the best bass fishing lures for largemouth and smallmouth can be as complicated or as simple as you want it to be. Though there may be hundreds of thousands of bass baits on the market, you can get on your way to catching fish with just a few tried-and-true classics.
    The best bass lures fall into the classes of crankbaits, soft plastics/jigs, topwater, spinnerbaits/hardware, and swimbaits. These rules and lures apply to both primary...

    Public Lands & Waters

    Conservation Legend Jim Posewitz Passes Away at 85
    Whether you know it or not, if you’re a hunter or angler in the United States, you owe a debt of gratitude to Jim Posewitz. As a conservation historian, philosopher, author, and thought leader on the ethics of hunting, “Poz” was essential in shaping the moral sporting code most of us practice today. His seminal book “Beyond Fair Chase: The Ethic and Tradition of Hunting” (1994) has been printed more than a million times and distributed to...

    Policy & Legislation

    Senators Pass Great American Outdoors Act. Find Out How Yours Voted
    On Wednesday morning, Senators overwhelmingly voted in favor of the Great American Outdoors Act, thanks in no small part to vocal support from the conservation, hunting, and fishing community. With 73 ayes, two absent, and 25 nays, this legislation now heads to the House of Representatives. Click here to read more about the bill.
    The whole MeatEater crew would like to thank everyone who called or emailed or wrote letters or even shared...

    Policy & Legislation

    Here’s How YOU Can Make Public Lands Better Today
    Pick up your phone right now. Dial (202) 224-3121 and hit the green button. When you reach the congressional switchboard, tell them where you’re from and ask to be connected to your Senator’s office. When you get through, tell the staffer who answers that you want your elected representative to vote in favor of the Great American Outdoors Act. That’s it. And you might be shocked at how much of a difference it makes.
    Tomorrow, Wednesday June 1...

    Freshwater

    How to Keep Catching Fish During Spring Runoff Floods
    A couple Junes ago, an older angler walked down to the hole I was fishing to tell me that he likes that spot, only not when the water is flowing so damn fast and heavy. Wait a month and it will be better, young man. I nodded in acceptance of his sage wisdom, declining to tell him that we’d landed a 22-inch brown, a 24-inch cutthroat, and a 25-inch rainbow right there within the last 24 hours. And I’d fished that spot enough years to know that...

    Freshwater

    Your First Day of Fly Fishing Wasn’t This Good
    Most of us try our whole lives to break the hallowed 30-inch mark with a brown trout. Many who achieve it travelled off the continent with that very goal in mind. Kari Gentry, a registered nurse from Conway, Arkansas, was able to lock up that milestone on her first ever day of fly fishing.
    On May 23, Gentry and her husband Austin floated the White River near Cotter, Arkansas, with guide Ben Levin of Dally’s Ozark Fly Fisher.
    “This is a Saturday...

    Public Lands & Waters

    The Biggest Change to Public Lands in Our Lifetime
    MeatEater’s conservation director and host of the Cal’s Week in Review Podcast, Ryan Callaghan, is feeling optimistic today. When Congress reconvenes next month, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) says he will bring the Great American Outdoors Act to the floor for debate and likely a vote. Cal calls the GAOA, “the largest outdoor package we will likely see in our lifetime.” The legislative package allocates $9.5 billion over five...

    Fly

    Meat Hooks: Big-Ass Streamers Smoke Big-Ass Trout
    Hogs. Toads. Donkeys. Pigs. Whatever name you prefer, these are the fish you really want to catch. Quantity fills the freezer, but trophies earn the bragging rights. This series is dedicated to the pursuit of the true heavyweights across all species. The meat eaters. So, pull out the sink tips, 7-weights, and Sex Dungeons and rethink your approach if you want to see giant trout most anglers don’t even realize exist in their home waters.
    Ugly Stik...

    Policy & Legislation

    How the Supreme Court’s and EPA’s New Clean Water Act Guidelines Affect Hunters and Anglers
    Last week, the Supreme Court and the Environmental Protection Agency put out new and potentially conflicting guidelines regarding the interpretation and enforcement of the 1972 Clean Water Act.
    On Tuesday, April 21, the Trump Administration’s EPA redefined which wetlands and waterways qualify for protection under the Clean Water Act, drastically narrowing the criteria. Two days later, on Thursday, April 23, the Supreme Court ruled on a Hawaiian...

    Wild Turkey

    Ultra-Rare Color Phase Turkey Killed in Oregon
    Kyle Smith was simply thrilled that his calling worked, the turkeys responded, the 22-pound gobbler attacked his decoy, and he was coming home on April 22 with dinner. It wasn’t until he got back home that he realized his bird’s whole body was nearly jet black except for one tail feather.
    “The adrenaline was going so much this morning that I didn’t even know,” Smith told MeatEater. “I was by myself. It was raining, so I didn’t want to...