Fishing

Each year, each season, despite our wishes, there are only so many opportunities to enjoy the outdoor pursuits we revere. Many a weekend warrior would like to do it all, but that’s not always feasible. And, sometimes, it’s just too hard to decide—go hunt or go fish? Spend the weekend chasing spring...

Walking down the dock on Day One of the 2014 Bassmaster Classic at Alabama’s Lake Guntersville, dodging fanboys, photographers, and jersey-laden anglers who looked like NASCAR drivers, I stopped at each boat. I didn’t need to talk to anyone, I just wanted to know what the fish were biting. Sure...

From crude and prehistoric decoys carved from bone to simple but effective spoons made from bronze and iron, right up to the incredibly high-tech baits produced today, humans have invented a lot of ways to catch fish. That long history has included some truly innovative and remarkable lures that...

Fishing live bait for walleyes is a rite of passage. Practically everyone learns to catch these often-tricky fish with worms on spinners, minnows on jig heads, or leeches under floats. But, if you stick with the walleye game long enough, you’ll learn that you also better become comfortable using...

“Big water, big fish” is a maxim I’ve smiled and nodded at politely for more than a decade. It’s not that I don’t believe big fish live in big water-have you seen the trout they pull out of Pyramid Lake!? But I take mild offense to any suggestion that inverse of the statement implies: “Small fish...

Being a complete angler is less about catching fish and more about involving yourself in the entire fishing experience. From exploring a new fishing spot to choosing the right equipment and presentation, the more engaged you are in the process, the better angler you’ll become. For many fly and spin...

Spinner rigs account for a huge proportion of all walleyes caught in rivers, lakes, and reservoirs across the walleye belt. Also known as a worm harness rig, this relatively simple tackle can be fished from the bottom to the surface, fast or slow, and provides a good mix of power and finesse. These...

For Janet McGlothren, childhood summers on Mobile Bay were about one thing: jubilees. McGlothren and her three brothers sometimes slept on the pier under the stars in hope of finding the first jubilee of the year and getting to be in the local paper. But one summer in the late 1960s, that honor went...

This text was originally delivered as a speech at the 2022 International Fly Tackle Dealer trade show hosted by the American Fly Fishing Trade Association. MeatEater adapted it into an article format for publication. Good afternoon and thank you for coming. My name is Sam Lungren and I’m the...

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m a big glitter boat guy. Since buying my first in the fall of 1996, I’ve bought and sold five more. The fifth is about to leave for a new owner, and a sixth is on the way. I’ve tried to be careful, but I’ve done lots of stupid shit—run into logs, forgot to put the...

Nowadays, thanks to the internet and social media, word about new or extremely productive baits spreads like wildfire. Sometimes it seems that every angler is splattering the web with grip-and-grins and raving about one new wonder bait or another. Some of these are legit and others are just gimmicks...