Fishing

Fishing

• Fishing

How to Catch Spring Catfish

May 1, 2025I became a shad addict on a quiet backwater creek in eastern North Carolina, just trying to find a way to kill time outdoors untilturkey season kicked off. I was pitching a small red spoon from the bank when a hickory shad snatched it and launched itself from the water, twisting and flipping like a tiny tarpon as it tried to spit my lure. When that spoon came flying back at me mid-jump, I did what any self-respecting angler wasting time on a creek bank would do. I kept casting.Hickory shad are famous for their sudden sprints and aerial displays. Some anglers call them “poor man’s tarpon,” and the nickname is well-earned. These little fish pack more fight per pound than most species. Whilebassandpike get the freshwater glory, the humble shad fights well beyond its weight class, and with sudden bursts of motion and surprising aerial leaps, it's a thrilling fish to catch.American, hickory, and gizzard shad pour into rivers up and down the East Coast by the millions each spring, pulled by primal instincts that take them back to the very waters where they hatched. Then they leave behind countless fertilized eggs before returning to the open ocean.

When I was growing up, springtime was always catfish time. Every year, as soon as the ice had melted off the water and I heard the calls of spring peepers in the air, I’d grab my gear and head down to the river for an evening of kitty hunting. I never caught many fish in those days, but it always...

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Fishing

• Fishing

How to Catch Spring Shad

May 1, 2025I became a shad addict on a quiet backwater creek in eastern North Carolina, just trying to find a way to kill time outdoors untilturkey season kicked off. I was pitching a small red spoon from the bank when a hickory shad snatched it and launched itself from the water, twisting and flipping like a tiny tarpon as it tried to spit my lure. When that spoon came flying back at me mid-jump, I did what any self-respecting angler wasting time on a creek bank would do. I kept casting.Hickory shad are famous for their sudden sprints and aerial displays. Some anglers call them “poor man’s tarpon,” and the nickname is well-earned. These little fish pack more fight per pound than most species. Whilebassandpike get the freshwater glory, the humble shad fights well beyond its weight class, and with sudden bursts of motion and surprising aerial leaps, it's a thrilling fish to catch.American, hickory, and gizzard shad pour into rivers up and down the East Coast by the millions each spring, pulled by primal instincts that take them back to the very waters where they hatched. Then they leave behind countless fertilized eggs before returning to the open ocean.

I became a shad addict on a quiet backwater creek in eastern North Carolina, just trying to find a way to kill time outdoors until turkey season kicked off. I was pitching a small red spoon from the bank when a hickory shad snatched it and launched itself from the water, twisting and flipping like a...

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Fishing

• Fishing

Texas Angler Catches Same 14-Pound Bass...For the Third Year in a Row

Jan 16, 2020They say everything is bigger in Texas, and that couldn’t be more true for Ross Gomez of Post, Texas, who reeled in a 14.74 lb. largemouth bass on the evening of January 22, 2026. But the real story isn’t just the size of the fish; it’s the fact that Gomez had already caught the same bass twice before.Back in 2023, Gomez was targeting crappie of a public dock at Lake Alan Henry when he hooked into the then 13.22 lb. fish. A fellow angler helped him weigh the bass and then told him he should consider donating the fish to the Toyota ShareLunker Program, a program Gomez was unaware of at the time.TheToyota ShareLunker Programis a Texas Parks and Wildlife (TPWD) initiative that partners with anglers in hopes of creating bigger, better bass in Texas. Any largemouth caught in the state from January 1st to March 31st can be donated to the program. Donated fish are marked via a small electronic identifier, similar to a pet microchip, and safely transported to theTexas Freshwater Fisheries Center(TFFC) where they undergo a selective breeding process. The program’s goal is to strengthen trophy bass genetics in Texas lakes and increase anglers' odds of landing the bass of their dreams.

They say everything is bigger in Texas, and that couldn’t be more true for Ross Gomez of Post, Texas, who reeled in a 14.74 lb. largemouth bass on the evening of January 22, 2026. But the real story isn’t just the size of the fish; it’s the fact that Gomez had already caught the same bass twice...

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Fishing

• Fishing

5 Ways to Catch More Winter Trout

Aug 30, 2022Winter is a hard time to be an angler. Unless you’re super intoice fishingor can afford aguided tripto a tropical climate, for the most part, we look at the coldest season of the year as something that must simply be endured. Locked in a cold, gray haze that reflects the weather, we sit and wait for spring by staring longingly out the window like a dog waiting for its master to come home because it desperately needs to be let out. It doesn’t have to be this way, because even in the darkest part of winter, you can still go trout fishing.While warmwater species likebass,catfish, andwalleyeare extremely sluggish and can be tough to get ahold of during the winter, coldwater species like trout remain fairly active and willing to feed. However, just because trout are active during the winter, it doesn’t mean that the samebaits, lures, and flies, and the same fishing techniques you use during the spring and summer are going to work. Catching trout during the winter is a unique but worthwhile challenge where you can catch a hell of a lot of fish, so long as you keep a few specific things in mind.

Winter is a hard time to be an angler. Unless you’re super into ice fishing or can afford a guided trip to a tropical climate, for the most part, we look at the coldest season of the year as something that must simply be endured. Locked in a cold, gray haze that reflects the weather, we sit and wait...

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Ice Fishing

• Fishing
• Ice Fishing

Dead or Alive: How to Catch More Fish With Live and Dead Baits Through The Ice

Feb 4, 2025Ice fishing has always made me feel nostalgic. As aguide, I spend most of my time rigging equipment and finding fish for clients. It can be hard to simply enjoy time on the water when you’re focused on giving your clients a successful fishing trip. But when I go ice fishing, all of that goes away.On the ice, I’m reminded of simpler fishing days. Back then, I didn’t usecomplicated electronicsor fancy equipment; just me, the hole, and some sort of bait.I still keep it simple on the ice. My biggest dilemma is deciding whether to use live or dead bait. I’ve caught a lot of fish through the ice with this bare bones mentality. In fact, there are plenty of easy methods for fishing live and dead baits that can almost guarantee you to catch more fish.

Ice fishing has always made me feel nostalgic. As a guide, I spend most of my time rigging equipment and finding fish for clients. It can be hard to simply enjoy time on the water when you’re focused on giving your clients a successful fishing trip. But when I go ice fishing, all of that goes away...

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Ice Fishing

• Fishing
• Ice Fishing

The 5 Hardest Fish to Catch Through the Ice

Jan 31, 2024Almost every outdoor activity has its own upper tier. A black belt level test that outdoorsfolk take up tochallenge themselvesin hopes of finding out how far they can push their passion. For hikers, it can be a particularly rough or long trail. For hunters, it can be pursuing a difficult species likeDall sheepor harvesting atrophy-sized specimenof their favorite species.Anglers try to master challenging fishing methods likeSpey castingor pursuerareor difficult-to-catch species likepermit. In fact, it seems like almost every outdoor pursuit has its own boss level, but there’s probably none harder than in the world ofice fishing.When it comes down to it, just going ice fishing is challenging enough for most of us. Having to get all the equipment together, find the right spot, and then drill holes through what can be more than a foot of ice, all in brutally cold conditions, can push the average angler to their very limit.

Almost every outdoor activity has its own upper tier. A black belt level test that outdoorsfolk take up to challenge themselves in hopes of finding out how far they can push their passion. For hikers, it can be a particularly rough or long trail. For hunters, it can be pursuing a difficult species...

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Ice Fishing

• Fishing
• Ice Fishing

Unique Michigan Ice Fishing Season Closes After 48 Minutes

Nov 3, 2022That was quick. A Michigan ice fishing season opened at 8 a.m. on Saturday, February 7, only to close 48 minutes later after the harvest quota was met.The quick season—if you want to call it that—took place on Black Lake, which is situated in Cheboygan and Presque Isle Counties, and was for lake sturgeon, a relatively rare, slow-growing fish that first appeared in the fossil record 100 million to 150 million years ago,according to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources(MDNR).Lake sturgeon population declines were recorded in Michigan and elsewhere throughout the Great Lakes, Mississippi, and Hudson River basins beginning in the 1800s due to habitat loss and degradation, as well as overfishing. In Michigan, the species was listed as a threatened species in 1994. Since then, wildlife officials have been working to restore the species’ populations—while also holding highly-restricted fishing opportunities to maintain fishing traditions for the unique species. One of the reasons that fishing opportunities are so limited is the slow growth patterns and long lives of the species, which have been known to reach over 100 years of age.

That was quick. A Michigan ice fishing season opened at 8 a.m. on Saturday, February 7, only to close 48 minutes later after the harvest quota was met. The quick season—if you want to call it that—took place on Black Lake, which is situated in Cheboygan and Presque Isle Counties, and was for lake...

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Fishing

• Fishing

Researchers Capture, Tag, and Release One of the Largest Alligator Gar on Record

Nov 17, 2025Researchers were capturing fish on a recently restored floodplain in Mississippi last month when they tangled with an absolute brute: a 7-foot 10-inch alligator gar with a whopping girth of 55 inches.Solomon R. David, an assistant professor at the University of Minnesota and ahighly regarded gar expert, was leading the scientific effort on October 20^thwith students and several staffers for The Nature Conservancy, including Scott Lemmons. His team had received guidance from US Fish & Wildlife Service Fisheries Biologist Kayla Kimmel. The researchers were capturing, measuring, and tagging gar onLoch Leven, a floodplain lake of the Mississippi River that had been reconnected thanks to support from The Nature Conservancy and the Farm Bill. The project is especially important for alligator gar conservation, as dams and levees along the Mississippi River Basin have cut offthe slow-growing species from spawning habitat.

Researchers were capturing fish on a recently restored floodplain in Mississippi last month when they tangled with an absolute brute: a 7-foot 10-inch alligator gar with a whopping girth of 55 inches. Solomon R. David, an assistant professor at the University of Minnesota and a highly regarded gar...

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