Is Hunting Too White?

Whether you see a hunter sitting in a treestand, crouching in a duck blind or bugling bulls on a mountainside, you can predict something with 91% certainty: You’re looking at a white guy of European stock. You can also bet the guy has rural or small-town roots, and that he and his buddies are more passionate about hunting than any other demographic group sociologists can identify by race or ethnic heritage. In fact, researchers at universities...

Are You Casting Too Far?

Every new angler wants to be able to cast an entire fly line or launch a lure all the way across the lake. But that drive for technical prowess often leads people to miss the fish at their feet. Fish of all species are often found hugging the banks of lakes and rivers, hiding or hunting in shoreline structure and under riparian vegetation. Pike, bass, salmon, trout—there’s hardly a freshwater fish I’ve encountered that consistently requires long...

You Can't Bass Fish Too Shallow

The two sonar units I have on my bass boat—one at the console and one up front—both contain more computing power than the 13-inch television I owned back in college by a factor of a thousand. Truth be told, though, they don’t get nearly as much use. I’m a tidal river rat, where a substantial portion of the feeding largemouths stay in less than 6 feet of water much of the year. Even when I’m on nearby impoundments, I prefer to stick to that range...