Crappie don’t get the hype that bass do, but ask anyone who’s worked a brush pile on a spring morning and they’ll tell you: pound for pound, these slab-sided panfish are some of the most satisfying fish in freshwater. Add in their reputation as some of the best-eating fish that swim, and it’s no wonder…
The most neglected but most important fishing kit element is fishing line. A snapped line can lose the fight and the fish, steal some valuable hooks and rigging, and even ruin a terminal rig you spent a long time tying. This is so preventable, yet it happens to so many people. There’s no reason to…
Oklahoma is a reservoir state, plain and simple. Decades of Army Corps dam building across the state’s river systems created a network of massive lakes that collectively give Oklahoma some of the most varied freshwater fishing in the entire region. Lake Texoma alone makes the case. That 88,000-acre border lake with Texas produces striped bass…
Pennsylvania is one of those states where the fishing runs deeper than most people realize, and that says a lot for a place with over 83,000 miles of streams and rivers. The Keystone State holds everything from wild brook trout in mountain headwaters to trophy muskellunge in major river systems, and the range of species…
Few freshwater fish announce themselves quite like a northern pike. One second your lure is moving innocently along a weed edge, the next a torpedo-shaped predator has it in a mouth full of teeth and is heading the other direction at full speed. That explosiveness, combined with a range that spans most of the Northern…
Kentucky sits at the crossroads of several distinct fishing regions, and that geography is exactly what makes it interesting. The western end holds Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley, two of the largest man-made lakes in the eastern United States, connected by a canal and separated by the Land Between the Lakes. Together they form a…
Ohio gets written off by anglers who haven’t fished it, and that assumption does a lot of work for the people who have. The western basin of Lake Erie is the most productive walleye fishery in the world by almost any measure. That single fact should end the conversation about whether Ohio belongs in the…
Illinois is often overlooked as a fishing destination. What’s surprising is how much the Prairie State has to offer. Illinois has access to all Great Lakes, more than 1.5 million acres of water and almost 87,000 miles of rivers and streams. Regardless of where you fish, from the Mississippi River to the Great Lakes, catfish…
Roughly 600 miles of fishable water can be found in Arkansas. From cypress-lined oxbow lakes in the southeast to clear Ozark lakes and the Mississippi River, Arkansas has a wide variety of fishing environments, making it an incredible fishing state. Lake Ouachita is located completely inside Ouachita National Forest and is different from many Arkansas…
If you’re an avid angler, Michigan’s fishing statistics might tempt you to plan your next big fishing trip. With more than 11,000 inland lakes, 3,000 rivers and streams, more than 3,000 miles of coast along the Great Lakes, and access to four of the five Great Lakes, nearly half of Michigan is comprised of water….
Alabama deserves more recognition in national fishing discussions, which is frustrating for anglers that have fished here, and it’s easy to see why. The state has some of the best freshwater fishing opportunities in the South, and Lake Guntersville is more than enough reason to put Alabama on any angler’s bucket list. Weiss Lake is…
Almost every angler’s first fish story involves a bluegill, a bobber, and a worm — and there’s nothing wrong with that. But write bluegill off as “just a kid’s fish” and you’ll miss out on genuine slab fisheries where these scrappy panfish push past a pound and put a serious bend in ultralight gear. For…
The right bait can create a legendary fishing tale while the wrong bait will just sit unused in a tackle box. Most tackle boxes are filled with baits that go ignored. This list contains proven fishing baits and lures that will actually catch fish, ranked based on their sales data and reflecting the choices anglers…
Ask ten anglers what species hooked them on fishing, and a solid majority will mention largemouth bass. It’s the fish on bass boat decals, the centerpiece of Bassmaster coverage, and for many people, the first fish they ever caught off a dock with a worm and bobber. There’s a reason it dominates American freshwater fishing…
Not talking about fishing in West Virginia when discussing excellent fishing states is a mistake. The Mountain State has incredible fishing opportunities that deserve far more attention. Trophy smallmouth bass in the New River, record-setting catfish from the Kanawha, the state record muskie from Stonecoal Lake at 52.7 inches, wild brook trout in the mountain…
Most freshwater anglers can name their personal-best bass down to the ounce. Ask about their biggest catfish, and the number often gets a lot bigger — and a lot vaguer, usually followed by a story about a rod nearly going into the river. Catfish produce some of the heaviest freshwater fish caught in North America,…
Idaho is a destination for serious fishers. The Gem State boasts blue ribbon trout streams, steelhead rivers that draw fly fishermen from across the country, enormous clear mountain lakes, and a variety of fishing that is hard to match anywhere in the inland west. Henry’s Fork is considered by many to be the greatest trout…
There’s a good reason that fly fishing culture has become a part of Colorado’s identity — the reputation is deserved. The Centennial State has 6,000 miles of fishable rivers and streams, more than 2,000 lakes and reservoirs, and Gold Medal designated waters that hold some of the best wild trout fishing on the planet. Blue…
Arizona has excellent fishing options for locals and visitors that most people never expect from a desert state. The Grand Canyon State has warm desert reservoirs with trophy largemouth bass, world class tailwater trout below Glen Canyon Dam, cold mountain lakes in the White Mountains, and striped bass on the Colorado River corridor. Roosevelt Lake…
Connecticut is the Constitution State, meaning you would expect something modern and developed, but the fishing here surprises almost everyone who shows up expecting little. The state has over 180 public lakes and ponds, legendary trout rivers, solid bass fishing in the Housatonic chain, and striped bass in the Connecticut River tidal sections. Candlewood Lake…
Hi there, my name is Zac Johnson! A lot of people are familiar with my blogging and content creation work; however, I have a huge passion for fishing. During the past few decades, I have built a career around creating content and sharing information in a digital format that can be accessed globally, all from…