I have spent the last three summers chasing black sea bass across wrecks, reefs, and rocky bottoms from Long Island down to Cape Cod, and I have watched jigs make or break more trips than any other piece of terminal tackle. The right jig sinks fast through current, flutters like a wounded baitfish on the […]

I've spent the last three summers chasing halibut out of Homer, Alaska and Depoe Bay, Oregon, and I can tell you one thing without hesitation: the wrong rod will cost you fish. After landing 47 halibut across that stretch, ranging from chicken-sized shakers to a 92-pound barn door, I learned exactly what separates the best […]

After 30 days on the water fishing flathead catfish from the James, the New, and several TVA reservoirs, our team landed fish on seven rigs worth recommending. The best flathead catfish rigs are not the fanciest setups in the tackle shop. They are the ones that put a live bluegill or cut shad in front […]

After spending more weekends than I care to admit on the banks of slow Midwestern creeks with a lantern propped against my tackle box, I can tell you one thing for certain: the right bullhead catfish bait matters far more than the rod in your hand. Bullheads are scrappy little bottom feeders with a sense […]

I have spent the last three spring seasons chasing redear sunfish across farm ponds in Georgia, public reservoirs in Florida, and a handful of strip pits in southern Illinois. After dozens of trips and hundreds of shellcracker landed, one thing has become obvious: the right bait separates a slow day from a banner day. That […]

After spending the last three autumns chasing chain pickerel across weedy creeks, tannic ponds, and timber-filled lakes in the Mid-Atlantic, our team has tested enough lures to fill a tackle bag twice over. The best chain pickerel lures share three traits: they flash, thump, or wobble hard enough to draw a reaction strike from an […]

I've spent the last four summers wading rocky Midwestern creeks with light spinning tackle, and if there's one thing I've learned, it's that finding the best rock bass lures changes everything about how often you get bit. Rock bass (also called goggle-eye, red-eye, or creek bass) hit hard for their size and live right in […]

I've spent the last 30 days chasing white bass across rivers, reservoirs, and tailwaters, and I can tell you this: finding the best white bass lures is the difference between a frustrating blank and a limit of slab-sided fish in an afternoon. White bass are aggressive, schooling predators that key in on shad and minnows. […]

I have spent more weekends than I can count chasing hybrid striped bass across tailraces, reservoirs, and power-plant outflows, and I can tell you the right lure changes everything. The best hybrid striper lures match the size, flash, and erratic movement of the shad and alewives these fish hammer year-round. Get that combination right and […]

I've spent more weekends than I can count bouncing lead along the bottom of the Mississippi, Ohio, and Illinois rivers chasing sauger, and I can tell you from experience that the wrong jig costs fish. Sauger are stubborn bottom-huggers that demand a compact package, a sharp hook, and just enough weight to hold bottom without […]