After three charter trips, two DIY rig marathons, and one lost king that still haunts me, I can tell you that picking the right kingfish rig makes the difference between a cooler full of mackerel and a quiet ride home. Our team has spent the past two seasons chasing king mackerel along the Atlantic and […]

I have spent the last three summers chasing broadbill swordfish from Southern California to the Florida Keys, and I will tell you straight: picking the right rig is the difference between watching your rod tip for nine hours and actually hooking a fish. The best swordfish rigs are not the most expensive. They are the […]

I've been chasing sharks from beaches, piers, and boats for the better part of a decade, and I can tell you this much: the shark fishing rigs you choose make or break the day before you ever cast a line. After chewing through (literally) more leaders than I'd like to admit and losing a couple […]

Shark fishing is one of the most demanding pursuits in saltwater angling, and the gear has to match the fish. I have spent the last three summers chasing blacktips, bulls, and lemons from the surf, piers, and charter boats, and I have broken more rods than I would like to admit. That is exactly why […]

I've spent the last several seasons chasing bonito from piers, jetties, kayaks, and boats along the East Coast and SoCal, and I've landed strikes on just about every lure style you can tie on. After testing dozens of plugs, jigs, spoons, and poppers across blitz conditions, calm-water mornings, and high-speed troll runs, I'm confident in […]

I've spent the last six falls chasing false albacore up and down the Northeast coast, and I can tell you this: finding the right false albacore flies makes the difference between watching a blitz explode thirty feet from your bow and actually hooking one of these torpedoes. After testing more than thirty patterns on the […]

I've spent the last three summers chasing roosterfish along the beaches of Costa Rica and the rocky points of Baja, and I can tell you this: the best roosterfish lures are not the ones with the loudest marketing. They are the ones that displace water, match the local baitfish, and survive the abuse of a […]

I've spent the last four summers chasing dorado (mahi-mahi, dolphinfish, whatever you call them) from panga boats in the Sea of Cortez to center consoles out of Stuart, Florida. After testing dozens of trolling lures, skirted rigs, plugs, and jigs, I can tell you this: not every flashy lure catches dorado, and not every "best […]

I have spent the better part of three decades chasing peacock bass in Florida canals, Lake Okeechobee grass lines, and a handful of Amazon tributaries south of Manaus. During that time, I have watched these chunky, line-burner cichlids crush a classic Rebel Pop-R one afternoon and ignore a premium Megabass the next morning. The truth […]

I lost my first alligator gar at the Trinity River in 2019. I had a 7-foot heavy rod, 50lb braid, and a stout J-hook on 30lb mono leader. The fish took my cut carp chunk, ran hard for about ten seconds, and then the line snapped clean at the leader knot. I never even saw […]