My first paddlefish snagged a 70-lb spoonbill straight off the bank in Oklahoma, and the experience taught me one thing fast: regular bass gear will not cut it. Paddlefish are filter feeders with zero interest in biting a lure, so the only legal way to put one on the bank is by snagging with specialized […]

When the sun drops below the tree line in late January and the thermometer reads negative double digits, I am usually sitting on a five-gallon bucket over a hole drilled into 24 inches of black ice, watching my glow jig pulse on my flasher. That is when I am after the best burbot fishing gear […]

I have spent the better part of two decades chasing blue catfish across reservoirs, tailwaters, and the deep bends of the Mississippi. After testing more than 40 rods over the last three years, our team put together this guide to the best blue catfish rods you can buy right now. Blue catfish are the largest […]

I've spent the last decade chasing lingcod from Puget Sound jetties to Monterey Bay reefs, and one thing keeps me coming back: these fish hit jigs with a violence you can feel through the rod blank. After logging over 200 trips across Washington, Oregon, and California waters, I've learned that the best lingcod jigs aren't […]

After three seasons and roughly 47 trips chasing rockfish, lingcod, and cabezon from San Diego to the Olympic Peninsula, I have tested more dropped rigs than I care to count. The single biggest lesson: the rig you tie matters more than the rod you hold. The best rockfish rigs are the ones that keep bait […]

I've spent the last three autumn seasons chasing cabezon along California's rocky coastline, and I can tell you firsthand that this fish is one of the Pacific's most underrated gamefish. Cabezon (Scorpaenichthys marmoratus) ambush crabs and shrimp from boulder piles, kelp beds, and jetty structure, and they hit hard, fight dirty, and love to wrap […]

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 […]