Fishing Tips

Plenty of catfish anglers swear by a beat-up carton of chicken livers, and there’s no denying they catch fish. But if you want to up your odds, boost your numbers, or stick a heavyweight blue, chicken liver isn’t always the best play. Do …

Your rig puts the bait in the strike zone. The right rig holds bottom, avoids snags, and helps hooks set clean. This guide shows the best catfish rigs with simple build lists, tie steps, and when to use each. Follow the steps, make small changes, and …

Bank fishing is direct, affordable, and deadly when you match location, bait, and rig to the conditions. Catfish use edges, wind, and current to find food. You can reach those lanes from shore with clean casts and correct spot selection. This guide e …

Clear water rewards precision and punishes noise. Steelhead see more. Steelhead spook easier. You must cut flash, downsize gear, and slow the pace. This guide lays out a clean plan for approach, rigging, lure and bait selection, speed control, and st …

Back trolling puts your lures or bait in front of moving steelhead and keeps them working in the strike zone. You point the bow upstream. You slow the boat below river speed. You guide each pass down a lane with purpose. This guide shows you how to r …

Plugging lets you place a lure in front of traveling steelhead and keep it there. You control speed, angle, and coverage. You read the rod tips, tune the plugs, and work each seam with intent. This article explains the full system with simple steps a …

Back bouncing puts natural bait in front of holding steelhead in deep, fast runs. You control the drift. You feel bottom. You guide the bait into the strike zone. This guide explains the method in depth so you can fish clean, precise, and confident. …

Bobber doggin’ blends the control of side-drifting with the clarity of float fishing. You let the weight tick bottom. You let the float pull the rig through the seam. You keep a low, steady line angle so the presentation travels at river speed. …

It’s been a long summer, and the Shack Nasties are getting to you. Cooler nights where you leave your bedroom windows open, dew on the grass in the morning, hardwood leaves beginning to change color, and maybe a few spurts of precipitation, all …

When crappies move off structure and suspend in open water, few techniques offer the control and precision of the drop shot. Originally designed for finesse bass fishing, drop shotting for crappie lets you present a bait directly in their face, hold …

As dark breaks into dawn, a huge cloud bank moving in from the west obliterates a sodden grey sky. The forecast is grim for my first trip of the year with Brian Hall and Evan Morse from Cleveland, but the wind is from the south, keeping the shoreline …

When most anglers think of crappie fishing, they think of catching panfish on small jigs. Jigging for crappie can be one of the most efficient and effective ways to catch crappie all 12 months of the year. While the techniques and approaches can vary …