FeaturedBuying guide · 6 min read
How to choose a crankbait by depth
Bill shape, body and line diameter decide how deep a crankbait runs. Match all three to the water you fish.
Guides
Buying advice, techniques and species playbooks. Every guide links straight to the gear it recommends.
Technique · 7 min read
Bobbers and floats: fixed, slip and when to use each
Clip-on, pencil, slip and lighted bobbers, how to set the depth, how to balance a float with split shot, and how to read the bite.
Technique · 8 min read
Bucktail jigs for inshore saltwater
Head shapes, weights, colors and trailers for fluke, striped bass, redfish and snook, from the beach or the boat.
Buying guide · 7 min read
Choosing an ice fishing rod and reel
Length, power, tip and reel type for panfish, walleye and pike, plus the line that keeps working at 10°F.
Buying guide · 6 min read
Choosing an ice shelter: pop-up hub, insulated or flip-over
Hub, flip-over or insulated. How to size an ice shelter, set it up, anchor it against the wind and kit it out.
Buying guide · 7 min read
Choosing jig heads and sinkers for soft plastics
Which jig head or weight suits each soft-plastic rig, lead or tungsten, and how heavy to go for the depth, wind and cover.
Technique · 7 min read
Creature baits and craws: rigging and when to use them
What creature baits and craws are, how to fish them on Texas, punching and Carolina rigs or behind a jig, and which size and color to tie on.
Buying guide · 7 min read
Fishing hooks decoded: sizes, styles and when to use each
How hook sizes count, what each common style is for, and how wire, barbs and a sharp point change the way a hook catches fish.
How-to · 8 min read
Five fishing knots worth learning first
The Palomar, improved clinch, uni, FG and San Diego jam, step by step, with the lines each one suits and how to check your knot.
Buying guide · 8 min read
Fly fishing starter kit: rod weight, line and the first flies to buy
A 9-foot 5-weight, a floating line, a leader and a small box of flies. What each piece does and the sizes to start with.
Buying guide · 7 min read
How to choose an ice auger: hand, gas or electric
Hand, gas, propane, electric or a drill bit. Match the power, blade size and weight to the ice you fish and the holes you drill.
Seasonal · 7 min read
How to fish a jerkbait in cold water
Suspending or floating, how long to pause, the line and rod that suit it, and how to tune and weight a jerkbait for 40-degree water.
Technique · 6 min read
Ice fishing lures: spoons, jigging raps and tungsten jigs
Spoons call fish in, darters trigger them and tiny jigs close the deal. Sizes, tipping and jigging cadence for panfish, perch, walleye and trout.
Technique · 7 min read
Jig types explained: flipping, football, swim and finesse
How head shape, weed guard, hook and weight set each bass jig apart, and where, when and with which trailer to fish it.
How-to · 6 min read
Organizing a tackle box: trays, bags and what goes where
Hard boxes, tackle bags with utility trays, or a backpack. How to sort by technique, keep hooks from rusting and pack for the bank or the boat.
How-to · 7 min read
Reel maintenance: cleaning, oil and grease
Rinse after salt, oil the bearings, grease the gears, keep the drag and clutch dry. A routine for spinning reels and baitcasters.
Buying guide · 7 min read
Rod power and action explained
What the power, action, length and ratings printed on a rod mean, and how to match them to the way you fish.
Technique · 8 min read
Spinnerbaits vs. chatterbaits vs. buzzbaits
Three bladed baits, three different jobs. What each blade does, and the water, cover and temperature where each one fits.
Technique · 7 min read
Spoons for every season
Casting, trolling, jigging and weedless spoons, which fish each one suits through the year, and how to stop a spoon twisting your line.
Technique · 8 min read
Swimbaits for beginners: paddle tails, soft jerkbaits, jointed baits and glide baits
The four kinds of swimbait, how to rig and retrieve each one, and the rod, reel and line that throw it.
Buying guide · 7 min read
Swivels, snaps and leaders: when you need them
Which small hardware earns a place on your line, which gets in the way, and how long and heavy to make a leader.
Technique · 7 min read
Tip-ups explained: setting them for pike, walleye and trout
How tip-ups work, how to rig and set them for pike, walleye and trout, and how to space them, alongside tip-downs and wireless alerts.
Technique · 7 min read
Topwater lures: poppers, walkers, prop baits and frogs
How each surface bait moves, where it fits, the cadence to work it, and when to set the hook after the blowup.
Buying guide · 8 min read
Your first surf fishing setup
The rod, reel, line, sinkers and rigs to fish from the beach, plus the bait to use and how to find fish in the waves.
Buying guide · 6 min read
Baitcaster or spinning reel: which to buy first
What each reel does well, where beginners struggle, and the one we would start with.
How-to · 5 min read
Matching lure color to water clarity
A simple rule for clear, stained and muddy water, plus the five colors to carry first.
Buying guide · 5 min read
Mono, fluoro or braid: picking fishing line
Stretch, sink rate and visibility decide which line suits a technique, and when to add a leader.
Technique · 5 min read
Rigging soft-plastic worms: Texas, wacky and Ned
Three rigs, the hooks and weights each one needs, and when to tie which.
Seasonal · 5 min read
Your first ice fishing kit
Safety gear first, then the auger, rod and lures to get you through a first winter on the ice.