My early fishing life was spent roaming around ponds, reservoirs and streams that I could reach by bicycle.  I’d take the shoelaces out of my Chuck Taylor All-Stars (which my kids tell me are once again fashionable), tie a spinning rod to the bike frame, load up a backpack with tackle, and head out.  My friends Chris and Andy would do the same, and we’d pedal off for the day. When we arrived at our…

The words “trophy fish” are synonymous with “big fish” these days. Everyone has their own standards, of course, but a trophy trout might be a 20-incher or larger, and a trophy largemouth bass might be one that tips the scales at 10 pounds or more. Trophy tuna can weigh hundreds of pounds, and a trophy billfish in the thousands! Of course, most people wouldn’t hang a minnow mount on their wall. But, on the other…

  As if I wasn’t anxious enough for the weather to warm up, there are boat shows going on all around the country.  The Tulsa Boat Show happens to be in my neck of the woods, January 30 through February 6, and I plan to take the family to it. We have been on a continuing quest for the perfect family boat. Where else are we going to see hundreds of boat models, RVs, and…

There is something deep in our angling soul that motivates us to try and reach water that we traditionally have not been able to reach.  If we’re wearing waders we sometimes pull them up as high as they go and walk on tip-toes to get closer to where we believe the fish are holding.  Some times we get wet, other times we stay dry, some of us do it once in a while, others of…

There’s no denying that feeling that “tug” is what turns kids on to fishing. I can remember the first times my son, Paul, felt his line go tight. His eyes got wide, he smiled from ear to ear, and started giggling uncontrollably. It was as if a lightbulb went on in his little head, and he’s been “hooked” on fishing ever since. As such, whenever you endeavor to teach a youngster to fish, I think…

South Carolina and now Florida have been especially newsworthy states over the last couple of weeks. However, bass anglers talk about the names of these states year ‘round.  One way to know you are in great shape as a fishing state is to have a method, rig, or piece of fishing tackle bearing your name. Some of these state-angling names have been around for 100 years and are solidly established in fishing vocabulary. Alabama recently…

Many years ago, more than I care to admit, I drove to my favorite trout stream.  My friends who fished it the preceding weekend reported that stellar hatches were coming off, trout were rising everywhere, and everyone was catching fish.  I was dizzy with excitement. I told my boss that I planned to take a day off midweek as vacation time.  My plan was to get up at 3:00 AM, drive the three hours to…

It’s the dead of winter, and for many of us trout fishers, that means spending more time in the warm indoors than making casts in the great outdoors. Of course, the intrepid among us are still making trips to unfrozen rivers. Heck, in some tailwaters (rivers that flow from bottom-release dams), the trout barely notice the difference between January and July. Though the days are indeed shorter and the insect menu might be a little…

“The refrigerator is the only bachelor-friendly appliance.” –P.J. O’Rourke   Appliances such as the trolling motor, depth finder, and bilge pump receive most of the attention from anglers and boaters.  However, not everyone appreciates chilled bait next to the celery.  And you will only make the mistake of tracking down the announcement from forgotten bait odor in the house refrigerator — once. When our old refrigerator began to make some strange noises, it was assigned…

The weather has turned cold in many places throughout the country, but that doesn’t mean the fishing action has to slow down. And you don’t always have to drill through thick ice or seek out a sandy saltwater flat to scratch that fishing itch (though there’s certainly nothing wrong with either approach). Here are a five premier fishing hotspots to consider visiting between now and spring: Kayak fishing the Chesapeake Bay. Some of the best…