Norman Dreger of Germany got the surprise of his fishing career — and possibly his life — when an eagle swooped in to steal his dolly varden char, all his backing, and his fly. Fortunately for those of us sitting in front of a computer screen the entire event was captured on film. [ Read Full Post ]

During early summer, big bluegills, in full spawning hues, start their gradual migration toward the shallows. As water temperatures reach 70 degrees, their breeding nests begin to appear—­imagine elephant tracks on a lake bottom. Breeding often continues through August. These fish, the biggest bulls you’ll see all year, are aggressive biters and hard fighters. Perhaps best of all, their shallow-water haunts are easily accessible from a boat or from shore.

Minnesota’s Dave Genz, an icefishing master, calls these fish “no-nosers”—nothing but forehead. He focuses on them the instant that the ice melts, trading his jigging sticks for 12-foot spinning rods. But that’s pretty much all he changes. His terminal gear strategy remains a constant, and it’s a topnotch way to catch plate-sized fish. [ Read Full Post ]

Michael Eisele of Kiel Germany caught this enormous 103-pound cod while fishing off the coast of Norway. If the catch is approved by the International Game Fish Association, it will break the current world record (which has stood for 44 years) by about 5 pounds.

 Eisele battled the fish for half an hour before two of his friends finally helped him haul it into the boat, according to the Daily Mail. The cod measured more than 5 feet in length. [ Read Full Post ]