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• Largemouth bass
• Walleye
• Catfish
• Lures & Bait
• Lures & Bait

11 HUNGRY MOTHERS The best time to catch a trophy walleye is five to seven weeks after the fish have completed spawning. That's when the big females, famished after not having eaten for nearly two months, go on the prowl for food. And with the natural supply of baitfish at its annual low, they're likely to hit almost anything you throw at them.

12 ON THE EDGE Ever wonder why the teeth of a pike or muskie easily shear your line, while those of an equally toothy walleye rarely do? It turns out that walleye teeth are round, while those of a pike or muskie have razor-sharp edges. So don't forget to tie on a wire leader when you're chasing after those esocids.

13 BLADDER CONTROL You might have noticed that some fish pulled from deep water can be released and will swim right back down, but others have trouble descending. That's because some fish (physostomous species such as trout) can "burp" air as they're being pulled up, relieving the gas buildup in their swim bladders, while others (physoclistous species like walleyes) have no connection between the swim bladder and the gut. Consequently, their swim bladders expand, greatly increasing their buoyancy. Eventually, gases that build up in the bladder dissipate and the fish can once again return to its deepwater haunt.

14 CHOICE TROUT BAIT One of the least known but most effective baits for trout is the water worm, which is the larval form of the crane fly (those big, slow-moving bugs that look like giant mosquitoes). You can often find water worms by digging through the mud and sticks of a beaver dam on your favorite trout stream.

15 WATER DOGS AS PUPPIES Water dogs, which are the larval form of tiger salamanders, make good bait for bass, walleyes and pike. But once the young salamanders lose their gills and turn into adults, they don't work nearly as well. To prevent water dogs intended for bait from developing into adults, keep them refrigerated in water at a temperature of no more than 50 degrees.

16 YUMMY! A WORM INSIDE OUT Channel cats love catalpa worms, which can be found on the leaves of catalpa trees from late spring through summer. To make a catalpa worm even more irresistible, cut off its head and then poke a matchstick through the body to turn the worm inside out. The extra scent exuded by the juicy morsel helps catfish find the bait more quickly.

17 MADTOM MEALTIME One of the best baits for walleyes and smallmouth bass in the northern parts of their range is the tadpole madtom, also known as the willow cat. These tiny catfish look a lot like bullheads, but the dorsal, caudal (tail) and anal fins are all connected. Be very careful when hooking a willow cat to use as bait. Like those of its bigger cousins, a willow cat's needle-sharp pectoral fins can prick you worse than a bee sting.

18 CATFISH IN A CAN You might have trouble finding a bait shop that carries willow cats, but you might be able to catch your own supply of bait. String together some empty pop cans and then sink them in a lake or river backwater inhabited by the tiny catfish. Leave the cans overnight and pick up the madtoms the next morning; like other catfish, willow cats like to swim into holes, so the pop cans make an inexpensive trap.

19 NEVER TRUST THE ICE You've probably heard that it's safe to walk on ice when it's at least 3 inches thick or drive a car on ice that's at last 10 inches thick. But is the ice ever really safe? No. Schools of carp can gather under the ice and wear it away, occasionally even opening a hole. And groundwater might well up from the depths and melt the ice, as famously happened on several Minnesota lakes during the winter of 2002--03.

20 PLANKTON PADDLES Paddlefish get their name from their long, flattened, paddle-like snouts, which many anglers assume they use to dislodge food from the bottom. But the paddle is really not used for digging; it's equipped with supersensitive nerve endings that enable it to "feel" for suspended plankton, the fish's main food.