Fishing › Freshwater

Freshwater

The top freshwater fishing destinations and tips for catching bass, panfish, walleyes, muskies, and more.

Featured In Freshwater

Explore Freshwater

Walleye Fishing Trout Fishing Salmon and Steelhead Fishing Pike and Muskie Fishing Panfish Fishing Catfish Fishing Carp Fishing Bass Fishing

Latest Freshwater Stories

/ Jun 8, 2023

/ Jun 8, 2023

/ Jun 8, 2023

/ Jun 6, 2023

/ Jun 5, 2023

/ Jun 2, 2023

/ Jun 1, 2023

/ May 31, 2023

/ May 31, 2023

/ May 31, 2023

/ May 30, 2023

/ May 30, 2023

/ May 19, 2023

/ May 16, 2023

/ May 15, 2023

/ May 12, 2023

OUTDOOR LIFE+

Freshwater

Featured In Freshwater

The Best Smallmouth Bass Lures, Tested and Reviewed

Best Fly Fishing Combos for Beginners of 2023

The Best Braided Fishing Lines for Bass

3 Rods Every Weekend Bass Angler Needs to Catch More Fish

If You Know When to Use Big Baits for Muskie, You Can Land a Giant

Biologists Have Discovered a New Way to Control Invasive Carp

Fishermen Catch Arizona’s Would-Be Record Flathead Catfish, Then Fry It

A Tournament Angler’s Case for Safely Fizzing Bass Before Release

Poachers Rob Spawning Oregon Steelhead

Son Convinces Father Not to Eat Pennsylvania’s Probable New State-Record Walleye

Commercial Fishermen Remove 10M Pounds of Asian Carp from Kentucky and Barkley Lakes

3 “Rough Fish” Species That Are Getting Recognized as Game Fish

Explore Freshwater

Walleye Anglers Taken into Custody for Jail Time After Fishing Tournament Cheating Scandal

The Best Walleye Lures of 2023, Tested and Reviewed

The Best Walleye Ice Fishing Lures

Minnesota Considers Revamping Its Record Fish Program and Opening the Door to a New State-Record Walleye

The Insane Cult of the Lake Erie Walleye

Pro Walleye Anglers Charged with Attempted Grand Theft, Other Felonies for Tournament Cheating Scandal

The Real Problem with the Infamous Walleye Tournament Cheating Scandal

Professional Walleye Anglers Caught Stuffing Fish with Weights During a Tournament on Lake Erie

Colorado Asks Anglers to Catch and Keep as Many Fish as Possible Before Two Reservoirs Dry Up

Wisconsin Waters Are Warming. Its Walleye Fishing and Stocking Programs Are in Trouble

Minnesota Angler Hooks Walleye and Muskie on the Same Bait With One Cast

South Carolina Fishing Buddies Caught the Biggest Walleye in State History, but Still Have to Share the Record

New Idaho State-Record Tiger Trout Crushes Previous Record

Angler Didn’t Weigh Record-Sized Rainbow Trout Because He Had Dinner Plans

4 Summer Fishing Slams Anyone Can Do

Colorado Man Catches Pending World-Record Lake Trout While Fishing with His Son

Palomino Trout: The Lure of the Golden Mutants

How to Be a Fish Bum: These 6 Fishermen Are Living the Dream

The Best Trout Spinning Reels of 2023

The Best Trout Lures of 2023

A Win for Anglers: U.S. Supreme Court Reaffirms New Mexico’s Decision that All Streams in the State Are Public

A Bucket-List Fishing Trip in Alaska’s Talkeetna Mountains

Euro Nymphing Is Ruining Fly Fishing

Winter Fishing: 5 Common Mistakes Anglers Make

4 Summer Fishing Slams Anyone Can Do

Angler Catches Pending World-Record Chinook Salmon in Argentina

How to Be a Fish Bum: These 6 Fishermen Are Living the Dream

This Happened to Us: We Got in a Full-Blown Feud with a Rival Fishing Lodge

Mainer Catches Atlantic Salmon Through the Ice

The Pebble Mine Site Is a Moose Hunter’s Paradise

Noodle Rods and Egg Patterns: A Primer for Winter Steelhead Fishing Around the Great Lakes

Angler Lands Heaviest Chinook Salmon Caught in Wisconsin Since 1994

This Year’s Record-Breaking Salmon Run in Alaska’s Bristol Bay Proves Why Pebble Mine Is Such a Terrible Idea

New York State Is Rearing 26,000 Atlantic Salmon Smolts in Net Pens to Help Them Spawn as Adults

In Unprecedented Move, Washington State Announces Full Emergency Closure of Steelhead Fishing on Coastal Rivers

B.C. Angler Releases 105-Pound Chinook Salmon That Could’ve Been a World Record

The Best Musky Lures of 2023, Tested and Reviewed

The Year the Pickerel Came to Town

Idaho Fisherman Catches New State-Record Pike

This Pike Caught in England Would Shatter the North American Record

Fish of 10,000 Casts: Scientists Reveal Why Muskies Are So Hard to Catch

Winter Fishing: 5 Common Mistakes Anglers Make

Wisconsin Angler Lands One of the Biggest Muskies Ever Caught on Green Bay

Ice Fishing for Pike: Tips & Tactics for Catching Giant Northerns

Pike Spearing: How to Spear the Biggest Pike of Your Life

There Should Be Horror Movies About Pike and Muskies

Minnesota Angler Catches Monster Muskie from Lake Mille Lacs, Sets New Catch-and-Release Record

Let’s Get Real About Catching Pike on the Fly

8-Year-Old Montana Angler Catches State-Record Green Sunfish

Watch: Crappie Fisherman’s LiveScope Helps Law Enforcement Recover Sunken Jeep

Fisherman Credits Thirsty Cow for Missouri Record-Tying Longear Sunfish

4 Summer Fishing Slams Anyone Can Do

How to Catch Crappie

Teen Catches Oklahoma State-Record Redear Sunfish from a Farm Pond After School

How to Read a Fish Finder

The Best Bait You Can Buy at the Dollar Store

The Best Crappie Rods of 2023, Tested and Reviewed

When Do Crappie Spawn? Tips and Tactics for Spring Crappie Fishing

Kansas Angler Catches New State-Record Crappie

The Best Crappie Lures of 2023, Tested and Reviewed

Giant Flathead Catfish Confirmed as New Pennsylvania State Record

Italian Angler Catches Pending World-Record Wels Catfish Over 9 Feet Long

4 Summer Fishing Slams Anyone Can Do

How to Catch Channel Catfish—and Why You Should Target Them This Spring