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Freshwater

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

Featured In Freshwater

The Best Smallmouth Bass Lures

By Pete Robbins

Best Fly Fishing Combos for Beginners of 2022

By Monte Burke

The Best Braided Fishing Lines for Bass

By Pete Robbins

3 Rods Every Weekend Bass Angler Needs to Catch More Fish

By Kristine Fischer

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

By Kristine Fischer

Biologists Have Discovered a New Way to Control Invasive Carp

By Bob McNally

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

By Bob McNally

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

By Kristine Fischer

Poachers Rob Spawning Oregon Steelhead

By Bob McNally

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

By Bob McNally

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

By Alan Clemons

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

By Kristine Fischer

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

The Real Problem with the Infamous Walleye Tournament Cheating Scandal

By Joe Cermele

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

By Dac Collins

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

By Keegan Sentner

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

By Keegan Sentner

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

By Joe Genzel

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

By Dac Collins

Missouri Fisherman Catches State-Record Walleye on a Trotline

By Dac Collins

Illegally Stocked Walleye in Idaho Triggers Investigation

By Bob McNally

Michigan DNR Will Collect 24 Million Walleye Eggs from the Muskegon River to Support Local Rivers and Lakes

By Bob McNally

Minnesota Walleye Poacher Busted with 10 Times the Legal Limit, Warden Says He Kept Them to Serve During Vikings Games

By Bob McNally

Best Walleye Lures of 2022

By Ross Robertson

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

By Bob McNally

The Best Trout Fly Rods of 2022

By Chris Hunt

The Best Ultralight Spinning Reels of 2022

By Jim Edlund

The Ultimate Guide to Spin Fishing for Fall Trout

By Joe Cermele

A Win for Anglers: New Mexico Supreme Court Issues Written Opinion Saying All Streams Are Public

By Dac Collins

Yellowstone’s Native Fish Populations Still Healthy in the Wake of June Floods

By Chris Hunt

“I’d Have to Bury You Out Here.” The New Mexico Stream Access Battle Is Far From Over

By Dac Collins

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

By Keegan Sentner

Fish Kill Hits Famed Trout Stream in Minnesota

By Wade Thiel

Giant Colorado Brook Trout Breaks 75-Year-Old State Record

By Bob McNally

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

By Dac Collins

Yellowfin Cutthroat Trout Went Extinct in Colorado 120 Years Ago. But Now Researchers are Hoping to Rediscover Them

By Bob McNally

Angler Wins Lake Superior Tournament with Massive Lake Trout

By Bob McNally

Angler Lands Heaviest Chinook Salmon Caught in Wisconsin Since 1994

By Bob McNally

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

By Dac Collins

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

By Bob McNally

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

By Dac Collins

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

By Bob McNally

Officials Close Sportfishing on Washington Coastal Rivers to Protect Steelhead

By Dac Collins

State-Record Salmon and Sheepshead Caught (and Speared) in New Jersey

By Bob McNally

Rare Record Salmon Caught By Lake Erie Fishing Guide

By Bob McNally

Columbia River Salmon Reverse Migration Because the Water Is Too Hot

By Bob McNally

Severe Drought Threatens California Waterfowl and Salmon

By Bob McNally

Poachers Rob Spawning Oregon Steelhead

By Bob McNally

Air Force Opens Six More Miles of California’s Dry Creek for Salmon and Steelhead Spawn

By Bob McNally

Let’s Get Real About Catching Pike on the Fly

By Joe Cermele

Minnesota Kid Lands Two 50-Inch Muskies in Two Days

By Katie Hill

Angler Surprised to Catch Two Huge Tiger Muskies in Connecticut Reservoir

By Bob McNally

Watch: 9-Year-Old Girl Lands Giant Muskie on Minnesota’s Lake of the Woods

By Dac Collins

Breaking Bass: Kristine Fischer’s Rise to Kayak-Fishing Fame

By Joe Genzel

Catching Muskie and Pike in Warm Water Can Kill Them

By Kristine Fischer

Kid Catches 50-Inch Muskie While Bass Fishing in a Channel

By Bob McNally

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

By Joe Genzel

Alaska Man Hooks a Pike, Flips His Rowboat, Loses the Rod, Steals a Pedal Boat, Finds the Rod—and Lands the Pike

By Dac Collins

Record-Breaking Streak Continues on West Virginia’s Kanawha River

By Dac Collins

Wisconsin DNR: “ It’s Very Possible That a World Record Muskie Is Swimming in Green Bay”

By Bob McNally

After Years of Trying to Catch a Muskie, Maryland Angler Lands a New State Record

By Bob McNally

The Best Ultralight Spinning Reels of 2022

By Jim Edlund

The Best Crappie Lures of 2022

By Cory Schmidt

The Best Crappie Rods of 2022

By Cory Schmidt

Retired Welder Catches New Louisiana State-Record Bluegill From His Neighbor’s Pond

By Bob McNally

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

By Keegan Sentner

Rookie Bowfisherman Shoots Missouri’s New State-Record Redear Sunfish

By Bob McNally

Georgia Angler Sets Lake Record with a Giant Shellcracker

By Bob McNally

Nebraska Wardens Apprehend Two Groups of Panfish Poachers, Seize 265 Crappies and Bluegills as Evidence

By Bob McNally

Three Men Charged for Spearing Bass and Panfish in Georgia

By Wade Thiel

How to Catch Crappie

By Nicole Stone

Fisherman Catches Giant 5-Pound Redear Sunfish on Lake Havasu

By Gerry Bethge

New State-Record Redbreast Caught During Georgia Bass Fishing Tournament

By Wade Thiel

Pending Record Blue Catfish Caught (and Released) in Tennessee

By Dac Collins

The Best Catfish Rods of 2022

By Alan Clemons

The Biggest Record Catfish from Around the World

By Ken Perrotte

The Biggest North American Catfish of All Time

By Ken Perrotte

Idaho’s New Record Channel Catfish Turns Out to Be a Blue Catfish. It’s Still a State Record

By Dac Collins

Mississippi Fisherman Catches Giant Blue Catfish with a Secret Family Bait Recipe

By Bob McNally

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

By Keegan Sentner

Idaho Angler Catches Record Channel Catfish

By Bob McNally

Virginia Bowfisherman Shoots Record Blue Catfish

By Wade Thiel

Idaho Angler Beats His Own Catfish Record on the Snake River

By Wade Thiel

Hotdogs are the Best Bait for Catching Summertime Channel Catfish

By Joe Cermele

Iowa Fisheries Biologists Catch and Release a Massive Flathead Catfish Weighing More than 70 Pounds

By Bob McNally

The Best Carp Baits of 2022

By Kevin Hughes

Georgia Bowfisherman Shoots State-Record Grass Carp

By Bob McNally

Maryland Bass Fisherman Sets New State Record With a 49-Pound Common Carp

By Bob McNally

North Dakota Bow Fisherman Shoots Record Bigmouth Buffalo

By Bob McNally

Bass Angler Catches Potential Record Carp in Illinois

By Bob McNally

Giant Idaho Grass Carp Caught On Bass Lure Could Be a World Record

By Bob McNally

Missouri Angler Catches 36-Pound Piebald Catfish Using Asian Carp for Bait

By Joe Genzel

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

By Kristine Fischer

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

By Alan Clemons

Biologists Have Discovered a New Way to Control Invasive Carp

By Bob McNally

Fish Food: This New Demand for Asian Carp Might Help Our Waterways

By Will Brantley

Dayton CSI: Carp Wasn’t Roadkill

By J.R. Absher

The Biggest Largemouths in History

By Ken Perrotte

Best Soft Plastic Baits for Bass

By Pete Robbins

Best Spring Bass Lures

By Pete Robbins

10 Best Topwater Lures For Bass

By Mark Modoski

The Best Braided Fishing Lines for Bass

By Pete Robbins

Three Must-Know Rules of Frogging for Bass

By Joe Cermele

These Anglers Break Records (Almost) No One Cares About

By Michael Carr

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

By Keegan Sentner

Bass Tournament Forced to Leave Lake Mead Due to Record Low Water Levels

By Wade Thiel

Ultra-Rare Orange Smallmouth Bass Caught in Michigan

By Bob McNally

Why Smallmouth Bass Are One of the Most Dangerous Fish in the Country

By Joe Cermele

Are Fishing Apps Doing More Harm Than Good?

By Joe Cermele

Latest Freshwater Stories

The Real Problem with the Infamous Walleye Tournament Cheating Scandal

By Joe Cermele

/ Oct 5, 2022

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

By Dac Collins

/ Oct 3, 2022

The Best Trout Fly Rods of 2022

By Chris Hunt

/ Sep 29, 2022

The Best Ultralight Spinning Reels of 2022

By Jim Edlund

/ Sep 29, 2022

10-Year-Old Texan Catches Her Personal Best Alligator Gar, Releases the Would-Be State Record

By Natalie Krebs

/ Sep 28, 2022

Pending Record Blue Catfish Caught (and Released) in Tennessee

By Dac Collins

/ Sep 26, 2022

The Ultimate Guide to Spin Fishing for Fall Trout

By Joe Cermele

/ Sep 26, 2022

Florida Has Become the Budget-Friendly Amazon for Anglers

By Joe Cermele

/ Sep 20, 2022

Let’s Get Real About Catching Pike on the Fly

By Joe Cermele

/ Sep 18, 2022

The Best Catfish Rods of 2022

By Alan Clemons

/ Sep 15, 2022

The Biggest Largemouths in History

By Ken Perrotte

/ Sep 15, 2022

The Best Carp Baits of 2022

By Kevin Hughes

/ Sep 10, 2022

Best Soft Plastic Baits for Bass

By Pete Robbins

/ Sep 2, 2022

The Best Crappie Lures of 2022

By Cory Schmidt

/ Sep 2, 2022

A Win for Anglers: New Mexico Supreme Court Issues Written Opinion Saying All Streams Are Public

By Dac Collins

/ Sep 1, 2022

Best Baits for Striped Bass of 2022

By John Skinner

/ Sep 1, 2022

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