Freshwater (Page 2)

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

Latest in Freshwater

Crappie Fishing

How to Catch Crappies from Shore

an illustration of a man fishing and a trout

My Secret Guide to the Legendary Catskill Streams Where American Dry Fly Fishing Was Born

By Cecil E. Heacox

A bass angler holds up three fish caught on one rig.

Largemouth Bass

How to Fish the Alabama Rig: One of the Best Ways to Catch a Pile of Pre-Spawn Bass

By Derek Horner

The author uses forward facing sonar to catch crappie and learn about their behavior.

Crappie Fishing

When Do Crappie Spawn? Just Follow This Water Temperature Guide

By Cory Schmidt

An american shad with a rainbow sheen

Quick Strike Podcast: The Secret Spoon for Catching Big Shad

A teenager with a pending state-record trout.

‘Too Fat to Jump.’ West Virginia Teen’s Massive Golden Rainbow Trout Is a Pending State Record

An illustration of an owl swooping at a grown man and his son

Catfish Fishing

For His First Camp Out, I Took My Son to an Old Bootlegger’s Island in the Bayou

By Earl E. Guess

Two vintage bass photos

Old-School Tips for Catching Big Bass Right Now

A bass angler with a big Toledo Bend largemouth.

Bass Angler Who Lied About Where He Caught a 12-Pounder Now Facing 10 Years in Jail

5 old school trout flies on a beige background.

5 Overlooked, Old-School Trout Flies to Throw This Spring

Side by side photos of a kid with giant catfish

Catfish Fishing

11-Year-Old Battles a 72-Pound Catfish and Just Misses Catching a State Record

how to catch channel catfish

Catfish Fishing

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

A landlocked salmon fisherman

Salmon and Steelhead Fishing

Quick Strike Podcast: The Early-Season Salmon Bite Most Anglers Miss

hellgrammite best live baits

The Best Live Baits Most Anglers Ignore (But Fish Can’t Resist)

A blue illustration of a tornado sweeping away a barn

I Set a Bass Fishing Record, Then Was Nearly Killed By a Tornado

By August Manweiler

An angler with a huge Texas largemouth.

Largemouth Bass

Texas Trophy Bass Program Ends Season with 19 Huge Fish Recorded, Including This 14-Pounder

A plethora of spinnerbaits and a rod and reel for fishing them.

How to Fish a Spinnerbait: This Classic Bass Lure Is Just as Effective as Ever

By Derek Horner

A largemouth bass caught on a texas rig

Largemouth Bass

How to Fish a Texas Rig — The One Rig Every Bass Angler Needs to Know

By Derek Horner

A rusty revolver located in a river.

5 Wild Things We’ve Found While Fishing in Rivers

A young Texas angler with a pending record crappie.

Crappie Fishing

This 11-Year-Old Angler Took His Record Crappie Home for Dinner

American alligator split image in the everglades

We Fished a Hidden Spot Deep in the Everglades. It Was the Most Violent Fishing I’ve Ever Experienced

By Charles Elliott

An ice fisherman with a 49-inch muskie caught through the ice in Vermont.

Pike and Muskie Fishing

This Angler’s First Muskie Nearly Spooled Him. It’s the Biggest Caught in Vermont in Decades

Cans of spam on the shelf

The Best Bait You Can Buy at the Dollar Store

By Raymundo Ruiz Jr.

An aerial view of an ice-fishing derby in Saskatchewan.

Walleye Fishing

An Ice Fisherman Was Booted from a Canadian Walleye Derby Over Cheating Accusations. There Was $100,000 on the Line

Group of nightcrawlers in soil.

How to Catch Nightcrawlers for DIY Live Bait

A composite photo of an angler with three trophy bass.

‘My Adrenaline Was Pumping.’ Bass Guide Makes Texas History with Two 13-Pounders in One Day (and Three This Month)

A bass guide holds up a 13-pound largemouth.

Largemouth Bass

Texas Guide Catches His Second 13-Pound Bass in Two Weeks

An illustration of loggers throwing a rope to rescue swimmers.

We Risked Everything for the Best Fishing of Our Lives — and It Almost Cost Us

A walleye fisherman holds up a fat early-spring walleye.

Walleye Fishing

Quick Strike Podcast: Secrets for Catching Huge Early-Spring Walleyes in Any Scenario

An illustration of a man named muskie joe

Pike and Muskie Fishing

The Legend of Muskie Joe, the Man Who Searched His Entire Life for a 6-Foot Fish

An illustration of a man punching another man with a net of pickerel during a historic run.

The Day Millions of Pickerel Saved My Starving Town — and Nearly Ruined My Favorite Fishing Hole

An illustration of a whale swimming straight for a group of canoers

Pike and Muskie Fishing

I Paddled 850 Miles to Hudson Bay in a Canoe, and Fished to Eat Along the Way

By David Jarden

A green yellow illustration of a man descending a cliff.

It Took Rescuers Days to Find Us in a Remote Canyon. It Took Even Longer to Figure Out How to Get Us Out

By Keith E. Oveson

A teen angler with a huge largemouth bass.

Largemouth Bass

‘I Thought It Was All Over.’ Teen Wins Bass Tourney with a 10-Pound Largemouth He Hooked Twice

An Idaho angler with a state-record cutthroat trout.

Idaho’s Deepest Lake Kicks Out Another State-Record Trout

A fishing guide holds up a stud rainbow in front of a client.

We Got in a Full-Blown Feud with a Rival Fishing Lodge. It Ended with a State Trooper Sting

Joe Cermele holds up a nice trout on a cold day between winter and spring.

Quick Strike Podcast: The Secret to Fishing the Weirdest, Trickiest Time of the Year

Whitewater rapids on a little known river in Alaska.

Salmon and Steelhead Fishing

In Alaska, Even a Seemingly Unremarkable River Can Offer the Adventure of a Lifetime

By Christine Peterson

A man holds up a huge brown trout.

These 6 Full-Time Fish Bums Are Living the Dream — But Not Without Sacrifices

An angler and a fisheries biologist with a massive muskie.

Pike and Muskie Fishing

Pending State-Record Muskie Rejected Over a Border Dispute

An angler holds up a burbot he landed while ice fishing.

The Real Poor Man’s Lobster? This Mysterious Native Fish Is Seeing a Boom in Popularity

By Derek Horner

a world-record carp on a mat

This Fisherman Caught a New World-Record Carp in His Neighborhood Pond

A bass angler holds up a huge largemouth at a marina.

Smallmouth Bass

Young Guide Catches a Giant Texas Bass ‘With His Name on It’

A bass fisherman holds up a 13-pound largemouth.

Largemouth Bass

Guide Catches a 13-Pound Bass While His Client Was Taking a Break

A Georgia angler with a big gar.

Guide Catches State-Record Gar While Fishing Solo on His Home Lake

Angler Arrested at Fishing Tournament for Allegedly Stuffing Bass with Weights

close-up of single, finished red custom balsa crankbait

These Fishing Lure Makers Are Quietly Keeping an American Tradition Alive

By Pete Robbins

An illustration of a trout eating in a stream

Why Limestone Streams Grow Bigger Trout Than Almost Anywhere Else

By Vince Marinaro

An angler holding a big spring largemouth bass.

How to Catch the Biggest Bass of Your Life This Spring

By Derek Horner

The Garmin Echomap Ultra 2 excels at forward facing sonar

These 17 Amazing Deals on Fish Finders and Trolling Motors Will Save You Thousands

By Jonathon Klein

A Texas angler with a 14-pound bass.

Largemouth Bass

‘A Real Rodeo.’ Angler Lands 14-Pound Bass After a Wild Fight

Catching big spring crappie is all about simple tactics and gear

Crappie Fishing

How to Catch Spring Crappie — and the Gear You Need for Success

By Cory Schmidt

A bass guide with a big Texas largemouth.

Largemouth Bass

Bass Guide Lands a 13-Pound Largemouth on His First Time Fishing a New Lake

A big bass caught with a big pink bait.

Largemouth Bass

Quick Strike Podcast: 3 Big Bass Baits You Should Throw This Spring

A Texas angler with a 13-pound bass.

Largemouth Bass

‘Shaking Like a Leaf.’ Texas Angler Pulls His Second 13-Pounder from the Same Lake

when do crappie spawn

Crappie Fishing

A Complete Guide to Catching Crappie with LiveScope

By Chad Morgenthaler

Tennessee anglers with a huge largemouth bass.

Largemouth Bass

‘God Sent Him That Fish.’ Tennessee Man Catches Pending State-Record Bass

An angler with a record-sized muskie caught through the ice.

Pike and Muskie Fishing

Angler Pulls Pending State-Record Muskie Through the Ice, Fulfilling a Yearslong Dream

A young angler and his grandpa with a state-record drum.

10-Year-Old Catches a State-Record Drum Worth $22,000 in a Family Fishing Derby

A fishing guide with a massive largemouth bass.

Largemouth Bass

‘A Special Big Bass Spot.’ This Guide Just Caught His 15th 13-Plus-Pounder From the Same Lake

Team U.S.A.'s hockey goalie fishing on a lake.

The Backstory Behind Olympian Connor Hellebuyck’s Bass-Covered Goalie Helmet

A limit of trout.

Quick Strike Podcast: The Truth About Fish Size and Bag Limits

A fisherman holds up a big bass.

Largemouth Bass

My Son Talked Me into Going Fishing and I Caught the Biggest Bass of My Life

A team of bass anglers holds up novelty checks.

The Dual Threat Fishing League Might Be the Biggest Scam in the History of Bass Tournaments