Freshwater (Page 3)

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

Latest in Freshwater

An illustration of a boy fishing at night with his dad.

Largemouth Bass

Nights Were the Only Time My Dad Had Time to Himself. He Took Me Fishing Anyway

By Jerry Dennis

A black carp being harvested in a boat.

Want to Make Thousands by Fishing? Arkansas Just Put a Bounty on Black Carp

guided fishing trip

How to Book a Guided Fishing Trip, Without Getting Ripped Off

A spotted bass on a boat deck

A Florida Man Caught This Fish During a Tournament. It Broke a 40-Year-Old State Record

the qualified captain

Quick Strike Podcast: Don’t Be That Guy at the Boat Ramp, with ‘The Qualified Captain’

A young teen holds a huge king salmon.

Salmon and Steelhead Fishing

An Alaska Teen Just Landed a 51-Pound King Salmon. It Could Have Won the Local Derby, But He Was Too Young

By Alice Jones Webb

record whitefish

North Dakota Angler Breaks 40-Year Record With This Giant Missouri River Fish

Paddlefish that swam 925 miles

Bowfisherman Shoots Paddlefish That Swam Nearly 1,000 Miles from South Dakota to Kentucky

A man wearing sun glasses holds up a massive common carp.

Tournament Angler Smashes Connecticut Record with 58-Pound Carp from Lake Zoar

By Alice Jones Webb

Catching bass on frog baits.

How to Catch Bass on Frog Baits

By Alex Robinson, Kristine Fischer, Joe Cermele

record tiger trout

Wyoming Angler Caught This Record Trout on a Tiny Fly Rod

Two fishermen in a canoe on blue water in an old photo

Bluegill Fishing

Pork Rinds Are My Secret Weapon for Summer Bluegills

By Byron W. Dalrymple

bent fishing hook

8 Sneaky Reasons You Keep Losing Big Fish

A Maryland bowfisherman with a world-record snakehead.

Maryland Man Arrows a World-Record Snakehead on a Charter Trip

Joe Cermele, Outdoor Life's fishing editor, holds up a snakehead.

Quick Strike Podcast: Don’t Make These Common Snakehead Mistakes

A high school angler with a rainbow trout; a biodegradable lure fresh out of a mold.

This Angler Won His Science Fair for Biodegradable Fishing Lures. Now He’s Selling Them

An Idaho bowfisherman holds up a giant grass carp.

This Idaho Record Carp Was So Big It Broke the Bowfisherman’s Arrow

A Minnesota angler with a bigmouth buffalo.

Minneapolis Fisherman Lands State-Record Bigmouth Buffalo from a Bridge in the ‘Burbs

Trout fishermen bump into canoes.

My Buddies and I Caught 500 Wild Trout in 3 Days on an Old-Fashioned Canoe Trip

By Robeson Bailey

Rainbow fry in a hatchery pond.

Massive Fish Kill at California Trout Hatchery Will Impact Stocking Efforts for Years

Assorted photos about the American Bass Association check bouncing lawsuit.

Tournament Anglers Say Their Checks Keep Bouncing. Now They’re Suing

A Philadelphia fisherman lays next to a huge catfish he caught.

Catfish Fishing

Philly Fisherman Catches Huge Flathead from Pedestrian Bridge. He Says It Weighed More Than the State Record

a blue illustration of a man fishing in a storm

My Buddy Caught His Personal Best Bass During a Lightning Storm

By Arthur Grahame

A trout fisherman looks at his buddy catching bait

We Wanted to Fly Fish. The Trout Wanted Live Bait

A pair of spawning bass

Largemouth Bass

Quick Strike Podcast: How to Ethically Target Spawning Bass

A man holds a record common carp

This New State-Record Carp Is the Heaviest Freshwater Fish Ever Caught in Connecticut

By Alice Jones Webb

A group of bass boats on the water in the fog.

A Team Won Thousands in a Bass Tournament. Then Their Checks Bounced

A fisherman hooks into a bass near a dock.

Largemouth Bass

I Lost My Favorite Bass Lake to Development. A Stranger Helped Me Find It Again

Daniel Mayer with a big blue catfish

Catfish Fishing

If It Checks Out, This Giant Blue Catfish Would Be the New Kansas State Record

By Natalie Krebs

A man catches trout fishing

A ‘Slow’ Day on God’s River Was Still the Best Fishing of My Life

A u.s. soldier in korea who was trout fishing waves his hat on the end of his rifle.

We Had a Week Off from Active Combat, So I Went Trout Fishing. I Got Pinned Down by a Sniper

By Elwayne Carter

A composite image of fishing and wwii

Right Before We Shipped Out to the Front Lines of WWII, a Local Took Us Bass Fishing

By Frank Woolner

A blue catfish caught by a commercial fisherman.

Catfish Fishing

These Photos and Videos Reveal Why Maryland’s Blue Catfish Must Be Killed

Photos by Jay Fleming, Story by Natalie Krebs

Catching a spring lizard

Sometimes Catching Live Bait Is More Fun Than Catching Fish

By Charles Elliott

Fishing superstitions

The 6 Biggest Fishing Superstitions That Could Ruin Your Day on the Water

A California fisherman with a huge brown trout.

Huge Brown Trout Caught on Light Line Just Misses the 38-Year Old California State Record

A man holds up the giant blue catfish record.

Catfish Fishing

This Same Blue Catfish Just Broke the West Virginia State Record — for the Third Time

A Virginia angler with a slab black crappie.

Crappie Fishing

Slab Virginia Crappie Just Misses World-Record Status Due to a Technicality

A big cubera snapper

Quick Strike Podcast: How to Beat Monster Fish with Mind Control

A canal in florida not far from where a pacu was caught

Watch: Florida Man Catches Unofficial State-Record Pacu from a Canal, Where Neighbors Feed It Daily

By Alice Jones Webb

A kayak angler moves across a large lake.

Kayaker Dies During California Fishing Tournament, Cause of Death Under Investigation

A crowd gathers to watch a man weigh muskies in an illustration

Pike and Muskie Fishing

The Most Insane 12 Days of Muskie Fishing in Wisconsin History

By Gordon MacQuarrie

prespawn smallmouth

Smallmouth Bass

The Best Way to Catch Pre-Spawn Smallmouth Bass? Slow Play a Jerkbait

Thousands of salmon stacked up in a creek in Alaska.

Salmon and Steelhead Fishing

Viral Video of Epic Salmon Run Is a Glimpse of What the Old Timers Still Talk About

A collection of 3D printed baits.

Largemouth Bass

This Texas Fisherman Is 3D Printing Duckling Brood Lures — and Catching Bass on Them

By Alice Jones Webb

an old photo of a bass fisherman unhooking a fish

Largemouth Bass

How a Dollar-Store Bag of Balloons Saved Our Bass Fishing Trip

A big state-record black crappie

Crappie Fishing

‘I Panicked,’ Says West Virginia Fisherman Who Just Caught the New State Record Black Crappie

An angler in Oregon holds up a big spotted bass.

This State-Record Bass Won’t Make the Books Because Oregon Doesn’t Recognize It as a Game Fish

A man holds up a big largemouth bass for his elderly mother.

Largemouth Bass

72-Year-Old Mom Lands Her Personal Best Bass in ‘Absolute Rodeo’ on Mother’s Day

By Alice Jones Webb

A buddy holds up a stringer of fish to show another man.

How I Learned the Fine Art of Bragging

A state-record longear sunfish caught in Mississippi.

Panfish Fishing

Lure Maker with Several State Records to His Credit Catches Two Record Sunfish on Back-to-Back Days

A Michigan angler with a fat smallmouth bass.

Smallmouth Bass

‘Bowling Ball’ Smallmouth Caught in Michigan Was Busting at the Seams

A UK angler holds up a fat common carp.

Giant Carp Caught in European Pay Lake Could Break the Unofficial World Record … Again?

best smallmouth bass lures featured

Smallmouth Bass

The Best Smallmouth Bass Lures, Tested and Reviewed

By Derek Horner

Two Missouri redear sunfish.

Panfish Fishing

‘I’ve Finally Got the Record,’ Says Teen Who Arrowed the New Missouri Redear Sunfish Record

By Alice Jones Webb

A bass ate a snake and surprised a fisherman.

Largemouth Bass

Video: ‘Oh My Jesus!’ Snake Slithers Out of Bass’ Mouth, Shocks Fisherman

By Alex Robinson

A fat yellow bass caught in Wisconsin.

A Wisconsin Fisherman Just Landed This State-Record Yellow Bass

Man holds up a record lake trout in Minnesota

Minnesota Just Confirmed This Lake Trout as a New State Record

By Natalie Krebs

An angler holds up a trophy bass caught in Chicago.

‘I Wasn’t Seeking Glory.’ Smallmouth Bass Caught in Chicago Was Just an Ounce Shy of the State Record

Salmon fishing in a storm

Salmon and Steelhead Fishing

No Other Fish Has Divided Anglers Like Landlocked Salmon

A fishing guide holds up a pending state-record bighead carp.

This Fishing Guide Probably Just Broke His Own State Record with a Massive Bighead Carp

The the best crappie combos were tested head to head on the water.

Crappie Fishing

The Best Crappie Combos of 2026, Tested and Reviewed

By Scott Einsmann

Spearfishing for walleye on the great lakes

Shooting Walleyes in the Great Lakes Is Growing Because of This Spearfisherman

A man in a camo hat holds up a fat spotted sunfish.

Panfish Fishing

‘Never Seen a Stumpknocker So Big!” Georgia Catfisherman Lands Record Spotted Sunfish

By Alice Jones Webb