Freshwater

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

Latest in Freshwater

An angler preparing to cast a wacky rig.
Fishing

Wacky Rig: A Complete Guide on Rigging, Setups, and How to Fish It

By Derek Horner

two canoeists pull canoe along in river from the rocky bank
Adventure

Six Against the River: Canoeing 600 Miles Through the Canadian Wilderness

By Tom Hinman

A man holds a 200-pound alligator snapping turtle and measures a giant gar.
Fishing

Fisherman Catches Gigantic 200-Pound Snapping Turtle, Then Lands World Record Gar

By Bob McNally

An Italian fly angler high-sticks.
Opinion

Euro Nymphing Is Ruining Fly Fishing

By Joe Cermele

A booking image of Kyle Tate.
Fishing

Florida HOA President Arrested for Allegedly Pulling a Gun on Kids Fishing in His Neighborhood, Throwing Away Their Tackle

By Dac Collins

An angler holds up a record-sized yellow perch.
Fishing

Indiana Fisherman Catches State-Record Yellow Perch During Local Fishing Derby

By Dac Collins

An australian angler holds up a barramundi.
Fishing

‘We Were Freaking Out.’ Teen Catches $1 Million Fish from His Local River in Australia

By Bob McNally

A Texas game warden inspects a boat.
Bass Fishing

Texas Game Wardens Seize $100K Worth of Stolen Boats and Motors at Amateur Bass Tournament

By Dac Collins

Jaylynn Parker holds a blue catfish.
Catfish Fishing

101-Pound Blue Catfish Caught on Jugline Is Officially the New Ohio Record

By Katie Hill

The Ned Rig: A Complete Guide to Baits, Gear, and How to Fish It
Fishing

The Ned Rig: A Complete Guide to Baits, Gear, and How to Fish It

By Derek Horner

The head of a giant white sturgeon caught in California.
Fishing

White Sturgeon of ‘Legendary’ Proportions Could Have Rivaled the World Record

By Bob McNally

A fly fisherman holds up a state-record cutthroat trout.
Fishing

Idaho Fly Fisherman Lands State-Record Cutthroat Trout, Releases It into Clark Fork River

By Bob McNally

Fishing for blue catfish in the Potomac River of Washington D.C.
Fishing

Fishing for Giant Blue Catfish in the Shadow of Capitol Hill

By Joe Cermele

A magnet pulls a knife from water.
Fishing

Magnet Fisherman Retrieves Key Evidence in a 9-Year-Old Murder Case from a Georgia Creek

By Katie Hill

crappie fishing
Crappie Fishing

It’s OK to Keep Trophy Crappie

By Scott Einsmann

fishing from shore
Fishing

Video: “Go Buy a Boat!” How Close Can You Fish to Someone Else Without Being a Jerk?

By Joe Cermele

The 20 Best Crappie Lures of 2024, Tested and Reviewed
Gear

The 20 Best Crappie Lures of 2024, Tested and Reviewed

By Cory Schmidt

A man holds up a nice pike he caught while pike fishing on a river.
Fishing

Pike Fishing Tips: How to Catch Pike

By Joe Cermele

record lake trout
Fishing

Watch: Massachusetts Angler Catches Potential Record Lake Trout from Shore

By Bob McNally

Jeffrey Forester holds a Georgia record rock bass.
Fishing

Georgia Angler Sets State’s First Rock Bass Record

By Bob McNally

Chuck Main holds a potential state record-tying yellow perch.
Fishing

Jumbo Yellow Perch Caught by Pennsylvania Angler Should Tie the State Record

By Bob McNally

palomar knot
Fishing

How to Tie a Palomar Knot: A Step-by-Step Guide with Photos and Video

By Joe Cermele

A bluegill caught on a popper.
Baits, Lures, & Flies

How to Fish a Popper

By Joe Cermele

A wrecked tanker truck is towed from the crash scene.
Conservation

Truck Full of Salmon Smolts Crashes in Oregon, Spilling 77,000 Fish into Nearby Creek

By Katie Hill

stocked trout
Fishing

The 4 Anglers You’ll Meet on Opening Day of “Truck Trout” Season

By Joe Cermele

An order of fishing gear delivered by Walmart.
Fishing

Walmart Now Delivering Live Bait Directly to Your Door (or Nearby Boat Ramp)

By Dac Collins

A spearfisherman holds a wahoo near the surface as his speargun floats nearby.
Fishing

The Ultimate Guide to Spearfishing

By Natalie Krebs

Dead fish in the Nishnabotna River.
Fishing

Midwestern Fertilizer Spill Kills Nearly Every Single Fish in 60-Mile Stretch of River

By Dac Collins

angler holding bowfin
Fishing

Fishing for Dinosaurs: Why the Ancient Bowfin Has a New Cult of Followers

By Joe Cermele

A Utah fisherman with a giant tiger trout.
Fishing

Utah Fisherman Follows Grandpa’s Advice, Catches State-Record Tiger Trout Through the Ice

By Bob McNally

The aftermath of a boat wreck at a bass fishing tournament in Florida.
Bass Fishing

Watch: Pro Bass Anglers ‘Could Have Been Killed’ in Crash While Speeding Back to Weigh-In

By Dac Collins

crappies
Crappie Fishing

Catch Spring Crappies from Shore

By Joe Cermele

Here’s How Justin Hamner Won the Bassmaster Classic with Forward-Facing Sonar and a Jerkbait
Bass Fishing

Here’s How Justin Hamner Won the Bassmaster Classic with Forward-Facing Sonar and a Jerkbait

By Shaye Baker

old magazine spread with illustration
Fishing

The Year the Pickerel Came to Town

By Don Holm

drop shot rig
Baits, Lures, & Flies

How to Fish a Drop Shot: A Complete Guide

By Derek Horner

Angler with a giant striper-white bass hybrid.
Fishing

Watch: Giant Hybrid Bass Caught on Fly Could Set a New World Record

By Dac Collins

A Missouri angler with a bighead carp.
Carp Fishing

Missouri Man Catches Likely World-Record Carp, Turns It into Fertilizer

By Bob McNally

A man takes a photo of his buddy holding up a fish.
Opinion

Bending Fish and Game Laws? Leave It Off Social Media

By Joe Cermele

A West Virginia angler holds up the new state-record bowfin.
Fishing

College Student Catches State-Record Bowfin on Her Second Cast of the Day

By Bob McNally

An alligator caught by an angler in Tennessee.
Fishing

Tennessee Teen Catches Gator on a Swimbait, Stuns Game Warden

By Bob McNally

angler standing on bank holds huge largemouth bass up toward camera
Fishing

California Dreaming: How Nintendo Led Oliver Ngy to Big-Bass Superstardom

By Joe Cermele

A group of anglers hold up the world-record paddlefish.
Fishing

Guide Who Puts First-Time Angler on World-Record Paddlefish Says It’s a ‘Dream Come True’

By Bob McNally

the best premium buzzbait
Gear

The 6 Best Buzzbaits of 2024

By Pete Robbins

A Wisconsin angler with a golden bowfin.
Fishing

Bowfisherman Harvests Uber-Rare Golden Bowfin in Wisconsin

By Dac Collins

The best crappie fishing lines being tested on the water.
Gear

The Best Fishing Lines for Crappie: Braid, Mono, Copolymer, and Fluorocarbon

By Cory Schmidt

kody king idaho record tiger trout
Fishing

State-Record Tiger Trout Disqualified Because Angler Didn’t Have a Fishing License

By Dac Collins

A young angler holds up a huge Texas largemouth.
Fishing

11-Year-Old Lands 13-Pound Bass, Makes Texas History

By Bob McNally

Lynn Bumgardner with his record yellow perch.
Fishing

Tennessee Fisherman Catches Kentucky State-Record Perch

By Bob McNally

We tested the best spincast reels.
Gear

The Best Spincast Reels of 2024

By Travis Smola

An angler holds up a smallmouth bass in a parking lot.
Fishing

Huge Smallmouth Bass Caught in Indiana Should Break 32-Year-Old State Record

By Bob McNally

trout fishing
Fishing

Trout Fishing Tips: How to Catch Trout

By Joe Cermele

A woman in a jacket holding a giany musky on the water
Gear

The Best Musky Lures of 2024, Tested and Reviewed

By Kristine Fischer

A fisherman wearing 3D goggles holds up a bass.
Fishing

Watch: YouTuber Syncs Apple Vision Pro with LiveScope

By Dac Collins

fishing lodge feud 3
Fishing

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

By Dac Collins

Fischer hoists bass
Fishing

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

By Joe Genzel

A man holding a large trout
Gear

The Best Trout Lures of 2024, Chosen by Guides and Experts

By Kevin Hughes

Angler releases giant king salmon in Argentina.
Fishing

Watch: ‘Absolute Beast’ of a King Salmon Proves Why the Next World Record Will Come from Argentina

By Dac Collins

A teenager kneels with a fat tiger trout held in his hands, an dholds the fish by his tailgate.
Fishing

West Virginia Teen Lands New State-Record Tiger Trout That Barely Fit in the Net

By Bob McNally

augmented reality glasses
Fishing

A Bassmaster Pro Is Using Augmented Reality Glasses for LiveScoping

By Pete Robbins

ice fishing crappie
Fishing

Crappie Barotrauma Controversy: Are All Crappies Caught in Deep Water Destined to Die?

By Joe Cermele

The best baitcasting rods for bass allow you to present lures and set the hook
Gear

The Best Fishing Lines for Bass of 2024

By Pete Robbins

portrait of walleye angler Dick Grzywinski
Fishing

Lessons from the Griz, the Last Great Fishing Legend of the North

By Alex Robinson

An x-ray image of a crappie with ball bearings in its gut.
Fishing

Investigation Reveals Kansas Record Crappie Was Stuffed with Ball Bearings

By Dac Collins

A white crappie caught in Kansas.
Fishing

“I Caught That Fish Legally and Honestly.” Kansas Officials Seize State-Record Crappie, Strike It From Record Books

By Dac Collins

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Trending on Outdoor Life

An illustration of two elk fighting in New Mexcio in the 1970s
Big Game Hunting

Bulls of the Mescalero: A Southerner’s First Elk Hunt During the Rut

By Bruce Brady

The Glock 43 vs 43X
Guns

The Glock G43 vs G43X

By David Maccar

deer food sources
Big Game Hunting

The Most Underrated Food Sources for Whitetail Deer

By Josh Honeycutt

A herd of elk in the sagebrush.
Conservation

Utah Officials Secretly Culled 170 Elk on Church-Owned Deseret Land

By Dac Collins