Freshwater (Page 5)

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

Latest in Freshwater

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

A tournament bass angler holds up a fish; a man sits for a photo.

3 Killed, 3 Injured in Boat Wreck at Major League Fishing Tournament

testing the best bass fishing rods

The Best Bass Fishing Rods, Tested and Reviewed

By Pete Robbins, Kristine Fischer, Derek Horner

A collage of images about the kevin vandam catfish video

An AI Video of Kevin VanDam Torching Catfishermen Has Gone Viral — Because People Think It’s Real

By Alex Robinson

The author tests one of the best trout rods

The Best Trout Rods of 2026, Tested and Reviewed

An angler with a 153-pound alligator gar.

This Pending World-Record Gar Is the Heaviest Freshwater Fish Ever Caught on 2-Pound Test

Two Georgia fishermen with a giant striped bass.

Shorebound Angler Lands 50-Plus-Pound Striped Bass, Breaks a 42-Year-Old River Record

A West Virginia angler holds up a state-record trout.

Father-Son Fishing Trip Nets a New State-Record Tiger Trout in West Virginia

Great Lakes April steelhead drop back

Salmon and Steelhead Fishing

Quick Strike Podcast: How to Catch Great Lakes Steelhead During Drop-Back Season

An angler holds up a 16-plus-pound bass caught in Texas.

Oklahoma Fisherman Lands One of the 20 Biggest Bass in Texas History

trout high water

How to Catch Trout in High Water and Blown-Out Rivers

How to Fish a Swim Jig: A Complete Guide on Rigging and Setups

By Derek Horner

Largemouth Bass

How to Fish the Carolina Rig: A Complete Guide

By Derek Horner

Secret Lures: 9 Crossover Baits That Are Overlooked and Underrated

An eight-year-old angler holds up a big blue catfish.

Catfish Fishing

2nd Grader Catches Catfish That’s ‘Bigger Than Anything My Mom or Dad Ever Caught’

An American shad on a hook in the water

Quick Strike Podcast: How to Catch American Shad from Shore

An illustration of a kid holding up a big bass

Smallmouth Bass

The Unmaking of an Ozark Stream, and One Last, Giant Bass with My Grandpa

By Larry Dablemont

An angler holds up a massive largemouth bass.

Largemouth Bass

Texas Crappie Angler Hooks Same Giant Bass from the Same Dock 2 Years Apart

By Alice Jones Webb

A tournament angler holds up a lake-record spotted bass.

Tourney Angler Catches Record Spotted Bass on Final Day of Competition

Football star Travis Hunter holds up a bass.

This Heisman Trophy Winner Would Rather Be Bass Fishing

best bass fishing tips for beginners lead

Largemouth Bass

The Best Bass Fishing Tips for Beginners

By Joe Cermele, Derek Horner

kayak fisherman tragically dies

Carolina Angler Finds Swamped Fishing Kayak with a Life Jacket Still Strapped to It

By Derek Horner

Man holds up a record lake trout in Minnesota

‘All I Do Is Fish Jigs for Lakers.’ Minnesota Man Catches the Pending State Record Lake Trout

Spring crappie fishing

Crappie Fishing

How to Catch Crappie

By Nicole Stone

A chain pickerel with a lure in its mouth.

Quick Strike Podcast: Early Spring Tricks for Giant Chain Pickerel

glide baits for bass

Largemouth Bass

Glide Baits for Bass: How to Catch a Giant on a Glider

A bluegill caught on a popper.

How to Fish a Popper

A trout jumping

There’s No Place I’d Rather Be Than Rural Ireland, Especially When the Trout Are Rising

smallmouth bass

Smallmouth Bass

How to Catch Smallmouth Bass

By Joe Cermele, Derek Horner

A Massachusetts teenager holds up a state-record bass.

‘That Ain’t No Crappie.’ Watch This 13-Year-Old Catch a State-Record Largemouth Bass Through the Ice

How to read a fish finder

Crappie Fishing

How to Read a Fish Finder

By Pete Robbins

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

Pike and Muskie Fishing

Pike Fishing Tips: How to Catch Pike

By Joe Cermele, Derek Horner

A woman fishes on a lake with a spinning rod and reel combo.

Largemouth Bass

The Best Spinning Rod and Reel Combos, Tested and Reviewed

By Alice Jones Webb

A tournament angler holds up a heavyweight largemouth bass.

Largemouth Bass

‘I Knew Right Away It Was a Big, Big Fish.’ Tourney Angler’s Huge Largemouth Ties League Record for Heaviest Bass Ever Weighed

A side-by-side comparison of largemouth and smallmouth bass, held up by an angler.

Largemouth Bass

A Guide to Largemouth Bass vs Smallmouth Bass

By Dac Collins, Derek Horner

An angler holds up a white crappie caught in Utah.

Crappie Fishing

Utah Angler Who Broke State Crappie Record Says He’s Already Caught an Even Bigger One

The free rig on the deck of a boat.

Largemouth Bass

How to Fish a Free Rig: Here’s What You Need to Know About This Underrated Bass Technique

By Derek Horner

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

An ice fisherman holds up a fat yellow perch.

Panfish Fishing

‘Easily the Biggest I’ve Ever Caught.’ How This Ice Fisherman Caught His PB Jumbo Yellow Perch at Mille Lacs

Catfish Fishing

How to Cook Catfish

what do catfish eat 1

Catfish Fishing

What Do Catfish Eat?

By Cameron Evans

can you eat carp, common carp on ice

Can You Eat Carp?

Pike and Muskie Fishing

Muskie vs Pike: Which Is the Top Game Fish?

An italian angler with one of the biggest Wels catfish ever caught.

The Biggest Fish Ever Caught

an illustration of a Mako shark jumping into the back of a boat

Pike and Muskie Fishing

7 Unbelievable True Fishing Stories of Record Catches, Wild Fights, and One Pissed-Off Shark

By Paul M. Liikala

when do crappie spawn

Crappie Fishing

How to Use Forward-Facing Sonar to Catch Crappie: Settings, Modes, and Mounts Explained

By Chad Morgenthaler

Longnose gar record Maryland

‘We Kept Fishing.’ Angler Breaks Maryland Longnose Gar Record Twice in 20 Minutes

A man on a rocky beach holding a large striped bass

The Best Bait for Striped Bass of 2026, Tested and Reviewed

By John Skinner, Joe Cermele

Two fishermen rescue driver from drowning.

‘I Knew We Had to Get Him Out.’ Tourney Fishermen Rescue Elderly Man Trapped Inside Sinking Car

The author tested the best trout lures in a wide variety of locations.

The 10 Best Trout Lures of 2026, Proven Fish Catchers for All Trout Species