Fishing

Fishing

• Fishing

How to Catch Spring Catfish

May 1, 2025I became a shad addict on a quiet backwater creek in eastern North Carolina, just trying to find a way to kill time outdoors untilturkey season kicked off. I was pitching a small red spoon from the bank when a hickory shad snatched it and launched itself from the water, twisting and flipping like a tiny tarpon as it tried to spit my lure. When that spoon came flying back at me mid-jump, I did what any self-respecting angler wasting time on a creek bank would do. I kept casting.Hickory shad are famous for their sudden sprints and aerial displays. Some anglers call them “poor man’s tarpon,” and the nickname is well-earned. These little fish pack more fight per pound than most species. Whilebassandpike get the freshwater glory, the humble shad fights well beyond its weight class, and with sudden bursts of motion and surprising aerial leaps, it's a thrilling fish to catch.American, hickory, and gizzard shad pour into rivers up and down the East Coast by the millions each spring, pulled by primal instincts that take them back to the very waters where they hatched. Then they leave behind countless fertilized eggs before returning to the open ocean.

When I was growing up, springtime was always catfish time. Every year, as soon as the ice had melted off the water and I heard the calls of spring peepers in the air, I’d grab my gear and head down to the river for an evening of kitty hunting. I never caught many fish in those days, but it always...

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Fishing

• Fishing

How to Catch Spring Shad

May 1, 2025I became a shad addict on a quiet backwater creek in eastern North Carolina, just trying to find a way to kill time outdoors untilturkey season kicked off. I was pitching a small red spoon from the bank when a hickory shad snatched it and launched itself from the water, twisting and flipping like a tiny tarpon as it tried to spit my lure. When that spoon came flying back at me mid-jump, I did what any self-respecting angler wasting time on a creek bank would do. I kept casting.Hickory shad are famous for their sudden sprints and aerial displays. Some anglers call them “poor man’s tarpon,” and the nickname is well-earned. These little fish pack more fight per pound than most species. Whilebassandpike get the freshwater glory, the humble shad fights well beyond its weight class, and with sudden bursts of motion and surprising aerial leaps, it's a thrilling fish to catch.American, hickory, and gizzard shad pour into rivers up and down the East Coast by the millions each spring, pulled by primal instincts that take them back to the very waters where they hatched. Then they leave behind countless fertilized eggs before returning to the open ocean.

I became a shad addict on a quiet backwater creek in eastern North Carolina, just trying to find a way to kill time outdoors until turkey season kicked off. I was pitching a small red spoon from the bank when a hickory shad snatched it and launched itself from the water, twisting and flipping like a...

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Fishing

• Fishing

Texas Angler Catches Same 14-Pound Bass...For the Third Year in a Row

Jan 16, 2020They say everything is bigger in Texas, and that couldn’t be more true for Ross Gomez of Post, Texas, who reeled in a 14.74 lb. largemouth bass on the evening of January 22, 2026. But the real story isn’t just the size of the fish; it’s the fact that Gomez had already caught the same bass twice before.Back in 2023, Gomez was targeting crappie of a public dock at Lake Alan Henry when he hooked into the then 13.22 lb. fish. A fellow angler helped him weigh the bass and then told him he should consider donating the fish to the Toyota ShareLunker Program, a program Gomez was unaware of at the time.TheToyota ShareLunker Programis a Texas Parks and Wildlife (TPWD) initiative that partners with anglers in hopes of creating bigger, better bass in Texas. Any largemouth caught in the state from January 1st to March 31st can be donated to the program. Donated fish are marked via a small electronic identifier, similar to a pet microchip, and safely transported to theTexas Freshwater Fisheries Center(TFFC) where they undergo a selective breeding process. The program’s goal is to strengthen trophy bass genetics in Texas lakes and increase anglers' odds of landing the bass of their dreams.

They say everything is bigger in Texas, and that couldn’t be more true for Ross Gomez of Post, Texas, who reeled in a 14.74 lb. largemouth bass on the evening of January 22, 2026. But the real story isn’t just the size of the fish; it’s the fact that Gomez had already caught the same bass twice...

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Fishing

• Fishing

5 Ways to Catch More Winter Trout

Aug 30, 2022Winter is a hard time to be an angler. Unless you’re super intoice fishingor can afford aguided tripto a tropical climate, for the most part, we look at the coldest season of the year as something that must simply be endured. Locked in a cold, gray haze that reflects the weather, we sit and wait for spring by staring longingly out the window like a dog waiting for its master to come home because it desperately needs to be let out. It doesn’t have to be this way, because even in the darkest part of winter, you can still go trout fishing.While warmwater species likebass,catfish, andwalleyeare extremely sluggish and can be tough to get ahold of during the winter, coldwater species like trout remain fairly active and willing to feed. However, just because trout are active during the winter, it doesn’t mean that the samebaits, lures, and flies, and the same fishing techniques you use during the spring and summer are going to work. Catching trout during the winter is a unique but worthwhile challenge where you can catch a hell of a lot of fish, so long as you keep a few specific things in mind.

Winter is a hard time to be an angler. Unless you’re super into ice fishing or can afford a guided trip to a tropical climate, for the most part, we look at the coldest season of the year as something that must simply be endured. Locked in a cold, gray haze that reflects the weather, we sit and wait...

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