Knowing how to store fishing rods properly can save you from a broken tip, damaged guide, or reel that needs attention before your next trip. Rods are designed to bend under controlled fishing loads, but they are not designed to be crushed beneath tackle bags, knocked against garage walls, or left under constant pressure. You…
Carp are remarkably hardy fish, which can create the impression that they are comfortable spending a long time out of the water. They are not. A carp does not necessarily die within seconds of being lifted onto an unhooking mat, and under favorable conditions it may remain alive considerably longer than the few moments normally…
The fishing tips beginners need most are not secret lure tricks or complicated techniques. They are the basics that make the first few trips easier: use simple tackle, fish somewhere that actually holds catchable fish, learn one reliable setup, pay attention to what the water is telling you, and change one thing at a time…
If you’ve ever landed a catfish and heard a croak, squeak, grunt, or strange grinding sound, the obvious question is: why do catfish make noise? The sound can be surprisingly loud when the fish is out of the water. It may even seem as though the catfish is somehow vocalizing. In many cases, however, the…
The pickerel vs perch comparison becomes confusing surprisingly quickly because the word “pickerel” does not always describe the same fish. If you mean a true pickerel — particularly the chain pickerel — and compare it with a yellow perch, the two are very different fish. Chain pickerel are long, toothy ambush predators from the pike…
Choosing what lb line for carp fishing sounds as though it should depend on the size of the carp. In reality, the water you are fishing usually matters more. A clean lake with plenty of open water places very different demands on your mainline than a swim containing weed, submerged branches, mussel beds or sharp…
Catfishing with goldfish is a genuine live-bait tactic rather than just another strange bait experiment. In places where using them is legal, goldfish can be used for large blue catfish and flathead catfish, particularly when the goal is to present an active baitfish around deep holes, current breaks, or heavy cover. There is one important…
A damaged rod guide insert can look like a tiny problem until line starts fraying for no obvious reason. A chip in the ring, a rough edge or a completely missing insert puts the fishing line in contact with a surface it was never meant to run across. Fortunately, it does not normally mean the…
The best castable fish finder should do more than show a few fish icons on a phone. For shore anglers especially, its real value is revealing depth changes, weed, drop-offs, hard bottom and other features that would otherwise be difficult to locate without a boat. The current market is dominated by Deeper and Garmin, but…
What fishing line glows under black light? The most reliable answer is fishing line specifically made with fluorescent or UV-reactive dyes. Fluorescent monofilament is particularly common, although some braided and coated lines are also manufactured to react strongly under ultraviolet light. The important word is fluorescent. A bright yellow, green or blue fishing line does…