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Rumble in the Jungle: Catching Huge Arapaimas on the Fly in Guyana

Online Editors — Wed, 23 May 2012 08:48:01 -0400

Field & Stream editor-at-large and FlyTalk blogger Kirk Deeter recently took part in an expedition sponsored by Costa del Mar sunglasses to fish in Guyana, where he became one of the first fly fishermen ever to land an elusive wild arapaima—the world’s largest scaled freshwater fish species.

Click here to learn more about arapaima fishing opportunities in Guyana and the film "Jungle Fish."

The CatchFeed: 50 Top Photos from Catchbook, Field & Stream's New Social Fishing App

Dave_Maccar — Thu, 17 May 2012 12:43:40 -0400

These 50 photos are our editors' picks for the best shots posted so far by users of our new Catchbook app!

About Catchbook Fishing Reports
Catchbook is a free social fishing app we built for the iPhone to help you share photos of your fish while recording the spots where you caught them. Check out more great fish photos from around the country (and start posting your own catches) by downloading the app from iTunes! Visit fieldandstream.com/catchbook for details on how the app works, and why it'll help you catch more fish.

Catchbook Photo Contest
We're giving away a Columbia PFG Blood and Guts™ Ball Cap, for the best photo posted each week (as chosen by our editors) from now until then end of July. At the end of each month we'll pick our favorite overall shot and run it in the magazine! Each monthly winner will also receive a Columbia Airgill Chill™ Long Sleeve (men) or Ultimate Chill™ Long Sleeve (women). Click here to learn how you can enter this contest. Click here for the official rules.

The Best F&S Online Record Fish Stories and Photos

Online Editors — Tue, 08 May 2012 11:57:23 -0400

Catchbook Contest: Photo of the Week!

Dave_Maccar — Thu, 03 May 2012 14:41:44 -0400

Congratulations to Austin Bockwinkel, whose spring Iowa largemouth bass takes top prize in our weekly Catchbook Photo Contest! Austin gets a PFG Blood and Guts™ Ball Cap from Columbia, and also qualifies to win our monthly prize, a Columbia Airgill Chill™ Long Sleeve fishing shirt and his mug in the pages of our magazine. Click here to learn how you can enter this contest by. Click here for the official rules.

Catchbook is a new fishing app for the iPhone that automatically turns photos of fish you've caught into detailed fishing journal entries that show up on your map, then shares those entries exclusively with trusted friends. Our goal is to help you and your buddies learn more about the spots you fish. You can download the app from iTunes here.

Holy Mackerel: 2nd-Grader Hooks 68 lb. King Fish

Dave_Maccar — Wed, 02 May 2012 10:10:38 -0400

Andrew Quinn, a spirited Michigan second-grader who wrestles in the 77-pound weight class at his school, is no stranger to grappling with heavyweight foes.

But even Andrew almost met his match when he hooked this 5-foot king mackerel during a deep sea fishing trip in the Gulf of Mexico in late March. At the end of a 30-minute fight, Andrew had just enough strength left to boat the giant king, which weighed 68 pounds, 3 ounces—a touch lighter than Andrew but 4 ounces heavier than the current Alabama state record.

The 50 Best Field & Stream Reader Photos from April 2012

Dave_Maccar — Wed, 02 May 2012 09:25:49 -0400

Each month, Field & Stream editors review the hundreds of photos submitted by readers to our Trophy Room. If your photo is chosen to be printed in the Game Faces section of the magazine, you’ll win a Rapala Fish ‘N Fillet knife!

Submit your photos here!

Here are the other best reader photo collections from this year:

January 2012

February 2012

March 2012

Whip Walleye, Trout and Bass With These 4 Tailor-Made Rods

Online Editors — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 11:42:12 -0400

Target: Walleyes
Lure: Jig
Rod: St. Croix Eyecon Snap Jig

The 18 offerings in St. Croix’s Eyecon series include everything from trolling rods to live-bait rods, and the Snap Jig model is dialed in for anglers chasing walleyes in rivers. A bit longer than other jigging rods, the Snap Jig provides more leverage when you need to work a heavier jig along the bottom in an area of swift current. $120

Target: Trout
Lure: Marabou jig
Rod: G. Loomis GL2 Trout Jig

Marabou jigs may not be staples for trout fishermen in all of the country, but G. Loomis thinks they should be, because they catch hog browns and ’bows. That’s why the company developed the GL2 Trout Jig with a soft midsection, an extra-fast tip, and a powerful butt. This rod will get a marabou jig dancing like no other in any kind of flow. $175

Target: Smallmouths
Lure: Tube, jig
Rod: Fenwick Elite Tech Smallmouth

With a high-modulus graphite blank that detects the subtlest pickup, and titanium guides that reduce weight, Fenwick’s new custom smallmouth rod can effectively fish everything from a light tube to a heavy football jig. Though the rod is sensitive, its low-end power will beat the biggest bass you can find. The hidden-handle reel seat makes the rod more comfortable to grip. $130

Target: Largemouths
Lure: Crankbait
Rod: Quantum Tour KVD

This crankbait rod designed by Kevin VanDam might not win you millions, but it can help you score more largemouths on hard plastics. Made with E-Glass, the rod has a softer action that will help plant hooks without tearing them free. Quantum’s E-Glass is mixed with graphite to keep the weight (and arm fatigue) low. $150

Whip Walleye, Trout and Bass With These 4 Tailor-Made Rods

Online Editors — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 11:42:12 -0400

Target: Walleyes
Lure: Jig
Rod: St. Croix Eyecon Snap Jig

Target: Trout
Lure: Marabou jig
Rod: G. Loomis GL2 Trout Jig

Target: Smallmouths
Lure: Tube, jig
Rod: Fenwick Elite Tech Smallmouth

Target: Largemouths
Lure: Crankbait
Rod: Quantum Tour KVD

Catchbook Contest: Photo of the Week!

Dave_Maccar — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 15:21:10 -0400

Congratulations to Connor Brazell, who's early-season pike photo takes top prize in our weekly Catchbook Photo Contest! Connor gets a PFG Blood and Guts™ Ball Cap from Columbia, and also qualifies to win our monthly prize, a Columbia Airgill Chill™ Long Sleeve fishing shirt and his mug in the pages of our magazine. Click here to learn how you can enter this contest by. Click here for the official rules.

How to Load Up on Prespawn Crappies With the Double-Jig Rig

Online Editors — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 10:52:34 -0400

by Mark Hicks

Many crappie anglers fish two jigs on the same line, with one jig 18 inches above the other. This produces doubles and lets you fish different depths at the same time, increasing your odds for putting a jig in a crappie’s face.

The basic double-jig rig works great when crappies school at a specific depth, but when the fish suspend in deep water before moving into shallow spawning areas, they spread out vertically. Alabama guide and champion crappie tournament angler Sonny Sipes (205-919-0982) mops up on these widely distributed fish by rigging long trolling rods with a Road Runner spinner jig 10 feet above another Road Runner.

How It's Rigged
Sipes threads his main line—10-pound Vicious LoVis Green Panfish line—through a small free-sliding slip bobber and ties it to a three-way swivel. He adds a 12-inch leader and a 1⁄8-ounce Natural Science Road Runner (A) to one swivel. “Basic colors like white, chartreuse, red, and blue work on about any lake,” Sipes says.

Sipes usually dresses that Road Runner’s hook with a shiner minnow no longer than 1 inch. “The smaller the minnow, the better. A big minnow chokes the hook and prevents hookups.”

An 8-foot drop line is tied to the last swivel eye. Sipes runs the drop line through a 1-ounce egg sinker and connects it to a No. 10 two-way swivel. A 2-foot leader extends from the swivel and sports another 1⁄8-ounce Natural Science Road Runner (B). This one is dressed with a tube or Southern Pro 2-inch Crappie Stinger.

How It's Fished
Sipes fishes his rigs on as many as eight 14- or 16-foot trolling rods (C). (Check regulations for rod limits.) Holders spread the rods in a semicircle in front of the boat—a ploy known as spider rigging. Side-by-side fishing chairs allow Sipes and another angler to tend the rods while moving the boat forward with a bow-mounted motor at .5 to 1 mph.

Prespawn crappies typically suspend 15 feet deep or deeper over a creek or river channel. A prime staging area for them is a creek channel near the mouth of a creek arm. If the fish are 18 feet down, he lets out enough line to keep the Road Runners swimming along at that level. The slip bobbers float on the water’s surface. They don’t go under when a crappie bites, but they still serve as strike indicators. “Whenever one bobber does anything different from the others,” Sipes says, “set the hook fast.”

From the April 2012 issue of Field & Stream magazine.

How to Load Up on Prespawn Crappies With the Double-Jig Rig

Online Editors — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 10:52:34 -0400

by Mark Hicks

Sipes usually dresses that Road Runner’s hook with a shiner minnow no longer than 1 inch. “The smaller the minnow, the better. A big minnow chokes the hook and prevents hookups.”

From the April 2012 issue of Field & Stream magazine.

Crush Muskies With These 3 Sucker Baits

Online Editors — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 12:11:51 -0400

by Joe Cermele

Floor Plan: Shack Attack’s 9-inch Suzy Sucker is one of the best soft-plastic sucker imitations on the market, but anglers often feel the need to keep it moving constantly. Suckers are lazy, so make this lure lazy, too. Let it sink to the bottom and rest there, popping it forward on occasion and resting it again like a live sucker foraging. Feel for the take on the pause.

Honey Bunny: Daring enough to chase muskies with a fly rod? Tie up a mullet-sucker Rabbit Strip Dahlberg’s Diver. With its fluttering rabbit-fur tail and spun deer-hair head, this fly will dive on the strip and pop back to the surface, acting like an injured juvenile sucker. Work it around areas where smaller creeks meet main lakes or larger rivers and make sure you’ve got sturdy wire ahead of this bug.

Get Snippy: Though a live sucker is a top producer of muskies, here’s a trick for making a stellar bait even more appealing: Once you have the bait rigged, snip off the bottom section of its tail with shears. This will cause the bait to swim more erratically while emitting a different vibration from other suckers in the area. The slight difference in the beat can make a reluctant muskie pounce.

From the April 2012 issue of Field & Stream magazine.

Crush Muskies With These 3 Sucker Baits

Online Editors — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 12:11:51 -0400

by Joe Cermele

From the April 2012 issue of Field & Stream magazine.

Lift a Fish to Land It, Use Your Forearm for Leverage

Online Editors — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 10:22:46 -0400

by Kirk Deeter

The key to landing fish quickly is knowing how to get their heads above the water's surface. Fish have all the leverage when they're fighting nose-down. You have all the leverage when their noses point up, and you can usually skate a fish right into the net, or land it by hand. The key to making this all happen quickly, which is of mutual benefit for the fish and the angler, is knowing how to "lift" fish.

It's often tricky, especially with large fish. Go ahead and try to pick a 10-pound dumbbell off the floor with a fly rod, fly line and 12-pound test leader. It's almost impossible if you hold the grip normally, gently lift the rod, and expect the flexed graphite tip of the rod to make it happen. When lifting heavy fish, you want to focus the stress into the line itself (trust me, 12-pound Maxima is harder to break than you think) and the butt section of the fly rod. To get that done, you want to grip slightly higher on the cork, bring the reel seat flush against your forearm, and then lift with your arm and shoulder, not just your wrist. This dramatically reinforces the leverage you have on the fish.

Here is a photo my friend J.P. Lipton of "Roughfisher" (you should check out his website, which is dedicated to catching "rough" species like carp on flies) getting ready to land a 20-pound carp on an eight-weight. The butt of the rod is about to snug up against his forearm, and soon after, he steers the fish right to the net.

Your landing efficiency will improve dramatically if you remember to use your forearm when lifting fish — especially heavy ones.

Tackle Tip: Fix a Busted Rod Guide on the Water in Minutes

Online Editors — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 11:49:34 -0400

by Bob Stearns

If the bite is hot, the last thing you want to do is quit because of a gear malfunction. One common problem is a dislodged ceramic ring in the rod guide. You can’t continue fishing until it’s fixed, as the ring keeps the guide from fraying the fishing line. But if you carry a small dispenser of waxed dental floss—which holds knots better than unwaxed floss—in your tackle box, you can fix the damage in minutes.

Cut the fishing line above the lure and carefully pull it out of the damaged guide. Now, make 10 to 15 wraps around the ring and guide with the floss. Secure with a knot. The repair will last for at least a week, and it’s saved many a trip for me over the years.

From the April 2012 issue of Field & Stream magazine.

Tackle Tip: Fix a Busted Rod Guide on the Water in Minutes

Online Editors — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 11:49:34 -0400

by Bob Stearns

From the April 2012 issue of Field & Stream magazine.

15 Reasons an Early Spring Makes Fishing More Difficult (And How To Catch Fish Anyway)

Dave_Maccar — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 09:16:26 -0400

Spring has sprung. Actually, it sprang a month ago in much of the country. With the unusual weather pattern setting record-high temperatures on a near-weekly basis, many of you are no doubt scratching your heads and asking, what’s this going to do to the fishing?

The 50 Best Field & Stream Reader Photos from March 2012

Dave_Maccar — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 15:00:43 -0400

Submit your photos here!

Here are the other best reader photo collections from this year:

January 2012

February 2012

Catchbook Fishing Reports: A Social Fishing App from the Editors of Field & Stream

Online Editors — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 14:37:45 -0400

If you're an angler, you know that keeping a detailed journal of your time on the water is one of the best ways to up your catch rate. That's because, over time, your journal will show you patterns in when and where fish bite, and what lures and baits work best under different conditions. The more detailed your journal is, the more of these patterns you'll see. But keeping a detailed journal requires time and dedication that most anglers can't afford.

Not anymore. Field & Stream's FREE new Catchbook app, just released on the iPhone, is designed to take all the work out of keeping a fishing journal. The app does this by taking photos of fish you've already shot with your phone and automatically converting them into detailed fishing reports that include the weather and water conditions present when those photos were taken. The app pins each report to a map, then lets you share them exclusively with trusted friends and fishing buddies. The more friends you have, the more reports you see on your map, and the easier it becomes to pattern your spots!

Our editorial team has been working for nearly half a year on the project, and it finally launched last week. Now we're looking for feedback from the people we designed it for. You! If there are bugs, we want to know about them. If there's something you think we can improve, we want to know what that is. And if you love something we've done? We want to know that, too.

We'll incorporate your comments into updates to the app, which we're planning to roll out regularly. You can give us your feedback by commenting on this post, or within a new "Catchbook" category in our online Answers section. And, right now, exclusively for readers of this site (and for a limited time only) if you sign up and request user "Field & Stream" as a friend within the app, we'll add 5,000 points to your F&S Online username.

Click here to view the app in the iTunes store, or follow the jump for more details on how Catchbook works. Thanks for checking it out! -- The Editors

POST YOUR PHOTOS
Catchbook lets you turn any fish photo you’ve ever taken with your iPhone into a detailed journal entry that includes the time, date, location, and weather present when you caught each fish. Upload your old fish photos to get started, then make sure to snap away with your camera the next time you’re out on the water. Add records to your journal by choosing the photos you want to upload and telling us the species of fish in each photo. The app does the rest! Add optional information (such as the size and color lure you were using) to create even more detailed records to share with your friends.

POOL YOUR RECORDS
The more friends you invite into Catchbook, the more catches you’ll see on your map. And the more catches you see, the easier it will be for you to pattern your spots. Inviting friends is easy. Invite people you’re already friends with on Facebook, or send your fishing buddies invites by email. You can also find new people to fish with by searching for other Catchbook users who fish in the same places you do.

PATTERN YOUR SPOTS
Every time you (or one of your friends) posts a photo to Catchbook, that photo gets pinned to a spot on your map. Filter your map to show only fish caught at specific times of the year, at different times of the day, under specific weather conditions and water temps, and much, much more! You’ll quickly see patterns in which spots work best under different conditions. Then use the app’s “Best Baits” features to learn which flies, lures, and baits caught the most fish under the conditions and areas you’ve selected.

Map filtering options include:
-- Fish species and fish size
-- Time of year and time of day
-- Moon phase
-- Wind speed and direction
-- Water temperature, water clarity, lake/river level, and tidal stage
-- Barometric pressure and barometric trend
-- Air temperature, cloud cover, and precipitation type

WATCH CATCHES IN REAL TIME
Keep an eye on what people are catching around the country by clicking on the “Catches” tab. You’ll see all the latest fish entered into Catchbook (photos only — no spot burning here).

SEE WHERE YOU RANK!
Find your name in a list of top users by species.

X-Ray Fish Photos: 41 Incredible Shots From the Smithsonian Institute

Sarah Smith — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 17:44:31 -0400

X-ray Vision: Fish Inside Out, organized by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History and the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES), is an exhibit traveling to museums across the country through 2015. Visit www.sites.si.edu/exhibitions/exhibits/ichthyo/index.htm for the tour itinerary.

SHARK!: A Preview of an Artistic Tribute To The Ancient Apex Predators of the Deep

Sarah Smith — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 16:07:05 -0400

Millennia before humans first appeared on this planet, sharks were cutting their way through Earth's seas. They come in all shapes and sizes and are found in every ocean in the world as well as in many rivers and lakes.

A major multimedia art exhibition, SHARK!, organized by the Ft. Lauderdale Museum of Art and curated by acclaimed wildlife artist, author and environmentalist Richard Ellis, brings together art and science in documenting the fascination people have with these apex predators of the sea. In addition to drawings and paintings, the exhibition contains photos, sculptures, and video as well as a section devoted to the sensational impact of the 1975 film Jaws.

Ellis was good enough to give us these photos of pieces from the exhibition as a sneak peak. SHARK! opens on May 13.

For more information on the exhibit, click here.

The 45 Best Field & Stream Reader Photos of February 2012

Dave_Maccar — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 10:46:15 -0500

Submit your photos here!

Here is the gallery of the best reader photos from January 2012.

How to Catch a Wall-Hanger: 7 Tips for Locating, Fighting, and Landing Giant Bass, Walleye and More Big Fish This Season!

Online Editors — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 14:13:27 -0500

Make this the year to catch a fish so huge you’ll want to admire it for the rest of your life. We found the best lures and baits, the hot lakes and rivers, and the trophy hunter’s top strategies. After this, all you’ll need is a hammer and nail.

Spearfishing Decoys: High Art For Killing Big Fish

Dave_Maccar — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 10:20:49 -0500

If you’re ever close to Cadillac, Michigan and would like to drop by master carver Dave Kober’s workshop to take a look at his fish decoys (www.koberdecoys.com), it’s located about eight miles south of town along state route M-115. But telephone first to make sure he’s there, because if it’s winter, “I may be ice fishing...,” Kober says with a grin.

Find A Spill or a Fish Kill? Get This Card And Know Who To Call

Sarah Smith — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 09:55:51 -0500

by Tim Romano

A number of months ago Hal Herring reported on the "Toxic Petroleum Sludge" that was infiltrating the waters of our beloved carp fishery here on the South Platte River in Denver. Local angler and fly fisherman Trevor Taner was fishing for carp in the river on November 27 when he noticed, "weird milky chocolaty sludge", and after fishing for a while noticed his "fly and fingers smelled like gasoline". He also mentioned that he could "see micro-currents and upwells in the water column that you usually can't see."

After talking to Tanner he told me that he spent a very long time trying to figure out who to call about the situation. After multiple phone calls to friends and anglers he finally reached what he thought were the proper authorities. This unfortunately took many hours and didn't really provide the response he had hoped for. They basically told him he was crazy and there wasn't a spill.

Long story short, Trevor was right. There was a pretty serious petroleum "spill" and it was most certainly in the river. Leeching into a tributary of the Platte through layers of soil and sand. It was most likely coming from a local refinery on the east banks of the river. The EPA finally got involved and to my knowledge the cleanup continues.

All of this would have been made much, much easier for Trevor if he knew who to call. Now -- thanks to him I do, and I wanted to share it with all of you. Since the event Trevor was given an award by his local Trout Unlimited chapter and they also did a pressing of some "Spill or Kill Cards" in his honor. Spill for well, a spill of any kind. Kill, for a -- fish kill. You know, lots-o-dead bloated little fishies floating belly up in the water. Duh.

The business sized card fits in a wallet and has the National Spill Response Center's phone number (800-424-8802) as well as the twitter hashtag of other local TU members that can keep them up to speed on what's going on. The National Spill Response Center's duty is the "sole federal point of contact for reporting oil and chemical spills". Supposedly it is the fastest way to get something done if you have an experience like what Trevor went through and have the gumption to do something about it.

So do you and your watershed, lake or coastline a favor and pop that number above into your phone's contact list. Label it something that you'll remember and hopefully never have to use. Someday you might be very happy you did.