By Editors

Field & Stream's Catchbook app for the iPhone is a social fishing journal that automatically turns fish photos into catch records complete with detailed weather conditions, then lets you share that information on a map with fishing buddies you trust. The map is private, but the photos of your fish are public, which means everyone can see what all Catchbook users are landing around the country (and around the world!).

Since we launched the app in April, more than 6,300 people have installed it on their phones and have posted thousands of photos (check out our editors' picks for the 50 best shots from September here).

If you fish, and you have an iPhone, we'd love it if you'd check out our app. Here's an extra incentive: We're giving away a 16GB iPhone 5 (MSRP: $649)—plus OtterBox Defender Series ($49.95) and Commuter Series ($34.95) cases to go with it—to the best photo posted to the app during the month of October. Also, the best photo each week wins one of OtterBox's great new iPhone cases. Click the link to download this fishing app from the iTunes store.

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By Mark Hicks

If you’re not sure where to cast for bass on any given lake, head for the nearest bridge. Most bridges provide bass with deep water, shade, bridge pilings and riprap for cover, and baitfish. Current caused by the wind or a power-­generating dam boosts its desirability. But don’t take my word for it. Just ask bass pro Aaron Martens, who’s finished second twice in the Bassmaster Classic by fishing bridges exclusively.

Top of the Morning
At daybreak, largemouth bass often feed on shad near the surface around bridge pilings. Martens picks off these fish with a Megabass Giant Dog-X walking stickbait. He works the Dog-X alongside the bridge pilings and over the eddy water on the downstream side of the pilings. “I catch a lot of bass by fishing the eddy 50 to 100 feet down­current from the pilings,” Martens says. “Most fishermen overlook these bass.”
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By Chad Love

Greg Myerson must know a thing or two about big stripers. You may recall that Myerson holds the IGFA all-tackle world record for striped bass for his monster 81-pound striper caught off Connecticut last year. But now Myerson has apparently doubled down, because he now holds the IGFA all-tackle length record for striped bass, too.

From this story on thefisherman.com:
The IGFA has recently approved the submission for the new all tackle length record for striped bass. The fish, which measured 113 centimeters, was landed back on May 30th by Greg Myerson. Greg was fishing 6 Mile Reef off Westbrook, CT, when he made the catch. You might remember Greg as he is the current all-tackle world record holder for striped bass with his impressive 81.88-pound super-cow landed last August.

Thoughts? Reaction? Is it safe to call Myerson a striper wizard?

Click here for the rest of the photos Myerson submitted to the IGFA. [ Read Full Post ]

By Kirk Deeter

Most fly anglers devote a lot of time and energy into honing their casts, as they should. The cast is what allows you to play the game in the first place. Without a good fly delivery, your chances of hooking a fish are minimal.

But the effort and focus shouldn't end as soon as that fly hits the water. In fact, I think that's when the real attention to detail should begin. How you drift your fly (presentation) is as important as how you cast your fly, and mending the line (moving the fly line upstream or downstream of your flies, depending on the currents, in order to eliminate drag) is the key to making that happen. [ Read Full Post ]

By Tim Romano

The Drake Magazine held its 7th annual Fly Fishing Video awards at the International Fly Tackle Dealer Show a couple of weeks ago. The video above from "The Last Salmon Forest," which won best cinematography. It was shot and edited by Detonation Studios. [ Read Full Post ]

By Kirk Deeter

The American Fly Fishing Trade Association (AFFTA) recently commissioned the market research firm Southwick Associates, Inc., to do a study on retailers in the fly fishing industry. The results provide a clearer picture on the sport than we've had in a long time. Here are some tidbits you might find interesting:

- Total sales of all fly fishing products amount to just under $750 million, marking fly fishing as a niche endeavor. (For example, some brands of candy bars sell more than the whole fly fishing market combined.) [ Read Full Post ]