By Joe Cermele

Few moments in fishing are more enjoyable than when a big largemouth crushes a topwater lure on a still summer morning. For decades, fishermen have enticed bass into making those explosive surface hits with the zigzagging walks of Zara Spooks, the chugging splashes of poppers, and the gurgling buzzes of propeller baits. The lures haven’t changed much since your granddad tied one on, because there hasn’t been the need. Today’s lure market, however, is all about ingenuity, and designers have to build a better mousetrap. The clever revamps of these three classic topwaters are meant to replace those old standbys. [ Read Full Post ]

By Steve Hill

The Giant Squid (Architeuthis dux) is so elusive that the first photograph of a live specimen in its natural habitat wasn’t captured until 2004. Much of what scientists have been able to learn about them comes from specimens they’ve gathered from the undigested beaks found in the stomachs of their only known predator, the Sperm Whale. So when high-profile Australian angler and outdoor journalist Al McGlashan found a nearly whole specimen 30 miles off Jervis Bay earlier this month, the news was bound to create a stir. [ Read Full Post ]

By Kirk Deeter

We all find hitches and glitches in our casts from time to time. Like the golfer who irons out swing flaws at the practice range, the angler can do himself or herself a huge favor by setting aside some time for practice. And I think the best casting practice happens on flat water. I don't care if you go to a local lake, pond, or the neighbor's swimming pool, casting over flat water gives you a really good opportunity to see exactly how your fly is landing. That splashdown is the first part of the presentation, and sometimes it matters as much as or more than how you get the fly there in the first place. [ Read Full Post ]

By Kirk Deeter

My friend Paul Zabel recently returned from a fishing trip to Costa Rica without his fly lines. You see, some airport security officer decided it was in the interest of passenger safety to ensure that no WF-8-F fly lines (you know, the kind that terrorists have been using to snag 767s out of the sky) actually made it on his plane. Never mind the fact that he flew down to Costa Rica with reels and lines in his carry-on bag, and no one told him about the line restriction until he was headed back through security minutes before his flight. [ Read Full Post ]

By Chad Love

How many state records do you hold? If you're like me, it's exactly zero. But for one Missouri man, catching state record fish is becoming downright commonplace.

From this story on kansascity.com:
A western Missouri man has caught a record 5-pound, 6-ounce carpsucker, giving him his third state record fish. The Department of Conservation says Nicholas Wray, of Harrisonville, caught the lunker on a trotline last month on the South Grand River in Cass County. Missouri keeps state records for fish caught by pole and line and through alternative methods. 

[ Read Full Post ]

By Tim Romano

My friend Geoff Mueller and I will slog a number of miles tomorrow, high up into Rocky Mountain National Park. Our packs will be loaded with underwater cameras, dry suits and snorkel gear. We're in pursuit of some underwater photos, specifically the greenback cutthroat for Geoff's new book about the underwater environment of trout.

Last October we had the privilege to spend a couple days with John McMillian, a fisheries biologist from Washington state. He took us around and showed us some of his secret spots and gave us the skinny on the best ways to try and shoot underwater photography for fish in cold water environments. This video by Shelly Solomon and Leaping Frog Films shows how John physically counts fish individually by hand while drift diving a tiny stream in the middle of winter. Brrrr. [ Read Full Post ]