Conservation

Without recreational angler input, decisions made under a new national oceans and Great Lakes policy could be used to unnecessarily close saltwater and freshwater recreational fishing areas. View article

Recruitment, growth, and mortality: three words that on the surface may not make an angler’s ears ring but buzz loudly in a fishery biologist’s. These three rate functions are important because...View article

Trophy-size panfish are the latest frontier for anglers who like big fish. As we’ve said in In-Fisherman, a 1-pound bluegill in most regions is rarer than a 6-pound bass and likely older. Same is...View article

Ah, the good ol’ days. Back then unfished bass populations had more and larger fish. Only natural mortality, primarily predation, reduced their abundance, so bass surviving their first couple of years...View article

Ask a seasoned angler to define good bass habitat and you’re likely to hear about laydowns, weededges, creek channels, stumpfields, mats, red clay banks, chunk rock, shell bars—the list goes on....View article

The wobbling pull of the big crankbait stalls suddenly, and as the angler raises his rod, there’s a strong thumping pull 20 yards out and 18 feet down. After several runs, the bass approaches the...View article

"You may say I am dreamer. But I am not the only one." -“Imagine” by John Lennon With apologies to John Lennon, he should have included an extra verse in his song, “Imagine.”...View article

Can black bass displaced from their home ranges find their way home? How long does it take? Or do bass get lost? These are some of most persistent questions concerning the health and catchability of...View article

Late last winter, I stuffed two tip-ups into a bucket along with a couple dozen frozen tulibees, strapped the power auger to my quad 4 x 4, and headed off to an old familiar spot where I knew big pike...View article

Can you catch more and bigger fish through a hole in the ice in winter than from a boat or shore during the open-water season? What about specific species? Are certain fish more prone to bite under...View article