Catalpa worms are one of the most underrated natural freshwater baits. Found seasonally on catalpa trees, these large caterpillars can produce excellent bites from channel catfish, bass, and panfish. Here’s how to find, store, rig, and fish them effectively.

Spybait fishing is no longer only a bass technique. More walleye anglers are using this subtle presentation to catch pressured fish in clear water, postspawn periods, and difficult conditions. Learn how spybaits work, when to use them, and the rod setup needed for better control.

Cold water doesn't always mean slow fishing. While many anglers rely on jigs and live bait during early spring, crankbaits can trigger aggressive strikes from big walleyes after ice-out. Learn how experienced anglers use diving plugs, lipless crankbaits, and precise presentations to find trophy fish in rivers, lakes, and Great Lakes fisheries.

Smile Blades have changed the way many anglers approach difficult walleye bites. By creating vibration at slower speeds than traditional spinner blades, these rigs help trigger neutral and pressured fish in rivers, reservoirs, and Canadian Shield lakes. Learn how speed, color, leader length, and presentation adjustments can improve your trolling success.

Crappies are highly visual predators, so lure visibility can make the difference between a follow and a strike. This guide explains how to choose crappie lure colors based on water clarity, sunlight, depth, and fishing pressure—and when to switch between bright, dark, and natural patterns.

Crankbaits are often overlooked by crappie anglers, but they can be one of the fastest ways to locate active fish and trigger bigger bites. This guide explains when to use crankbaits for crappie, how to control depth and retrieve speed, and how to adjust your presentation when fish become less aggressive.

Discover where white and black crappies are found throughout the year. Learn seasonal crappie movements, habitat preferences, reservoir and river fishing strategies, and the best rod setup for catching more crappies.

Learn the 10 best catfish baits that consistently produce results. From nightcrawlers and live bait to prepared stink baits and cut bait, discover what catfish eat and how to choose the right bait for every situation.

The Ned rig is no longer limited to a small 2.5-inch stickbait. Today, anglers can use micro craws, minnows, worms, swimbaits, and larger finesse plastics. The key is matching the jighead weight and bait profile to how you want the lure to move.

A practical guide to classic catfish rigs, including simple hook-and-shot, float, slip-sinker, and three-way rigs, with tips for bait presentation and current.

Deep submerged grass can be one of the most productive—and overlooked—places to catch summer bass. As water temperatures rise, baitfish and bass often move away from shallow banks and settle around deeper vegetation. A ChatterBait is especially effective because it can cover water quickly, tick the tops of grass, rip free from vegetation, and trigger reaction strikes. This guide explains when to target offshore grass, how to identify high-percentage areas, which ChatterBait weights work at different depths, and how to retrieve the bait without constantly burying it in vegetation.

Trout will eat everything from tiny insects to minnows and larger natural forage, but presentation often determines whether they bite. These five trout fishing rigs cover a wide range of situations: floating dough bait off the bottom, suspending worms with a drop shot, live-lining baitfish, fishing a hair jig beneath a float, and naturally drifting bait through rocky current. Each rig solves a different problem, giving anglers practical options for stocked ponds, wild streams, deep water, and fast-moving rivers.