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Most Recent Articles
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Rowboat Bass Fishing for Big Fat Hidden Largemouth
Good morning brothers. I’ve been gone for a bit – traveling (and fishing) with family, writing for a few new outlets, and just being blessed
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Be a FLEXIBLE Fisherman… It Pays Off! (Bass Fishing After a Storm)
It wasn’t supposed to be like this. The jon boat was finally ready, loaded, and trailing behind me as I sped toward my favorite canal.
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Versatile Bank Fishing: 1 Bait 2 Ways for Largemouth Bass in Midwest Ponds
It’s early – but not too early – as you stand on the bank of the pond. To the novice, it looks empty. Calm. Still.
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Canal Fishing for Big Bass (Simple Largemouth Bait)
*pop* *pop* *pop-pop* *POP* The rhythmic sound of what seemed like hundreds of topwater strikes made the hair on the back of my neck stand
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Big Swimbaits. Big Bass.
Are you looking to up-size your swimbait artillery? The Huddleston Deluxe 8″ Rainbow Trout is a big bait that calls out the heaviest bruisers to
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Midwest Smallmouth Strategies (Early Spring Bass Fishing)
Good morning brothers. I’ve got the itch. No, not one that requires a cream or ointment or a salve… I got bass itches. (You should
Popular Gear & Lure Articles
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The Ultimate Guide: Best Baits for Big Wisconsin Bass (Minocqua Fishing Tips & Tackle + AJ’s Base Box)
Good morning brothers. It’s chilly again, here in the Midwest. The days are shorter. The nights are colder. The daydreams are beginning to intensify. There
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Bruiser Bass in the Muck: A Mucky Muck Base Box for Fishing BIG Midwest Largemouth
Have you ever set up a Base Box? Good morning brothers. I’d like to share a few tips that have helped me minimize the pre-trip
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Top 8 Baits for Borrow Pits
Good afternoon brothers. Fishing starts Monday. I’m hitting the water rain or shine, enough waiting – tomorrow we’re headed to Southern Illinois for Prison Ministry.
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Top 4 Stickbaits for Largemouth Bass (NOT a Senko!)
Stickbaits catch largemouth bass. Period. Article over! (Just kidding.) Stickbaits work… but… WHY? Why do bass attack a piece of cylindrical plastic that resembles a
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Popular Bass Fishing Presentations for EVERY Feeding Strategy
Happy Friday, Patriots. Today, we’re talking fishing. Straight. No chaser. So buckle up, wipe off that booger-pickin’ finger and get to scrollin’! (Sorry… I’m already
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Top 5 Swim Jig Trailers / Get Better at Swim Jig Fishing
Even though we just took the time to list out the Top 10 Swim Jigs – the trailer that you pair with your selection is
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Top 10 Swim Jigs / Get Better at Swim Jig Fishing
In the previous article we talked about when and where to use a swim jig. It’s a great way to get started and absorbing this
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Top 5 Baits for Streams & Rivers / Learning to Fish Rivers & Streams
Over the past two weeks we’ve pulled together a plethora of information to explain the makeup of rivers & streams; how they change, how fish
More Fishing Articles
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Wisconsin Fishing: Wild Rice Lake by Copp’s Cabins
Good evening brothers. Let’s talk about Midwest Fishing. Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin… I’ve come to
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Bank Fishing
Good morning brothers. Are you tired of the cold yet? Tired of the wind? The chapped lips? The dark dinners? Heart-attack shoveling? Split fingers? The
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Canal Fishing
Good morning brothers. What comes to mind when you think of canal fishing? Is it slop? Ditch pickles? Mucky mayhem? Garbage fish? Hot sticky days
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Spring Cleaning (Fishing for Rainbow Pike)
Good morning brothers. It’s still rather chilly here in the Land of Lincoln. Been very cold for quite a while actually. So much so that
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The 2 Best Seasons for Big Bass (and How To Catch Them)
Good evening brothers. The following article was sent to me by my friend Jason Kaefer over at Wild Outdoor. We’ve been talking for a while
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How to Lubricate a Spinning Reel (Oil & Grease Step by Step Fishing Tutorial)
WARNING: Skipping gear maintenance is the fastest way to ruin a fishing trip. (Don’t ask me why I know this…) Good evening brothers. You’ve likely
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Ebike Fishing (Best Ebike for the Money)
Good morning brothers. It’s been a minute. As we close in on the (bitter, cold, dark) end of 2024, I find myself following the traditional
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Fishing is Built for Memory Making
Good morning brothers! I hope that you have experienced the tightest of lines this season so far. We’re well into the “dog days” now in
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Catch MORE BASS with The 80/20 Rule (not what you think…)
Good morning brothers. It’s raining here in the Midwest. Rained yesterday, too… and the day before that. Honestly, it doesn’t seem like it’s stopped raining
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2024: The Return… and Writing for Midwest Outdoors
Good morning brothers. I hope that all of you are having a great 2024! I’ve been quiet lately and wanted explain why… Last year, one
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Illinois Topwater Bass Fishing (Post Spawn)
Good morning brothers. The Post Spawn Period, I have come to learn, is surprisingly unique. Bass can have an insane case of lockjaw, and at
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Illinois Bass Fishing During Post Spawn (Tough Bite Tips)
Good morning brothers. Isn’t it amazing how much a body of water – or more importantly, the bite – can change from day to day?
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How To Catch Your Next PB (Personal Best)
Good morning brothers. Here’s a fun question: will Minimalist Fishing lead to your next personal best? Yes. Full stop. Why Does Minimalist Fishing Leads to
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Ron D’s Bait Modifications: V1
Good morning brothers. Periodically readers will contact me to share tips, tricks, strategies – even send me physical gear and lures for use & review.
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Vintage Fishing Ads: A Stroll Down Memory Lane
Good Morning Brothers! First & foremost, I own nothing on this page. It’s a collection of fishing ads plucked from social media sites, forums, plus
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Best Baits for Midwest Bank Fishing (Top 3 List)
Good morning brothers! Have you ever stopped to think about the baits you would pack to fish from the bank if you had to limit
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Important Tips for Fishing With Your Wife
Good morning brothers. Have you ever fished with your wife? Yeah? So… how did that go?! Hold up: before we go down the all-too-common path
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The New Jon Boat Battery: THANK YOU READERS!
Good morning brothers! I write today from the snow-covered Land of Lincoln. (Yes… already… ugh…) This year, I was able to avoid getting stranded in
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How Much is TOO MUCH to Spend on Fishing Gear??
Good morning brothers. Please note: my wife did not secretly write this article… truthfully, she doesn’t really say anything about my fishing expenditures… because she
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2 Topwater Fishing Secrets: Dingers vs Frogs?!
Good morning brothers. Today, I’m going to let you in on a little secret for packing light and fishing mucky water. Well, 2 secrets actually…
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The 5-Minute Jerkbait Guide for BIG BASS by Rick Vogelbacher
Good morning, brothers. Have you ever struggled to keep up with something? I have, and to be honest – I’m having a rough go of
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MONSTER BASS at Snapping Turtle Pond!
Good morning brothers. So, I have these hooks… and they are vicious looking little dudes… but, I haven’t been able to find a good use
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3-Second Fishing Rod Holder (Very Clever Product)
Good morning brothers! I am happy to report that my ridiculous nose-infection has dropped back down, from 100% swollen to about 12%. So, that means
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2 WARNINGS for ALL FISHERMEN! (I’m in SEVERE PAIN right now…)
Good afternoon brothers. I almost didn’t make this video because… well… LOOK AT ME. I’m a grotesque mess, and this infection (or whatever it is)
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Don’t Give Me Any Lip! (A Lipless Crankbait Story)
A few months back I received a “care package” from Ronald Richards, who I affectionately refer to as Brother Ron. That package contained about 20
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Father & Son Bonding Through Fishing
Good morning brothers. It’s Monday, and there is a YouTubes I’d like to show you. First, a quick story: when I sat down at my
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The Snakebite Rig: A Weedless Heavy-Finesse Presentation for Bass Hiding in Tall Grass & Thick Vegetation
Good morning brothers. We’re at it again! It’s early and I’m sitting in the main room of the boathouse that rests on the shore of
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Kayak Fishing New Lakes in Illinois
Good morning brothers. One great thing about owning a small, lightweight kayak, is that you can carry it into a LOT of different places without
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This is the Price of Smallmouth (A Fishing Story)
“This is brutal… I’m not sure how much more of this I can take…” The weight of the kayak had increased dramatically over the last
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Is the F4 Rig Different than the California Rig for Bass Fishing?
Good morning brothers. I’ve been in the field a lot lately. Since this is my last full season in Illinois, one major goal is to
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Why are Professional Anglers Posting on Social Media SO MUCH?!
WARNING: this post is strictly my OPINION. Read it with caution, especially if you are easily butthurt… I’m about to smash your shibboleth. You may
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Where You Choose to Fish Makes a Difference
Good morning brothers. It’s been a few days since we posted an article… but I assure you, the reason for the delay is good. I’ve
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Fishing with my Son
Good morning brothers. This past weekend I went fishing with my son for the first time. Not the first time ever, mind you, but the
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How to Fish a Jerkbait: Part 1 – Jerkbait Gear Selection
Good morning brothers. A few minutes ago, my left pointer finger was impaled with the razor-sharp rear treble of a Rapala 08 Husky Jerk. Anytime
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Muckin’ Largemouth Bass from the Bank
Good morning, brothers. Muckin’ bass is something that many of us have experienced. It involves manually removing bass from… well… loads of muck. In 2019
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Best Way to Tie a Fluorocarbon Leader to Braid
Good morning brothers. I was sitting up last night tying rigs. We’ve had yet another cold snap here in Illinois, with nighttime temps dropping below
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How to Fish CHOCOLATE MILK (High Muddy Creeks & Rivers)
Good afternoon, brothers. Yesterday I was going over a trip from last June while working on a video for the fishing vlog. We had been
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What are Borrow Pits and Can You Fish Them?
Good morning, brothers. I came across a video last night, where a YouTuber was complaining about the amount of people on their favorite local shoreline.
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Reader Feedback: Light Line Fishing Techniques w/ Brother Ron D
Good morning brothers! I hope all is well – the weather has gone from over 80 degrees to the low 30’s with snow in the
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Reader Feedback: Does Minimalist Fishing REALLY WORK?!
Good morning, brothers. I think it’s time to start a new thing… Every day I get emails from readers and subscribers that have become friends.
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WARNING: Read This Before Spooling Up with Braided Fishing Line!
Good morning, brothers. This is a warning. It’s also not as dramatic as that just sounded… These days… everything is a code red… but I
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Be a Good Person First. A Good Fisherman Second.
Sometimes the good Lord puts us where we’re supposed to be – not where we want to be. Good morning, brothers. I was sitting in
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How Much Fishing Line is Left on my Spool?
Good morning brothers. Have you ever wondered how much fishing line you have left on your spool? I’m not asking if you’ve wondered how much
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Set Your Fishing Goals: The Plan for Midwest Bass Fishing & Beyond…
Tap… tap tap tap… tap tap tap TAPTAPTAPTAP… My leg is about to bounce right through this desk. I’m jittery. Sitting here in the office,
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What Affects the Strike Window of Largemouth Bass?
Good morning Brothers. Yesterday, I did a little bit of online shoppin’. Picked up 3 new jerkbaits in the exact same finish and size. Should
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Largemouth Bass Strike Windows
Mornin’ Brothers. The days are getting longer. Have you noticed? I sure have… as someone who suffers from the “winter grumblies” (which is a cute
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Prevent Fishing Injuries (3 Easy Steps)
Afternoon, Brothers. Fishing injuries are a real thing. You know this, but guys that don’t fish aggressively would hear that and think: “Dude how in
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Listen to the Birds
Happy Monday, Brothers. This will be a short entry. Something popped out at me yesterday while editing another video for the fishing vlog. My son
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