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Most Recent Articles
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Tennessee Prison Ministry: Be Fishers of Men
Good morning brothers – it’s Monday. Still cold here in Illinois. Freezing, but just barely. This week I’ll be headed south – but not for...
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How Do You Treat Fisherman’s Elbow? (Tennis Elbow) Pain Relief & Non-Surgical Recovery Plan
SNAP… CRACKLE… POP!!! That’s a sound we all know and love… if we’re talking about cereal. If we’re talking about elbows… ugh. If you’ve fished...
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The Best Fishing Advice You’ll Read Today
Happy New Year, Patriots! I hope you had a great time ringing in 2023 with family and friends! Maybe you partied hard… Or… maybe you...
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Smallmouth Bass Fishing Tips from Matt Straw (In-Fisherman)
I’ve met a lot of really cool dudes since I started working on this website. Guys will reach out and let me know what they...
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Seekway Water Shoes: Product Review
By this point you can see that these shoes are designed for light duty. In that regard, they excel… Not that long ago, I received...
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Do Bass Prefer Vertical or Horizontal Presentations?
Well hello my friends – I hope you and yours had a very Merry Christmas! We sure did… We’ve now entered into that weird week...
Popular Gear & Lure Articles
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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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Donkey Tails & Mule Jigs by Mule Fishing Supply Co. | Product Review & Field Test
The Mule Jig paired with a Donkey Tail allows you to cover water quickly while targeting gamefish of every size. The light-wire hooks mean you...
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February 2022 Solunar Fishing Calendar Illinois
The Solunar Calendar provides a window into the activity of wildlife. If you’d like to learn more about how you can use this tool to...
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January 2022 Solunar Fishing Calendar Illinois
The Solunar Calendar provides a window into the activity of wildlife. If you’d like to learn more about how you can use this tool to...
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December 2021 Solunar Fishing Calendar Illinois
The Solunar Calendar provides a window into the activity of wildlife. If you’d like to learn more about how you can use this tool to...
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What is a Gizzard Shad?
Understanding baitfish is something that can benefit all anglers. Big fish pursue and eat little fish, and while it is more important to find and...
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How to Check the Local Water Level in a Creek or River
“Well… I suppose we can try to head upstream, but it’s going to be one heck of a workout…” You mumble to yourself, trying to...
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November 2021 Solunar Fishing Calendar Illinois
The Solunar Calendar provides a window into the activity of wildlife. If you’d like to learn more about how you can use this tool to...
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October 2021 Solunar Fishing Calendar Illinois
The Solunar Calendar provides a window into the activity of wildlife. If you’d like to learn more about how you can use this tool to...
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September 2021 Solunar Fishing Calendar Illinois
The Solunar Calendar provides a window into the activity of wildlife. If you’d like to learn more about how you can use this tool to...
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August 2021 Solunar Fishing Calendar Illinois
The Solunar Calendar provides a window into the activity of wildlife. If you’d like to learn more about how you can use this tool to...
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Should I Quit Fishing?
Should I quit fishing? Have you ever asked yourself that question? Sometimes… it sure feels like we should quit. Let me tell you a story…...
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Fishing the Manitowish Chain O Lakes by Minocqua, Wisconsin
“Hey… g’morning Dad…“ You grumble as you shuffle-step over to the coffee pot to get a bit of java. “Morning bud“, he replies. It’s just...
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July 2021 Solunar Fishing Calendar Illinois
The Solunar Calendar provides a window into the activity of wildlife. If you’d like to learn more about how you can use this tool to...
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The Advantages of Fishing From Shore
“Mornings are so peaceful in spring“, you think to yourself and the first rays of sunlight begin to trickle through your office curtains. A slight,...
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How Do Largemouth Bass Smell?
Hey… you smell that? Was that you? The largemouth bass wants to know. Although taste and smell are often lumped together, these senses perform distinctly...
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June 2021 Solunar Fishing Calendar Illinois
The Solunar Calendar provides a window into the activity of wildlife. If you’d like to learn more about how you can use this tool to...
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The Ultimate Jighead for ElaZtech Baits
The secret is out: ElaZtech baits by Z-Man are a well balanced combination of salt (in most but not all cases) and plastic that is...
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Cabin Creek Bait Company Oval Sinkin’ Worms | Product Review & Field Test
Click to watch the complete video review: Product Summary: Oval Sinkin’ Worms The Oval Sinkin’ Worm, by the Cabin Creek Bait Company, is a salt-loaded...
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The Lateral Line of Largemouth Bass: What Bass Hear vs. What Bass FEEL
We’ve discussed the fact that largemouth bass have the same 5 primary senses that we do – but they also have another: their lateral line...
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How Do Largemouth Bass Hear?
How well does the largemouth bass hear sound or feel vibrations? Well, water transmits sound vibrations five times better than air. Vulnerable, struggling prey send...
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How Do Fish Eyes Work?
Much has been learned about how the eyes of fish function. That said, the following information is a combination of science and speculation. Within each...
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What Colors Can Largemouth Bass See?
Things underwater are… different… than they are above. Movement is met with more resistance. Things sound different. Vibrations travel through water. Light is broken up...
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Can Largemouth Bass See Us On Shore?
In the last article, we discussed the sense of sight for largemouth bass – arguably their most important sense for both hunting and ambushing prey,...
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Largemouth Bass Senses: Sight
Bass – like us – have the typical 5 senses: sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell. But there is a sixth as well: lateral line...
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May 2021 Solunar Fishing Calendar Illinois
The Solunar Calendar provides a window into the activity of wildlife. If you’d like to learn more about how you can use this tool to...
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Prey Size for Largemouth Bass – Part 2
As we mentioned in our previous article on Prey Size for Largemouth Bass, the size of a largemouth bass with have a major influence on...
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Prey Size for Largemouth Bass
The size of an individual largemouth bass will determine prey size – the upper and lower limits of what they will hunt and ambush –...
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Catch More Fish by Doing What Everyone ISN’T
You want to catch more fish? Try to zig when everyone else zags. We’ve talked about this many times before – but how do you...
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What is Countershading?
Largemouth bass – and many other species of fish – exhibit an interesting coloring on the upper and lower portions of their bodies, called countershading....
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Largemouth Bass Food Preferences Over Time
Bass are hatched – not born. When largemouth hatch, they are nourished by a yolk sac for several days while their tiny little mouths continue...
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How do Largemouth Bass Grow?
Like weeds! MIRIGHT?! Most of the bigger bass that you come across are females. Females typically live longer than males. But why would… why would...
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The Ideal Body Shape of a Fish
There are easily more than 20,000 species of fish found worldwide. Among these species, a multitude of body shapes exist. Different designs are adapted to...
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The Physical Makeup of Largemouth Bass
The largemouth bass is a chunky lass. Dummy thicc, if you will. She’s a powerful fish, full of vinegar and whatnot, with a broad body...
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How Largemouth Bass Feed
The largemouth bass is distinctly different than the brook trout. As we discussed earlier, the brook trout was at one time the most popular gamefish...
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Meet the Largemouth Bass: Mr. & Mrs. Generalist
Every species of fish has certain characteristics and abilities that help them survive and thrive in different environments. Catfish are known to be “swimming tongues”,...
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How to Identify Florida Strain Largemouth
There are two distinct subspecies of largemouth bass. The northern largemouth (Micropterus salmoides salmoides) and the Florida largemouth (Micropterus salmoides floridanus). These two subspecies interbreed...
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How to Identify Rare Black Bass
So that picture… those teeth… ugh… that’s not a bass, it’s a goblin shark. The goblin shark is a rare creature with a lineage dating...
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How to Identify Guadalupe Bass
The Guadapule bass (Micropterus treculii) is native to the Guadalupe River drainage in central Texas. A small fish, closely related to the spotted bass, the...
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How to Identify Suwannee Bass
The Suwannee bass (Micropterus notius) is another species that prefers the waters of small rivers. Suwannees inhabit low-gradient black-water streams in Florida and south Georgia,...
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How to Identify Shoal Bass
Many anglers and biologists widely recognize the shoal bass (Micropterus cataractae) as a distinct species. The slender fish is similar to both smallmouth and redeye...
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How to Identify Redeye Bass
Redeye bass (Micropterus coosae) prefer running waters. You will often find them in warm streams and rivers. They look very similar to smallmouth, but redeye...
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How to Identify Spotted Bass
The Spotted Bass. ‘ol Meanmouth. At first glance, the spotted bass looks somewhat similar to a largemouth. However, the coloring is a bit different… so...
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How to Identify Smallmouth Bass
Smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu – Micropterus dolomieui is a common, somewhat accepted misspelling) and largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) are the two most widespread, popular – and...
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All About Black Bass: Part 1
*zzzzziiiiiinnnnggggg* screams the drag as line is violently ripped from your spinning reel. “Whaddya got on there buddy, a big ‘ol bronzeback?!“ “A what!?“, you...
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April 2021 Solunar Fishing Calendar Illinois
The Solunar Calendar provides a window into the activity of wildlife. If you’d like to learn more about how you can use this tool to...
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Catch & Release Fishing / Learn to Fish Largemouth Bass
In fishing, the concept of catch & release has been widely practiced ever since the early 1900s… in Europe. In North America however, the trend...
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The F4 Rig / Flexible Finesse Fluke Fishing
“Son of a… another snag?!“ It’s March in the Midwest. Water temps have barely hit the 50° mark on the surface. In fact, just two...
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Location of Largemouth Bass by Region / Learn to Fish Largemouth Bass
“I’ll never catch any fish around here“, the forklift driver grumbles as he enters hour 11 of his 12-hour shift. “When we go up to...
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