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Latest Minimalist Fishing Articles & Videos.
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Wisconsin Bass Fishing in Manitowish Waters: Patterns & Pivots
The loons were calling somewhere around the bend as Dad eased the boat away from the dock. The water was flat. Glass calm. Coffee was…
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Is The 80/20 Bass Fishing Rule False? Yes… Unless You Use It This Way…
It seemed like the rain would never stop. It had rained and rained and rained… not a cute little sprinkle. Buckets. So when the storms…
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Moving from Illinois to Arkansas
When you say it out loud – because it’s finally an upcoming event, no longer an idea – it sounds like someone else is speaking.…
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Fly Fishing: A Powerful Tool for Environmental Education and Digital Detox for Young People
Disconnecting from electronics. It’s more valuable today then every before. As a child, I heard “you’re rotting your brain with that TV!” more than once.…
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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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Most Popular Minimalist Fishing 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 is a picture frame that lives on our counter. One of the best investments I’ve ever made. It cycles through photos from…
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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 stress that comes from overthinking. You know what I’m talkin’ about: “welp, better take this, and this, and THIS, because they might…
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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. I am excited for both of these things. The other day we talked about Fishing Borrow Pits. What they are, where they…
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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 cigar? (Or if you’re 6, that “look like a doo-doo“.) Why do bass hang on? Carry them off? To put it simply,…
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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 through an entire pot of coffee…) I REGRET NOTHING! LET’S TALK BASS FISHING! Last time we discussed The 4 Feeding Strategies of…
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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 what will seal the deal. In dirty water with low visibility or in very thick cover, it might be best to go…
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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 basic knowledge will make you a better angler – but today we’re going to look at 10 rock-solid swim jig options for…
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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 in these systems position themselves, where the food comes from – and all of this came from the note-gathering process as we…
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Midwest Outdoors
AJ Hauser @ MWO.
Fishing Booker
AJ Hauser @ Fishing Booker.
AJ Hauser @ Narcissistland.
Minimalist Fishing Archive.
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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 was excited to go fishing…
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Dinger Days: Fishing in Honor of YOU!
Good morning brothers! Today’s post is all about my appreciation of you! The biggest THANK YOU to everyone that makes a small monthly contribution to help keep this site active,…
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4 Outstanding Panfish Baits for Ultralight Fishing
It’s cold today. Bitter cold. Overcast. The rain is pitter-pattering outside my window. Tiny taps followed by the occasional PLOP as a big cold drop travels through space from the…
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Grandebass Airtail Wiggler
Last year I tried a lot of new baits. Well… they were new for me, at least. The 2021 season was all about hammering along using what worked, and while…
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The WORST Day of Creek Fishing
I’ve never been a morning person. There are only two things that get me up & at ’em before sunshine pokes over the dark horizon outside our bedroom window. One…
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Largemouth Bass Seasonal Movement (Calendar & Patterns)
What season is best for bass fishing? We’ve all asked a questions like this. What is the best way to target bass in [ENTER SEASON HERE]? Examples: What’s the best…
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What is Fisherman’s Elbow?
What is Fisherman’s Elbow? Well, for starters… it’s freakin’ painful. It’s discouraging. It’s frustrating. It deflates egos. It reminds us of our mortality. It ruins plans. It sucks. Fisherman’s Elbow…
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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 fishing… at least, not in…
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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 for long hours over days,…
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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 did what we did… put…
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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 think about something they read,…
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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 between Christmas and New Years…
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Christmas Break
Merry Christmas a bit early, Patriots! What a year it’s been! So much to be thankful for. I’ve been reflecting on the good, the bad, the true and the beautiful…
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Dad Advice: Happiness Isn’t Acquired by Acquiring
I’m working on our Christmas card photo today. Sitting in my office here in Illinois. Inside. A nasty chill is seeping off the windows, fighting the heat. It makes the…
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Don’t Be Stupid: It’s Dangerous to Fish with Underpowered Boat Batteries
“Row row row your boat, straight into the wind. Merrily merrily merrily merrily batteries died… again…“ I am so sick of rowing. This year I’ve been forced to fish differently.…
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The Most Important Creek Fishing Tip for More Bass in the Fall
I almost quit for the season. Threw in the towel. … but something kept nagging at me… “We don’t quit. We don’t quit.” FINE. Fine. Fine. We’ll go. Even though…
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Largemouth Bass Vision: Horizontal vs Vertical
One of the things that has been on my mind a lot lately, is how well largemouth bass can see. My bank bite has been non-existent, and this has led…
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Fishing Outside Your Comfort Zone
“This is my jerkbait. There are many like it but this one is mine. My jerkbait is my best friend. It is my life. I must master it as I…
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How To Fish Ultra-Clear Borrow Pits & Rock Quarry Lakes
Clear water can humble a man right quick. When the largemouth bass are up shallow, prowling the mucky clouds of green snot, working in and out of easy-to-see lily pads,…
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Vicious Fishing: Pad Runner Hollow Body Frog Product Review
I’m a sucker for good looking baits. The finishes on these frogs are fantastic – I only have two complaints… The Pad Runner by Vicious Fishing is the latest hollow…
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Xcite Baits: Xtreme Stix Product Review
I want so badly to love this bait – especially because it’s made in the USA. I’m anxious to use other Xcite products… but these Stix will not be taking…
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Make the Time: Faith, Family & Fishing
Less than 24 hours ago, my family sat side-by-side. We were in church. The very first pew. Risky move with 4 boys. It was muggy. The windows and doors were…
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Fishing Slow? Tough Bite? Time to Scout!
You don’t want to look in my fishing journal. The last several pages include me. Rambling. Being mad. Being discouraged. Making excuses. Whining. Pathetic. It’s taken me a few days…
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Largemouth Bass Activity Levels
“Dad Dad Dad Dad Daddy Daddy Daddy DaddyDaddyDaddyDaddyDADDYYYYY!” “Good gravy – WHAT?!?!” “Look what I can do!” * blank stare * * tribal dancing continues * “… Did Gammy &…