Do you know what hybrid cars, rock-hard abs, motorcycle helmets and indestructible rubber dog leashes have to do with my job as a fishing magazine editor?

Help a kid “keep fishing close,” even when they don’t have a rod in their hand

Ice Belt bass fanatics fish the nastiest days for open-water smallies

Eating this fish is nothing short of attempted suicide.

Underwater cameras have taught me definitively why heavy lines typically don’t work as well as lighter lines, especially for panfish, and it really had little to do with line visibility. 

 Gobies. I’ve caught the awful things by accident dragging jigs for Erie smallmouths off Buffalo, New York, pulling ‘crawler harnesses too close to bottom on Green Bay and jigging for whitefish through the ice. 

Most anglers understand the importance of maintaining core body temperature, and the art of layering clothing from your undies to that last water- and/or windproof level. What I’m talking about are the three areas that are the hardest to keep warm—and usually the main reason you decide to call it quits early—your head, hands and feet.

As many of you have already learned, soft plastic swim baits are deadly lures that do many things well. I also suspect you’ve learned that they come with a bit of a learning curve. Here are a few tips that will make them more productive ...

Fishing slowly is the first trick, because bass are lethargic in cold water.