Fishing Tackle, Rods & Reels

These products aren’t just catalog filler—they are the gear that will shape the way we all fish in the coming year, and decades to come.

Ask 100 walleye anglers their go-to presentations, and chances are, casting lipless cranks won’t even show up on the radar. If it does, it’ll get a mention as a way to pluck summer or fall fish off riprap or windswept banks.

There’s a lot that goes into lure selection—whether you’re talking flies for trout or plugs for stripers. Crank- baits, however, make for some of the toughest calls because there are just so many variables involved—running depth, roll, wobble, size, profile—and according to many pros, some factors we can’t even see or feel.

Choose a sinker based on its tactical advantage

When Lure Color Matters. Build a gameplan around lure patterns.

Split rod handles are the rage with manufacturers these days, but what purpose do they actually serve? One of the industry's top rod makers explains.

Bass pro Mark Menendez's temperature-sensitive tactics for fishing jerkbaits through the spawn.

Eric Olson's three way setup is tailormade for power fishing live bait on mud- or sand-bottoms in clearwater walleye fisheries.

Choosing a fishing line these days is a mind bender. Should you spool up with an all-purpose monofilament or one designed for limpness, abrasion resistance, or low stretch?

"At 5 a.m., I am barely alive. Blood flows through my veins like swamp mud, and my coordination is that of a pregnant sow on a hockey rink."