Noted professional anglers like Gerald Swindle often cope with the same challenge that many weekend fishermen face—largemouth bass that have grown lure-shy due to heavy fishing pressure. Savvy fishermen often rely on finesse tactics and small baits to coax bites from temperamental fish and are typically satisfied with catching average-size bass.

The NAFC staff has carefully chosen 10 finalists for the July Outstanding Catch Awards contest. Now it's up to you! Vote for the catch you feel is the most outstanding, considering not only the fish's size, but also the body of water, geographic location and method used. 

Sportfish abundance and size are decided by far more than angling pressure

With nearly $4-per-gallon gas being a reality for most of us, we all know how energy needs affect our budget and lifestyle. Fish, too, face an energy crisis. Indeed, they live in a perpetual one.

In this installment of North American Fisherman’s “Marked Map” series, we gave Mullennix a Navionics HotMaps Premium chart of an impoundment brimming with big blues and asked him to give cat hunters a glimpse into how he would attack it from July through September.

The pro angler was on his home water, and although he was seeing numbers of bass, walleyes and pike-both his eyes and electronics-concentrated along deep weedlines, he simply could not get them to bite.

The NAFC staff has carefully chosen 10 finalists for the June Outstanding Catch Awards contest. Now it's up to you! Vote for the catch you feel is the most outstanding, considering not only the fish's size, but also the body of water, geographic location and method used. 

Wisconsinites Mark Schleis and Randy Seidl put together two solid baskets to top the field of 268 anglers from 10 states and one Canadian province at the Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit’s Lake Winnebago tournament.

Crappies rank high on the must-fish list among NAFC members, and fortunately, they’re common across much of the continent. But even on top waters, broad-shouldered slabs spanning 14 inches or longer and topping 11/2 pounds can be hard to come by, especially consistently..

Will Pappa and Austin Felix sacked an impressive 16.98-pound, 5-largemouth limit to win top honors and $10,000 in cash at the Cabela’s North American Bass Circuit’s second 2012 qualifier against 98 anglers from six states competing on the Madison Chain.

More than 200 avid walleye anglers have registered to battle on one of Wisconsin’s finest fisheries when the Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit rolls into Oshkosh, Wisconsin June 29-July 1.