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Freshwater

The top freshwater fishing destinations and tips for catching bass, panfish, walleyes, muskies, and more.

Featured In Freshwater

The Best Smallmouth Bass Lures, Tested and Reviewed

By Pete Robbins

Best Fly Fishing Combos for Beginners of 2023

By Monte Burke

The Best Braided Fishing Lines for Bass

By Pete Robbins

3 Rods Every Weekend Bass Angler Needs to Catch More Fish

By Kristine Fischer

If You Know When to Use Big Baits for Muskie, You Can Land a Giant

By Kristine Fischer

Biologists Have Discovered a New Way to Control Invasive Carp

By Bob McNally

Fishermen Catch Arizona’s Would-Be Record Flathead Catfish, Then Fry It

By Bob McNally

A Tournament Angler’s Case for Safely Fizzing Bass Before Release

By Kristine Fischer

Son Convinces Father Not to Eat Pennsylvania’s Probable New State-Record Walleye

By Bob McNally

Commercial Fishermen Remove 10M Pounds of Asian Carp from Kentucky and Barkley Lakes

By Alan Clemons

3 “Rough Fish” Species That Are Getting Recognized as Game Fish

By Kristine Fischer

Explore Freshwater

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Walleye Fishing Trout Fishing Salmon and Steelhead Fishing Pike and Muskie Fishing Panfish Fishing Catfish Fishing Carp Fishing Bass Fishing

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10 Early Ice Fishing Walleye Tactics That Will Put You on the Bite

By Brian Bashore

Walleye Anglers Taken into Custody for Jail Time After Fishing Tournament Cheating Scandal

By Natalie Krebs

The Best Walleye Lures of 2023, Tested and Reviewed

By Ross Robertson

The Best Walleye Ice Fishing Lures

By Ross Robertson

Minnesota Considers Revamping Its Record Fish Program and Opening the Door to a New State-Record Walleye

By Dac Collins

The Insane Cult of the Lake Erie Walleye

By Joe Cermele

Pro Walleye Anglers Charged with Attempted Grand Theft, Other Felonies for Tournament Cheating Scandal

By Katie Hill

The Real Problem with the Infamous Walleye Tournament Cheating Scandal

By Joe Cermele

Professional Walleye Anglers Caught Stuffing Fish with Weights During a Tournament on Lake Erie

By Dac Collins

Colorado Asks Anglers to Catch and Keep as Many Fish as Possible Before Two Reservoirs Dry Up

By Keegan Sentner

Wisconsin Waters Are Warming. Its Walleye Fishing and Stocking Programs Are in Trouble

By Keegan Sentner

Minnesota Angler Hooks Walleye and Muskie on the Same Bait With One Cast

By Joe Genzel

How to Fillet Trout

By Joe Cermele

Muchas Truchas: Fishing for Giant Trout in the Andes

By Red Smith

New Idaho State-Record Tiger Trout Crushes Previous Record

By Katie Hill

Angler Didn’t Weigh Record-Sized Rainbow Trout Because He Had Dinner Plans

By Bob McNally

4 Summer Fishing Slams Anyone Can Do

By Rick Bach

Colorado Man Catches Pending World-Record Lake Trout While Fishing with His Son

By Dac Collins

Palomino Trout: The Lure of the Golden Mutants

By Joe Cermele

How to Be a Fish Bum: These 6 Fishermen Are Living the Dream

By Joe Cermele

The Best Trout Spinning Reels of 2023

By Kevin Hughes

The Best Trout Lures of 2023

By Kevin Hughes

A Win for Anglers: U.S. Supreme Court Reaffirms New Mexico’s Decision that All Streams in the State Are Public

By Dac Collins

A Bucket-List Fishing Trip in Alaska’s Talkeetna Mountains

By Emily Kantner

4 Summer Fishing Slams Anyone Can Do

By Rick Bach

Angler Catches Pending World-Record Chinook Salmon in Argentina

By Bob McNally

How to Be a Fish Bum: These 6 Fishermen Are Living the Dream

By Joe Cermele

This Happened to Us: We Got in a Full-Blown Feud with a Rival Fishing Lodge

By Dac Collins

Mainer Catches Atlantic Salmon Through the Ice

By Dac Collins

The Pebble Mine Site Is a Moose Hunter’s Paradise

By Sam Lungren

Noodle Rods and Egg Patterns: A Primer for Winter Steelhead Fishing Around the Great Lakes

By Joe Cermele

Angler Lands Heaviest Chinook Salmon Caught in Wisconsin Since 1994

By Bob McNally

This Year’s Record-Breaking Salmon Run in Alaska’s Bristol Bay Proves Why Pebble Mine Is Such a Terrible Idea

By Dac Collins

New York State Is Rearing 26,000 Atlantic Salmon Smolts in Net Pens to Help Them Spawn as Adults

By Bob McNally

In Unprecedented Move, Washington State Announces Full Emergency Closure of Steelhead Fishing on Coastal Rivers

By Dac Collins

B.C. Angler Releases 105-Pound Chinook Salmon That Could’ve Been a World Record

By Bob McNally

Fishing Guide Lands World-Record Muskie on His Day Off

By Bob McNally

The Best Musky Lures of 2023, Tested and Reviewed

By Kristine Fischer

The Year the Pickerel Came to Town

By Don Holm

Idaho Fisherman Catches New State-Record Pike

By Bob McNally

This Pike Caught in England Would Shatter the North American Record

By Bob McNally

Fish of 10,000 Casts: Scientists Reveal Why Muskies Are So Hard to Catch

By Dac Collins

Winter Fishing: 5 Common Mistakes Anglers Make

By Joe Cermele

Wisconsin Angler Lands One of the Biggest Muskies Ever Caught on Green Bay

By Katie Hill

Ice Fishing for Pike: Tips & Tactics for Catching Giant Northerns

By Steve Pennaz

Pike Spearing: How to Spear the Biggest Pike of Your Life

By Richard P. Smith

There Should Be Horror Movies About Pike and Muskies

By Joe Cermele

Minnesota Angler Catches Monster Muskie from Lake Mille Lacs, Sets New Catch-and-Release Record

By Dac Collins

Sunfish vs Bluegill Identification Guide

By Dac Collins

8-Year-Old Montana Angler Catches State-Record Green Sunfish

By Bob McNally

Watch: Crappie Fisherman’s LiveScope Helps Law Enforcement Recover Sunken Jeep

By Bob McNally

Fisherman Credits Thirsty Cow for Missouri Record-Tying Longear Sunfish

By Katie Hill

4 Summer Fishing Slams Anyone Can Do

By Rick Bach

How to Catch Crappie

By Nicole Stone

Teen Catches Oklahoma State-Record Redear Sunfish from a Farm Pond After School

By Bob McNally

How to Read a Fish Finder

By Pete Robbins

The Best Bait You Can Buy at the Dollar Store

By Raymundo Ruiz Jr.

The Best Crappie Rods of 2023, Tested and Reviewed

By Cory Schmidt

When Do Crappie Spawn? Tips and Tactics for Spring Crappie Fishing

By Cory Schmidt

Kansas Angler Catches New State-Record Crappie

By Bob McNally

A Flying Fish Stabbed a Surfer in a Freak Accident. These Fish Are More Likely to Impale You

By Joe Cermele

Angler Catches New State-Record Channel Catfish, Breaks His Net in the Process

By Bob McNally

This Man’s Pending State-Record Blue Catfish Could Be the Same Record Fish He Caught Last Year

By Bob McNally

Giant Flathead Catfish Confirmed as New Pennsylvania State Record

By Bob McNally

Italian Angler Catches Pending World-Record Wels Catfish Over 9 Feet Long

By Dac Collins

4 Summer Fishing Slams Anyone Can Do

By Rick Bach

How to Catch Channel Catfish—and Why You Should Target Them This Spring

By Joe Cermele

Fishing for Giant Blue Catfish in the Shadow of Capitol Hill

By Joe Cermele

The Best Bait You Can Buy at the Dollar Store

By Raymundo Ruiz Jr.

How to Be a Fish Bum: These 6 Fishermen Are Living the Dream

By Joe Cermele

220-Pound Wels Catfish Tows Angler for a Mile Down the River Ebro

By Bob McNally

South Carolina Bowfisherman Arrows World-Record Blue Catfish

By Dac Collins

This Is the Largest Carp Ever Caught by a Female Angler in Britain

By Dac Collins

Giant Carp Caught by Commercial Fisherman Would Have Smashed the World Record

By Dac Collins

Nebraska Has a New State-Record Common Carp

By Bob McNally

Kansas Bowfisherman Arrows State-Record Smallmouth Buffalo

By Bob McNally

Oklahoma Guide Snags New State-Record Bighead Carp

By Bob McNally

4 Summer Fishing Slams Anyone Can Do

By Rick Bach

The Best Bait You Can Buy at the Dollar Store

By Raymundo Ruiz Jr.

Beginner’s Guide to Fly Fishing for Carp

By Joe Cermele

Missouri Man Catches World Record Blue Sucker

By Bob McNally

Watch a British Angler Keep Her Cool While an Irate Onlooker Cusses Her Out

By Dac Collins

Will U.S. Waters Ever Be Managed as Trophy Carp Fisheries?

By Joe Cermele

Is This the Biggest “Goldfish” Ever Caught?

By Dac Collins

East Texas Woman Lands 13-Pound Lunker Bass on a Last-Minute Trip to Lake Nacogdoches

By Dac Collins

A Guide to Largemouth Bass vs Smallmouth Bass

By Dac Collins

The Best Drop Shot Rods of 2023

By Pete Robbins

Texas Angler’s Largemouth Bass Officially a New World Record

By Dac Collins

Tournament Angler Catches Same Record Smallmouth Bass Two Years in a Row

By Bob McNally

3 Sleeper Tackle Fails That Will Cost You Fish

By Joe Cermele

The Best Bass Lures for Summer of 2023

By Pete Robbins

The Best Bass Boats of 2023

By Outdoor Life Commerce Team

Rare Golden Largemouth Bass Caught from Michigan Lake

By Dac Collins

How to Catch Bass on Frog Baits

By Alex Robinson , Kristine Fischer , Joe Cermele

What Do Bass Eat?

By Dac Collins

Pro Bass Angler Forfeits $100K in Winnings When It’s Discovered He Didn’t Have a Fishing License

By Bob McNally

More from Outdoor Life

Fly Fishing Ice Fishing Record Fish Saltwater Fishing Wild Caught Fish Recipes

Fly Fishing for Bluegills: A Guide to the Easiest Bite of Summer

By Joe Cermele

How to Choose a Fly Fishing Line

By Joe Cermele

Best Fly Reels of 2023

By Monte Burke

The Best Saltwater Fly Rods of 2023, Tested and Reviewed

By Scott Einsmann

Amelia Earhart on Flying and Fly-Fishing, from the Archives

By Amelia Earhart

Best Fly Fishing Combos for Beginners of 2023

By Monte Burke

The 12 Best Bass Flies for Catching Largemouth and Smallmouth

By Dac Collins

Fishing for Dinosaurs: Why the Ancient Bowfin Has a New Cult of Followers

By Joe Cermele

The Best Fly Fishing Waders for 2023, Tested and Reviewed

By Kevin Hughes

10 Early Ice Fishing Walleye Tactics That Will Put You on the Bite

By Brian Bashore

The Best Ice Fishing Shelters of 2023, Tested and Reviewed

By Jim Edlund

The Best Ice Fishing Lines of 2023, Tested and Reviewed

By Nicole Stone

The Best Ice Fishing Fish Finders of 2023

By Cory Schmidt

The Best Walleye Ice Fishing Lures

By Ross Robertson

Wisconsin Ice Fisherman Catches a Northern Pike on Mille Lacs to Tie Minnesota State-Record

By Bob McNally

Ontario Anglers Had to Drill a Second Hole in the Ice to Land This Giant Laker

By Bob McNally

Best Ice Fishing Suits of 2023, Tested and Reviewed

By Jim Edlund

Wisconsin Ice Fisherman Spears One of the 10 Biggest Sturgeon Ever Taken From Lake Winnebago

By Bob McNally

1,000-Pound Tiger Shark Should Smash Alabama Record

By Bob McNally

Angler Catches New State-Record Channel Catfish, Breaks His Net in the Process

By Bob McNally

Kayak Fisherman Catches New Maryland State-Record Snakehead

By Bob McNally

This Is the Largest Carp Ever Caught by a Female Angler in Britain

By Dac Collins

Fishing Guide Lands World-Record Muskie on His Day Off

By Bob McNally

Arizona Tiger Trout Record Broken for Second Time in 6 Months

By Bob McNally

Texas Angler’s Largemouth Bass Officially a New World Record

By Dac Collins

Texas Kid’s First Ever Fish Is a State Record Grouper

By Bob McNally

Man Breaks Connecticut Flounder Record After Buying a Bigger Net

By Bob McNally

Saltwater Fishing

1,000-Pound Tiger Shark Should Smash Alabama Record

By Bob McNally

Saltwater Fishing

Fishing the Lost World of the Everglades, From the Archives

By Charles Elliott

Saltwater Fishing

A Flying Fish Stabbed a Surfer in a Freak Accident. These Fish Are More Likely to Impale You

By Joe Cermele

Saltwater Fishing

Watch: Shark Attacks Seal Near Nantucket, Prompting Beach Closures

By Bob McNally

Saltwater Fishing

Watch: Fisherman Catches Lost Rod with a Giant Striper Still on the Line

By Dac Collins

Saltwater Fishing

Photos from the World’s Biggest Lionfish Derby

By Rayna O’Nan , Natalie Krebs

Saltwater Fishing

Great White Shark Tales from Cape Cod’s Charter Boat Captains

By Christine Peterson

Saltwater Fishing

Texas Kid’s First Ever Fish Is a State Record Grouper

By Bob McNally

Saltwater Fishing

The Best Live Baits

By Joe Cermele

Wild Caught Fish Recipes

The Best Vacuum Sealers of 2023

By Scott Einsmann

Wild Caught Fish Recipes

$50 a Bite? Why One of the Most Expensive Fish to Eat Is Totally Overrated

By Joe Cermele

Wild Caught Fish Recipes

How to Fry Fish: The Ultimate Guide on Everything from Oil Temperature to Batter Recipes

By Jack Hennessy

Wild Caught Fish Recipes

I Ate Raw False Albacore — and Liked It

By Joe Cermele

Wild Caught Fish Recipes

Go For Smoke How to turn bland fish into a culinary delight

By Dave Scroppo

Wild Caught Fish Recipes

How to Prep and Cook Largemouth Bass Fillets for Fried Deliciousness

By Hank Shaw

Wild Caught Fish Recipes

5 Walleye Recipes That Don’t Involve Frying

By Jamie Carlson

Wild Caught Fish Recipes

How to Pickle Pike

By Jamie Carlson

Wild Caught Fish Recipes

A Quick and Easy Recipe for Wild Salmon

By Jamie Carlson

Latest Freshwater Stories

10 Early Ice Fishing Walleye Tactics That Will Put You on the Bite

By Brian Bashore

/ Jul 24, 2023

East Texas Woman Lands 13-Pound Lunker Bass on a Last-Minute Trip to Lake Nacogdoches

By Dac Collins

/ Jul 20, 2023

Can You Eat Snakehead?

By Joe Cermele

/ Jul 20, 2023

Kid Catches Fish with Human-Like Teeth in an Oklahoma Pond

By Bob McNally

/ Jul 19, 2023

Fisherman Pulls Rare Blue-Mouth Pickerel from a Farm Pond

By Bob McNally

/ Jul 17, 2023

Fishing the Lost World of the Everglades, From the Archives

By Charles Elliott

/ Jul 17, 2023

A Guide to Largemouth Bass vs Smallmouth Bass

By Dac Collins

/ Jul 15, 2023

A Flying Fish Stabbed a Surfer in a Freak Accident. These Fish Are More Likely to Impale You

By Joe Cermele

/ Jul 14, 2023

Angler Catches New State-Record Channel Catfish, Breaks His Net in the Process

By Bob McNally

/ Jul 11, 2023

How to Fillet Trout

By Joe Cermele

/ Jul 7, 2023

This Is the Largest Carp Ever Caught by a Female Angler in Britain

By Dac Collins

/ Jul 5, 2023

Fishing Guide Lands World-Record Muskie on His Day Off

By Bob McNally

/ Jul 5, 2023

Sunfish vs Bluegill Identification Guide

By Dac Collins

/ Jul 3, 2023

The Best Drop Shot Rods of 2023

By Pete Robbins

/ Jun 30, 2023

This Man’s Pending State-Record Blue Catfish Could Be the Same Record Fish He Caught Last Year

By Bob McNally

/ Jun 29, 2023

Texas Angler’s Largemouth Bass Officially a New World Record

By Dac Collins

/ Jun 28, 2023

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