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How to Catch Popular Game Fish
Fishing is one of the most popular activities in the world. It's peaceful, entertaining, and can earn you some delicious calories. But there's more to catching fish than casting a hook and a worm. Each fish has its own behaviour, which is influenced is influenced by seasonal changes and hunger.
Additionally, not all fish can be lured with the same set up. Some prefer small jigs, while others, will instantly swallow flys.
To put it lightly, you need a proven strategy before launching your boat. And no matter which fish you're after, they all require different pre-planning, and fishing setups.
Our fishing tutorials discuss a fishes behaviors, strategies, and fishing gear required for each type of fish. So browse through, and learn the lay of the water to give yourself a fighting chance to snatch the next big catch.
Largemouth Bass
Largemouth bass are prevalent in a variety of water holes, which is one of the reasons why they are such popular game fish. And our guide on how to catch largemouth bass will get into the nitty gritty on how to catch the predators.
Our guide will discuss:
- bass behavior & habitat
- bass fishing strategies
- common bass fishing rigs, gear, and set up
One thing to remember is that largemouth bass are predators. This means they use ambush tactics to attack and gobble their prey. And the key to ambushing your prey is having plenty of hiding spots. So look for grassy areas. Or areas that have boulders, sticks, and other structures that would provide hiding areas for largemouth bass. Because the bass know they have a better chance of ambushing their prey, if they have the opportunity to wait and hide.
Due to the size of their mouth, there are a lot of bait varieties for largemouth bass. Live bait, such as worms and minnows, are ideal because they provide the scent to attract the fish, but also some of the visual stimulation. But bass will still go after artificial lures such as:
- Texas rigged plastic worm
- swimbaits
- senkos.
Rainbow Trout
Our comprehensive guide on how to fish and catch rainbow trout will reveal their behavior, habitat, strategies, and recommended rigs and fishing gear.
One key character train to remember about rainbow trout is that they are predators. And they use ambush tactics to attach and catch prey. Since most trout are found in flowing bodies of water, they need to find calmer sections of water. This is where they will park and wait, until an appetizing morsel swims by. So when scouting locations, large rocks, or sticks are good candidates. But if they are submerged, an experienced fisherman will look for depressions in the current. This implies that there is a large object submerged under water, offering the habitat that rainbow trout use to their advantage.
There are a variety of baits that will attract trout. One of our favorite are crickets. But small bugs, baitfish, and even other trout will work as well. Fly fishing is one of the most common set ups for trout fishing. But using a common bait fishing works too. These rigs can use artificial bait, as well as spinning rods.
Freshwater Sturgeon
Sturgeon are the largest freshwater fish. They can reach lengths of up to 20 feet long, and can weigh several hundred pounds. And because of this mass, they are the strongest freshwater fish, and will put on a formidable fight. Which mean that you'll need braided line, and a heavy rod with a light tip. The light tip is important so the sturgeon doesn't feel the resistance from the rod.
Sturgeon are natural bottom feeders, and will eat a variety of insect, crawfish, and worms. But their favorite is salmon eggs. So consider using fresh salmon eggs when pursuing this beast.
The best time to fish for sturgeons are generally when the water temps are between 50 and 65 degrees.
The sturgeon will generally live in areas with high currents. These currents will bring the food to them, making it easier for them to feed. Use this to your advantage, so that you can anticipate a great and mighty yield when fishing for sturgeon.
Walleye
Walleye is known for having some of the flakiest, tastiest meat. It is sweet, and flavorful, which makes them a popular target for fishermen. And catching a walleye can be simplified with the help from our catch guide. This guide discusses:
- Where to locate Walleye
- What season to fish
- Rigs and set up
A walleye hunts in low-light setting. Not because they have poor vision, but because low-light settings gives them an advantage over their prey, who doesn't see the walleye as well in low-light. So finding some weeds, or dark, murky water will be a key indicator.
Their low-light preference will also help distinguish a good time of day to fish for walleye. During dawn or dusk, they'll normally swim closer to the surface. This is because their is less light penetration. But when the afternoon suns rises, they'll begin to swim deeper, looking for colder waters, that offer less light. Which, again, is why weeds are a good place to look.
There are a variety of rigs and set ups that will help a fisherman catch walleye. And as with anything, it's a good idea to find which set up works best for you.
Channel Catfish
Channel catfish are known as pigs of the sea for their voracious ability to eat living and dead prey in the water. And fishing enthusiasts love going after these water hogs due to their unpredictable sizes. In our guide to how to catch channel catfish, we'll give you tips and tricks on:
- Where to find channel catfish
- What rigs to use to increase your odds
- Whether your should use live bait or lures
Striped Bass
Striped bass is some of the most popular fish for avid fishermen. They can grow into an impressive size, which means they'll put up a fun fight. And their locations are almost limitless, as they can be found in fresh water, and brackish waters. So whether you're fishing from a bank, or from a boat, you can prepare your rig to catch them. In our guide on how to catch striped bass, you will learn:
- Where to find striped bass
- What season to anticipate striped bass behavior
- What fishing equipment will yield the best results
- Whether to use live bait or lures
Carp
The bottom line is that carp are an invasive species, and every fisherman or woman is encouraged to bring them out of our lakes and ponds. Carp have great vision for a fish, and can be found in weeds or near soft sediment to look for aquatic bugs or worms.
There are many different ways to fish for carp. But bowfishing or spearfishing may be one of the most unique. It's a great way to add some stimulating exciting into your fishing excursion. Doomscroll through our guide on how to catch carp to learn the basics and fundamentals.
Popular Fishing Products
Find lures, worms, fish finders, and some of the best crickets to help you bring home an impressive crop of fish.
You're a man of the wild. But no matter how wild you are, you still rely on the nearest tackle shop. And who can blame you? When you weigh out the options, you either need to dig up some worms, buy crickets for pan fishing, thread a hood through some protein-rich dubia roaches, or buy some bait at the closest bait and tackle store. If you live all the way in the mountains, then maybe digging for worms, or creating your own mold injection for fishing lures is easier. But for most fishermen, knowing where the closest bait store is almost as critical as the locating the hot fishing spots.
Best Fish Finder
Tracking down the best fish finder is a pointless activity if you only plan on fishing from a bank. However, if you're going kayaking with some friends, or jumping aboard, then grabbing a fish finder will be ideal. But fish finders can vary in performance. And the type of performance you're looking for will depend on what type of fish you're looking for. So make sure to read the tech data sheets before making your fish finder selection.
Knowing your pricing point is a great start to selecting your fish finder. And when you're looking for fish finders under $200, you can net an impressive selection. They don't all share the same features. But when you're in this price point, you can expect some fish finders to offer GPS navigation, CHIRPS sonar, and alternating sonar for horizontal presentations.
Bait shops may appear to be all the same. They're buildings that smell like the ocean, with some lures and hooks. However, there's a method to the madness to discovering the best bait shops in the area. And that method all depends on the owner.
Commercialized locations, such as Dick's Sporting goods are commonly recognized as being over priced. Now, they may have a good supply and product selection. But if you've been planning this trip for a few months, then there's no reason you should be pinching at the last minute for these out of town lures.
But a good bait shop near you must have some essential fishing supplies.
Fish Rods
A good fishing rod all depends on what type of fish you're fishing for. And the bait shop near me should have a fishing rod for the specific type of fishing. If you're visiting Lake Smellycrotch, then there's no need to find a bait shop with sea fishing rods, or surf rods.
So when looking for your bait store, make sure you're well aware of what type of fishing you plan on doing. Because that'll determine what type of equipment you might need in a pinch.
Fishing Reels
Same thing with the fishing rods. You'll need to know where you're fishing and what you're fishing for before you know what type of fishing reels you'll need. If you're fresh water fishing, then there's no need for an off shore reel. So keep it at home and look for a spinning or baitcasting reel.