Wired2fish

I had an eye-opening experience on an offshore trip to the famous banks off Baja California. Besides the exceptional fishing for yellowfin tuna, yellowtail, dorado, and wahoo, what really stuck out to me was the advanced casting tackle catching these drag-screaming, prolonged fighters. As someone who had used spinning gear to cast big topwater poppers in the past, these West Coasters used lever-drags and even star-drags for every type of fishing imaginable.

It was 9 p.m. on May 22 when Andrew Karsten and a small group of friends were fishing for big catfish in Michigan’s St. Joseph River. Located below the Berrien Springs Dam, the river is near the southwest Michigan town of Berrien Springs — and is locally known as the “Fisherman’s Haven.” The 36-foot-high hydroelectric dam created Lake Chapin in 1908 and is a popular spot for fishing and boating.

The Hobie Eyewear Hatch Float Limited Edition sunglasses stand out because they combine a fair midrange price, a floatable frame, lightweight comfort, polarized marine-ready lenses, and a sustainability story that fits the product’s audience. All Hobie sunglass models are manufactured by Eyeking LLC, the official licensee of Hobie Eyewear. Full disclosure, I am also a slightly unusual choice for this review because I am visually challenged and this particular pair is not prescription.

When I was growing up, I vowed that I would never become a grumpy old man like my grandpa Eric. But here I am, at age 75, grumbling about things just like he did. Illustration credit: Adobe Stock I remember how he would complain about getting short-changed in minnows or nightcrawlers he bought at the bait store, the disrespectful boat fishermen who came too close when he was fishing from the bank, or the lack of patience we kids had when we fished with him.

Wired2fish is proud to partner with ARK Fishing to give away its new Gravity BF-Avid reel. Five different entrants will win a baitcasting reel that’s completely specialized for ultralight bait finesse fishing (BFS) on creeks and rivers The all-new Ark Gravity BF-Avid Reel is a high-performance entry point for anglers looking to master ultralight bait finesse fishing (BFS) with a baitcasting setup.

According to findings from a multiyear radiotelemetry study, bigger actually means a better chance of survival when it comes to Iowa’s stocked muskies. This insight comes from the recently released findings of Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) fish biologist Jonathan Meerbeek. Meerbeek and his colleagues have been following radio-implanted muskies for years, aided by research and hatchery-operation funding from Sport Fish Restoration.

Tom Farchione dreamed big when he traveled to Arizona’s Lake Havasu in the spring of 2021. But not this big. Who envisions catching a panfish that weighs 6.30 pounds? No, that’s not a typo. We’re talking about a 6.30-pound, world-record redear sunfish — a legendary fish that put an exclamation point on Havasu’s amazing rise to national fame. Tom Farchione was front-page news when he caught a giant redear in 2021.

Innovation has always been the hallmark of fly-rod anglers, especially those folks who tinker with fly- and bug-making for their own use on waters far and wide. Now, long-rod anglers have started making their own urchin and dice bugs that are attracting good numbers of jumbo bluegills and largemouth bass — with other species likely on the soon-to-target list. One such angler is Gene Murray.

A lot is happening right now for anglers all across the country, with a few fish still bedding, others out deep on shad, some still shallow chasing bream, and others still relating strongly to current. We’re all navigating different weather and temperature conditions. July is hot here in the South; in the far reaches of northern bass land, it’s getting pretty warm, with a short-lived spring quickly dissipating into summer.

Wired2fish is proud to partner with Duckett Fishing to give away its new Jacob Wheeler 2.0 series of rods. Three different entrants will win a rod from the series that includes casting, cranking and spinning models. Jacob Wheeler, a 4-time Major League Fishing (MLF) Bass Pro Tour Angler of the Year (AOY), had a major hand in helping design this specific series. The Duckett Fishing Jacob Wheeler 2.0 is a technique-specific rod series.