Field Notes Archives - Page 26 of 47

May 1, 2026

How to create effective crappie brush piles

June 1, 2018 Andy Crawford

When crappie finish their spawning rituals, they head to deeper water and look for two things: Food and cover. […]

Knowing where water moves first

May 17, 2018 Devin Denman

Understanding flow velocity, and where water will start moving first, is a big key to locating feeding speckled trout. […]

Sometimes — for whatever reason — speckled trout just won’t commit to your topwater presentation. When that happens, guide Nick Poe switches to a twitchbait, then opts for a soft plastic on an ⅛-ounce jighead if the fish are really finicky.

Topwater troubles?

May 17, 2018 Patrick Bonin

May is a great month to throw topwater lures for speckled trout all along the coast. […]

How to choose the right reel gear ratio

May 16, 2018 Devin Denman

In this day and age, we have plenty of fishing reels from which to choose. They come in all sizes, shapes and types, with multiple gear-ratio options. […]

Bass pro Keith Combs landed this big 6-pounder with a topwater frog on a recent trip to Grosse Savanne Lodge in Cameron Parish, La., during Shimano’s “Cast Smarter” Media Conference.

Get the jump on topwater frogs

May 14, 2018 Patrick Bonin

Not much can match the pulse-pounding thrill of a giant bass breaking the surface and engulfing a topwater frog. […]

Carolina rigs tipped with live shrimp are almost a guarantee for nice trout during the summer.

Carolina rig basics

May 1, 2018 Andy Crawford

It’s hard to beat a Carolina rig for catching big summer trout, coastal guide Jake Scardino said. […]

The new Trent Mapping v10 cards brings Google Earth maps to anglers’ GPS units.

Google Earth comes to GPS mapping

April 22, 2018 Andy Crawford

GPS mapping has come a long way from the old line drawings of the older systems. But it seems every system has its weaknesses — one being the area covered by detailed maps. […]

Easy tip to prevent backlash

April 17, 2018 Devin Denman

Baitcasting tackle gives anglers more power and control over their lures, enabling actions and presentations not possible with spinning gear. […]

If the intake on your lower unit gets clogged, you’ll need something stiff like a thumbtack to clean out the gunk that got sucked in.

Tiny tools that just might save your fishing trip

April 16, 2018 Devin Denman

When your lower unit inevitably sucks up a fragment of marsh gunk, your motor will stop peeing. Here’s how to fix that. […]

A bone-colored topwater is all that’s needed to catch trout, as they mimic weak mullet, Capt. Theophile Bourgeois said.

4 keys to topwater trout

April 1, 2018 Andy Crawford

Capt. Theophile Bourgeois has spent his career learning what makes trout tick, and he lives for that magical time of year when the big girls come out to play.

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How to score a turkey

March 19, 2018 Mississippi Sportsman

The National Wild Turkey Federation’s formula for scoring a wild gobbler is a combination of weight, spur length and beard length, with multipliers used for emphasis on spur and beard. […]

Crappie on a different plane

March 1, 2018 Dusty Wilson

Guides like Brad Taylor are using planer boards to spread baits out even farther from the boat and access territory otherwise out of reach. […]