Field Notes Archives - Page 27 of 47

July 17, 2026

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.

[…]

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. […]

You can secure the hooks of your double rig by running one jighead through a rod guide, back up towards the other jighead and then just hooking the two together. If the guides are too small, just wrap one pigtail around the reel stem and then secure the hooks together.

Tying and securing a double rig

February 20, 2018 Devin Denman

The double rig is an awesome way to load up on trout, but it can be a pain to secure when not in use. Here’s the best way. […]

Instead of 24-hour predictions from the NOAA Marine forecast, the Windfinder app provides wind estimates for specific locations every three hours.

Smartphone app provides more reliable wind forecasts

February 15, 2018 Devin Denman

You’ve probably heard the old saying, “Ya gotta go to know.”

If you’re not familiar, it just means that you really don’t know the fishing conditions until you actually launch the boat and head out. […]

Instead of leaving your batteries cooking 24/7 on a trickle charge, unplugging the charger after all the lights turn green can help protect you from damaging power surges.

How to keep batteries properly charged

February 1, 2018 Andy Crawford

We’ve all been there. You know, you walk out to the boat the morning of the trip you’ve been planning for a week and the batteries aren’t charged. […]

Taking the time to go through your boat and trailer to identify and repair problems now will ensure you can enjoy your days on the water when fishing really cranks up again.

Boat tips to get ready for fishing season

February 1, 2018 Andy Crawford

If you’re a die-hard hunter, the odds are pretty good you haven’t looked at your fishing boat very much since October. So with hunting seasons finally closing out, it’s time to pull the cover off the old girl and get her ready for the spring fishing bonanza. […]