You know what you want to catch, but you may not know how to catch it! You'll find a wealth of information: what gear and tackle to use, which lures and presentations will work the best, how to locate the fish and which baits are the most effective. I’m providing this to help you catch more fish!

SPECIES GUIDE

Bass

Gear & Tackle

Rod-and-reel combos range from light action spinning outfits for finesse presentations to heavy duty bait casters designed to yank the biggest brutes through heavy cover. Line choices range from limp, castable 6# to extra tough 20# to no-stretch fire line in up to 30# test weights. Depending on the body of water being fished, line considerations also include high and low visibility, diameter, stretch factor and more.

If there was one all-around bass outfit to be recommended, it would arguably be a medium heavy, 6' to 7' graphite rod with a fast action tip and plenty of backbone, combined with a rugged level wind reel. Line choice would most likely be in 10# to 14# test.

Lures & Presentation

Plastics of every size, shape and color. Crank baits that run shallow and deep and everywhere in-between. Rattlers. Buzzers. Spinners. Poppers. Chuggers. Wobblers. Baits that look like frogs, rats, birds, lizards, crawfish even french fries. All are tucked into their own little spot in some of the largest tackle boxes known to mankind. And every one of them catches bass. Basically, though, bass fishing can be broken down as follows.

Shallow bass can be taken with horizontal casting lures such as top water and shallow-running plugs, weedless baits, buzz baits, spinner baits, Carolina rigs, flippin' and pitchin' jigs, split-shot finesse plastics and live bait under a float. Mid-depth bass are most often caught with diving crank baits, lipless sinking crank baits, neutrally buoyant plugs, Texas-rigged plastics and unweighted "whacky worm" rigs. Deep bass can be hooked casting deep diving plugs and slow-rolling big spinner baits, or by vertically fishing heavy jigs, weighted plastics, jigging spoons and blade baits.

Generally speaking, bass prefer smaller, slower-moving baits in cold water, and larger, faster-moving baits in warm water. The best advice is to spend as much time on the water as possible and experiment.

How to Locate

One of the most adaptable species that swims, bass can be found from southern Canada to South America. They inhabit lakes, rivers, reservoirs, farm ponds and coldwater streams. Bass live in water ranging from crystal clear to dark as cocoa, relating to weeds and brush, rocks and docks, roots and timber, grass and rip rap.

To narrow down your search, remember that bass spawn on shallow beds in spring, usually relating to sand or gravel. As the season warms, fish tend to be drawn to weeds- either shallow slop or mid-depth weed lines.

During the hottest part of the season, bass go deep, holding on rocky humps and drop offs. If deep water is not available, fish will hunker down in the shade of any cover they can find, usually in ambush positions. Check cuts in reeds, open areas in lily pads, the ends of docks and boat lifts and horizontal timber extending into deeper water. Undercut banks are common holding areas. Even shadows cast by trees or buildings have been known to harbor bass in warm weather.

Effective Baits

Live baits effective for bass fishing include minnows, leeches, frogs, crawfish and salamanders, although plugs and scented plastic baits are far more popular. Recognized by professional bass fishermen as the most effective of these is power bait. Power bait is made with an exclusive scent and flavor formula which stimulates the natural feeding instincts of bass. It is available in dozens of soft plastic shapes, which imitate a wide variety of bass prey, as well as a number of choices in color and opacity.

Power bait for bass includes original formula; tournament strength, which doubles the intensity of the active ingredient; custom poured, a softer form of power bait; and neon, a special, bright-color formula. Power bait is available in silicone skirts on spinner baits and jigs; liquid formula, for applying to various hard and live baits. There is even a fluorescent jelly form, which is specially formulated to withstand the rigors of casting and retrieving.

If you had to choose only one bait to use to chase bass, the power bait 7” worm would be at the top of the list. Because it can be rigged in so many different ways, Texas style, jig worm or Carolina rig; it is truly effective for bass in all seasons.

Walleye

Gear & Tackle

Weighing in at an average of 1 to 4 pounds, walleyes usually require medium to medium-light tackle. Rods should be in the 5'6" to 7' length. Line from 4# to 8# test works very well with lead head jigs or slip sinkers from 1/8 oz. to 1/2 oz. for most situations. Spinning reels are the norm for jigging, cranking and rigging presentations. While bait casting reels are preferred for heavy rigging situations.

Lures & Presentation

Jigs account for most of the walleyes caught, hopping or dragging along the bottom in deep water or casting and retrieving in the shallows. Slip sinker rigs are also designed to be worked slowly along the bottom, snelled with plain hooks, floaters and spinner rigs. Diving and minnow-shaped crank baits are the most popular casting and trolling lures, available in literally hundreds of styles, colors and actions.

How to Locate

Walleyes, most active in low-light periods, relate to structure such as weed lines, rock piles and sandbars, frequently favoring the very bottom edges of such locations. In spring and fall, look for fish in water from 5' to 15' deep near the mouths of streams and shoreline-connected bars and weed beds. In rivers, Walleyes congregate below dams and rapids, often lying in current breaks waiting to ambush prey coming downstream. Warm weather walleyes are often found much deeper, from 25' to 45', or suspended in schools roaming large lake basins.

Effective Baits

Most walleye fishermen prefer live minnows, leeches and night crawlers, although tournament strength power bait, specially formulated for walleyes, is quite effective and much more convenient. Liquid power bait for walleye is also available, and makes any lure more effective.

Panfish

Gear & Tackle

Lures & Presentation

Plentiful in large schools and easily accessible from shore, Panfish are most often fished with a float rig of some kind. Small clip-on bobbers, casting bubbles and slip floats are the norm. Tiny jigs, ice flies and long-shanked hooks, weighted with split shot, tend to produce the most fish. Set your float to suspend the bait at about half the depth of the water and adjust up or down as the fish dictate. Keep the rig moving to search for fish, pausing only for 30 seconds or so in one spot.

How to Locate

As mentioned, Panfish are abundant in shallow water near shore, especially in spring and fall. Look for fish near bulrushes, lily pads, grass flats and rip rap, as well as under docks, boat lifts and other man-made structures. In summer, Panfish will be deeper, in 12' to 18' range, but nearly always relating to structure such as weed lines and drop offs. In that case, vertical jigging or casting and allowing a small spinner jig to flutter down along the face of the structure is a deadly tactic.

Effective Baits

There are as wide a variety of natural baits for Panfish as there are species, although worms, grubs, maggots, small minnows and leeches are the most popular. Power Bait comes in a number of highly effective and convenient forms of Panfish bait, including power wigglers, Crappie Nibbles, moldable and liquid Power Bait for Panfish. All are productive any time of year.

Pike & Muskie

Gear & Tackle

Similar in both nature and appearance, Northern Pike and Muskellunge are among the largest, most aggressive freshwater fish in America. Pike can reach upwards of 20 pounds, while Muskies can tip the scales at 30. Stout tackle is the obvious choice- heavy bait casting rods from 6' to 8', Ambassadeur reels filled with 14# to 30# test. Also essential is a stiff wire leader ahead of the bait, which prevents these toothy giants from biting through the line.

Lures & Presentation

Think big. Top waters, buzz baits, stick baits, crank baits, buck tail spinners, big spoons and hair jigs all have their place in your arsenal. Be prepared to fish everything from thick, shallow weeds to deep rocks. Casting, trolling and jigging are all effective, most often dictated by time of year and water temperature. Rule of thumb: cast shallow, jig deep, troll both.

How to Locate

For both species, work shallow (2' to 10') warm water bays in spring; deeper (18' to 25') main-lake weed lines and rock reefs in summer and fall. Moving water, such as an incoming stream or narrows, is nearly always attractive to Pike and Muskie, as is close access to deep water.

Effective Baits

Big fish look for big bait, often up to a quarter of their own length. Active fish attack flashy, fast-moving lures, while neutral fish need a bit of coaxing with slower presentations and scented baits. Large sucker minnows on a jig or spinner bait are popular for working weed lines. Dead bait such as large smelt under a large float is a tried-and-true shallow water presentation. Grubs, lizards, craws, shad and frogs are ideal for use as trailers on a variety of big fish lures. Liquid power bait also works well, encouraging following fish to strike.

Catfish

Gear & Tackle

Due to the wide range of catfish size - 1 to 60+ pounds - and habitat - rivers, lakes, ponds, reservoirs - it is difficult to recommend an exact tackle combination. Cats are powerful creatures and often live in thick, weed cover, so try to match your rod and reel to the size of the fish you expect to catch. A strong, tough line, in an appropriate pound test is a good choice.

Lures & Presentation

Cats are caught almost exclusively by drifting bait downstream or "soaking" a bait near likely habitat. Floats allow you to cover a lot of water, searching for active fish, while soaking provides the opportunity for staging fish to discover the bait.

How to Locate

Catfish are bottom feeders. In almost every case, if your bait is not within a couple of feet of the bottom, you're out of the fish zone. In rivers, look for obvious habitat such as downed trees, deep pools, wing dams, culverts, etc. Fish will hold in current breaks, upstream ends of outside bends, and just below impassable dams. In lakes, ponds and reservoirs, cats will seek out flats with close access to deep water, and key on the inside turns along drop offs. Mouths of incoming streams and flooded timber are also high percentage areas.

Effective Baits

Scent feeders, catfish will eat nearly anything rotten, and there are plenty of disgusting homemade concoctions. Cats also readily take live bait such as minnows, sunfish, frogs and crawfish. The most effective dough bait on the market is Catfish Nuggets.

Trout

Gear & Tackle

Steelhead. Rainbows. Brookies. Browns. Cutthroat. Golden. There are a wide variety of trout, large and small, wild and stocked. As a general rule, use a spinning outfit with a long, soft rod like a trout rod series and ultra thin line in as light a pound test as possible, say 2# to 4# for small fish like Brookies, and 6# to 10# for big browns and steelhead.

Lures & Presentation

Lure selection will vary, depending on the variety and size of the trout you're after, as well as the kind of habitat you're fishing. One interesting fact to keep in mind is that the size of the bait seems to be relatively constant for both large and small trout - 1" to 2" inline spinners, spoons, minnow-imitating crank baits and bait rigs are all popular choices. All may be cast, drifted or trolled; or if the trout are slow, a bait rig lying still on the bottom is a high percentage tactic.

How to Locate

Wild trout, for the most part, are stream dwellers, although some species live most of their lives in the ocean or the great lakes, and return to the stream where they were hatched only to spawn. Spring and fall runs concentrate the most fish, which can be found below falls, holding in pools and current breaks, or in slack water and eddies behind rocks or other obstructions. Lake and pond dwelling trout, often stocked, tend to roam in schools along deep drop off areas, although they do come up shallow in the springtime.

Effective Baits

As in salmon fishing, single salmon eggs and spawn bags are effective, as are worms. Moldable power bait for trout, power eggs, power nuggets and power bait liquid are recognized as the best choice in artificial trout baits. There’s even a power bait specifically formulated for stocked hatchery trout.

Salmon

Gear & Tackle

Incredibly fast and powerful, salmon are highly prized game fish. Of the three species, Chinook are king, ranging on an average from 5-25 pounds, although 60+ pound fish have been taken in Alaska. Tackle depends on the area you fish, as well as presentation. For the most part, long (7' to 10') heavy action rods are the rule. Fly gear, level wind and spinning reels all have their place, and line in 10# to 30# test perform well.

Lures & Presentation

Fly fishing aside, salmon are pursued while wading, bank fishing, down rigging or drifting. Jigs, inline spinners, spoons and bait rigs are most common wading, drifting and bank fishing. J-plugs, flutter spoons and crank baits are popular downrigger lures. Where you fish, as well as geographic location, which dictates the size of the fish, will largely affect your tackle.

How to Locate

Salmon can be found running upstream in coastal and great lakes tributaries in spring and fall. They will often hold in the shelter of midstream rocks and snags, or on the upstream ends of deep pools on outside river bends. The majority of lake and reservoir fish tends to school up and roam wide areas of deep water, although they do concentrate beneath dams in springtime. Wind blown shelves, shallow in early season and deeper in fall, attract feeding salmon, as do sharp, inside turns in drop off structure.

Effective Baits

Natural salmon eggs, either hooked singly or in clusters called spawn bags, are very popular baits. Small minnows are also very effective, where legal. For the most part, however, moldable power bait for trout is the choice of most bait fishermen. Power bait is also available in egg and cluster shapes, and liquid form.

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