I’m sure many of you out there have hobbies that you love outside of fishing. Accessibility, time constraints and convenience can even push this “competing” hobby into the forefront from time to time, conjuring images of a dusty and forgotten rod in the corner of the garage.  For me, this activity is cycling. Seeing that I live about 1.5 miles from my office in Alexandria, Virginia, it literally takes me less time to bike to…

So today is the day you’re going fishin.’  All the gear is on board, you’re behind the console with bow and stern fenders deployed, and bow and stern anchors secured to your boat’s cleats.  Your buddy is hauling the truck and trailer back to the parking lot while you motor over to the dock to tie off and wait for him.  What’s the best knot to use?  The Cleat Hitch. The Cleat Hitch is the…

The best rod holder is your hands.  After all, this is why we have opposable thumbs. Nothing can beat hands for continual monitoring of fish activity and reaction time.  But there are times when you just have to put the rod down. Perhaps this is due to long periods of inactivity like when covering a great amount of water in a boat like when trolling for walleye, salmon, or tuna.  When fishing with friends for…

You don’t leave your best friend home when you head out on the water, do you? Well, if one of your best friends is a dog, why would you leave him at home?  The answer for many is simple: they don’t. Any dog that loves to swim will happily trade their ordinary landlubber status for a day on the water.  Labrador and golden retrievers are shoe-ins to join you on your boat.  One perfect retriever…

Mother’s Day is almost here so many will be thinking about flower bouquets or blooming plants. In fact, the National Public Garden Day is always set for the Friday before Mother’s Day. But have you ever thought of taking “Mom” fishing? Laura Starkey Heflin has fished on Mother’s Day.  She happens to be a professional bass tournament angler. However, not all their time together has been about fishing. She recalls fondly when her son, Jesse,…

I’m in the process of fulfilling a lifelong dream of buying a manually powered boat for river fishing.  It’s great to walk and wade, but there’s something about the sensation of flowing with the current… taking family and friends along with you on your river trips… and covering literally miles of fishing opportunity that a boat affords. It doesn’t matter if you’re fishing for bass (some of the biggest smallmouth bass in the country are…

The Take Me Fishing Team met up with Team Evinrude Angler Scott Martin for some insight on the best lures for beginners to try when bass fishing. “There are three lures I would recommend beginners try as they develop your fishing skills. A plastic worm, a spinner bait and some type of topwater lure. The great thing about these three lure choices is that they cover all your water depths, from the very bottom, to middle…

Right now, everyone in Florida is talking about tarpon.  They’re talking about where they were, they’re talking about where they are, and they’re theorizing about where they’re heading.  They only ones who aren’t talking much are the ones who are hooked up, and that’s because they’re yelling. There are cruising tarpon migrating throughout the Florida Keys.  There are tarpon that are daisy chaining off of Boca Grande Pass.  There are laid up tarpon in the…

Arbor Day was last Friday.  And when I think of trees, I think of fishing. (Bear with me.)  Trees, and other plants for that matter, are an important aspect to many great fisheries. Though often overlooked, trees aide with the conservation of fisheries well before they are even water logged. Structure such as flooded timber, stumps, brush, “lay downs”, or “blow downs” are highly sought after by anglers of bass and crappie. Every year, leftover…

When mayflies start to hatch, trout go on the feed and for good reason; mayflies are high in calories which makes for a tasty snack.  These insects are found in pure, clean water and when you find them hatching in the stream, a river or lake you know you’re fishing in a good place. Here are a few others things about them to know to help improve your fishing. One of the interesting things about…