In-Fisherman

In-Fisherman is for the avid freshwater angler. Each issue provides detailed instructions and demonstrations on catching, cleaning, and eating your favorite species of fish, and reports on the latest scientific studies concerning fish and habitat conservation. This is the source for finding fishing hotspots, new tackle, effective equipment, and more!

In-Fisherman

The Classic Generalist Softbait • Each day on the water is an ongoing experiment in action. And, no surprise, we’re fishing as much against other anglers as we are trying to figure out the fish. So, fishing on Mille Lacs for smallmouths, or on Lake Fork for largemouths, assuming you have a clue about where fish should be, you can assume that other anglers do to. It’s likely that the fish you’re casting to have seen a lure or two or 10 during the past week.

Bits & Pieces • Blending Fishery Science with Everyday Fishing

ADVENTURES • Feature Travel Tips from In-Fisherman Staff & Friends

STAFF Noteworthy & New

LARGEMOUTH BASS, TEMPERATURE,& THERMOCLINES • What Water Temperature Can Tell You About Where To Find Bass

Limnology 101: Lake Stratification

FISHING LORE:

FISHING LORE:

Lake Stratification Profiles

SUNDOWNER small mouths • The evening serenade is a symphony of crickets, frogs, owls—crepuscular and nocturnal creatures that celebrate with song. It begins just before twilight, when the sun disappears below the western horizon. It’s a transition between worlds—not quite night, not really day.

The Many-Faceted Twilight

Old-School Livebait Secrets for Walleyes MINNOW METHODS • Confession time. I, along with the rest of the fishing world, bear some responsibility for propagating the notion that artificial lures have made livebait irrelevant for walleyes. It’s nonsense, of course. But if you’ve been paying attention to popular walleye culture lately, you’ve heard the proclamations. Certain celebrity types have even come right out and said it—that they no longer need to mess with minnows, ‘crawlers, leeches or other such messy fare because artificial lures are so much more efficient. Maybe. Sometimes. Actually, not really. Yet, I have to wonder what old masters the likes of Bill Binkelman or guides such as Harry Van Doren would have made of all the artificials-only hype.

Guide to Minnows

Riding the Wave to Multiple-Muskie Days • There’s seldom justice in the pursuit of muskies. It’s a demanding and unforgiving sport, but each fanatic would agree: the reward is worth the effort. A fish reaching the mid-50-inch range is a once-in-a-lifetime catch only a few anglers experience, yet some put in the same effort and never reach that mark. And there are anglers who attain and exceed that pinnacle numerous times during their careers. In most cases it’s a time-on-the-water factor.

ÝRiver Muskie Rampage

No Photographer? No Problem

GREEN MEANS GO FOR SUMMER PANFISH • Figuring out summertime panfish patterns is a tantalizing challenge. In spring, many productive fishing options focus on relatively shallow water near shore. Dialing in fish-catching locations and presentations is simplified when bluegills and crappies are shallow and hungry during early-season feeding binges or congregated in or around spawning sites. Putting it all together as the season progresses gets a bit more complicated as the fish spread out—but rest assured, the rewards are as good or better than ever.

Neustrom’s Cabbage Rig

Transitional Summer Perch

Bojangles,campfires, & the Nite Bite for BIG CHANNEL CATS • A SMALL FIRE IS THE CENTER OF the universe as darkness falls and anglers like you and me sit silently, patiently, on a sandbar opposite a big riverbend hole, listening for a reel clicker to call evidence of a whiskered intruder. Some nights the...