January 8, 2024
If your jigging lures of choice are soft plastic paddletails or jerk baits, what size should you use during each season while fishing for striped bass? Listening to the AIC, FishTalk contributor Eric…
December 17, 2023
The chain pickerel is one of the few species of Mid-Atlantic gamefish that generally bites better through the winter months than through the summer. Still, even during the colder months of the year,…
November 20, 2023
Every year like clockwork December rolls around — and we anglers in the Chesapeake Bay fishing zone love this time of year for many reasons. Yes, it gets a bit chilly. But here in Chesapeake Country…
November 10, 2023
Even with a long list of tautog fishing tips in your hip pocket, tautog are among the most frustrating to try and catch. If you measure your success by the numbers this may not be the best target for…
November 4, 2023
Cold fronts are pushing through and a chill has crept into the air — in freshwater venues and upper tidal rivers throughout our corner of the world, crappie will be trying to pack on the pounds…
October 17, 2023
Speckled sea trout are not pushovers. If you have read many of my articles you may have heard me say “Any fish, many fish, big fish, hard fish.” This is the progression most of us take as we get…
October 14, 2023
Jigging with a tandem rig is a great way to hook up with fall rockfish and white perch that are holding tight to deep structure and/or in strong current, but want small baits that are otherwise too…
October 10, 2023
Walking the bank of a mountain stream in search of native brook trout is a fine way to calm the nerves — your nerves, that is. Those brookies are as jumpy as any fish on the face of the planet, they…
October 6, 2023
As water temperatures fall striped bass begin to school up as they follow the bait out of the rivers — making for some of the best light tackle fishing anywhere in the world. Knowing how to maximize…
September 16, 2023
Trees lying in the water present something of a conundrum: we know they create some serious fish-attracting structure, but we also know they’re magnificent snag-machines. What tactics can you use to…
August 20, 2023
Weakfish, also known as yellow fin sea trout and gray trout, have not been a big part of Chesapeake Bay fishing in recent decades. In the past few seasons, however, growing numbers have popped up in…
August 18, 2023
Every serious flounder angler dreams of catching doormats — you know, those big trophy fish that make everyone say “wow.” And even though the occasional trophy flounder may be caught mixed in with…
August 15, 2023
We’ve covered standard-issue Spanish mackerel trolling tactics more than once in FishTalk, but it’s been a while and now that August is here most of the Chesapeake should be riddled with these…
July 19, 2023
When tuna move up the coast, anglers from Wachapreague to Indian River hope and pray that they decide to set up shop at the inshore lumps and hotspots like the Inshore Deli. With the fish feeding…
July 17, 2023
A friend of mine, Dennis, had asked a few times if I’d like to do some crappie fishing on the Potomac River with him. But I always had some other commitment. So when I read a text from him saying “…
June 28, 2023
Maybe you got a taste of tuna trolling on a charter boat trip, a buddy turned you on to the thrill of watching a marlin attacking a bait, or you got a bit adventurous and ran your own boat through…
June 28, 2023
All forms of fishing require some level of knowledge and skill that must be built over time, but one of the easiest fish to target and catch is the catfish, even when it comes to hunting for those…
June 16, 2023
When it comes to the most dangerous fish to catch in the ocean most people think of fishing for sharks. With a bite pressure of four tons per square inch and dozens of dagger-sharp teeth, the mako…