How To Fishing Methods and Tips

How to go fishing including trolling, jigging, chumming, how to fish with bait, and many forms of fishing techniques often used for fishing the Chesapeake Bay, Atlantic Ocean, and for freshwater fishing. If you are a new angler be sure to check out our Fishing for Beginners section.

December 19, 2024
You’ve been here before: A storm brought rain or snow a few days ago, and is being followed up by a days-long warming trend that has you itching to enjoy some winter fishing. You brush the dust off…
November 21, 2024
You were heading out for some pickerel fishing and maybe the tackle shop was out of minnow, maybe you prefer fishing artificials, or maybe the bucket spilled in the back of your pickup and you…
November 5, 2024
The email from David made my jaw drop: had we ever done an article on feather jigging for striped bass? Well, shoot — nope! Now in our seventh year of publication, with over 500 how-to/where-to…
October 24, 2024
We’ve all heard of the big three: blue catfish, flathead catfish, and snakeheads. All of these formerly foreign species can be found throughout Chesapeake Country, all offer intense angling…
September 21, 2024
This month we chat with Capt. Larry Geipe of Chasing Light Charters, about chasing striped bass and other fish on the Bay as fall sets in. Captain Larry talks fall fishing - and we're listening up…
September 4, 2024
If you're just getting started as an angler, whether casting for bass has got you hooked or Chesapeake Bay fishing seems like THE thing, you may be overwhelmed with the enormous amount of tackle and…
August 17, 2024
Fact: If you want to run your own boat out into the ocean and fish for marlin, you’ll have some bills to pay. Big Bills. Fact: The first time you watch a billfish tail-dance from the port side of…
August 10, 2024
Can you name a more quintessential Chesapeake Bay tradition than going crabbing with pull traps or hand lines and then having a family crab feast? I doubt it. But with the rise in prices for a bushel…
August 8, 2024
Before you can ever gaff a tuna you have to fool one into biting, and for many anglers the initial step will be building a spreader bar. When it comes to offshore trolling there are only two basic…
July 25, 2024
Smallmouth bass, walleye, and muskie are three exciting species of gamefish that freshwater anglers can target above the fall line of the Chesapeake region’s Western Shore rivers. The states of…
July 14, 2024
Cutlassfish, AKA ribbonfish, AKA hair-tail, seem to be on a serious tear. Once they were an occasional oceanic catch, then they invaded portions of the southern Chesapeake in big numbers, and last…
June 26, 2024
Before you put a bait on a hook, you’ll have to go and catch it, and that’s why last month in Hit the Spot Part I, we looked into how to catch live spot, one of the most common rockfishs live baits…
June 26, 2024
Fishermen are amazingly creative when it comes to rigging baits, especially baits for billfish. There are several methods to rig ballyhoo on circle hooks, and they all may work. Some people use…
June 24, 2024
You say there's only one "right" way to catch trout? Step aside, fly guys. Conventional fishermen can experience the thrill and beauty of brown trout, too. Catching browns on spinning gear is not…
June 23, 2024
You want to catch more Spanish mackerel? They may not be in our Mid-Atlantic waters for more than a few months out of the year, but when the Spanish are in town, it’s always nice to enjoy the…
June 23, 2024
Many of the black drum caught in the Mid-Atlantic this season will top 50 pounds, a 90-pound fish or two will surely be caught, and some lucky angler out there could peg the 100 mark. The Maryland…
June 17, 2024
Few things set off a chain-reaction of mental imagery like the thought of catching a blue catfish of 40 pounds, 50 pounds, or more — even a new PB. And when it comes to blue catfish, we can add…
June 14, 2024
A jig head is a jig head is a jig head, right? It has a hook and a lead head. Done deal. Well, sort of. You’ve undoubtedly noticed that there are about six kajillion different shapes, sizes, and…