(Apr. 03, 2008 - Braham, MN) Competition can be a good thing and most people engage in one way or another, whether they'd care to admit it or not. Bowlers will join leagues, same for golfers, same thing for archers. Card players might enter Texas Holdem' Tournaments, pie bakers enter baking contests, and so on and so on.

(Apr. 02, 2008 - Athens, TX) There are two sure signs of spring in Central and East Texas: redbud trees in bloom and rows of vehicles parked where highways span creeks and rivers. "When the redbuds bloom, the white bass run," says Mike Ryan of Marshall, a retired Texas Parks and Wildlife Department fisheries biologist. That largely invisible spawning migration draws anglers to flowing water to fish for—make that catch—the hard-fighting, tasty fish.

(Apr. 02, 2008 - Braham, MN) Going toe to toe with a bunch of pole bending line stretching early season bass is the best way to get over winter withdrawals. With all of the new plastic and hard baits and all of those bass waiting to be fooled it's time to have some real fun. Although it won't always be easy, there's almost always a way to get 'er done.

(Apr. 08, 2008 - Athens, TX) Ah, fishing. It's such a simple pleasure, far removed from the clang, clamor and constant communication of the modern world. It's just you, your favorite fishing buddy, the fish and a little bit of paradise.

(Apr. 01, 2008 - Minnetonka, MN) Summertime when the fishin' is easy, catfish are jumpin', and the water is high - apologies to George Gershwin who penned the song "Summertime" in 1935, but it's May and the bass and crappie fishing is easy. Well, at least it should be if you understand fish behavior during this transitional period.

(Apr. 08, 2008 - Woodbury, MN) Try mixing two main ingredients in order to cook up a great early-season crappie outing. Start with warm water (about 50 degrees F or higher) and add cover like wood or weeds.

(Apr. 01, 2008 - ) Of all the freshwater fish in Texas, blue catfish provide perhaps the most exciting action on rod and reel. No other fish in a lake can make a reel sing louder or an angler's heart pound harder than a big blue making for parts unknown with a hunk of cut bait in its jaws.

(Apr. 01, 2008 - ) For years, my Mom kicked the butt of every health problem that was thrown at her. Man she was tough. But last year, battling Alzheimer's and cancer simultaneously was just too much for her to take. Since her passing, my Dad has been incredibly strong. He's as tough as she was.

(Apr. 02, 2008 - Lake Lanier, GA) Many anglers look at our current conditions and cringe! High blue skies, bright sunlight, and almost 80 degree days are not considered "text book" times to catch more than 40 bass per day on Lake Lanier. Add to that the fact that most spotted bass seem to be scattered along "nothing-looking" red clay banks in less than 15 feet of water and are attacking a very small lure as though it had magical qualities.

(Apr. 01, 2008 - Braham, MN) The big secret to finding and catching early season walleyes is the fact that there really aren't that many secrets. Instead; it's a matter of reading the conditions and reacting to them, and then maybe investing a little elbow grease. It's always a challenge but there's always hope, and if you can keep an open mind you could be well on your way to putting together a nice early season catch.

(Apr. 01, 2008 - Athens, TX) It's a winning catch, and fans spring to their feet with a roar as photographers jockey for position, trying to get that front-page shot or 10-second prime-time sound bite. But no end-zone dance ensues, and instead of spiking an oblong spheroid into the grass, the athlete hoists aloft a football of another sort, a wriggling, thick-shouldered fish with a gaping mouth, bulging eyes and flaring, blood-red gills.

(Mar. 24, 2008 - ) An oyster is pretty ugly, but Raenell Silcox seems to think the one she's holding is a potential beauty pageant contestant.

(Mar. 19, 2008 - Athens, TX) Because of their recreational and economic importance, largemouth bass are probably the most-studied fish in Texas. While Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) biologists and researchers lead research efforts, some of the most valuable studies would not have been possible without the help of anglers.

(Mar. 10, 2008 - Athens, TX) The simple answer to the question of what largemouth bass eat is, "Anything they can get into their mouths." While there's a lot of truth in that statement, it doesn't offer much help to the angler trying to select a lure, fishing location and presentation that will catch fish.

(Mar. 05, 2008 - Woodbury, MN) Every angler wants to own the ultimate fishing boat, but few actually have a chance to help build one. Tom Bronz did just that, as Director of Product Development for Brunswick. He was manager of the Glass Eye Project, which returned Lund Boats to the fiberglass market after a hiatus of more than 30 years.

(Mar. 05, 2008 - Athens, TX) Mighty oaks grow from little acorns, and Fly Fish Texas grew out of a chance encounter between a fly-fisher teaching his grandkids to cast and a Texas Parks and Wildlife employee who thought it looked like fun.

(Mar. 03, 2008 - Tyler, TX) Every month I try to tell you things that I do and how you can catch more fish. This month I'm going to try to explain some helpful things about bass that I have learned over the years of being on the water; my hope is that you can take this bit of information and put it to work with everything you have learned in the past to catch more fish.

(Feb. 26, 2008 - Braham, MN) I don't care who you are; catching early season crappies is fun. If you can't get a kick out of boating feisty slabs you might consider stepping back and taking a look at what's really important. For me it's being back on the water and getting in touch with my roots, which include plenty of panfish.

(Feb. 21, 2008 - ) There's something really special about having a secret fishing spot. Maybe it's a tiny piece of structure that only you know about on a busy lake. Or better yet, it's an entire lake that nobody else knows exists. I like to discover and keep both kinds of secrets, but my favorite clandestine fishing spot is a small remote lake. I have several such secret haunts, and no, I'm not telling you where they are.

(Feb. 19, 2008 - Tyler, TX) Have you ever associated spring spawn, scent attractants and fish attractors together all at the same time? Well if you haven't then you are missing out on a lot of great fish catching action. That's right you are! I know every year I place new fish attractors in the lake to help me not just in the spring but throughout the whole year.

(Feb. 04, 2008 - ) Whoever said "you never get a second chance to make a first impression" must have been selling business cards and stationery. According to card expert Diana Ratliff, "Your business card is the handshake you leave behind. It should reflect your professionalism, your skills, and your ability to provide the product or service your prospects need."

(Feb. 04, 2008 - Tyler, TX) Have you ever associated spring spawn, scent attractants and fish attractors together all at the same time? Well if you haven't then you are missing out on a lot of great fish catching action. That's right you are! I know every year I place new fish attractors in the lake to help me not just in the spring but throughout the whole year.

(Feb. 04, 2008 - ) I was honored to work the Take Me Fishing Booth at the San Diego Boat Show, Jan. 3-4, 2008. It was the unveiling of the newly designed booth, which I stared at in awe. The mere size of it made visitors feel like they were outdoors.

(Jan. 25, 2008 - Minnetonka, MN) Survival of the fittest applies whenever we throw a little chaos into a system. Drop a meteor on planet Earth and those big dinosaurs go extinct, but those crafty little mammals eventually rule the world.

(Jan. 25, 2008 - Minnetonka, MN) When the allure of early ice has passed and the midwinter doldrums begin, some of us ask the question: Why fish now? We've hit that long transition period between early ice activity and the longer, warmer days of late ice when fresh oxygen and green weeds reignite the bite.

(Jan. 25, 2008 - Braham, MN) The truly dedicated are about all that's left still working the late season ice, which is just fine with them.

(Jan. 25, 2008 - Brainard, MN) I've written about ice fishing for walleyes before. If you've watched our "Good Fishing" television program, you've seen us take walleyes on live bait slip-bobber rigs, tip-ups, jigging spoons and other techniques.

(Jan. 22, 2008 - Braham, MN) Opening day may be quite a ways off but it's not too soon to start thinking about how exactly you'regoing to put a few extra walleyes in the boat. A little pre-opener thought can help you put together a winning game plan, a plan that includes some catching and no matter what they say; catching is a major part of a quality experience.

(Jan. 16, 2008 - Tyler, TX) Faith, you know this is a big word when you think about it. Mr. Webster says that Faith is (1) belief; confidence, (2) loyalty, (3) religion, and well I guess you're wondering now what in the world does this have to do with fishing. Well, it has everything to do with fishing and normal every day life.

(Dec. 31, 2008 - ) Looking through my tackle box when I got to the lake I was trying to decide what I should start with, after a few minutes I decided to tie on and throw a jig. I do not care what conditions you are faced with you cannot go wrong when you are fishing a jig for bass. Let's talk about 5 ways to fish a jig for bass throughout the season.

(Jan. 07, 2008 - ) Christiana Bradley is a well-known touring pro on the Women's Bassmaster Tour (WBT.) Heads turn as she zips down the lake in her flashy boat with the GEICO Power Sports graphics wrap (complete with gecko holding fishing pole over his shoulder.) Going into her third year on the 3 year-old WBT, she's found that a career in pro fishing is not only thrilling but a lot of hard work.

(Jan. 07, 2008 - Woodbury, MN) ive bait vs. artificials. This is an argument that has raged on for years within various open water tournament circuits of various species of fish. Now when it comes to ice fishing, there are even more anglers who are finding that specialized soft plastic baits designed specifically for ice fishing are catching more and bigger fish. Panfish, like crappie, are especially attuned to these soft plastics.

(Dec. 21, 2007 - Minnetonka, MN) Too many anglers - hard water and soft water alike - get fishing backwards. They think presentation first, and then worry about finding the fish.

(Jan. 01, 2008 - Braham, MN) Ice anglers who enjoy catching it all have a lot more fun, plain and simple. They have more options for one thing, and they can stretch out a season right to the bitter end for another. Getting hung up on one species really limits where you can go and what you can do and your timing has to be precise. The multi-specie angler on the other hand can almost always find something to fish for, and can take advantage of the good peaks that happen every hard water season.

(Dec. 24, 2007 - Braham, MN) When the good walleye action hits the skids a lot of anglers say forget it and will stay home; but what fun is that? And besides, when the going gets tough the tough get going and where they're going is ice fishing.

(Dec. 21, 2007 - Minnetonka, MN) During the early ice period, we have a smorgasbord of hard water opportunities. Name the gamefish, and it'll probably snap up any well-presented lure or bait we fashion.

(Dec. 20, 2007 - ) Big fish are what we're after. Period. You hear some anglers say "hey, it's not what I catch that's important. It's just about being on the water." That's great. And I wholeheartedly agree that time spent with family and friends, relaxing on the lake, is priceless. But would you rather:

(Dec. 10, 2007 - Minnetonka, MN) In the course of a year, you can probably find Jack Baker in one of two very different places: on the golf green or on hard water. Relatively little occurs during the coldest months at the Summit Golf Club, which employs Baker as its resident PGA golf pro, outside Cannon Falls, Minn.

(Nov. 27, 2007 - Minnetonka, MN) Like many of you, I've been known to focus too much fishing effort on walleyes and crappies during the early ice season. Guilty as charged: If I catch a perch over early ice, it's usually incidental to those species.

(Dec. 10, 2007 - Braham, MN) The first ice period may have already come and gone but what's up next is nothing to sneeze at. The next stage of hard water can actually produce some of the most consistent walleye action of the entire season.

(Nov. 27, 2007 - Woodbury, MN) Sonar technology has come a long way since the early days. With all of the sport shows and new models coming, now is the time to research your electronics needs for spring.

(Nov. 27, 2007 - ) People who don't fish always shake their heads in disbelief at early season ice anglers. Truth be told, a fair number of other outdoorsmen, even some open water anglers, shake their heads at us, too.

(Nov. 27, 2007 - Minnetonka, MN) Despite living in walleye country USA, I confess, crappies qualify as my first ice angling priority. Some guys wait until later in the season, but by following a simple formula, you'll catch a mess of early ice slabs.

(Nov. 27, 2007 - Lake Palestine, TX) Can you believe it? Christmas time is already here and where did the year go? Why it seems like yesterday that we were out fishing the flats and coves for spawning bass and crappie.

(Nov. 24, 2007 - Braham, MN) Giant bluegills are a special fish and not all that easy to find in this day and age. Big gills aren't nearly as difficult to run into but giant is a whole different story.

(Nov. 14, 2007 - ) There's a common item found in military survival kits from many countries. It's the common fishing jig, along with a length of strong monofilament line. Why a jig?

(Nov. 07, 2007 - Woodbury, MN) Fish slow down in cold water and a slow approach is often needed to catch them in the dead of winter. But it's a different story at first ice– and in early spring, just before ice-out– according to Dave Genz, long considered the father of modern ice fishing. Walleyes are still hungry at early ice, when water is relatively warm and filled with oxygen, and they get excited as spawning time nears. Fast tactics like ice spoons are the ticket.

(Oct. 25, 2007 - Braham, MN) Crappies are a perfect early ice target as they can usually be caught once they're found. In fact they're a great target all winter long and don't seem to go through the ups and downs that other species go through.

(Oct. 31, 2007 - Tyler, TX) Do you have a good fish locator on your boat? If so can you work it so that you can understand everything it tells you when you're on the water? What brand name unit do you have and does it have GPS on it? For those of you that are just beginning to fish and don't know the term GPS well this means Global Positioning System meaning it takes a reading from several satellites and tells you exactly where you are.

(Oct. 24, 2007 - ) It's sunrise on a Minnesota lake. In back bays, waterfowlers unleash their barrages on mallards, widgeon and Canada geese. The teal and most of the woodies have already high-tailed it for warmer climes to the south, and the big flights of divers are still bottled up in Canada.