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A Complete Guide to Barbless Hooks and Why to Use Them

One of my greatest fears when fishing with my children is that one of them will inadvertently catch themselves with a barbed treble hook. I’ve had to remove several from Dad because he insists on carrying crankbaits in a plastic bag in his pocket. He takes it like a champ, but I’m not sure my five-year-old fishing buddy would. So far, I’ve managed this risk by avoiding it. I simply don’t use lures with treble hooks when fishing with kids. I could, however, consider an alternative and fish with barbless hooks instead.

If you’ve ever wondered if barbless hooks are better, or if there are certain times you should use a barbless hook instead of a barbed one, read on. I’ll discuss the differences as well as the pros and cons of each to help you make a decision. Whether you’re considering them for conservation purposes or safety considerations, this article will have something for you.

What’s the Difference Between Barbed and Barbless Hooks?

A barbed hook has a backwards facing point, or barb, in addition to the main point. This acts almost as a lock, as it prevents a hook from easily falling out from the hole it created on the way into a fish’s mouth. A barbless hook lacks this backward facing point, or barb, so it only has the main point. You can purchase barbless hooks or make your own. Any barbed hook can be turned into a barbless one by filing down the barb. Some anglers suggest leaving a little “lump” in place of the barb for a bit of peace of mind, though I’d argue this is likely placebo and isn’t likely to help much.

What Does a Barbless Hook Look Like?

It might help to have a visual of what a barbless hook looks like in comparison to a barbed one. See the photo below. The hook on the right has the traditional barb. The hook on the left is barbless. That’s all there is to it – one looks like a spear and the other looks like a halberd. Note that these are the same hook, but I pinched the barb on the one on the left down with pliers.

*The hook on the left was made barbless with a pair of pliers and a few good squeezes.*

Do You Lose More Fish with Barbless Hooks?

Because the whole point of barbless hooks is to allow them to be removed easier, it stands to reason that you can lose more fish with barbless hooks than barbed ones. There’s just that much less holding the fish on the hook, and if they manage to create slack by jumping or thrashing, you can lose them.

Tips for Landing Fish on Barbless Hooks

No one wants to lose fish, so it can be hard to convince people to try barbless hooks. However, it’s not that hard to keep a fish on a barbless hook. You just need to keep tension on the line. If you keep constant pressure on the fish, they shouldn’t be able to throw the hook just because it doesn’t have a barb. If your line remains tight, there’s little danger in the fish throwing a barbless hook. Again, the issue is when the hook tries to back itself out, which cannot happen unless slack is introduced to the line.

Sometimes it’s helpful to look at a fishing hook like a grappling hook that you see thrown over the top of a building in the movies. When it snags, it does so because the line or rope pulling on it is tight, or taut. Now imagine if that line were suddenly dropped. The grappling hook would drop too, right? Fishing hooks (barbed or barbless) work the same way. It’s not as though a barbed hook is going to prevent this from happening, there’s just a little extra “insurance.” Thus, the simple practice of keeping pressure on the fish and the line taut at all times will reduce the number of fish lost when using barbless hooks.

Granted, with certain species (I’m looking at you, Mr. Smallmouth), keeping pressure on a fish is easier said than done. Still, the other benefits of barbless hooks make this a worthy effort.

Do Professional Fishermen Use These?

Yes and no. If you’re thinking of professional bass fishermen, there’s no rule in BASS or FLW that requires the use of barbless hooks and any angler chasing the big money in those tournaments won’t take a chance of losing a fish to use them. Interestingly though, many professional fisherman will use barbless hooks when they are pre-fishing, because they aren’t really interested in landing the fish and just want to shake them off.

Do Barbless Hooks Hurt Fish?

If fish feel pain (and studies suggest that they do), then a barbless hook isn’t going to help them, because you’re still jabbing them with a hook point. However, a barbed hook adds the complication that you might not be able to remove the hook quickly, thus prolonging the animal’s suffering. In short, yes, a barbless hook hurts fish too, but it won’t hurt them for as long as a barbed hook in most instances.

Are Barbless Hooks Actually Better for Fish?

I was truly expecting that I would be able to easily find overwhelming evidence that barbless hooks were better for fish. I couldn’t. Instead, I found this study on the effects of hook size and barbless hooks on fish injury, catch per unit effort, and fish size. The conclusions were pretty surprising. The best that the authors were willing to say is that barbless hooks decrease the amount of time it takes to release a fish. This, in theory, would also decrease fish mortality. However, they found that there was no decrease in bleeding, as that was entirely dependent on where the fish was hooked.

They also failed to find some great correlation in the decrease of fish mortality using barbless hooks. Instead, the greater issue was how deeply the fish was hooked. Those that were hooked deeper had a greater chance of dying. This led the authors to conclude that larger hooks (which were less likely to be taken deeply) were a better bet for reducing mortality.

What Should Be Used Instead?

Given the research above, if the primary reason you want to use a hook without a barbs is to reduce fish mortality, you might be going through much effort for little gain. Instead, consider using a circle hook. These hooks are much less likely to kill a fish. The reason is they are not “set” like traditional hook. Instead, they are meant to catch the edge of a fish’s mouth when reeled in.

Is It Illegal to Fish with Barbed Fishing Hooks?

While researching my article discussing whether treble hooks are illegal in all fifty states, I learned that there are several states that prohibit the use of fishing hooks with barbs in certain waters (usually trout streams). I learned that Arizona, Arkansas, Kansas, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington, and West Virginia all have laws on the books requiring barbless hooks in certain situations. This almost always meant while fishing for a species the state was trying to protect, such as trout, salmon, or surgeon. Often, it was only for certain streams or brooks where these species are prevalent. Make sure you check local regulations if you are fishing for these species. You might have little choice but to leave your barbed hooks at home.

How to Make Barbless Hooks

While the list is growing longer every day, there are fewer barbless hooks out there than barbed hooks. That doesn’t really matter. Any hook can be made barbless. For smaller, weaker hooks simply pinch down the barb with a sturdy set of pliers. Stronger hooks can have their barb filed down.

An issue with doing this is that if your hook came coated with any special substance, such as one that reduces corrosion, you’ve just filed it off. While I wouldn’t have a second thought about filing down a day’s worth of hooks at home, I wouldn’t recommend sitting there going through an entire season’s worth at once. You might find that they start to rust long before you can use them. Granted, you can fish with rusty hooks, but why would you want to?

Are Barbless Hooks Better for Me?

Here’s a table of some of the pros and cons of barbless vs. barbed hooks. As you can see, there are advantages for both. I’d argue that barbless hooks are better if you want to release your catch, but barbed hooks hold the advantage if you actually want to catch a fish in the first place.

Type	PROS	CONS
Barbed hooks	-Less likely to lose fish. The barb acts as “insurance” that gives you a better chance of landing a fish, even if it thrashes. -Availability. There are far more numerous barbed hooks than barbless ones in all styles.	-Barbed hooks are fare more likely to injure fish, especially if they are gut hooked. -They are more difficult to remove from flesh following an errant cast. You might need to visit the emergency room. -Barbed hooks may be illegal depending on what you are fishing for, when and where.
Barbless hooks	-Barbless are safer for fish and are great if you intend to practice catch and release. -These hooks are also better when fishing with inexperienced anglers such as children. If an accident happens, it doesn’t need to end the day. -Penetrate deeper with less force given the lack of resistance from the barb.	-It can be more challenging to keep fish attached to a barbless hook. -The particular hook you want to use may not come barbless and you might need to crimp or file your own. -The research is mixed as to how much these hooks truly reduce mortality.

Should You Use Them With Kids?

You know, the reason I sat down to write this article is because I was considering if I should change up the hooks I use when I’m fishing with my kids. I don’t want them to get hooked in the first place, but if they do, I want to be able to get the hook out of them as quickly as possible.

Even so, I do need to balance that against one cold, hard fact. Fishing with children is a numbers game. You want to catch as many fish as possible, as quickly as possible. Having a fish escape, for whatever reason, is extremely undesirable. Everything that I’ve read about barbless hooks suggests that more fish will be lost with them. Taking that into consideration, I’m not so sure I’d recommend using them with kids.

On the other hand, if you want to fish crankbaits or something else with treble hooks, then barbless may be the way to go. Treble hooks are notoriously “sticky” in that they easily catch everything they shouldn’t. The last thing you need is for a kid to get jabbed. With three points on each shaft, I’d have more confidence using a barbless treble hook than a barbless single hook. Still, one of my main safety tips for fishing with kids remains to leave the crankbaits at home.

Conclusions

The type of fishing hooks you use are going to reflect your circumstances. If you’re mostly interested in landing a fish, chances are you’re going to want a barb. If you’re worried about hurting fish, you’ll prefer a hook without one. Finally, if you’re fishing an area where barbless hooks are required by law, you won’t have any choice!

So what do you think? Which fishing hooks is right for you? Leave me a comment below and tell me what you prefer!

Thanks everyone,

John Paxton

What Fish Eat Worms? A Guide to Fishing Nightcrawlers

If you’re just starting fishing, or taking kids along for your trip, I would highly encourage you to fish with nightcrawlers or other worms. Live bait, such as worms, are the best chance you have of catching a fish. While fish will certainly eat “fake” or artificial worms, there’s no substitute for the real thing. If you’re a beginner, or taking someone along who is, fishing with live worms will help you get that early bite you need to build some confidence.

Nightcrawlers and other worms are great bait because literally every species of fish will eat them. Worms will catch everything swimming in your lake. Plenty of pumpkinseed, bluegill, perch, crappie, rock bass, bullheads, catfish, bowfin, largemouth and smallmouth bass are caught every day in America on a nightcrawler. Even species you wouldn’t expect to enjoy worms, like northern pike, chain pickerel, or even trout, have no qualms about chomping down on an earthworm if they get the chance. The only issue is whether or not they’ll get that chance before something smaller darts in and steals the morsel.

Let’s dive into why fish are attracted to worms, what kinds of fish will eat them, which types of worms you should use, and if there are any alternatives to live bait that also works well.

Why are Fish Attracted to Worms?

Fish are attracted to worms because they are a legitimate meal. A nightcrawler s a wriggling, fat and juicy live target that smells and tastes great (to a fish. I’ve never tried them). Just go find a school of panfish sometime and toss one into the center. They’ll do their best piranha impression in an instant. Even the fish that have been caught and released a dozen times already in their life will still go for it. The perceived reward outweighs the risk.

What Kind of Fish Eat Nightcrawlers?

As mentioned earlier, literally every fish in the lake will eat a worm. Just think back to all the times on Facebook that you’ve seen a friend’s kid catch a good sized fish. Let’s say that friend isn’t a regular angler and they were just messing around. What exactly do you think they caught that fish on? I would wager a fair sum that it was either a nightcrawler, earthworm, red wiggler and wax worm. After all, that was the first bait most of us used to catch our first big fish.

Some people don’t think that larger fish like largemouth bass or northern pike will eat a nightcrawler. This hasn’t been my experience. I believe the reason people think this is simply a lack of opportunity. If you throw a worm out into a school of largemouth or smallmouth bass, you will catch bass. But, if you throw a worm out near a few largemouth bass and a few bluegill, you will most likely catch a bluegill before the bass has a chance to react.

Do Bass Eat Worms?

Yes, largemouth bass and smallmouth bass eat worms, assuming that they aren’t beaten to their lunch by a school of smaller fish like pumpkinseed or bluegill. However, I have noticed that you are far more likely to catch a largemouth bass on a large worm like a nightcrawler than a small one like a garden worm or red wiggler.

It’s also very important that you leave a large amount of the worms tail free and off the hook, dangling and squirming through the water. The problem with this, of course, is that bluegill will rip it to shreds long before the bass can get close, in most instances. You might go through quite a few small fish before you finally land that bass.

All in all, if I wanted to catch a lot of bass, I would bring artificial lures. They work better than nightcrawlers simply because they help you weed out all the little fish. All but the biggest sunfish aren’t going to bother with a spinnerbait, for example.

Do Crappie Eat Worms?

If you’re after a tasty meal to eat, worry not: worms will work great for catching small fish like crappie. They like other panfish can’t get enough of them if you put them where they can find them. With crappie and other smaller fish you’re sometimes better off cutting the worm up into pieces so you can fit more of them on the hook. These fish tend to peck away at them around the hook if you’re not careful, which can lead to your going through a lot of bait before you have some success.

Do Pike Eat Worms?

Northern pike, muskie, and chain pickerel will all eat worms. The bigger question is if you’ll ever land them. Most of the time when you’re fishing a nightcrawler, it’s on a pretty small hook and with no leader. These two facts don’t bode well for catching anything with teeth. While you could use a fishing leader, there are better ways to catch these fish. In much of the open water season you’re better off using something like a spinnerbait or spoon that can be worked quickly through the water. Worms are very slow and precise so unless you know exactly where one of these less common fish are lurking, nightcrawlers won’t be your best bet.

Are Worms Good Fish Bait?

Worms aren’t only good fish bait, they’re some of the best fish bait that you can find. They catch everything that can swim and are fun to find with your children. If you’re in a rush, every tackle shop and many gas stations near you carries them. You can use them everywhere, so you don’t have to worry about if it is illegal like fishing with corn is in some places.

Nightcrawler vs. Red Wigglers vs. Wax Worms

Three of the more common worms that you’ll see at your tackle shop are nightcrawlers, red wigglers, and wax worms (which are actually larvae). Of these, nightcrawlers are the only ones I bother fishing with. I know that’s a contentious statement, but I’ve yet to find a reason why I needed to use any of the others. The biggest selling point of the other worms seems to be size. Well, a pair of braided line scissors can cut a nightcrawler down to size quite easily, and you’ll get the added scent of the blood trail to boot. Nonetheless, let’s talk about the others a bit.

Red Wigglers

Red wigglers are a smaller species of worm that is very popular as a composting worm and also can be found in many bait shops as “red worms.” They are thinner than nightcrawlers and generally come in packs with more worms because they’re smaller. Some anglers love using them but in my opinion you’re better off leaving red wigglers and earthworms for garden composting. They’re small and thin which makes them difficult to spear, and, again, why not just cut the nightcrawler down to pieces?

Wax Worms

Wax worms aren’t actually “worms.” Rather, they’re the larvae of the wax moth or bee moth. A website appropriately called “thewormlady” has a good writeup on them. Apparently, wax worms make good ice fishing bait and are well liked by smaller fish like yellow perch who will eat them in droves. I will give them this: the fact that they come in a container of wood shavings as opposed to dirt is a very nice touch indeed. I can’t tell you how sick and tired I am of cleaning dirt off my boat when my kid kicks the worm container somewhere!

Will Fish Eat Dead Nightcrawlers?

I once wrote an entire article on Do Fish Eat Dead Worms. It turned out to be one of my first “hits,” go figure. While you can get the details there, the bottom line is, yes, fish will eat dead worms, but as a worm decomposes this becomes less likely. It’s difficult to keep a very dead worm on the hook, and many of the species that will jump at the chance to eat a live and spritely nightcrawler will thumb their nose at a dead one. You’re far better off doing your best to keep your worms alive, and that means keeping them in a cool dark place until you’re ready to use them.

How to Rig Nightcrawlers and Other Worms

The way you’ll rig a worm on a hook depends on what fish you’re trying to catch. If you’re going for panfish like pumpkinseed, bluegill, or rock bass, you’ll want to cut up your nightcrawler and just use a tiny little morsel on the tip of your hook. This will enhance hook up rates and prevent fish from eating your worm without being caught.

On the other hand, if you want a chance at a larger fish such as a bass, you will want to use the entire worm. A big fish like a bass isn’t going to eat a tiny worm parcel – it wants the whole thing. You are much more likely to catch a bass with a nightcrawler if you use the whole worm and have its tail dangling off into the water. This will allow the tail to squirm and wriggle which will call the fish in and tell them it’s something good to eat.

Some people spear their worms through the head and thread the hook through its body. While I do this too, I don’t like having too much of the worm impaled by the hook. Doing so means that part of the worm can’t wriggle. Instead, spear the head but then leave a good section of the worm outside of the shank. Then, spear the worm again in the middle, leaving the tail fluttering in the waves. I’ve found this is a good balance that allows the worm to wriggle yet also keeps it secure on the hook.

Rigging Options: Bare Hook, Dropshot, Bobber

Most folks use one of three rigs for fishing with nightcrawlers. A bare hook, a drop shot, or a bobber. All have their pros and cons.

Bare Hook

The easiest way to rig a worm is on a simple bare hook. All you need to do is thread it on as discussed earlier and then throw it in the water. A bare hook is relatively light weight and will allow the worm to sink slowly. This gives many fish a good chance to look at it and decide if they’ll dart up and snatch it. Just make sure that you use a hook small enough for the sort of fish you intend to catch. My big issue with many of the fishing starter kits you see out there is that they come with such large hooks that this is impossible. A size 4 or 6 Aberdeen style panfish hook is perfect.

Dropshot

My preferred way to fish worms is with a dropshot. I like it so much that I spend considerable time talking about what a great presentation it is, and how it should be the first rig you learn. I teach how to tie it in this post about the basic skills you need to go fishing. Drop shots are great because their weight allows you to make a longer cast. They also are very good for keeping worms off the bottom so they foul less with weeds. Finally, while bobbers can also keep bait at a certain depth, a drop shot keeps them at a certain depth and certain place, the wind be darned.

Bobbers

Those of you who have been following this blog for awhile know that I hate bobbers with a passion. I go against the grain and completely advocate against using bobbers when fishing with kids, and have even gone so far as to suggest that bobbers are destroying America. Nonetheless, people use them, and they can (boringly) work. My only suggestion is that if you insist on using these bore-balls, you bring a good book along. Might I suggest my own?

What is a Good Alternative to Live Bait?

If you don’t want to fish with live bait, but still want to catch a lot of fish, the best alternative I’ve found has been Berkley Gulp. I find that small minnows work extremely well for catching panfish as well as bass. When I’m fishing them, I’m usually targeting larger species so I go with the 1.5″ to 2″ size, but if you were strictly after panfish, the 1″ size would do very well. While they come up to 3″, I have found that you don’t catch near as many fish with that as you’re basically filtering out everything that isn’t a bass or larger.

Berkley Gulp comes in different colors but I prefer a gray or black – something natural. You can buy them in pouches, or in a can that is filled with liquid. I’d recommend the can as the liquid has as scent to it that disperses through the water and calls fish in. You can buy these great baits at Amazon.

Do Fish Bite Fake Worms?

Yes, fake or plastic worms are some of the best bass lures manufactured. What might surprise you, however, is that you don’t want to try to find fake worms that look exactly like the real thing. While there are some companies that offer these, they are usually outproduced by worms that look a little, well, odd. One of the best plastic worms out there barely looks like a worm at all. Gary Yamamoto’s Senko is without any doubt my favorite plastic worm and it looks more like a rubber cylinder than a true nightcrawler. Regardless, it is perfectly balanced, has a good salt scent and taste to it, and flat out catches fish.

With that said, don’t expect to catch many panfish with a Senko. These are big fish lures. Largemouth bass love them and will bite them routinely but smaller fish have a hard time getting them in their mouths deep enough to be hooked. You’ll still feel them pecking at the lure but you won’t land many. Bass, on the other hand, can be caught one after the other. Some of my most memorable fishing trips were thanks to a Senko.

Conclusions

Never be afraid to put a nightcrawler or other worm on a fish hook and to see what will eat it. Every species out there can be caught on them — I don’t care what you’ve heard. The only question is if the nightcrawler really is the best bait for the type of fish you’re trying to catch. A worm is clearly the best bait for panfish. Nightcrawlers can also be great for largemouth and smallmouth bass, assuming they get a chance to eat them before a bluegill does. Northern pike, chain pickerel, and muskie will also eat worms, but there’s a good chance they’ll cut through your entire rig in the process.

Just make sure you know what species you’re trying to catch when rigging up your worms. If you’re after smaller fish, use smaller chunks of a worm – they won’t mind any and you’ll put more on the hook. Is catching largemouth bass your goal? Then you’ll want to leave as much of that worm on as possible. If you’re going for northern pike… Maybe try a faster moving artificial lure, unless you have all day.

Armed with this knowledge, you should have a great time fishing with worms! Let me know how you did!

Thanks for reading,

John Paxton

Is Fishing a Sport? Yes. Emphatically Yes.

I’ll cut right to the chase. If you’re asking me, “is fishing a sport?” the answer is yes. Emphatically yes. Fishing has all the factors of a sport. At high echelons, there’s tremendous skill involved, as well as athleticism. Like traditional sports, fishing has massive competitions with thousands of screaming fans. There are multiple governing bodies and organizations maintaining the integrity of the sport of fishing, just as you would find in football, hockey, or baseball. Finally, an ever growing number of colleges recognize fishing as a sport and even offer fishing scholarships for talented anglers to join the college’s bass fishing teams.

We’re checking all the boxes here, folks. Fishing is a sport, period.

How quaint the world would be if one meaty paragraph was all it took to convince you. I know that’s not happening, but bear with me while I make my case for why anglers are athletes.

Fishing Takes Skill

While I’m a firm believer that anyone can catch a fish, I recognize that the sport of fishing takes tremendous skill to succeed ad the highest levels. Fishing tournaments can pay out hundreds of thousands of dollars or more, and that wouldn’t be the case if just anyone could win them.

You literally have a situation where folks will spend a huge portion of their lives perfecting this craft. Some professional fishermen are likely closing in on a million casts, and with each one they try to refine their accuracy, distance, and subtlety. Fishing isn’t simply a sport at this stage, it might as well be an art too. The ability to deftly skip lures far under a dock or to to make a long cast without a large splash are traits few perfect. Like any slapshot or spiral pass, a perfect cast is an artform only the most skilled anglers can master.

There’s also considerable preparation to fishing. Many of us spend hours poring over books or obscure family fishing blogs on the internet trying to enhance our skills. Is this really any different than the quarterback who spends his nights with his nose in the playbook? Or, how about that scene in Cool Runnings where they’re all sitting in the bathtub, pretending it is a bobsled. In my mind, map study or reading the best fishing books is no different.

If one of the criteria for, “Is something a sport,” is “does it take skill?” then fishing checks that box.

The Sport of Fishing Requires Athleticism

Anyone who thinks that fishing isn’t a sport because it isn’t “athletic” has obviously never faced off against a giant halibut, or even just spent a cold and windy day on their feet in a rocking boat. They’ve probably never repeatedly cast a 1/2 oz. lure for 10 hours in the blazing sun. I doubt they’ve endured a 90 minute white-knuckle boat ride through raging swells, either.

I’m only 37. My body already can’t take the kind of abuse I used to put it through on long fishing trips of the past. When I was younger, I’d be out there from dawn until dusk throwing spinnerbait after spinnerbait. Now, that kind of work makes my shoulder ache, sets my hands on fire, erupts my back, and pummels my feet. Now, I have my share of health issues as everyone else does, but I wouldn’t feel this way if fishing didn’t require some athleticism.

In many respects, fishing can be a more difficult sport than some of the main ones. There aren’t that many sports besides fishing and American football that can claim to play in the worst weather nature provides. While fishing tournaments will be grounded in lightning or truly dangerous wind conditions, they’re not stopping for a downpour. The cold and wet aren’t the only issues, either. There’s no hotter place nearby than on a boat in the middle of the lake on a windless day. Fishing is a sport that pushes you against the elements like few others.

cartoon of fat fisherman that suggests fishing is not a sport. — *I really don’t see what’s so hard to see about this. Fishing is a sport.*

It Takes Athleticism to Reel in a Sport Fish

The elements, hours, and physical exertion aren’t the only reason I’d claim fishing is a sport. There’s also the matter of having to deal with the live, ticked off animal that often outweighs you on the other end of your line. Yes, freshwater fishermen rarely tangle with such giants, but saltwater anglers are going after tuna and marlin that weigh more than several men. Deepwater fishing is basically a giant tug of war with a wild demon from the depths. Not just anyone can do it!

Sports Can Be Relaxing, You Know

Some folks claim that fishing isn’t a sport because they see folks sitting in lawn chairs, drinking beers and watching bobbers. They claim that a hobby so relaxing as fishing can’t possibly be an athletic competition. Well, have you ever gone to a company picnic and played left field in the softball game? Did you break a sweat? I’ll bet you just enjoyed yourself and had a good time. The mere fact that fishing is relaxing does not disqualify it from being a sport. It just means that it’s another sport that can be enjoyed at a relaxed pace, if you’re so inclined.

There are Several Governing Bodies that Regulate the Sport of Fishing

As with all other sports, there are numerous governing bodies that regulate the fishing. Like FIFA or the NHLPA, these organizations regulate the rules for this sport to ensure that fishing remains competitive and fair. Everything from the types of permissible equipment to angling methods are categorized and considered. If fishing really were simply a hobby and not a sport, there would be absolutely no need for any of this.

Indeed, the fact that fishing is so highly competitive is one of the main arguments for why it is a legitimate sport. That it may be more niche than some other sports should not distract from the reality that fishing tournaments are long, multi-day, grueling affairs where extremely talented competitors go head to head. Frankly, fishing dwarfs some other niche sports. It’s estimated that there are 38 million anglers across the planet while only there are only 1.5 million registered curlers.

There are Many High School and College Bass Fishing Teams

One of the most compelling arguments for why fishing is a sport is the simple fact that so many high schools and colleges say it is. For years now, a growing number of schools have fielded their own bass fishing teams, competed in collegiate bass fishing tournaments such as those run by Major League Fishing. It’s not like these are filled with unknown schools, either. Both Baylor and Texas A&M have their own college fishing teams.

Several college fishing teams were detailed in an article by Major League Fishing where they went into the top 25 bass fishing colleges. As you can see, there are some top name schools there as well: North Carolina State, Virginia Tech, Kansas State and Perdue were all listed. That your child’s love of fishing may one day lead to collegiate success is a great reason to take your kids fishing.

How to Make Fishing More Sporting for the Fish

Once in awhile you run into someone who talks about how “sporting” something is or isn’t for the fish. Usually, they’re complaining about the use of braided fishing line, a heavy rod, or the act of horsing a fish in almost instantly. “The fish never has a chance!” they complain. “Use lighter tackle so the fish have a sporting chance.”

I mean, that’s a great idea and all if we’re trying to level the playing field between man and fish. The only problem is that, to the fish, this isn’t a game. They have no idea that “sport” is what you’re fishing for. Instead, they’re fighting for their lives. A hooked fish will dive through the most jagged cover, fling itself high into the air and smash down against the surface, make long runs, and expend every last bit of energy. Imagine how hard you would fight if your life was on the line. That’s what these fish are doing.

In the process of all this, fish are exposing themselves to a great risk of injury, and a certainty of high stress. Many go into shock. Some don’t come out. Whatever the argument is for keeping things “sporting” between you and the fish, you can bet it hasn’t accounted for this. Fishing might be a sport to you, but nature is playing for keeps. You should use the equipment necessary to safely get that fish into the boat as quickly as possible with the minimum amount of stress for your competition.

There’s absolutely no sport in deliberately choosing tackle that’s more likely to send an animal to an early grave, or at least to leave a rusting hook and snapped line in its mouth as a painful memento. While fishing is a great sport, always remember that it’s pitting you and against you, first and foremost. The fish are just one of the elements you encounter.

Final Words: A Study on Whether or Not Fishing is a Sport

I get it. I’m some random blogger on the internet. If you don’t want to believe me that fishing is a sport, consider this 2012 study in the U.K. that found that not only is fishing a sport, but it offers some unique features that set it up as a better sport for many. This report had some interesting observations:

Since the sport of fishing can take place over one’s entire lifetime, it is great for active aging.
Given that physical activity is required, but can be measured (some fishing is harder on the body than others), there’s a niche in this sport for everyone.
Angling’s physical activity is more sustained than other sports. Sure, sports like hockey require intense bursts of energy, but you might be out fishing all day.

It’s really quite an interesting study. Definitely click on the link and check it out when you have some time. It makes a compelling, data-driven case for why fishing is a sport.

I hope you found this article helpful. If you find your kids or spouse are spending much of their time fishing, smile. They’re participating in a great sport that will hone their abilities, give them some exercise, and could potentially pay for their college one day.

Thanks for reading!

John Paxton

How to Distinguish Circle Hooks vs. J Hooks

As anglers have become more aware of methods such as catch and release and selective harvest, there has been an increased interest in circle hooks that promise to reduce unintended fish mortality, as they’re safer for fish than traditional J hooks. However, many anglers who think they’re using a circle hook are actually using an octopus hook as they look quite similar. Further complicating things, some manufacturers market an “octopus circle hook.” How can you tell if you’re using a circle hook vs. a j hook, or even an octopus hook?

It’s not as complicated as it seems to distinguish circle hooks vs. j hooks. A circle hook’s point bends inwards. Its point is meant to grab a fish by the corner of the mouth when it is reeled in. Unlike a circle hook, the point of a traditional, or j hook, points straight up. It is meant to jab into a fish’s mouth with the force of the bite, or a solid hookset. An octopus hook can either be a circle hook or traditional depending on how the point is aligned, but all octopus hooks have an eye that is offset from the shank. Most octopus hooks have a point that bends slightly inward, but it isn’t as pronounced as a circle hook.

Circle Hook vs. J Hook

Perhaps a better way of explaining the difference between a circle hook and a traditional hook is to think of them like the letters G and J. The point of a circle hook bends inward like the bottom of a G. A traditional hook, in contrast, looks much like a J. Its point sticks straight up towards the sky.

photo showing a circle hook vs. a j hook. Note the hook point of the circle hook bends inward while the j hook's point goes straight up. — *Circle hooks (Left) have a point that bends inward like a G as opposed to J hooks (right) where the hook points straight up.*

J hooks are by far what most people start with. They’re featured on multiple lures like jigs and spinnerbaits and there’s nothing wrong with them – they’re quite effective. However, if you’re fishing live bait and you go to set the hook, you could impale the fish quite deep in its stomach. This could potentially kill it. Thus, J style hooks have fallen out of favor when fishing live bait. Even if you plan on keeping the fish anyway, you never know what species will bite. You might want to spare a certain fish’s life that bites your hook. Circle hooks will help you do that.

Circle Hook vs. Octopus Hook

People commonly misidentify octopus hooks as circle hooks. The two look similar as both hooks’ points bend inward slightly, but an octopus hook point’s bend is much less pronounced. Additionally, the eye of an octopus hook bends outward. This allows the hook to be snelled more easily, as the line can go straight down the shaft of the hook.

Why Use Circle Hooks for Fishing?

If you’re going to be fishing with live bait and intend to throw any fish you catch back, you should consider using circle hooks vs an octopus hook or j hook. A circle hook’s unique design limits the chance that you will gut hook a fish. This enhances their survivability. The reason this is so is how the hook is designed. While a J hook is going to jab straight into a fish’s flesh, if you try and set the hook with a circle hook, all you’re going to do is pull the hook away from the fish.

How To Set a Circle Hook

Fishing with a circle hook can be extremely unintuitive as you don’t set the hook. If you snap your rod back the second you feel a fish on a circle hook, all you’re going to do is pull the hook away. What you want to do instead is reel in. The idea is if you reel in your hook and the fish turns its head from you, when the hook reaches the very corner of the fish’s mouth, it’ll catch on its own, almost like its a grappling hook catching on the edge of a building.

This is ideal for a few reasons. One, the fish is hooked in a place that is unlikely to be mortal. Secondly, the fish is hooked in what is usually a pretty solid part of its mouth which should allow you to reel it in.

Circle Hooks and Catfish: The Perfect Match

If you’re after giant catfish, circle hooks are ideal. For one, these monstrous fish have no trouble inhaling bait in their gaping maw. If you don’t use a circle hook when fishing for catfish, there’s a great chance you’ll gut hook them. Secondly, certain catfish bait like chicken liver is easier to keep on a circle hook than a j hook.

Once catfish get too big they stop being that tasty, in my opinion, and start being better trophies. Few taxidermists will mount them and you’re better off with artificial fish mounts. Given this, you really want to make sure the big cats survive. When fishing with live or cut bait please consider using a circle hook to enhance the fishery for generations to come.

Are You Legally Required to Use Circle Hooks?

In some states, it is the law to use circle hooks when fishing live bait. When I was researching if treble hooks are illegal in the different states, I often found that certain states require circle hooks when fishing live bait for certain species the state is trying to protect. For the most part, you see these laws when you’re talking about going after stripers, but they can also apply to other fish.

As of writing, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Maryland, Mississippi, New York, and Pennsylvania all have laws on the books that prohibit the use of certain hooks when fishing with live bait. Most prefer (or require) the use of circle hooks instead. Further, there is a federal regulation, 50 CFR 635.21(f) to contend with. This prohibits the use of any hook that isn’t a circle hook in billfish tournaments and while recreationally fishing for sharks.

Any time I’m looking to buy some fishing hooks, I’m usually focusing on three brands: Mustad, Gamakatsu, and Trokar. My recommendation would be to buy whatever they have in your local tackle shop and support a small business. All three of these brands are great and won’t let you down. The shopkeeper will be happy to help you get the right size of hook for the type of fish you’re going for. If you don’t have a tackle shop near you, all of these brands are also available on Amazon. Here are a few links to each so you can check them out.

Eagle Claw TK619 2/0 Trokar circle hook – this larger size is going to make this a good circle hook for fishing catfish or other large species. You need a larger hook to hold onto a good-sized piece of chicken liver or other cut bait.
Gamakatsu Octopus Circle hook – these are great if you want to rig them snelled as the octopus style allows for that. Several sizes are offered via a drop down (use a smaller size for smaller fish).
Mustad Ultrapoint Demon Wide-Gap Circle Hooks – these are available in a wide variety of sizes that allow for targeting any species you can dream of.

Conclusions

While circle hooks do take some getting used to since you don’t set the hook as normal, they are far better for any fish you intend to release unharmed. Gut hooking fish is never a pretty business. You’re often faced with two dismal choices: either cut the line (and leave the hook in) or try and retrieve it (and potentially kill the fish). Instead, consider using a circle hook vs. a j hook and avoid this situation altogether. You’ll catch just as many fish while mortally wounding far fewer. It’s better for you, better for the fish, and better for the next angler. It’s a win, win, win.

Thanks for reading,

John Paxton

The Best Fishing Books I’ve Ever Read

I’ve been a student of the sport of fishing for as long as I could read. I’ve often discussed how some of my earliest memories are poring over a book about Northern Pike and being enchanted by tales of the water wolf. My thirst for knowledge led me to acquire more and more texts throughout my life as I searched far and wide for the best fishing books on everything from largemouth bass to fly fishing. So inspired, I eventually wrote a few fishing books of my own.

Unfortunately, some of the best fishing books ever are no longer in print and can only be found on eBay, but there are several other great works available on Amazon and other retailers. Here is a list of my favorite fishing books of all time. Where possible, I’ll give you a link for purchase. Where not, I’ll at least describe it as best as possible so you can find it second hand some day yourself.

Note that while most of the “best of” posts out there basically try and spam you with every book ever written in a hope of making a sale, I really want to keep this list authentic and talk about the books that have truly inspired me, or I found useful for some reason. I have no idea if this will make it next to impossible to find this article on search, but at least if you do, it’ll be useful.

A Disclosure Up Front

Just so you know (and it is posted all over the place) I am an Amazon affiliate, and any links to Amazon on his page will grant me a small commission at no cost to you if you make a purchase. However, as of writing (4/24/2021), I’m not an affiliate for anyone else. So if I send you to some other website because that’s the only place I could find the book, it’s because I really want you to have it – not because I’m making any commission on it. Take that for what you will. I’m hoping that we’re planting a little “Trust Tree” here, but we’ll see if you agree!

The Fishing Books That Inspired Me

First things first, let’s talk about those fishing books that really inspired me as a kid: In-Fisherman’s Handbook series. I believe at the time it was called “The In-Fisherman Masterpiece Series” and was a boxed set of five. First printed in 1983, Dad had this set up at the lake and I would spend evening after evening staring at the book on pike in particular. While there are also books on laregemouth bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, crappie, (and later catfish), it was their book on northern pike that truly fascinated me.

It was this series of books that first taught me concepts like the different types of lakes (eutrophic, mesotrophic, oligotrophic) and where to find fish in each. It also had several cut away illustrations showing where to find fish on points and at different times of the year. They teach the different times of year from a fish’s perspective (e.g. pre-spawn, post-spawn, the summer peak, etc.) as well as how to identify these using water temperature and other clues. They discuss the likely moods of fish and how to trigger them at these times.

I’ve seen it said that these books are too technical. I’ll grant they’re technical, but I don’t know that the “too” applies. Again, I was able to follow along well enough when I was 6-10. I will say this, these are basically textbooks. They have some illustrations (mostly helpful maps) and some black and white photos, but by and large, they’re simply filled with information.

I’m the kind of guy who enjoys a thoroughly-researched tome and who isn’t afraid to dig through scientific journals from the 1940s to get information, as seen from my article on fishing for chain pickerel. I appreciate how the In-Fisherman publications always strive to bring science into their works.

Where to Find These Books?

According to the copy I have in my office, these books have been reprinted at least 17 times. There are quite a few out there! If you’re interested in checking out the book that I credit with basically inspiring me to grow up and write about fishing, click the picture below to go to Amazon and check best price.

While I liked their book on pike the best (mostly because of my uncle’s trophy hanging on the wall), they did write a series of books on other fish. Here are some links to where you can find them. Note that these are older books, so while a few are new for a reasonable price, you might want to consider getting a gently used one on some of the others. In any event, check Amazon for the best price as it can fluctuate.

Other Advanced Fishing Books

We might as well roll right through with some other fishing books that I would consider “advanced.” What I mean by that is that these are highly technical books, not necessarily for the beginner, and probably not the best “bathroom reader” that you can pick up and digest a piece at a time. Nonetheless, if you are truly a student of this sport, these books are extremely helpful.

The Critical Concepts Fishing Book Series

Once again, we see In-Fisherman at the forefront. This time with their Critical Concepts series. These are much like the Fishing Masterpiece Series discussed above, but expanded considerably. I personally own their largemouth bass series but at some point will probably pick up their book series on walleye as well as crappie.

What I enjoy about these books is they break things down book by book so they can explore it in more detail than they did in the Fishing Masterpiece Series. Also some (though not all) of the books have color illustrations which is helpful especially when you’re discussing fishing lures, where variations in color can make a difference.

I wore the spine on these books out very quickly and learned a ton reading them. Once again, science is put to the forefront. For example, there’s an entire chapter in the largemouth bass series about tracking the species. Several graphs and considerable data is produced citing legitimate scientific studies. The insight from these is incredible and will help you be a better fisherman.

If you click the links in the first paragraph, you’ll be taken to the first book in each of these series. Note that there are several books in each series (I believe 3 for bass, 4 for walleye, and 2 for crappie). Make sure you check them all out. The second book in each series is about location, and this alone could save your fishing days or even pay for itself in terms of tournament wins or meals brought home.

In-Fisherman Critical Concepts Largemouth Bass - a series of some of the best fishing books I've ever read. — *This series is worth every penny to any bass angler.*

High Percentage Fishing

Josh Alwine spent considerable time and effort bringing a true masterpiece into this world with High Percentage Fishing: A Statistical Approach to Improving Catch Rates. What he basically did is look at several prior works of big bass theory, specifically works by Doug Hannon, John Hope, and Bill Murphy (huge names in the industry). Alwine noticed that they disagreed with each other significantly, and tried to explain why.

To do so, he compiled a data set of 40,000 individual catches and started to piece together what it all meant. He cross referenced this data with historic weather data showing where these fish were caught – a truly monumental undertaking. By doing all of this work (he calls it “Piscemetrics”) he was able to draw some important conclusions about how, when, and where you can catch more and bigger fish.

You just don’t get this approach in most books and I appreciate the few that go to these levels. If Mr. Alwine had a blog, you can bet that this would be “epic shareable content” for sure. This amount of effort is incredible and we’re all very fortunate that this was written. As you can see from the photo below, mine is a well-used copy! Really, if science doesn’t scare you and you have an appreciation for what data can do, go pick this book up in the link above.

high percentage fishing is one of the more important books about fishing written recently. — *This is one of the more important books on fishing written in a long time. All the more interesting, it is self-published. A true gem!*

Easier Reading Fishing Books for Beginners

Not all fishing books are hard to read. Here’s a list of books that are much more digestible for the novice. They read much more like a conversation than a scientific journal, and the advice is excellent. There are plenty of books that fit this bill but a few that I think are important that you should start with are written by two of the masters: Kevin Van Dam and the late Homer Circle.

Kevin Van Dam’s Bass Strategies

It’s hard not to have a title written by the best bass fisherman of all time on this list. This book was first published when I was eleven years old and I found it a few years later. It was easy to read and conversational but importantly it broke down the basic concepts of fishing that you need to know. Cover vs. structure, forage, and the whole mystique of lures. My copy is the 1995 edition, but Kevin Van Dam’s Bass Strategies was updated in 2010 with more techniques and tips.

You’re not going to find (at least in the ’95 version) tons of data or graphs or scientific discussion. Instead you’re going to find practical advice about what works, and–importantly–little tweaks that you can make in your presentation that are going to go a long way. The book is structured almost like a blog post – lots of headings and subheadings to break up the text. This means you can pick it up and explore it in bits and pieces.

Kevin Van Dam's Bass Strategies. — *You can’t argue with perfection. KVD might as well be the Wayne Gretzky of bass fishing. This book is gold.*

Bass Wisdom by Homer Circle

The late Homer Circle was a legend in the bass fishing community. Active for decades and a partner in crime with Glen Lau and the Bigmouth production, Homer Circle also was a routine contributor to Bassmaster Magazine. To say that he knew how to fish would be the greatest understatement on this blog. Bass Wisdom is another great fishing book that everyone should read. Luckily, it’s an easy enough read that everyone can.

There’s 32 chapters in the book which seems like a lot, but many are just a few pages long. They concentrate on different topics such as what sounds and colors make bass bite, and how to land them. Most of the questions that beginners would have about fishing are answered in this book. Again, it’s one of those books that you can pick up, quickly find what you need, and read a few pages before your fishing trip.

homer circle's bass wisdom is a great fishing book for beginners. — *This is an good beginner’s fishing book yet written by a true master.*

Various Fishing Book Series

There’s a whole world of great fishing books that you might not be aware of. Several different fishing clubs have printed a series of books over the years only available to their members. Three that I’ve found while scouring e-Bay for “fishing book lot” were published by B.A.S.S., The Hunting & Fishing Library, and North American Fishing Club.

If you search for any of these names, you’ll be taken to various websites that have some. I hesitate to provide a link because who knows if it will still be valid when you go to it (it’s hard to say with used books).

All I will tell you is that if you can find a bundle of these offered on eBay, you should buy them. They’re full color, very high detail, and for the most part easy reads. While there are plenty of concepts offered, pains are taken to make them accessible to all. You can pick them up and read a section here and there just fine.

*Unfortunately, most of these must be found on eBay or in used book stores. Some I was fortunate enough to find at GoodWill!*

My Fishing Book

I suppose I’ll leave it to others to say whether or not this is a “best” fishing book or not, but I did write one of my own. Fishing With Kids: A Parent’s Guide is designed to help parents take their kids out fishing. If you’ve never gone fishing on your own, this will walk you through how to do it. I talk about the gear you need, what techniques to use, and what fish to target. If you’re a fan of this blog and the way it’s written, I think you’ll enjoy it.

The Best Fishing Books for Kids

I’m more or less of the opinion that kids can handle any of the books I’ve already described. I know I had no issues reading any of them when I was little. I will admit, however, that kids tend to like books with a lot of pictures. Not all of the above have those.

One book that I’ve caught my five-year-old looking at frequently is out of print. It’s The Complete Freshwater Fisherman by Ten Pound Books. Published in 2006, it is filled to the top with interesting photographs and tips. It absolutely walks a child or other beginning angler through everything they’d need to know about fishing. You’ll learn to cast, hook, fight, and land fish.

It may interest you to hear that I’ve been working with a publisher to write a book on fishing for kids of my own. It’s due out towards the end of the summer and I’ll update this post when it arrives. If you’re interested in a free advanced copy, send me an email!

Note the above are just instructional fishing books for kids. If you’re interested in bedtime fishing stories for children, I did write another post about fishing books for kids where I went into some of my son and daughter’s favorites.

Conclusions

This was a fun post to write. It was great looking back and thumbing through all these books. It made me remember how fascinating it was the first time I read them. Whether you’re just getting into the sport or want to improve, I truly believe these books will help you. I know I didn’t list every book known to man, but these are the ones I think are actually worth reading. I hope you found it helpful.

Can I let my guard down and be open for a minute? I have to tell you, I don’t know if this article is going to gain traction. There’s this whole concept of “SEO” or “Search Engine Optimization” where people try to load up their posts with as many keywords and products as they can. This is why you see so many of these “best of” lists that basically have 30 things to choose from. I’m of the mind that you come to a “best of” post because you want to know just that! 17 of 30 seems rather ordinary to me!

Anyway, I decided to try and give you what you really wanted in this post. Did I succeed? Please let me know in the comments, or send me an email. I’m curious if you’d appreciate more posts with this structure in the future and feel they add value. You can also sound off on fishingfather’s Facebook page and tell me there. I’d appreciate the feedback!

Thanks,

John Paxton

Minn Kota Terrova, Ulterra & Ultrex – Boat Control Made Easy

I love my Dad. Let’s not make any mistake about that. All the same, Dad used to terrify me when we were out fishing on a windy day. He had this tiny little lightweight aluminum fishing boat that would just get tossed around every which way on Lake Champlain. He did his best to maintain boat control with an ancient trolling motor that was rarely responsive to his pedal presses or, as it turned out, voluminous swears and grunts. Every time the drift would get messed up, the entire Vermont shoreline would know about it.

Boat control stresses the best of us out. Or, at least it used to until Minn Kota rolled out their Terrova trolling motors. Now, anglers everywhere have an easy button to press. There’s the spot lock function that works as well as any anchor. You also have an autopilot option to keep your drift straight and true. Finally, the darned thing can learn and talk to your fish finder, if properly equipped. Yes, the Minn Kota Terrova is like a gift from the heavens to us all. If you don’t have one on your boat, you’re missing out!

I never thought it could get any better, but then Minn Kota upped the ante. They introduced two new trolling motors to follow up on the Terrova: the Ulterra and the Ultrex. When my trolling motor finally shuttles off its mortal coil, which trolling motor should I buy, and why? Read on to see my thought process.

Why I love My Minn Kota Terrova

As you might have guessed from a website called “fishingfather,” I spend a lot of time taking my children out on the boat with me. They’re still young (5 and 2) and require a lot of attention. There are tangles to be sorted, fish to unhook, and worms to spear left and right. I simply don’t have time to worry about whether my boat is about to be pushed into a rocky shoreline, but that’s not something to neglect! With the Minn Kota Terrova, all I have to do is press the “spotlock” button on my remote and the trolling motor will keep us safe while I deal with the latest challenge of fishing with kids. Additionally, the auto pilot function makes working a bank seamless. It’s safe to say that this trolling motor is a big part of the reason my Lund Impact has been such an awesome boat for me.

Spot-Lock + Dropshot = Amazing

One of my favorite techniques is the drop shot. It’s perfect for catching bluegills with kids and also puts monster smallies in the boat for the parents. It gets even better on a windy day or in current where you can position the boat into the flow, hold it there, and let the waves give your bait that oh-so-subtle action. Could I do this with an anchor? Sure, if I wanted to keep pulling it up and guessing where I’d wind up. With the Spot-Lock feature on my Terrova, I hit a button and I’m there.

Auto Pilot

The second feature that I’m always using on my Terrova is the auto pilot function. What this does is help you stay on a constant heading by using GPS to keep your course straight and true. It is very handy on windy days where you’re trying to work your way down a shoreline. All I do is get the trolling motor facing the way I want it to go, and then press this button. The boat takes care of the rest.

There’s are several other autopilot functions. For example, you can “record” a track and then have the motor remember it and follow it in the future. I suppose if you wanted to work your way around a deep underwater hump slowly jigging, this would be ideal. I’ve never had much use for it as the places I fish tend to be pretty linear, which means that the pure auto pilot is all I need, but I suppose guys fishing southern reservoirs that have a ton of structure would really appreciate this.

For the technologically inclined, you can also link your Terrova up with your Humminbird fish finders and have the auto pilot follow different contour lines of the lake. It’s the same concept as above but there’s no need to record the track. I’m not set up for this sophisticated use, but the guys who are tend to swear by it.

The Little Bunny That Could

I find the little rabbit button on the remote to be extremely useful. Pressing it automatically puts the trolling motor to full blast. This is important in situations where perhaps you didn’t notice an obstruction until the last second, but need emergency power to get away. It’s also handy if you’re trying to give yourself some distance from the bank before you pull up your trolling motor on a windy day to take off with the outboard.

Minn Kota Terrova vs. Ulterra vs. Ultrex

A few years ago, Minn Kota decided to complicate fishermen’s lives everywhere by coming out with even more great products when they unveiled the Ulterra and Ultrex trolling motors. Ever since they did, I’ve had to sit here and imagine what I’d decide to do when it was time to replace my Terrova. Would I go with the tried and true and buy a second one, or would I try one of these other trolling motors out? Here’s my thought process on these three different trolling motors, and why I’d ultimately stick with the Terrova.

Minn Kota Terrova vs. Ulterra

When Minn Kota first unveiled the Ultrex, I was amazed. It has two things going for it that is significantly different than the Terrova:

The Ultrex will automatically deploy and stow away while the Terrova will not.
The Ultrex can automatically raise and lower to accomodate different water depths. You need to manually adjust the Terrova.

The Benefits of Automatic Stowing

You could be forgiven for thinking that #1 is a little gimicky, but it does have its place. Have you ever fished along a rocky, windswept shoreline and wanted to take off for a different honeyhole? With most trolling motors, you need to stay up front and bring your boat out far enough from shore that you can stow the trolling motor, run back to your seat, snap in your kill switch, and take off. If it’s very windy, this can get dicey, especially if you’re fishing a river, or other narrow water body where you can’t go that far out from shore.

The Ulterra solves this problem. Now, you can fire up your main motor while simultaneously using the remote to raise and stow the trolling motor, all from the comfort of you seat, and with your kill switch attached. That’s a good deal.

As an added plus, you can also pull of cool stunts like this commercial. Which, let’s face it, is the best reason to buy one of these.

Why Auto Trim Would Be Wonderful

The main reason I would seriously consider moving up to an Ulterra is the auto trim. Have you ever fished in an area you weren’t that familiar with and suddenly saw a sandbar or obstruction in front of you? Maybe you wanted to get that walleye boat into a little skinnier water? If so, you know what a pain it is to drop everything you’re doing, get on your hands and knees and start manually adjusting your trolling motor trim. Being able to do this swiftly at the press of a button is something I’d be all about.

Minn Kota Terrova vs. Ultrex

The Minn Kota Ultrex is the company’s answer to the bass boat guys who want a cable steering trolling motor but don’t want to give up on all the great GPS features of the Terrova and Ulterra. While the Terrova and Ulterra are electronically steered (and thus probably not quite as precise with the foot pedal), the cable steering allows for ultimate control. Let’s face it, it’s also probably a comfort level thing. I grew up with terrible trolling motors so I thought that the Terrova was a gift from God. If you’ve spent your past several years using a solid cable trolling motor on your bass boat, the Terrova might feel like plastic junk. The Ultrex solves that issue.

The Ultrex also comes with mega imaging built right into it. This is a transducer that syncs with Humminbird and has both side and down imaging. This way, you don’t need to trouble yourself with installing a transducer manually (which is a couple hour chore if you don’t do it often) and can just go.

Ultrex is absolutely the choice for bass boats and any professional bass fisherman out there is going to be running one of these models as opposed to the Ulterra or Terrova.

Which Would I Choose and Why?

It’s really hard for me to choose between the Minn Kota Terrova vs. the Ulterra. I struggle between the two because the ulterra has some extra features that I’d appreciate, but also has an added price, weight, and more things to go wrong. I could see it malfunctioning at some point and causing big issues. A Terrova isn’t going to suddenly develop an electrical gremlin and deploy on its own. While I’m confident Minn Kota has produced a quality product and I’m just being paranoid, I’m also prone to making a fishing blooper or two, and just know that I’d be “that guy” who has the issue.

The Terrova is also the devil I know. It’s served me well for about a decade on two boats and never left me wanting. While the automatic trim would be a great addition, how often would I really use it? I just don’t know that i can justify the extra cost or weight of the Ulterra, so the Terrova is for me.

I don’t have a bass boat, nor do I particularly care if I have cable steering, so the Ultrex isn’t on my radar. I’m not so certain I’d ever want a bass boat, either. I’m pretty well sold on the multispecies boat being the better option for me, so I don’t think the Ultrex will ever be in the cards.

Hopefully this helps you decide which trolling motor is right for you. Thanks for reading!

John Paxton

Can You Use a Saltwater Rod and Reel in Freshwater or Not?

Depending where you live, the old fishing tackle you have lying around your garage or inherited from your Grandpa might be saltwater fishing gear. If you’re wondering if you can use a saltwater rod or reel in freshwater, the answer is yes. Freshwater won’t hurt your saltwater fishing rods and reels. Unfortunately, the opposite is not true. Saltwater can devastate freshwater rods and reels if you don’t quickly clean them thoroughly after use.

Let’s discuss what the difference is between fresh and saltwater fishing gear and why the fishing rod and reel that works fine in the ocean will also work well in a freshwater farm pond (but not vice versa).

Freshwater vs. Saltwater Fishing Differences

There are several differences when it comes to freshwater vs. saltwater fishing that you should be aware of when considering if you should mix and match gear. Some are obvious (like the fact that saltwater has, well, salt). Others aren’t nearly as obvious (such as that many saltwater fish have never seen a lure in their life, and aren’t as line shy).

When most people ask if they can use freshwater rods, reels, or lures in saltwater, they’re primarily concerned that the saltwater is going to corrode and damage the metal parts on their gear. While this is a real concern, it’s not the only one. Most freshwater fishing gear and lures is like child’s play to an average saltwater fish. Bear in mind that many “small” saltwater fish are bigger than keeper largemouth bass. Once you get to “normal” or “average” sized ocean fish, your freshwater fishing gear might not be able to handle the saltwater species.

Further, you’ll note that many saltwater fishing reels (and especially saltwater spinning reels) are gigantic compared to their freshwater cousins. This is because the greater depths and larger fish in the ocean necessitate the use of more line of heavier pound test.

All of this is going to factor into why fishing gear is specifically made for an ocean, or a lake, and why most people would recommend you not mix and match.

Can You Use a Saltwater Rod in Freshwater

There’s no reason you can’t use a saltwater rod in freshwater. It’s not as though you need to put away your ocean fishing rods when you start chasing striped bass up a river. Freshwater will have absolutely no ill effects on saltwater rods or reels. The only issue is that that saltwater rod will probably feel like a pool cue when matched up against smaller freshwater fish.

Let’s take a look at my old favorite rod manufacturer, St. Croix Rods. Here’s a difference between a Mojo Bass Spinning Rod, a Mojo Inshore Spinning Rod, and a Mojo Salt Spinning Rod:

Model	Length	Power	Action	Pieces	Line Weight (LB.)	Rod Weight (OZ.)
Mojo Bass Spinning Rod	7’1	M	F	1	6-12	4.1
Mojo Inshore Spinning Rod	7′	M	F	1	8-17	4.7
Mojo Salt Spinning Rod	7′	M	F	1	15-30	*11.8*

The difference in weight between three comparable freshwater, inshore, and saltwater fishing rods.

As you can see, while there isn’t that much difference between the freshwater fishing rod and inshore fishing rod, the ocean fishing rod is nearly THREE TIMES as heavy as the Mojo Bass. That’s incredible!

Can You Use a Freshwater Rod in Saltwater

If in a pinch, you could use a freshwater fishing rod in the ocean, but I’d rush home and rinse it thoroughly as soon as I was done fishing, making sure I got into every last little crevice in the reel seat, and paying special attention to the line guides. Any spec of salt that you miss has the potential of cutting that rod’s lifetime down to a fraction.

Saltwater fishing rods are engineered to handle spray from the surf and all the corrosive effects of the ocean. They’re often coated with special material to protect the rod from damage. Likewise, the line guides are made from types of material that can handle saltwater. There’s no guarantee that a freshwater rod would have these elements as there’s no incentive for manufacturers to add them at cost for no gain.

There’s also the risk of running into a bigger fish than your rod can handle. The ocean is a big place, and there’s no shortage of videos of people wrestling in giant fish right from a pier. Bringing a freshwater rod out into the ocean can be like bringing a knife to a gun fight.

Can You Use a Freshwater Reel in Saltwater?

The biggest issue with trying to use a freshwater fishing rod in saltwater is that you’ve probably got a freshwater reel attached to it.

As with the rods comparison earlier, saltwater spinning reels are going to weigh more than freshwater spinning reels on average. This time, I looked at two manufacturers. Specifically, Penn and Pflueger. I chose the Penn Pursuit III Spinning reel and compared it against the Pflueger President. I chose these two rods because they both come in size 3000, and are priced comparably. Here’s what I found:

Saltwater vs. Freshwater Spinning Reel Weight Comparison

Model	Max Drag	Line Capacity (Mono)	Reel Weight
Pflueger President (PRESSP30X)	10lb	255/4 145/6 130/8	8.8 oz
Penn Pursuit III (PURIII3000)	12lb	200/8 165/10 120/12	11.8 oz

A saltwater reel is going to weigh more and require heavier line than its comparable freshwater model.

While there’s nothing stopping you from bringing a saltwater reel over to your local farm pond, you’re going to be lugging around extra ounces and forced to use heavier line than is likely ideal.

Price Considerations

Another factor is that saltwater fishing reels tend to be more expensive. While this isn’t an absolute, a good saltwater fishing reel can run more than $100 while you can get plenty of outstanding freshwater reels for far less than that. Just check out my article on whether or not expensive fishing reels are worth it for plenty of examples of great reels that don’t have a huge price tag.

All the same, even though saltwater reels cost more, if you intend to routinely fish in the ocean, you need to pony up the extra cash. What good is it buying a reel that’s half as expensive if it breaks down and needs to be replaced in half the time? You might as well just get the proper gear in the first place.

Can You Use Freshwater Lures in Saltwater?

Another question you may have relates to saltwater vs. freshwater fishing gear, and specifically, if you can use freshwater lures in saltwater. To answer that question, let’s look at what happened to a box of my fishing lures after I forgot to dry freshwater off of them.

*This is a jumbled mess but you can see what freshwater will do to hooks much less ocean spray.*

See all that rust? Yeah, freshwater fishing lures are terrible at resisting it. If you add in some salt spray, you can just forget it. Sure, fish might bite rusty hooks, but it’s never something to aim for!

Once again, the elements aren’t the only thing you need to consider. You’ll also be going after bigger fish. Consider for a moment what a good sized bass will do to a Rapala Shadow Rap’s hooks. Now, imagine that same lure in a bluefish’s mouth. I’d be surprised if you got half your lure back!

Saltwater fishing gear is made to stand up to the elements and larger fish. Using freshwater stuff in the surf is basically throwing it away. On the other hand, saltwater lures would work fine in freshwater. They just might catch bigger fish as they’ll tend to be up a size.

If you Could Only Buy One, Which Would It Be?

I suppose if you only had the funds for one combo, and liked fishing in freshwater and the ocean, you’d have to give saltwater gear the nod. For all the drawbacks of heavier weight and the need for greater line size, at least you know that the elements won’t destroy your fishing gear. While it’s not ideal, at least you can bring saltwater rods and reels into freshwater without needing to give them a cold shower afterward. I’d still try and buy a combo that is reasonably light enough where reeling in a northern pike didn’t feel like a minnow, but that’s just me.

I hope this article was helpful and saved you some headaches or broken gear. Have you found fishing gear that works well in both fresh and saltwater? Sound off in the comments below, or join my Facebook Group and tell me all about it!

Have a great day for fishing,

John Paxton

Why Do People Fish? Are They Just Gluttons for Punishment?

It was a blustery cold day today, the sort that must make onlookers wonder, why do people fish? Yet there I was, braving the howling wind and trying (unsuccessfully, mind you) to tempt a bite. If you’ve seen an angler out there having their face chaffed by the wind, or clothes soaked by the rain, fishing can’t seem like that much fun. Yet millions of people love fishing, and perhaps you would too. Let’s explore some reasons why.

To Stand Up to Nature

You remember that scene from Forrest Gump where Lt. Dan has tied himself to the ship’s mast and is screaming at the hurricane? Every time I go out in a deluge, or when it’s really cold and windy, I think of that. While I try not to be quite as maniacal (I wouldn’t want to scare any onlookers), I definitely draw strength from that scene to get me through the day. There’s just something about staying out fishing when you should be warm at home, writing a blog post, that just does it for me.

Ever wonder why people fish in the rain? Because the fish bite! That's why! — *A little rain never hurt anyone.*

To Learn Life Skills

A major reason why people fish is to learn life skills. While we all hope we’ll never have to deal with a zombie apocalypse, 2020 was pretty close. Fishing is a good life skill to know as it can help you survive lean times. Even if you didn’t need to eat the fish you caught, the other skills you learn in fishing are very useful. For example, a Double Uni Knot is extremely handy whenever you need to join two sets of rope together.

To Relax

Many people fish to try and relax. Those who are going for this are probably avoiding the windy, rainy days however. There’s certainly a cathartic effect to fishing. I’m able to lose myself for long hours just walking around a pond or drifting through a bay making casts. Indeed, by about March (the start of open water season in much of the Northeast) I’m practically insane and need my fishing fix.

To Bond With Friends

One reason people like to fish is to bond with their friends. Fishing is a great thing to do while you’re having a conversation or a beer. Two heads are also often better than one, and having multiple people casting can help you quickly decide what is working (and not).

People Love to Go Fishing for the Views

There are only three views I loved more than the sunrises and sunsets I’ve seen while fishing: my wife on our wedding day, and the first time I saw each of our children. While fishing is never going to contend with either of those, I have seen my share of glorious views out on the water. Here are a few of my favorites.

Because Fishing is for Everyone

Fishing is one of the few sports on earth that anyone, and I mean anyone can play. No matter how short, tall, wide, thin, smart, silly, rich or poor you are, you can catch a fish. Not only that, but you could catch fish professionally without needing to be an athlete in peek physical condition. Fishing is extremely accessible and fun for all. Fish could care less who you are, much less who your father was.

People Fish to Provide Meat for the Table

The prime reason why many people fish is simply to provide meat for the table. Fish are delicious and nutritious and not at all cheap at the grocery store. You will never taste fish as good as one that was wild-raised and freshly caught that day. Nor will you find one that is less expensive. Fishing is a great hobby for those that want a little extra meat in their diet without spending extra coin.

People Enjoy Fishing Because Fishing is Hard

Not to overdo it with the movie references, but there’s a great scene in A League of Their Own where Tom Hanks’ character says, “It’s supposed to be hard. If it wasn’t hard, everyone would do it. The hard is what makes it great.” This quote fits fishing well. Yeah, it’s fun and all to have an easy day where the fish are just biting, but there’s something incredibly rewarding to manage one big bite when all other fish have turned up their noses. It means you stood up to something, and saw it through.

Fishing is an Exciting Adventure to Share with Children

Perhaps I’m biased given this whole blog started as a way for me to talk about fishing with my kids, but one of the main reasons why people fish is to share a great day with their children. There’s nothing like the smile on a small child’s eyes as they proudly look at the fish they caught. It’s a beautiful sight each parent should get to see at least once, and this article I wrote will help you see it! You also might want to pick up this handy book on the topic:

To Get Cool Pictures for Dating Apps

OK, so this is a little tongue in cheek, but I’ve heard plenty of ladies wonder why so many men have pictures of a fish with them on dating apps. There is no shortage of women wondering about this. Though, in fairness, if you’re a fisherman, how many pictures of you do you have without a fish? I’ll bet it’s as simple as them thinking it’s a good photo (and darn it, if it has a fish in it, it’s a GREAT photo).

Because Fishing Makes the Perfect Date

On that note, my wife discovered how manly I was by my taking her on fishing dates. The way I was able to touch slimy fish and even be jabbed by their spines without flinching truly mesmerized her, I’m sure. In seriousness, fishing is a unique way to take that someone special out.

Need some tips for that next fishing date of yours? Read this article chock full ways to land the catch of your life!

When two people like fishing and each other, it makes sense for there to be a fishing wedding photo. — *This whole thing started because two people liked to fish.*

For the Thrill of It All

Fishing is FUN, period. There is something uniquely thrilling about having a pike smash your spinnerbait as you burn it over some sunken weeds. Likewise, the immense weight you feel when you start to twitch a jerkbait and find it has company is something you won’t soon forget. As for topwaters? Do they need any explanation? If those won’t get your heart racing then nothing will!

As for the Main Reason Why People Fish? Well…

I love fishing because it is the one pristine moment left to me in this chaotic world. I imagine I’m not alone. In a life where we’re always racing from one task to another, and grinding each day to make ends meet, fishing is the one time I can just be at peace. There’s no boss to deal with, no clients to appease, and no deadlines looming over me. There’s nothing to do, no real agenda, and just time to breath in deeply and enjoy life.

Just a few weeks ago I was nearly at my wits end. Fishing is the best therapy I’ve ever known. It sets me at ease and allows me to reenergize and refocus for the coming challenges — and they are always around the corner! I don’t know what I would do without fishing to help me brace myself for whatever lies ahead, so I thank God for creating the fishes of the water, and making them dumb enough to bite my lures.

Thanks for reading,

John Paxton

What Is High Sticking In Fishing?

When I was a little kid fishing with Dad, he used to tell me, “Keep your rod up high!” whenever I’d fight a fish. While this was pretty good advice for a kid (because otherwise, I’d probably point the rod tip straight at the fish and lose it), this is actually poor form for adults that can quickly break your fishing rod.

High sticking in fishing refers to raising the tip of the rod past 45 to 60 degrees when fighting a fish. This forces the rod to load up and bend much closer to the tip than it is designed to do. Since the tip of the rod is the most fragile part, high sticking your fishing rod can cause it to snap and break.

High sticking in fishing also occasionally refers to a technique used by fly fishermen where they raise their fly rods high in the air to minimize how much line touches the water. You’ll note that you’ll want to stop high sticking once a fish is on the hook, or you’re going to have the same issue with placing far too much pressure on the tip of your fly rod. This article focuses on the high sticking that can damage your fishing rod. Here’s another page you can visit if you’re interested in learning about how to present fishing flies with high sticking.

Drawbacks to High Sticking in Fishing

Very little good can come from high sticking in fishing. As mentioned, about the only benefit is it helps little kids remember to keep pressure on the fish and avoid allowing slack in the line. Then again, it’s extremely unlikely that children are going to hook the kind of fish who would snap a high sticked fishing pole, anyway. Here’s a few of the more likely outcomes.

Your Fishing Rod Will Snap

The most obvious issue with high sticking while fighting a fish is that your rod will snap. Most fishing rods aren’t designed to bend just at the tip. Instead they rely on the force of the fish being distributed across the entire blank evenly. If you fight a large enough fish and raise your rod tip too high, you invite catastrophe.

Consider this. If you had to catch something heavy, would rather use both hands, or one finger? It’s a very similar concept to high sticking. Keeping your rod at a bout a 45 to 60 degree angle will allow it to effectively absorb the fish’s shock and let your entire fishing rod work for you.

Your Fishing Line Might Break

If you’re lucky, your fishing line will break before your rod does when you’re high sticking. It’ll break for the same reason your rod might snap. Rather than having the entire length of the rod to work with and absorb pressure, your line will flex right at the tip. This is going to become all the more prevalent with the lighter the fishing line you use.

High Sticking Prevents the Fishing Rod From Tiring Fish Effectively

Every time your rod bends, it’s absorbing the fish’s energy and providing resistance. You want your entire rod providing this resistance so you can tire a fish effectively. High sticking your fishing pole during the fight is going to prevent it from working for you and against the fish. This in turn can lead to a longer time fighting the fish, where more things can go wrong.

The Fish Might Pull Off the Hook

If you raise your rod tip too high while fighting a fish, the rod can’t bend enough to absorb shock. That’s a big issue if you’re fishing with a lure that has thin treble hooks, like a crankbait. You really want your rod to flex and be forgiving when working with these lures because the thin metal can easily pull from a fish’s mouth. If you raise your rod tip up too high, it won’t flex enough and you might lose your fish.

High Sticking While Fighting Fish Makes Them More Likely to Jump

The last reason you don’t want to practice high sticking while fighting fish is that it makes them more likely to jump. When you raise your rod tip with a fish on the other end, you pull them closer to the surface. This can cause them to start jumping wildly to try and throw the hook. Fish have an excellent chance of breaking free when they jump, because the change in pressure can create some slack that allows a hook to fall out. The higher you keep your rod while fighting a fish, the greater the chance they’ll jump.

This is why you’ll see so many professional anglers get down low with their rod tips while fighting smallmouth and other large fish. That’s not to say that you don’t want to keep the pressure on the fish – they’ll have their rods set way back to maintain a good bend. It just means you want to avoid giving the fish any reason to jump and possibly ruin your day.

Conclusion: What’s Good Advice for Kids Isn’t Always Great for Adults

All in all, I think Dad’s advice to “keep your rod up high!” was good advice for me when I was a kid. For whatever reason, kids struggle with the concept of not pointing their rod tip right at the fish they’re trying to catch. Telling kids to use high sticking while fighting fish can help there, especially since kids also struggle with listening to that. If you tell a kid to keep their rod up high, they’re pretty likely to keep it at about the 45 to 60 degree angle you really are seeking.

With that being said, if you’re an adult, you don’t want to raise your rod tip too high. While you can “pump” a rod sometimes by bringing it up quickly, you then need to quickly drop it down while reeling the slack. You don’t want to get into a situation where you’re leaving your fishing rod tip up too high for too long. It only takes one surge from a strong fish to ruin your day.

Thanks for reading,

John Paxton

A Guide to Texas Fishing Forums: The Best of the Best

Hi there, friend. Are you stuck in some New England tax trap? Are you sitting in a state that you can’t bass fish year round? Perhaps you’re considering a move to the Lone Star state to cure your fishing woes, and refill your coffers? If you’re going to have a new stomping ground soon where you’ll need to figure out the best fishing spots. There’s few ways you can do that quicker than by joining a few online Texas fishing forums.

Why You Should Seek Out a Texas Fishing Forum

With a state as big as Texas with as many bass fishing lakes, you’re going to want to sign up for a fishing forum or two to cut your learning curve down a bit. After all, visiting a fishing forum is one of the best ways that you can improve your fishing skills in a hurry. Forums are, in my opinion, one of the best places to get honest information about what fish are biting on and where. While you’ll get plenty of folks who talk about “Lake X” you’ll get plenty more who are more than happy to tell you exactly how to catch them. The best part is the information stays there forever, date stamped and sortable so you can see if the best lures in, say, Texas in April held up year after year after year.

Another great benefit of joining a fishing forum is the community. I’ve been a member of several forums for fishing and other hobbies over the past twenty years. I have formed legitimate real life friendships as a result of these. I’ve helped people out and been helped in turn. While you always have to be careful about meeting people from the internet, chances are that many Texans on these fishing forums are going to be in local bass clubs too. You might just meet a new fishing buddy who could teach you a trick or two.

Popular Texas Fishing Forums

Regardless of if you bass fish or like to go inshore in the Gulf of Mexico, with your family or alone in a kayak, there’s a fishing forum in Texas that caters to you. Here’s a few of the best ones I could find across the internet:

Texas Fishing Forum

The largest fishing forum in Texas that I’ve found is the aptly named texasfishingforum.com. This is an impressive space. Their motto is “The best place in Texas to Talk Fishing,” and it seems that plenty of anglers agree. As of writing, there’s well over 29,000 threads for freshwater fishing with an additional 13,000 for saltwater. That would be impressive enough, but if you’re specifically looking for at Texas bass fishing forum, there’s a whopping 176,000+ threads devoted to that species.

Texas Fishing Forum has subforums dedicated to crappie, striped bass, catfish, rough fish, bluegill and sunfish, as well as an entire section just for fishing from the bank. There’s also an inshore and offshore forums for fishing in Texas. Finally, there is a section for fishing reports for all.

There are forums for kayak fishing, boating, electronics, as well as a classifieds section. If you’re not opposed to some civil debate, there is a moderated off topic section with over 3 million posts (just be nice so you don’t wind up on their Wall of Shame)!

The forums are extremely active, with almost every sub forum having activity each day and the longest delay observed as being about a week. If you’re looking for a good fishing forum in Texas, I’d start here.

Cartoon of Texas fisherman — *My very much Yankee interpretation of all you Texans.*

2CoolFishing

Another huge fishing forum devoted to Texan anglers is 2coolfishing.com. It’s not quite as large as Texas Fishing Forum but is nothing to sniff at, either. While there is a very large freshwater fishing section (including a sub-fishing forum devoted to catching catfish in Texas), the main draw seems to be saltwater forums. There’s a general saltwater fishing discussion board with over 3/4 of a million replies, and a very large sub-forum devoted exclusively to Texas tarpon fishing.

This is actually a pretty good forum even if you don’t like fishing. There’s a lot of great information about Texas in their more general boards. They have over 20 sub-forums for different hobbies that have nothing to do with fishing but might be up your alley.

This too is a very active forum, with almost all of the subsections replied to recently. Only only a few very niche boards going for an extended period of time without a reply.

Bass Boats Central

While it’s not technically a fishing forum devoted to one state, there is a forum devoted to Texas on bbcboards.net. There are 541 pages of different threads to be found here. Most of these have relatively few replies but a few with as many as 332. If you’re specifically looking for a bass fishing forum, this is a good place for that as this entire message board is devoted to bass boats.

Fish Explorer

Fishexplorer.com has a section devoted to the Lone Star State. It’s interesting because many of the posts have a “BLOG” category associated with them. This is a little different than many forums you might be used to. Reading through a few of these, they make for some very detailed fishing reports with photos and descriptions. They don’t always have the easiest title to understand what they’ll discuss, but it might be worth spending some time reading through.

Texas Kayak Fisherman

If you want a fishing forum that focuses on kayak fishing in Texas, texaskayakfisherman.com is your new home. This is a very large forum with sections for both freshwater and saltwater fishing, as well as a subforum specifically for north Texas bass fishing. The forums are very active, with most message boards having recent posts. There’s plenty to read, with some of the boards having over 66,000 topics. It does seem that there is more of a focus on saltwater fishing, as there’s over four times as many posts there compared to freshwater. If you’re specifically looking for a Texas bass fishing forum, there is a small section on texaskayakfisherman.com, but it doesn’t seem to be the focus.

FishingTx

A smaller forum but one devoted to family fishing and with a special place for God, fishingtx.com tries to keep things friendly and civil. As their politics section has a whopping 9 threads, so this seems to be working! While there are a number of sub forums, some of the more niche haven’t seen much activity for a bit. Nonetheless, the main fishing pages as well as the chaplain’s corner are quite active.

Conclusions

I’m sure there’s more out there, but these are the more active Texas fishing forums I found. As you can see, there is a diverse line up and different groups will appeal to different anglers. If you’re new to the state, I’d definitely recommend signing up for a few and introducing yourself. I’ve been visiting various forums for years and they really produce a true sense of community. You can make some lifelong friends out there and better yet some new fishing buddies.

If you know of another Texas fishing forum that I’ve missed, post a comment about why they should be included. I’ll consider updating the post if the new group has activity and is helpful.

Thanks for reading,

John Paxton

What’s the Difference Between Barbed and Barbless Hooks?

What Does a Barbless Hook Look Like?

Do You Lose More Fish with Barbless Hooks?

Tips for Landing Fish on Barbless Hooks

Do Professional Fishermen Use These?

Do Barbless Hooks Hurt Fish?

Are Barbless Hooks Actually Better for Fish?

What Should Be Used Instead?

Is It Illegal to Fish with Barbed Fishing Hooks?

How to Make Barbless Hooks

Are Barbless Hooks Better for Me?

Should You Use Them With Kids?

Conclusions

Why are Fish Attracted to Worms?

What Kind of Fish Eat Nightcrawlers?

Do Bass Eat Worms?

Do Crappie Eat Worms?

Do Pike Eat Worms?

Are Worms Good Fish Bait?

Nightcrawler vs. Red Wigglers vs. Wax Worms

Red Wigglers

Wax Worms

Will Fish Eat Dead Nightcrawlers?

How to Rig Nightcrawlers and Other Worms

Rigging Options: Bare Hook, Dropshot, Bobber

Bare Hook

Dropshot

Bobbers

What is a Good Alternative to Live Bait?

Do Fish Bite Fake Worms?

Conclusions

Fishing Takes Skill

The Sport of Fishing Requires Athleticism

It Takes Athleticism to Reel in a Sport Fish

Sports Can Be Relaxing, You Know

There are Several Governing Bodies that Regulate the Sport of Fishing

There are Many High School and College Bass Fishing Teams

How to Make Fishing More Sporting for the Fish

Final Words: A Study on Whether or Not Fishing is a Sport

Circle Hook vs. J Hook

Circle Hook vs. Octopus Hook

Why Use Circle Hooks for Fishing?

How To Set a Circle Hook

Circle Hooks and Catfish: The Perfect Match

Are You Legally Required to Use Circle Hooks?

What Brands Would I Recommend?

Conclusions

A Disclosure Up Front

The Fishing Books That Inspired Me

Where to Find These Books?

Other Advanced Fishing Books

The Critical Concepts Fishing Book Series

High Percentage Fishing

Easier Reading Fishing Books for Beginners

Kevin Van Dam’s Bass Strategies

Bass Wisdom by Homer Circle

Various Fishing Book Series

My Fishing Book

The Best Fishing Books for Kids

Conclusions

Why I love My Minn Kota Terrova

Spot-Lock + Dropshot = Amazing

Auto Pilot

The Little Bunny That Could

Minn Kota Terrova vs. Ulterra vs. Ultrex

Minn Kota Terrova vs. Ulterra

The Benefits of Automatic Stowing

Why Auto Trim Would Be Wonderful

Minn Kota Terrova vs. Ultrex

Which Would I Choose and Why?

Freshwater vs. Saltwater Fishing Differences

Can You Use a Saltwater Rod in Freshwater

Can You Use a Freshwater Rod in Saltwater

Can You Use a Freshwater Reel in Saltwater?

Saltwater vs. Freshwater Spinning Reel Weight Comparison

Price Considerations

Can You Use Freshwater Lures in Saltwater?

If you Could Only Buy One, Which Would It Be?

To Stand Up to Nature

To Learn Life Skills