gear
Baitcaster Explained: How It Works, Who Needs One and How to Set It Up
What a baitcaster is, why it backlashes, how to set tension and brakes so it does not, what gear ratio means, and when a spinning reel is the better choice.
fishing.info
Fishing, explained properly.
Species, techniques, lures, bait, gear and the rules in every state. Written from the sources, compared on the numbers, and kept up to date.
Species
Every fish worth chasing: how to identify it, where it lives, when it bites.
Techniques
Rigs, knots, casting, and the disciplines from fly to ice to surf.
Coming soon
Lures
Crankbaits to soft plastics: how each one works and when to throw it.
Bait
Live, cut and prepared bait, how to rig it and how to keep it.
Coming soon
Gear
Rods, reels, line, hooks and electronics, compared on the numbers.
States
Licences, seasons and the best water, state by state.
Coming soon
How fishing.info works
- One answer per question. Every page is built to be the best answer to the question in its title: what the fish is, what to throw, which rod, what the rules say.
- Sources, not opinions. Articles are written from state agencies, records bodies, manufacturers' specifications and the anglers who fish for a living, with the sources listed at the bottom of every page.
- Honest about how it is made. Research-driven, drafted with AI assistance, reviewed before it goes live. We never claim tests we have not done. About this site and its author.
Latest
gear
Spinning Reel Sizes Explained: 1000 to 6000 and Which One You Need
What the size number on a spinning reel means, a 1000-to-6000 table with line, lure and species, the gear ratio and drag to look for, and 2500 versus 3000.
species
Blue Catfish: Identification, Size, Season and the Chesapeake Invasion
Blue catfish from the agency data: the 30-ray anal fin, how big and old they get, a month-by-month season from a river guide, and the Chesapeake invasion.
species
Flathead Catfish: Identification, Size, Live Bait and Where They Live
Flathead catfish from the agency data: square tail and jutting jaw, deep-pool habitat, spawning at 75–80 °F, why only live bait works, and the 123 lb record.
species
Smallmouth Bass: Identification, Habitat, Spawning and Records
Smallmouth bass from the agency data: the marks that separate them from largemouth, the cool rocky water they need, spawning at 60–64 °F, and the 1955 record.
species
Channel Catfish: Identification, Spawning, Baits and How to Catch Them
Channel catfish from the agency data: the anal-fin count that separates them from blues, habitat, spawning at 75 °F, what they eat, and the 58 lb record.
lures
Soft Plastic Lures: Types, Materials and How to Rig Them
Soft plastic lures from the 1949 Creme worm to today's swimbaits and glide baits: the types, what plastisol and salt do, how each is rigged, and the tackle.
species
Largemouth Bass: Identification, Spawning, Size and How to Catch Them
Largemouth bass from the agency data: how to identify one, when and where they spawn, how fast they grow, how rare a 10-pounder is, and what to throw by season.