Fish Like a Pro Archives - Page 4 of 6

May 2, 2026

Bass fishermen need to understand their rod-and-reel combinations and tailor them to the kind of fishing they do: worms, crankbaits, flipping, drop-shot.

Will any rod do? Not necessarily

For a bass fisherman, the right rod and reel is as important as the correct lure or line. […]

Adding weight to his lures allows Dustin Wilks to fish a plastic worm or jig quickly and cover a lot of deep water, just as a crankbait expert would.

Fish Like A Pro

There’s no disputing who is the best crankbait fisherman in the world — fellow Sportsman columnist and professional fisherman David Fritts. […]

Rip Bass caught this nice bass on a windy day by using a spinnerbait.

Keep on the windy side of bass

Dustin Wilks

What is the most important factor in being able to make fish bite? […]

Sticking to one spot that has fish is usually more productive than running and gunning.

Sticking to your guns will pay off

Dustin Wilks

Pick an area and stay with it when you’re fishing in a tournament (or try this approach if you just want to catch some bass at a lake during a weekend of fun fishing). […]

Steve Tharrington used a crankbait to land this impressive
8-pound largemouth bass.

Start small and throw heat

Dustin Wilks

An angler recently asked this question — if you could pick out one thing that has helped you become a good fisherman, what would that be? […]

The author caught a lunker shallow-water bass after it hit a Culprit Water Beetle at the Tar River.

Go super shallow in September for North Carolina bass

Dustin Wilks

How many times have you got a bite as soon as you pulled a lure off the bank or as soon as it touched down? […]

Practice before a tournament should be done with an eye toward finding fish and conditions that will hold bass when it counts.

Practicing to win is good idea

Dustin Wilks

They don’t give prizes for winning practice.
[…]

Bass normally will school more during summer months and anglers need to have a variety of rods and lures ready to cast at a moment’s notice.

Be ready when bass pop to top

Dustin Wilks

No quicker way exists to load a boat with bass than when they’re schooling on the surface. […]

Fluorocarbon is best suited for big-hook lures such as this Chatterbuzz.

It’s no stretch; lines are different

Dustin Wilks

Anglers have so many choices in fishing lines these days it can be confusing to figure out just the right one for the task at hand. […]

Using a jig, Patrick Rose caught this 8-pound, 8-ounce largemouth bass during a spring fishing trip.

The jig is up (and down) in May

Dustin Wilks

Across most of North Carolina, May brings the post-spawn time for bass.

A few late spawners still will be on beds at the state’s northern- and western-most lakes, but for the most part, anglers will be dealing with post-spawners. […]