Freshwater Fishing Archives - Page 127 of 290

May 6, 2026

Trout in high-elevation reservoirs in both Carolinas tend to grow faster and larger than their stream-bound cousins. This brook trout is a good example.

Don’t forget trout lakes

Western North Carolina and South Carolina’s Upstate have dozens of lakes with fair to excellent populations of trout. Some of these lakes, especially smaller ones, are classified as hatchery-supported waters and are regularly stocked with catchable-size fish in the spring and winter. […]

Striped bass will begin their spawning run to the upper end of Lake Marion and into the Wateree and Congaree rivers this month.

The month of the move

Terry Madewell

With just a little breath of warm air from Mother Nature, several species of fish will be on the move this month Anglers pursing them will have to move and adapt to changing patterns as water temperatures warm, but the reward can be fat fish in skinny water. […]

Chip Bragg prefers a better than hand-sized gizzard shad to weed out bites from smaller stripers.

Fill up your bait tank with big gizzard shad when targeting Lake Murray stripers

Phillip Gentry

Striper fisherman Chip Bragg confesses catching big gizzard shad might be as tough as catching big stripers on those same shad. […]

Don’t take a chance lifting big crappie over the gunwales. Use a landing net.

Seven tips to better long-lining

Phillip Gentry

Finding success in long-line trolling takes dedication in order to get a system that works. Once you’re comfortable with your system, these tips will help you become a better long-liner. […]

On his home waters, Lake James, angler Glen Grindstaff catches smallmouths as well as largemouths on a drop-shot rig.

How to rig a drop-shot for soft plastics or live bait

Pete Anderson

The drop-shot rig is best known for gently presenting soft-plastic lures, but with a few tweaks, the same setup can present live bait, especially minnows, to bass. […]

Don’t waste your time blind-casting for wintertime bass. Take Glen Grindstaff’s advice and idlearound a lot, using your fish finder to locate schools of baitfish, and then fish around them.

Look for “spaghetti” on your fish finder when deep-jigging for winter bass

Pete Anderson

When bass pro Shane Lineberger idles over deep water during winter, he wants to see multiple schools of baitfish on his fish finder before he stops to make a cast. He knows the spot will be even better when he sees “spaghetti.” […]

Lake Tillery’s deep brush piles might not be full of crappie in February, but there are plenty of bream there to make for some good fishing.

Bet on Lake Tillery bream in cold water

Dusty Wilson

In late fall, when crappie leave brush piles in search of deeper water, most anglers go with them and neglect brush until crappie return the next summer. While those anglers may be following their passion, they’re missing out on some of the best bream fishing of the year. […]