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Matt Robertson poses for photos with the trophy after winning the 2026 World Bass Enterprises - The Champions Tournament on October 31, 2026 in Nashville, Tennessee.

The Champions Promised to Settle Bass Fishing's Biggest Debate. Did It?

Matt Robertson won a record $1.25 million at The Champions. Did bass fishing’s first neutral world championship settle the Bassmaster vs. MLF debate?

Kurt Mazurek

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Nov 4, 2026

Bass Fishing

Why The YETI Hooded Sunshirt Will Be Your Favorite Fishing Accessory

Bassmaster AOY Trey McKinney and Other Top Stories from Fishing on SI

What Finishing Second Taught Bassmaster AOY Trey McKinney About Winning

Berkley’s New ’Moeba Has One Big Advantage Over Other Urchin Bass Baits

Bass Fishing's Wild Urchin Bait Craze and Other Top Stories from Fishing on SI

It’s the Week of the Coike! The Top 3 Stories from Fishing on SI

Sold Out and Instantly Copied to Death: Inside Bass Fishing's Wild Urchin Bait Craze

Coike Bass Lure: How the 2026 Urchin Bait Trend Can Work for Fly Fishing

I Thought I Was Ahead of the Curve on Sun Protection. It Was Already Too Late.

Fly Fishing

The Best Fly Fishing Podcasts for When I Can’t Be on the Water; The Maldives Looks To Host Major Fishing Tournament Next Year; What the New “The Champions” Tournament Means for Pro Bass Fishing

The Best Fly Fishing Podcasts and Other Top Stories from Fishing on SI

Putting all the pieces together and ending with a good presentation will lead to success on the river.

The Best Fly Fishing Podcasts for When I Can’t Be on the Water

Fall Fly Fishing for Redfish in the Lowcountry; The Maldives Looks To Host Major Fishing Tournament Next Year; Why Is Charleston the Best Winter Spot for Redfish, Great Eats, and Southern Charm?

Fall Fishing for Redfish and Other Top Stories from Fishing on SI

Redfish on the fly.

Fall Fly Fishing for Redfish in the Lowcountry

Gear Reviews

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What Fishing Taught Master Distiller Eddie Russell About Bourbon; How I Trigger Trout to Bite When Nothing Else Is Working; Is the YETI Roadie 8 the Perfect Cooler for Anglers?

What Do Distilling Bourbon and Fishing Have in Common and Other Top Stories from Fishing on SI

Keep food and drinks ice cold on those solo and single day fishing trips.

Is the YETI Roadie 8 the Perfect Cooler for Anglers?

Fly fishing with a Turtlebox speaker.

What Fly Anglers Should Look for in a Quality Outdoor Speaker

I Put the SKWALA Thermo 350 Hoody Through Some Hard Days; What Finishing Second Taught Bassmaster AOY Trey McKinney About Winning; How and Where You Can Catch Big Catfish on a Fly Rod

The Best Wool Hoody for Tough Days and Other Top Stories from Fishing on SI

The SKWALA merino wool hoody breathes and helps me stay cool, keeping me comfortable when I’m sweating. It can’t do much about the reason I’m sweating.

I Put the SKWALA Thermo 350 Hoody Through Some Hard Days

This Walleye Fishing App Is Like Having Tom Boley on Speed Dial; What Makes Strike's Bigeye Boot the Perfect Fishing Partner?; Inside Bass Fishing's Wild Urchin Bait Craze

This App Is Like Having Tom Boley on Speed Dial and Other Top Stories from Fishing on SI

SweetWater Brewing Company and Salt Life team up to create Livin' Salty - a salt and lime lager that is the perfect pairing when casting a line or telling fish tales.

This Livin' Salty Beer Collab is the Perfect Thirst Quencher for Anglers

Fishing YouTuber Tom Boley demonstrates his Walleye Now app during a day of walleye fishing in northern Wisconsin. The app organizes Boley's fishing advice by season, water type and fishing situation.

This Walleye Fishing App Is Like Having Tom Boley on Speed Dial

Destinations

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The Maldives the land of beautiful atolls and resorts is set to hold a major fishing tournament in 2027

The Maldives Looks To Host Major Fishing Tournament Next Year

The bear on the left is a mama bear. Her two cubs are behind her. She took on this bigger male and backed him down the ledge. Do not mess with a mama bear's cubs.

Inside Bear Haven, Alaska’s Lodge for Bear Viewing and Photography

A massive whale shark "swim" among schools of fish in Factory Obscura's new "Seed Reef" temporary exhibition Wednesday, February 9, 2022. Created by local artists Emma Difani and Malcolm Zachariah, in collaboration with Factory Obscura, "Seed Reef" is an immersive, sculpted paper installation that recreates a coral reef. Seed Reef 11

California Anglers Encounter Giant Whale Shark as El Niño Fishing Heats Up

A wahoo in the Maldives

The Maldives Beyond the Beach: A Sportfishing Paradise

This big cat hit a 3" chartreuse Clouser minnow being stripped back on a sinking line.

How and Where You Can Catch Big Catfish on a Fly Rod

An aerial view of Hawks Cay Resort on Duck Key. You are right there in the middle of great fishing grounds, simple access to it, and easy livin.

Hawks Cay Resort: My Base for World-Class Florida Keys Fly Fishing

Eyes focused on the sockeye salmon that fill up these rivers during the summer.

What It Was Like to Be Charged by an Alaskan Brown Bear—and What I Learned

An eastern brook trout caught along the Appalachian Trail.

Fly Fishing for Brook Trout on the Appalachian Trail

Freshwater

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How I Trigger Trout to Bite When Nothing Else Is Working; California Anglers Encounter Giant Whale Shark as El Niño Fishing Heats Up; Why The YETI Hooded Sunshirt Will Be Your Favorite Fishing Accessory

Trigger Trout to Bite and Other Top Stories from Fishing on SI

I pulled this trout from deeper water with a black rabbit-fur streamer.

How I Trigger Trout to Bite When Nothing Else Is Working

How and Where You Can Catch Big Catfish on a Fly Rod; Teen Angler Lands Back-to-Back Monster Catfish, Including 109-Pound Giant; Berkley’s New ’Moeba Has One Big Advantage Over Other Urchin Bass Baits

Catch Big Catfish on a Fly Rod and Other Top Stories from Fishing on SI

Teen Angler Lands Back-to-Back Monster Catfish, Including 109-Pound Giant; Hawks Cay Resort: My Base for World-Class Florida Keys Fly Fishing; Inside Bass Fishing's Wild Urchin Bait Craze

Teen Angler Lands Back-to-Back Monster Catfish and Other Top Stories from Fishing on SI

14 year old River Nicklen with one of his massive hauls

Teen Angler Lands Back-to-Back Monster Catfish, Including 109-Pound Giant

What It Was Like to Be Charged by an Alaskan Brown Bear—and What I Learned; Fly Fishing for Brook Trout on the Appalachian Trail; The Strange Spiny Lure Taking Over Bass Fishing in 2026

Charged by an Alaskan Brown Bear and Other Top Stories from Fishing on SI

It doesn't get any better than fly fishing on a warm autumn day and having the river to yourself.

Experience Fly Fishing History, Wild Trout, and a Classic Catskills Autumn

My go-to G. Loomis stream rod.

The Most Fun Fly Rod You're Missing Out On

Saltwater

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Two Fish Jigs partners with Rise Up Industries to make CNC machined surface irons. The result is a remarkably consistent and effective jig that also helps rehabilitate ex-gang members.

From Jail to Jigs: How California's Hottest Saltwater Jig Supports The Rehabilitation of Former Gang Members

A Pacific sailfish alongside the boat after being landed on an 11-weight fly rod off Panama's Pacific coast.

Fishing Panama With a Fly Rod is a Trip I'll Remember for the Rest of my Life

All muscle and energy. This tuna put a butt-whooping on me like no other fish ever has.

Two Fish of a Lifetime in 24 Hours: Panama Fly Fishing at Its Best

The Orvis Hydros reel.

Still Need a Father’s Day Gift? Start With These 5 Fishing Picks

My Van Staal VR75. The more I beat it up, the better it looks. Earned scars.

High-end Father’s Day Gifts for the Fly Angler Who Deserves the Best

The common ground of "fishing" is sometimes where the best connections happen between fathers and sons.

Fly Fisherman’s 2026 Father’s Day Gift Guide: Gear He’ll Actually Use

As Sam Moultrie, Sr., guides a flat-bottomed boat he built by hand, Sam R. Brown, Jr., casts a net into a St. Helena Island creek.

Inside “To Catch a Fish”: The New Exhibit Exploring the Art and Culture of Fishing

Fighting a bluefish off of North Carolina's Crystal Coast

The Best Fly Fishing on North Carolina’s Crystal Coast

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Inside Bear Haven, Alaska’s Lodge for Bear Viewing and Photography; What Fishing Taught Master Distiller Eddie Russell About Bourbon; How I Trigger Trout to Bite When Nothing Else Is Working

Alaska’s Lodge for Bear Viewing and Photography and Other Top Stories from Fishing on SI

Eddie Russell searches for trout on Montana’s Gallatin River, where finding the right spot proved just as important as it is back home in a Kentucky rickhouse.

What Fishing Taught Master Distiller Eddie Russell About Bourbon

The Strike Bigeye Boot keeps an angler's feet dry and comfy when casting a line.

What Makes Strike's Bigeye Boot the Perfect Fishing Partner?

My Bourgeois mandolin has become an essential piece of gear.

The One Thing I Never Leave Behind on a Fly Fishing Trip

From shorts and shirts to raingear and footwear, Magellan Outdoors' lineup of fishing apparel will protect you from the elements.

Stay Cool and Protected From the Sun With Magellan Outdoors' Clothing Lineup

The Most Fun Fly Rod You're Missing Out On; Fishing Panama With a Fly Rod is a Trip I'll Remember for the Rest of my Life; Coike Bass Lure: How the 2026 Urchin Bait Trend Can Work for Fly Fishing

The Most Fun Fly Rod You’re Missing Out On and Other Top Stories from Fishing on SI

Locals have banded together to stop a mining project at Hot Creek, a beloved fly fishing and hiking destination in California's Sierra Nevada Mountains

Save Hot Creek: A Foreign Company’s Mining Proposal Threatens One of California’s Premier Trout Streams

Two Fish of a Lifetime in 24 Hours: Panama Fly Fishing at Its Best; How to Fly Fish for Brown Trout In the Moonlight; The Big Guns: How One Family's Crappie Obsession Evolved Into the South's Most Deadly Trolling System

Two Fish of a Lifetime in 24 Hours and Other Top Stories from Fishing on SI

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Spending a day on the waters near Crystal River with longtime friend and Florida fishing legend Bernie Schultz reminded me that some of the best travel memories come from the people you share them with.

Our Florida RV Adventure Didn't End the Way We Planned—And That’s Okay

High-end Father’s Day Gifts for the Fly Angler Who Deserves the Best; Where to Fly Fish for Wild Trout in New Mexico; The Big Guns: How One Family's Crappie Obsession Evolved Into the South's Most Deadly Trolling System

High-end Father’s Day Gifts and Other Top Stories from Fishing on SI

Jason Christie holds up his arsenal on the morning of his latest Bassmaster Elite victory. Every one of them rigged with an urchin-style bait. When the tournament winner's entire rod deck looks like this, the conversation about the Coike stops being about hype.

The Coike Is Having Its Moment. Let's Hope Bass Fishing Doesn't Try to Ban It.

A crappie goes airborne as Les Smith hoists a 20-foot rod clear of its holder — no reeling required. The second lure on the rig swings free in the air above it.

The Big Guns: How One Family's Crappie Obsession Evolved Into the South's Most Deadly Trolling System

Fly Fisherman’s 2026 Father’s Day Gift Guide: Gear He’ll Actually Use; Where to Fly Fish for Wild Trout in New Mexico; Shopping for a Fishing Dad? Here's What We Actually Want.

2026 Father’s Day Gift Guides and Other Top Stories from Fishing on SI

Trout fishing in New Mexico's Sangre de Cristo Mountains.

Where to Fly Fish for Wild Trout in New Mexico

The Bluefin Lace Sneaker from Strike are designed with advanced traction, fast water drainage and a locked-in fit.

Are the Strike Bluefin Lace Sneakers the Ultimate Fishing Shoe?

The Bollé Airfin fishing sunglasses are one of seven field-tested picks for the fishing dad in your life.

Shopping for a Fishing Dad? Here's What We Actually Want.

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Chris Johnston worked a dock pattern at Santee Cooper, skipping a Coike for four straight days, and took home his second Elite Series title.

Is this the Year of the Coike? The Strange Japanese Bait is Silencing Its Doubters

Academy Sports' H2OX Carbon rods deliver great performance at a budget-friendly price.

At Just $80, How Good Could These New H2OX Carbon Rods Be?

Randy Moss Has a 25-Year Bass Fishing Obsession Most Fans Never Knew About; The Bassmaster Elite Series Lost Two Anglers in One Day—A Reminder of How Fast Everything Can Change; The Strange Spiny Lure Taking Over Bass Fishing in 2026

Randy Moss Has a 25-Year Bass Fishing Obsession and Other Top Stories from Fishing on SI

Bonefish Dreams.

How to Find the Best Bonefish Fly Fishing Destinations

Sun hoodies are "can't-miss" finds for dads who love fishing. This is from the Magellan Jacob Wheeler collection.

Father's Day Gift Ideas for Fishermen

The right gear makes all the difference when you're shooting professional bass fishing's biggest events.

Two Elite Cameras, One Tough Call: Sony's a1 II vs. a9 III for Fishing Photography

An unusually warm winter in the Eastern Sierras meant more fishable water on Opening Day, like Twin Lakes in Mammoth Lakes

“Fishmas” Delivers Big Fish and Big Expectations for the Eastern Sierra Trout Season

The Bassmaster Elite Series Lost Two Anglers in One Day—A Reminder of How Fast Everything Can Change; Can a Luxury Ski Resort in Utah Also Be a Great Summer Fly Fishing Destination?; Randy Moss Has a 25-Year Bass Fishing Obsession Most Fans Never Knew About

The Bassmaster Elite Series Lost Two Anglers in One Day and Other Top Stories from Fishing on SI

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Swimbait Sensation Bass Fishing Kit from Mystery Tackle Box

Score a Sweet Selection of Swimbaits in This Mystery Tackle Box Kit

How to Fly Fish for Brown Trout In the Moonlight; The Strange Spiny Lure Taking Over Bass Fishing in 2026; Here's Why the Abu Garcia VoltiQ is a Must-Buy Baitcast Reel

Fly Fishing Brown Trout In the Moonlight and Other Top Stories from Fishing on SI

The new Abu Garcia VoltiQ baitcast reel.

Here's Why the Abu Garcia VoltiQ is a Must-Buy Baitcast Reel

At Just $80, How Good Could These New H2OX Carbon Rods Be?; How to Fly Fish for Brown Trout In the Moonlight; Is this the Year of the Coike? The Strange Japanese Bait is Silencing Its Doubters

How Good Could these $80 Rods Be? and Other Top Stories from Fishing on SI

Big brown trout are out and about at night.

How to Fly Fish for Brown Trout In the Moonlight

Guide Jacob Thomason with a barely hooked smallmouth bass from Lake Ontario.

Why So Many Fly Anglers Become Obsessed With Smallmouth Bass

Is this the Year of the Coike? The Strange Japanese Bait is Silencing Its Doubters ; Randy Moss Has a 25-Year Bass Fishing Obsession Most Fans Never Knew About; The Strange Spiny Lure Taking Over Bass Fishing in 2026

The Year of the Coike Bass Lure and Other Top Stories from Fishing on SI

Can a guy who has built his entire wardrobe around being an angler make the transition to responsible, well-dressed adult...who still fishes?

My Other Shirt Is Also a Fishing Shirt

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Matt Arey (left) and Jamie Hartman both stepped away from the 2026 Bassmaster Elite Series on May 4 due to medical issues.

The Bassmaster Elite Series Lost Two Anglers in One Day—A Reminder of How Fast Everything Can Change

Randy Moss gets excited about every bass he catches—part of a 25-year passion he says became his “therapy” after football.

Randy Moss Has a 25-Year Bass Fishing Obsession Most Fans Never Knew About

Can a Luxury Ski Resort in Utah Also Be a Great Summer Fly Fishing Destination?; You’re Ignoring the Hardest-Fighting Fish in Your Local Water; “It’s Not the Technology”—Jacob Wheeler Pushes Back on Critics of Young Anglers

Can a Luxury Ski Resort Be a Great Fly Fishing Destination and Other Top Stories from Fishing on SI

Opening day walleyes aren’t always aggressive, but the right presentation can still get them to bite.

Wisconsin’s Walleye Opener Is Here—A Simple Plan to Catch Fish Fast

2026 has brought warmer than usual water temperature and a hot bite to Southern California. Are we due for an epic El Niño?

A Super El Niño? What To Expect in the 2026 Southern California Offshore Season.

Utah guide Sammy Elam taking the scenic route to the river.

Can a Luxury Ski Resort in Utah Also Be a Great Summer Fly Fishing Destination?

The Shimano Vanquish C is a lightweight powerhouse

Shimano’s Lightest Spinning Reel Yet—Is the Vanquish Worth $530?

“It’s Not the Technology”—Jacob Wheeler Pushes Back on Critics of Young Anglers; You’re Ignoring the Hardest-Fighting Fish in Your Local Water; and What’s the Best Way to Improve Your Fly Cast?

REDCREST Champ Wheeler Says “It’s Not the Technology” and Other Top Stories from Fishing on SI

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The Berkley Dough Rider spinner has a unique Scent Vent pocket in the body, designed to hold scented Berkley PowerBait dough to attract more fish.

This New Berkley Spinner Adds Scent—and It Might Be the Edge You Need

When the white bass make their spring spawning run, anglers can catch a lot of fish in no time.

The Spring White Bass Run Is Pure Chaos—and the Fishing Is Nonstop

Jacob Wheeler and seven-year-old daughter Olivia celebrate his first REDCREST title on Table Rock Lake. On Saturday, Olivia had given her father the best advice of the tournament: "Dad, you don't have to win today. Just win tomorrow."

No Ego. No Hooks. His First REDCREST Trophy.

Rough fish like this buffalo are widespread and incredibly powerful, often using current to extend fights far beyond what most anglers expect.

You’re Ignoring the Hardest-Fighting Fish in Your Local Water

“It’s Not the Technology”—Jacob Wheeler Pushes Back on Critics of Young Anglers; The Strange Spiny Lure Taking Over Bass Fishing in 2026; Thank You, Taylor Sheridan—My Wife Finally Understands Why I Fly Fish After Watching 'The Madison’.

Jacob Wheeler Pushes Back “It’s Not the Technology” and Other Top Stories from Fishing on SI

Fly angler and West Virginia guide Chase McCoy, throwing a tight loop while balanced on his kayak.

What’s the Best Way to Improve Your Fly Cast?

The most sage advice Jacob Wheeler received was from his seven-year-old daughter.

"Dad, You Don't Have to Win Today. Just Win Tomorrow."

Jacob Wheeler fights a bass during REDCREST competition—the kind of moment built on what he calls “unseen reps.

“It’s Not the Technology”—Jacob Wheeler Pushes Back on Critics of Young Anglers

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