Top 3 Fishing Stories of the Week: Fall Bass Tips, Brown Bears and Big ‘Bows, and a Day at the Lodge

From 5 expert tips to catch more bass this fall, an Alaskan Guide’s View From the River, to a Day in a Top Wilderness Lodge, these stories captured our Sports Illustrated fishing reader’s attention on Fishing on SI this past week.

From 5 expert tips to catch more bass this fall, an Alaskan Guide’s View From the River, to a Day in a Top Wilderness Lodge, these stories captured our Sports Illustrated fishing reader’s attention on Fishing on SI this past week. | Justin Hoffman | Ken Baldwin

1.) 5 Tips to Help You Find and Catch More Largemouth Bass This Fall

To find largemouth bass in the fall, pay attention to your lure size, green weed, rock and wood, baitfish, and topwater bite. | Justin Hoffman

There is something magical about chasing largemouth bass in the fall. Fish set up on specific structures, put on the feed bag before winter, and are easily coaxed to bite the right baits. Best thing about fall fishing for largemouth bass, however, is that this season is prime for landing trophy fish - and lots of them.

Fall can look and feel different depending on where you live. Northern states, as well as my home province of Ontario, Canada, will see lakes and rivers freeze up by Christmas. Southern states will simply experience a change in temperature, many relatively minor, but will still elicit a change in bass behavior and locational patterns.

Most of the information in this article is geared towards the northern anglers - as these regions will see the most dramatic shift in seasonal changes, and hence, in the fish themselves…GET THE REST OF THE STORY HERE.

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2.) An Alaskan Fishing Guide’s Farewell - Day 4: Big Fish, Bigger Bears, and a Bruised Ego

Wild and beautiful. | Photo by Ken Baldwin

Day 4 is done, and it kicked my butt. Yesterday's raft trip was a play date compared to what I had to go through on my fourth day of guiding for the Ridge Lodge.

I was assigned another day of rafting, and it felt like I was put through a CrossFit obstacle course with boulder fields, a lot of bears, and a 75-pound raft that I had to carry a quarter of a mile across soft tundra.

Guides Patrick Harris, Luke Valentino, and I, along with 7 guests, were to float down Moraine Creek for a day of fly fishing and bear viewing…GET THE REST OF THE STORY HERE.

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3.) An Alaskan Fishing Guide’s Farewell - Day 5: A Fly Anglers Dream Come True

The sockeye salmon is the lifeblood of Alaska. | Photo by Ken Baldwin

I get a day off today to write. That's good because my body needs it. Yesterday's raft trip did a number on me. I'm hearing tomorrow we might go up the Kamishak River to fish for silver salmon. They are fresh from the ocean right now, which means bright and silvery with firm orange meat. I'm looking forward to it.

I've been here five days, and my life is - fly fishing, bears, rivers, trout, salmon, adventure, hard physical work, good people, pure wilderness, and the feeling of freedom. A visit to a lodge like the Ridge isn't your typical destination. There are no tourism-type shops; as a matter of fact, there are no shops. No crowds, no roads in or out, no TV, no urban sounds. Your day isn't dictated by a clock, but by the weather and the sun…GET THE REST OF THE STORY HERE.