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

These 3 stories captured our Sports Illustrated fishing reader’s attention on Fishing on SI this past week.

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 | Ken Baldwin | Jasper Taback | Dave Rush, Outdoor Brand Team

In case they slipped by you, following are the most read fishing stories of the week: 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

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

Eyes focused on the sockeye salmon that fill up these rivers during the summer. | Photo by Ken Baldwin

Twenty seasons of guiding in the Alaskan tundra, on rivers that fill with salmon and trout every summer, meant bears were a regular part of my day. The first few years were intimidating. At times, they were downright terrifying.

I’ve had hundreds of bear encounters, but simply seeing a bear doesn’t count as one. Raft down Moraine Creek in Katmai National Park, and you might see 100 bears in a day. Those don't automatically count as a bear encounter.

A bear feeding on salmon across the river is a sighting. A bear walking past camp without looking your way is an experience.

For me, an encounter begins when the bear notices you. Now you’re part of its decision-making, and what happens next depends on how both of you respond…GET THE REST OF THE STORY HERE.

2.) Fly Fishing for Brook Trout on the Appalachian Trail

An eastern brook trout caught along the Appalachian Trail. | photo by Jasper Taback

The Appalachian Trail spans more than 2,000 miles, crossing through fourteen states on its way from Mount Springer in Georgia to Mount Katahdin in Maine. 

Following the spine of the Appalachian Mountains, the trail crosses countless cold-water streams that flow through the native range of one of my favorite fly rod fish: the eastern brook trout.

I was in Vermont last week, in a small town that the Appalachian Trail passes through. I had my two-weight rod with me, and I was looking for a stream to catch these diminutive, colorful fish.

I pulled up OnX on my phone and found a blue line that crossed the Appalachian Trail a few miles outside of town. I parked on the side of the road near a small wooden bridge, where I dropped down to the bank and started to follow the stream up…GET THE REST OF THE STORY HERE.

3.) The Strange Spiny Lure Taking Over Bass Fishing in 2026

The Coike, spiny ball, or urchin-bait is the hottest bass lure in the country right now. | Dave Rush, Outdoor Brand Team

The Coike, a dense elastomer ball covered in soft spines, looks more like a sea urchin than a bass lure. Over the past year it has become one of the most talked-about baits in professional bass fishing.

A little over a year ago, I attended a writer’s conference at Lake Hartwell, South Carolina. Among the various fishing brands present was a Japanese company called Hideup, which offered an assortment of odd-looking, spiny soft plastic baits called the Coike. They’d been popular in Japan for some time, but were just entering the US market.

While intrigued, I assumed the unusual baits were likely a passing novelty, stuffed them in my bag, and mostly forgot about them. But the following weekend I, and lots of other curious bass anglers, watched a professional from Japan hammering monster largemouth bass with a similar urchin-style bait during a BASSMASTER event on Lake Fork, Texas. Had I known the increased demand would make them so scarce in early 2026, I would’ve ordered a lot more when I had the chance…GET THE REST OF THE STORY HERE.