By Tom Schlichter   Fast, powerful and exceptionally smart, false albacore are one gamefish species that can really light a fire under northeast anglers. Pursued by boat, they are a tough fish to out-whit and out-battle. Hooking one in the surf is even more of a challenge. Being generally elusive, false albacore can remain on […]… Read more »

  By Tom Schlichter   During the heat of summer, most Northeast freshwater anglers stick to tried and true patterns. Through July, August and even early September, deep water is the rule in larger lakes and reservoirs while the shade under overhanging trees, brush, thick weed mats and floating docks holds the gold for prospectors […]… Read more »

  By Tom Schlichter   It’s 94 degrees outside, the water is dead calm and there’s not another angler on the lake. Most, I assume, have taken this Saturday off from prospecting for bigmouths as common sense dictates the summer doldrums have arrived and the fishing should be slow. On this sunny morning, however, no […]… Read more »

      By Tom Schlichter   It’s amazing how fast the summer goes here in the Northeast. As August advances toward September, the first hints of fall can already be felt in the night air. While that brings a certain degree of distress to sun worshipers, it also signals anglers that the time to […]… Read more »

By Tom Schlichter   With all the emphasis on scented, salted and flavored soft-plastic baits these days, it’s easy to overlook some of the old standbys that have served well on the freshwater front. While there can be no denying the effectiveness of the softies, using all the fish-catching tools in your tackle box can […]… Read more »

  By  Tom Schlichter   “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose / By any other word would smell as sweet.” – William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet   Shakespeare may have been right about naming flowers, but fish? Would a bunker by any other name smell the same? Well now, there’s a question […]… Read more »

By Tom Schlichter     I don’t know about you, but bassin’ season couldn’t get here fast enough for me this year. Like many sweet water bass fans, I’m pumped and ready to go. No doubt we’ll all score well over the first few days of the season simply because the fish are generally willing […]… Read more »

By Tom Schlichter     The tap came exactly as expected. I had tossed a four-inch curly-tailed grub to the edge of a slight rip making up just yards from the beach and felt the pick-up almost instantly as the lure reached the bottom. Rather than set the hook on contact, I lowered my rod […]… Read more »