Knee Deep: Empty Halls
BY MIKE STEVENS
Not having a Fred Hall Show is going to really suck. As the universal scientific indicator of the kickoff of the spring fishing season, how else are we going to know when it’s time to fish for...
Knee Deep: Lessons learned in 2020
BY MIKE STEVENS
I think this is the third or fourth time I’ve reflected on the previous year with a “Lessons Learned” column, and after 2020, I probably could have made it a 10-part series. I’ll try my best to...
Over the hump of uncertainty
With 2020 finally in the rear-view window, we’re looking ahead to try and get an idea of what challenges are in our immediate future, what bummers we can move past, and what we know for sure will or will...
Tangible data: 2020 continues to produce new outdoor enthusiasts
One recurring theme that has been touched on in WON editorials several times over the course of this year has been how one positive thing to come out of 2020 is the huge spike in interest in outdoor pursuits...
Lake management, stop publicizing stock days
WON - Editorial
Whether it’s due to virus-plagued hatcheries, budget shortfalls, misallocated funds, COVID, leadership from city to state to federal levels deprioritizing fishing or even just just weak excuses, California is experiencing a trout shortage.
Lakes opting for private providers...
The next great outdoor spike
The United States experienced a huge hunting and fishing boom following World War II when American servicemen returned from the European and Japanese theaters of operation. Much of that can be attributed to the simple matter of, you can’t...
Bronzebacks and baseball on Michigan’s Lake St. Clair
WON On-the-Spot
DETROIT – I really like fishing and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Smallmouth bass were a modest entry on my species bucket list, and my in-laws live in Michigan. While I kind of figured the smallmouth-and-Michigan connection would eventually...
Knee Deep: Let go of the giant catfish story already
“They say he's five hundred pounds of bottom-dwelling fury, don't you know. No one knows how old he is, but if you ask me, and most people do, he's a hundred years if he's a day.”
―The Legend of General...
Catching California: It takes a mentor to hone your craft
BY CLARA RICABAL
In all walks of life, it takes a mentor to provide guidance in order to develop your craft, and I have been fortunate to have found many mentors in my life. As a young nursing student, I...
Al: A remembrance of Al Kalin, lure maker, rancher, conservationist
BY MIKE JONES
Over the years, I’ve written a lot of columns about legendary figures in the fishing industry, but none will be more personal than this one. With the passing of Al Kalin, I lost someone who was a...