By: Mark Romanack Early in the year, big smallmouth like this can be found using side imaging technology such as that provided by Garmin’s SideVu transducer. SideVu, makes it easy to see not only fish in shallow water, but important transitions such as gravel to rock or gravel to sand that tend to concentrate fish. ​ This blog is going to need a disclaimer less I get myself bludgeoned by the professional bass fishing community. I’m fully aware that trolling is not allowed in bass tournaments and trolling in general is frowned upon by the avid bass angler. For those of you who think trolling ..read more

By: Mark Romanack Matt Yablonsky of Wet Net Charters in Wilson, NY has caught as many brown trout as anyone on the Great Lakes. Western NY is consistently one of the best destinations for those who love to target brown trout. ​At least for a few more weeks, it can be Brown Town for those anglers who covet catching the elusive brown trout. The month of April and early May represent the times that most anglers target brown trout in Great Lakes waters. Mind you, browns can be caught at other times of year, but most anglers associate browns with that mystical experience known as “ice out”. ​ T ..read more

By: Mark Romanack A channel catfish has a face only a mother could love, but these abundant fish fight hard and are a lot of fun to catch. ​ At Fishing 411 we enjoy catching a kinds of different fish. Most of our television efforts are centered on the popular species because those are the videos the masses want to watch. That’s a business decision, clear and simple. The fact we rarely do TV shows focusing on less popular species doesn’t mean we don’t enjoy catching those “less glamorous” members of the fish community. ​ A lot of the fish we enjoy catching would not rake highly on a popular ..read more

By: Mark Romanack The Precise Walleye Crank or PWC has become an immediate success among avid walleye trollers. The Bill Lewis PWC is available at fine tackle shops or at www.baits.com.  ​ The Bill Lewis Precise Walleye Crank was designed with big water walleye fishermen in mind. Built with precision, every PWC is tuned and ready to catch fish right out of the package. ​ The PWC is a deep diving crankbait. According to the Precision Trolling Data phone app, the PWC reaches 20 feet down with just 63 feet of 10# test played out! Most other crankbaits in this category require 80 to 120 feet ..read more

By: Mark Romanack The rougher the water gets, the more tabs help to keep the boat level and running dry. ​More and more these days we are seeing aluminum and fiberglass fishing boats equipped with either factory provided or after market trim tabs. For those who may not be familiar with these accessories, they are designed to level the boat port and starboard when on plane. Leveling the boat while on plane serves some critically important purposes. First off, leveling the boat while on plane will provide a smoother and drier ride for the occupants of the boat. When a boat lists to one side or ..read more

By: Mark Romanack The staff of Fishing 411 TV spends an enormous amount of time on big water chasing lots of different fish species. The Smooth Moves suspension seats in their boats are not a luxury, but rather an essential piece of equipment. ​ Recently I had an opportunity to fish with my oldest friend and life long fishing buddy. He reminded me that in my youth, I was prone to run a fishing boat pretty hard. Truth be told, I might have even exceeded the highway speed limit a time or two. ​ Of all the technology advancements that have hit the fishing world in my lifetime, the one invention ..read more

By: Mark Romanack Coated mesh bags on landing nets are better than regular mesh when it comes to getting fish and hooks free. Unfortunately, hooks can tangle in coated mesh creating problems an angler just has to learn to deal with. ​ For those who may not be aware, a landing net wasn’t designed to club fish over the head. While it may appear that a landing net is indeed a medieval torture tool, I assure you - used properly - a landing net can gently lift a fish into the boat without harm coming to the fish or the occupants of the boat. On occasion, a fish may even be landed without so much a ..read more

By: Mark Romanack Late in 2023 Fishing 411 TV made the decision to rig their boats with lithium batteries for the house battery and also to operate the electric motor. We chose ,Abyss a leader in the production of lithium batteries. Most lithium batteries on the market are private labeled. Abyss manufacturers their own batteries to exacting standards.    In case you haven’t noticed, we are living in a digital world. Analog technology and the old school lead acid batteries that powered that world are rapidly going the way of the dinosaur. Lithium battery technology is dominating almo ..read more

By: Mark Romanack Both Mark and Jake will be on hand at the Outdoorama and Ultimate Sport Shows coming up in February and March to conduct seminars and also to man the Fishing 411 TV booth. Stop in at the show, take in a seminar or just hang out and visit. See you at the shows. ​In our ultra busy, modern, digital world it seemingly becomes harder and harder to find time even for the basics. When it comes to learning more about fishing, I have to say consumer sport shows may be “old school”, but they sure do a good job of getting the message across. ​I did my first fishing seminar at a consume ..read more

By: Mark Romanack The ,Striker Brand Adrenaline Suit is available in both men and women models. ​ At Fishing 411 TV we just about live in our rain gear. One of the smartest investments a serious angler can make is a premium quality rain suit. Anything less is going to be a disappointment and in the end, replaced with something of higher quality. My advice is to do yourself a favor and buy good rain gear up front. Forget about the cost, because it’s the single piece of equipment you will take and probably use on every fishing trip for many years to come. ​The first lesson an avid fisherman lea ..read more