You might have noticed that some fish pulled from deep water can be released and will swim right back down, but others have trouble descending. That's because some fish (physostomous species like trout) can "burp" air as they're being pulled up, relieving the gas build-up in their swim bladders, while others (physoclistous species like walleyes) do not have a connection between the swim bladder and the gut, so their swim bladders expand, greatly increasing their buoyancy

On June 2nd, 1932, George Perry caught the current world record bass out of Lake Montgomery, an oxbow lake off the Ocmulgee River in southern Georgia. The fish (the whopper) weighed 22 pounds, 4 ounces.

Redear sunfish are called shellcrackers in some parts of their range because of their habit of eating aquatic snails, which they crush with special grinding teeth in their throat. Where snails are scarce, redears will forage on various small crustaceans, insects and fish fry.

One of the least known but most effective baits for trout is the water worm, which is the larval form of the crane fly (those big, slow-moving bugs that look like giant mosquitoes). You can often find water worms by digging through the mud and sticks of a beaver dam on your favorite trout stream.

Water dogs, which are the larval form of a tiger salamander, make good bait for bass, walleyes and pike. But once the young salamanders lose their gills and turn into adults, they don't work nearly as well. To prevent water dogs intended for bait from developing into adults, keep them refrigerated in water at a temperature of no more than 50 degrees.

You've probably heard that it's safe to walk on 3 inches of ice or drive a car on 10 inches. But is the ice ever really safe? No! Schools of carp can gather under the ice and wear it away, occasionally even opening a hole. And groundwater might well up from the depths and melt the ice, as famously happened on several Minnesota lakes during the winter of 2002-2003.

Not sure if that big salmon you caught is a coho or a chinook? Just grab it around the base of the tail and try to lift it. If it slips through your fingers, it's probably a coho; if it doesn't, it's a chinook. The bony structure of a chinook's tail is much more rigid, making it easier to "tail" the fish.

THC edibles appear to have no effect on fish. Scientists in Lebanon fed tilapia pellets laced with cannabis oil to see if cannabinoids would have a calming effect on fish. Their conclusion: Unlike other pets such as dogs and cats, fish feel no such high on THC

Pike and muskies are both classified as cool-water fish, but there is a definite difference in the water temperature they prefer, especially among the larger members of each species. Pike more than 30 inches long favor water temperatures from 50 to 55 degrees, while muskies prefer temperatures of 67 to 72 degrees. Another big difference: Pike feed actively throughout the year and are a popular target of ice fishermen. Muskies feed much more sporadically in winter and are rarely caught by ice anglers.

Would you believe that the gender of a baitfish could make a big difference in your fishing success? A male fathead minnow, which has a black head covered with spawning tubercles in spring, is much less effective than a female fathead, which is more silvery and apparently exudes a more attractive odor to walleyes, pike and other game fish.