In Today’s Newsletter: An on-the-water wildlife rescue, the correct way to measure your catch for accuracy, smarter fishing tactics, and our top baitcaster combos for 2026.

Permit are one of the most finicky and fickle fish, challenging die-hard anglers to test their skills and patience.

A: When it comes to fisheries regulations, size limits are always stated in length. However, record fish are almost always determined by weight. Which would you rather catch, a 21-inch largemouth bass or a five-pound piggy? Still, kayak fishing tournaments rely on length to determine the best angler. Competitors fight for an eighth of an inch and celebrate a 100-inch stringer.

Raised in the south, I now live in the north. So, I’m a weight guy that is gradually appreciating length. I doubt I’ll ever fully abandon the pure satisfaction from lifting a heavy fish and estimating it weighs seven pounds, but I have to admit some benefits to the cold hard truth of length.

Once a fish achieves a length, it doesn’t shrink. Weight, on the other hand, can fluctuate greatly due to factors such as available forage or spawning. Another advantage of using the length standard: when I’m telling the fish story to friends, I can communicate the significance of my catch by holding my hands apart to indicate the fish’s size. Honestly, of course.

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Once you've seen the light that is a perfectly paired combo, it's nearly impossible to go back to building rods and reels à la carte. These are the best baitcaster combos out there.

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