Carving a pumpkin for Halloween is a time-honored tradition. And thanks to social media, we’ve all seen pumpkin carvings that feature incredible artistic talent. The themes can vary from scary to playful, from abstract to realistic. As you’ll see below, I searched the web specifically for fish-themed carvings, and in my judgment, these three are the best of the best.

1. First-Person Fish Lift

This is the most impressive pumpkin carving that appeared on my Facebook timeline in 2023. I’ve seen plenty of bass-themed carvings in the past, but this is the first one I’ve come across that provides an angler’s view of the moment when you grab the bottom jaw of a big bass. Even though Halloween is prime time for whitetail hunting, seeing this carving makes me long for summertime bass fishing again!

2. Trout Talent

I’m far from a trout expert, but I’m 99 percent sure this carving represents a brown trout, with its distinctive spotted pattern. I need to find a video that explains how a carver is able to remove just enough exterior material to still allow the candlelight to shine through, but not too much to destroy a pumpkin’s structure. Simply amazing.

3. Giant Squash Bass

In the 1-minute YouTube video below, you’ll see Gus “Squashcarver” Smithhisler carve a bass fishing scene onto the side of a 563-pound green squash. (You’ll have to Google the differences between a squash and a pumpkin if you’re curious; I won’t get into it here. Teaser: All pumpkins are squash, but not all squash are pumpkins.)