Swamp Girl

@Choporoz: Yet ANOTHER five and nearly 100 bass!!! Wow! What a day. I'm about to launch and will likely struggle to catch 15. Again. However, I feel that the bass are a few days away from going berserk.

I no longer own a boat that I trailer, but when I did, I was pretty good at it.

I wish I could add to the five-pounders caught today, but alas, I only caught 16.5" bass. It's been unseasonably cool here the last couple days and I think that suppressed their appetites. I fished for 2.75 hours and caught 15 total. The last time I fished my pond, I caught half a dozen long bass, but this time, they topped out at 17 inches. I started with these two, near twins, and both caught on my underspin with my favored chartreuse and white Zako: I caught this one off a tree, one of three from the tree and you can see the tree behind the bass: Here's a little one from that same tree: I caught this little one in a shallow bay, so shallow that I could see the bass charge my lure, along with two others: Here's that bay: I paddled down to a little river and caught this one, the biggest of the evening, but not by much, as it was only 17 inches: This one came from the same little river: Paddling home, I caught my only bass by trolling: I still think the fishing is about to become much hotter with just a little more heat. Today's high was only 52. Sigh. I'm fishing again tomorrow morning. I want to be on the water when the switch gets flicked and the bass go bonkers. A pretty pic to close this trip:

Two five-plus-pounders!!! I'm pretty sure that MIbassyaker somehow caught a Kansas bass.

So true. Some anglers understandably springboard off the pros, but the pros don't troll and so many bass anglers also don't troll, but if you're going from A to B, keep your lure in the water.

Fish with bait. I use lures because they're handier, but bait outfishes lures. When I have used bait, I always used 4 lb. or 6 lb. test. Fish get a good look at dangling line, so it's important to have the thinnest possible line.

Cool! And thanks! I used a two-rod system in a different way on the Whitefish River in Michigan's UP once. I rented an old row boat and there was a train trestle. I rowed around its pilings, with two rods hanging over the stern, and hooked two smallies at a time, again and again.

It's frustrating for me too, mostly because I love to fish wind-pounded shorelines, but when I do, I paddle more than I cast. One of the reasons I've always caught a lot of fish is that I keep my lures in the water, but wind often forces me to take my lures out of the water. Yeah, frustrating. Yeah, it's a nifty trick, but depends upon you and me picking the right starting point. I troll back for another pass.

I'm fishing this evening for a couple hours and tomorrow morning too as the wind is finally dying. Clouds and fog are in the forecast too, so it should be perfect. I just hope the water is warm enough. Yesterday morning was in the high thirties and today's high is 51. Even if I'm not fighting a lot of bass, at least I won't be fighting the wind.

@Susky River Rat: Big bass! @Mike L: When I tipped a couple summers ago, I was underwater so fast that it shocked me. I have no memory of losing my balance, going over the side, or even entering the water. I was in the canoe and THEN I was underwater and my first thought was, "Oh, this is how people die." @bp_fowler: Okay, 40 bass then, given the favorable shore fishing conditions.

@bp_fowler: 27 bass caught from shore equal 54 bass caught from a boat.

I'd watch these videos and copy what these bass-catching anglers are doing: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=pickwick+lake+bass+fishing

The mustache I trust. The beard, however....

I fished a bog this morning, launching at 7:00 a.m. It was tough fishing, as it was cool, windy, and sunny. This is the bog that was reduced to a river last fall when they opened the dam for repairs. It's where I caught my PB bag. Well, the water is back and then some. It now looks like a lake: I was worried that the bass might have been greatly reduced by the birds that feasted on them when they were squished into the river. The birds were still feasting this morning, as I saw both an eagle and osprey dive on bass. Twice, my fingers were so cold that I had to stick them in my armpits so that I could use them again. Brrrrr! My worrying about the bass was for naught. I hooked a fine bass, but lost it beside the canoe. Then I caught ten. Some were small: And some were medium: I caught most of them on a shaded shore and all on an underspin with my favorite chartreuse and white Zako. A spinnerbait, pink wacky worm, and popper all failed to produce.

In my threeish years of fishing for lmb in Maine, I have never seen a single spawning bed or swimming bass. Like you, I think a canoe is just too low.

This is doubly sad because you're so good at catching bass. Love what you wrote, Alex!

I also didn't know what Spot-Lock was three years ago. Fishing is soooo much more complicated than when I first fished half a century ago. I also love fishing in Canada. I'm happy to answer any question I can, but to be frank, a lot of the guys at Bass Resource know more than me. I'm a quiet angler. I fish from a canoe and use stealth so that the bass won't know I'm there. I fished Monday morning and as I was returning to my dock, I had to paddle up an inlet. As I entered the inlet, five bass swirled in front of my canoe. Sometimes, I even bump a bass with my canoe because they didn't hear me coming. The water I fish looks a lot like Canada: I catch some thick bass too: And I generally walk through the woods to reach water, which I love. Here's a pic of the path to my pond: Anyway, welcome to Bass Resource and ask away!

I think the same thing!

I always carry two paddles in case the wind blows one out of my hand, which is more much likely with my featherweight carbon fiber paddle.

I know! And yet I'm launching tomorrow morning. I prefer my underspin on a windy day. It cuts through the wind better than my spinnerbaits.

Indeed.

It is noisy and that wears on me too! Beauty, @FryDog62! Wisdom.

Smart!

If we were to fish my pond, there are two canoes there, a tandem and my NEXT solo canoe/kayak boat. So, we'd simply have to walk through the woods with our rods. The bogs require a little more work.

I'm so happy for you. It's cool that you've mastered the technology.