Swamp Girl

Let us know how it goes when you launch. And enjoy your well-earned rest.

Well it seems to me That we've lived our lives Castin' into the wind. Never knowin' Who to turn to When the backlash kicks in. Well, I woulda Liked to known y'all But I was just a kid. Bass Resource wasn't around To show me what I shoulda did.

I used to do that too. I'd catch a bass or two on a certain lure and immediately switch to see what else they'd hit. I do it less nowadays because I've been fishing the same bodies of water and have developed a pretty good sense of what they prefer.

Soooo, you're saying that I didn't skunk as much as I fished like a king?

I spent the least time yesterday probing the deep water because I didn't want to be far from shore for long. The north wind was blowing at 13 mph when I launched. If I had a bigger boat, I would have spent more time over the deep. I also worked both windblown and protected shorelines.

I'll try a little hook in the head of a worm with a split shot. I think that might work. Thanks for the suggestion! I do think that the delayed spring will have them chomping soon. You're right, Bob. I learned what they don't want. I'm going to try Pat's idea of dragging a worm on the bottom. Heck, yeah! Anytime I'm afloat with beavers and my fellow Buffleheads, I'm happy.

I did my best at my pond, but failed. I launched with lures I could work slowly: a small and slender green pumpkin fluke, a black and gold Depps Sakamata Shad, a green pumpkin Ned bait, an underspin with a Yamamoto Zako, and a white spinnerbait. I mostly slow rolled the last two, bumping them on the bottom. I worked points, wood, shoreline notches, the deepest water, flats, and a stream. I increased the pauses with my flukes, letting them fall to the bottom and I'd let the Ned just sit for a few seconds on the bottom too. I did have one bass hit, but the bite was so light that I tentatively set the hook (I know, rookie mistake) and lost my one chance. I did note how my feet hurt from the cold passing through my canoe to me. Our long, cold winter is going to take more than one 52-degree day to activate the bass. On the plus side, it was beautiful and I saw beaver in three places and black and white ducks. I think they were Buffleheads. After failing, I sure felt like a Bufflehead.

What's impressive about your bass is that you're not long-arming it and it still looks big. Heck, you're not even forearming it. You've got your left elbow cranked behind your head. I like the fat belly shot!

Note that these two things happened at the same time. Yeah, Bob's the man. Someone who lives close to Bob, PLEASE take him to your honey hole. I've invited Bob to Maine many times, but it's just soooo far for him.

Bob, I find the tales of your shad to be as interesting and exciting as tales of your bass.

@hokiehunter373: Time to change your PB under your avatar. And congrats! Alex's lure suggestions have put me on hogs too.

Pat and Alex, you guys make me laugh! I loaded my new tackle box last night, sprayed my clothing with Permethrin, and made a checklist of what I'll have to carry to the waiting canoe. Now all I have to do is find a bass that's willing to bite! It hasn't snowed for two, whole days, so I'm hopeful! Congrats, Bazoo, on your fine bass. A 4-11 is a fat toad! I always smile when I see you fishing with your son.

Tim, I remember some cold water bass like that last spring. I'd never feel a hit. The rod simply loaded a wee bit.

I am going to launch tomorrow, but I'm not going to fish the big bass bog. I hurt my neck launching my Old Town NEXT on Friday. It weighs more than twice my Kevlar canoe. So, I'm going to fish my pond since the NEXT is already in the water. I'll be happy to catch a couple. It's still pretty cool up here.

Dobyns Beast spinnerbait 13 Fishing Dual Pitch walking bait KVD walking bait Various T-rigged worms (I have no preference. They all work.) Underspin Whopper Plopper Yamamoto Zako on an underspin or spinnerbait Depp's Sakamata T-Rigged Bronco Bug T-Rigged, on a spinnerbait, or underspin Popper (No preference. They all work.)

Wow, Tom, what a story! ICD, your story above equals any story told today. Even Tom's.

I second what @BrianMDTX wrote. The mods do a great job of keeping us focused on fishing. The membership is great too, with plenty of seasoned anglers happy to help.

@Catt: Your 2007 is so beyond my ken. The ONLY thing I have in common with you and that year is your average daily catch, which is a number I hit pretty frequently. It's cool that you kept such a detailed record.

I fish from a pretty simple boat. I just bolted a couple YakAttack tracks to my Old Town NEXT so I can mount a couple rod holders for trolling, but my other two canoes are just hulls. I don't even use anchors. I also rarely use super basic bass lures like frogs and jigs, even though I've caught bass with both.

That's quite a day, @TOXIC! The detail of "three months to heal" really tells the tale.

I've had a LOT of great fishing sessions, including two days where I caught more than 250 smallies each day. I've also had sessions like @Darth-Baiter's where I attracted a crowd, but last October 23rd might be my best day ever, as it was physically challenging too: I launched in the dark and the fog was thick. I carried my canoe down a muddy slope and paddled up a canyon where white laydowns suddenly appeared like witch's grasping fingers. I ran aground a couple times in the dark and fog and paddled several twisting miles to reach the bass. I caught 56 that morning and they'd been feeding heavily for winter. I only measured three, some of the first thick ones: I was really focused on not tipping: Because the bog had receded, the remaining river had mud flats on both sides. If I'd tipped, I doubt that I could have reached solid land. The receded bog concentrated the bass in the river, so I had plenty of feathered company: eagles, herons, ospreys, etc. We were all catching bass and lawdy, I caught some beauties, mostly on my Fishing 13 Dual Pitch Pencil walking bait. In the end, I caught the biggest bag of my life, but it took all my strength and paddling savvy to do so. Here are two of the big ones: Altogether, I caught about ten bass over four pounds, which is really good fishing for more than 44 degrees north.

Exactly, Al!

I agree with @Mike L's position, which is that it can be counter-efficient to always bend one's knee to the Bait Monkey and Gear Gorilla. I fished for smallies with spinning gear and became competent, so I continue using spinning gear for lmb. I'm intending to use my baitcasting outfits more this year, but I intended to do the same last year and didn't. It's easy for reach for the outfits that you've mastered. The Gear Gorilla might charge and pound his chest, but I don't care. I've also decided that the Bait Monkey is no longer the boss of me, I.e. I've largely stopped buying new lures. When I run out of my Yamamoto Zakos or underspins, I'll replace them, but I no longer have the urge to try every new bait. For example, I've had good success with the 13 Fishing Dual Pitch Pencil walking bait. Whereas I bought and tried other walking baits, the Dual Pitch Pencil appeals to my local bass, so going forward, that's my walking bait. Same with my KVD wake baits. I did buy some of Mike Siebert's spinnerbaits and chatterbaits (@Siebert Outdoors) to use this year, but that's because he's one of us. And I bought a lure that @AlabamaSpothunter used to catch his seven, eight, and nine-pounders, but that's because Alex has led me to so many big bass that he's my Yoda and you don't say "Nah" to Yoda.

Gosh, those are beautiful bass, Ryan. I wear a glove on my left hand and that's the hand I use to grip the bass, keeping my dominant hand glove-free for fine work.