Swamp Girl

The one advantage of fishing with unwelcome company is that you get to see how your skill, tactics, and techniques compare to the skills, tactics, and techniques of others.

I caught a couple 19-inchers while shorefishing my pond for half an hour. I caught seven in total, but quit when my pup jumped into the water to get one of the nineteens. He was so cold that he ran back to the car, so I followed him.: I'm going to shore fish again tomorrow and then launch for the first time on Tuesday. Congrats, @Brycecover, on the PB!

I caught my first seven bass from the shore of my pond this afternoon in about half an hour. I was casting into the wind and the lake was nearly white capping, but they were really hitting. Here are two of them: See the beaver lodge behind them? I had to quit because my pup jumped into the water after the bottom bass and my pup was so cold he ran back to the car. I'm returning tomorrow for a little more shore fishing WITHOUT my pup and launching for the first time on Tuesday.

And you were right! I would have caught more than seven if my pup hadn't decided to jump into c-c-cold water.

I couldn't use ultralight gear where I fish because of the weeds. I just returned from a little fishing trip and even though the water is cold and there are no green weeds, I still hooked last years weeds on about 40% of my casts.

I'm on the board too. I went to my pond to set up my canoe for Tuesday's launch. The wind had been blowing out of the North for most of the day, so I waited until five when it would have blowing out of the South for two hours. I only took two rods with two lures total, a T-rigged blue craw with a tungsten bullet weight and a Vision 110. I figured I'd fish first and although I struggled to cast into the wind as my dock is on the north shore, but I did not struggle to catch bass. I caught seven in about 30 minutes, the first four with the craw and when its hook broke, the last three with the Vision 110. It took me a few casts with each to determine the presentation they wanted. With the craw, I crawled it on the bottom like @PhishLI suggested! I could see the hits in the line. With the Vision 110, I left some slack in the line before I snapped it each time. I basically worked my rod as if I were retrieving a walking bait. Thanks to @Hartwood71 for suggesting it! My second to last bass was 19" and thick. My last bass was 19.25" and even thicker. Why didn't I fish longer? Well, the 19.25-incher raised such a ruckus that my pup jumped into the pond after it. The cold water shocked him, but he couldn't climb back onto the dock, so I helped him with one hand while fighting the fish with the other. He was so cold that he ran back to the car, so I quit fishing to join him. He rode home on my lap with the heater on high. All but one of the bass were thick and long with three being 18-inchers. These three: This one was shorter, but chunky: This was my only dink: And here are the two 19-inchers: My length to weight chart said my top five weighed about 18 pounds, which is outstanding (for me) from the shore in just half an hour. I think 2026 is going to be a most excellent year at my pond. The only sad thing is that I never did get my boat ready. I'll do it Tuesday when I launch.

That's a beauty, Brian! In three hours, I'm going to cast a few times from the dock on my pond. I probably won't catch anything, but....

It was, wasn't it?!

So true. My 32-pound Kevlar canoe is even worse. I've made the same mistake many times. Funny! You're not alone. We've all walked your sad path. "It it is illegal to intentionally run over or otherwise kill an alligator in Georgia except under very specific legal conditions. Alligators are protected by both state and federal law, and unauthorized killing is prosecuted under wildlife and animal cruelty statutes." If there's a next time, get their boat numbers and call the cops on those criminals. I hear ya and I understand.

@Team9nine: I love how you're not just fishing for fish. You're fishing for fun! I keep saying that I'm going to spend a morning fishing nothing but my childhood lures. Maybe I'll follow your lead of fishing for fun and do that in 2026.

Go, Gim, go!

Wow, that's a big fight from a big bass!

You're feeling frisky. The bass are feeling frisky.

The weather should be close to perfect, so your hope might come true! I'm also going to launch on Wednesday and perhaps next Friday too.

I backed it up to Tuesday due to the weather. So, soon!

Well angled, BP and Al!

WOW, @LokiDawg!!!

@newapti5: Buy a lottery ticket!

I agree with @gim. However, considering I fish from the messiest boat at Bass Resource, my opinion holds about as much weight as hydrogen.

Winter is gasping. Pic taken minutes ago. Bass are stirring, I believe.

Let us know if you catch some, please! I also think the bite will be hot next week. Did you have snow today? We did, but it's the last gasp of cold, I think.

I'm thinking about trolling an A-Rig when I'm in transit. I think it'll be too hard to cast, but should be quite troll-able. I'm also going to slow roll a fluke and paddletail and cast a big swimbait and spinnerbait.

Go get 'em, Jar! What do you plan on casting?

I'll often fish wind-protected shorelines, while wishing I was fishing the wind-battered shoreline.