Swamp Girl

@Harold H: I contributed to Butch's bag because his bass clearly ate my bass on their way to becoming Gigantisaurases. @king fisher: Your recent bag got me thinking about my bag!

Please show your biggest bag. By "your biggest bag," I mean your five biggest bass in aggregate caught by just you on the same day, morning, or evening. If you have a total weight, please share that too. Here are my five biggest, caught last October 23rd in the morning. I didn't weigh or measure any of these because it was a challenging morning with darkness, mud, fog, and shallow flats where I unintentionally beached my canoe several times. I'm guessing they weigh more than 25 pounds because they were long and thick. Again, I didn't weigh nor measure them because I was really busy catching bass in shallow, weedy water and I paddled about six miles, fighting the wind one way and twisting up and down a tricky river. I'm not even sure that the five below were my five biggest as I caught other big ones that morning, but they represent: I'm adding a sixth that morning because it might be bigger than the fifth above. I'm guessing that bass five and six are both four-pounders, smaller than the others.:

Here's another nice one, another short, stocky one, and a bright, pretty one. That was quite a morning, huh? I didn't weigh nor measure a single bass. I was pretty busy trying not run aground and landing bass, but when I look back at the biggest bass in his trip report, I'm thinking it was a +25-pound bag, which is pretty darn good for more than 44 degrees north. I'll never know for sure, of course, and I'm okay with that. Of course, I'm posting these 2024 bass because I have yet to catch a 2025 bass. #yeahI'mpatheticin25!

Shame, shame on your Irish name!

Oh, I agree. I'm sure I've caught hundreds of spawning bass because I'm fishing in the spawning season. I just don't cast to beds. #Idon'tseebedsanddeadpeople

In tight quarters, like a narrow river, I steer my canoe with my weight as much as my paddle. When it's warmer, really test your empty canoe's stability in shallow water to determine where it tips.

Whoa! I have yet to see a single spawning bed in Maine. This could be because I have no interest in casting to a spawning bed. However, this spring, I will fish where I hooked big females in the springs of 2023 and 2024. I remember where I've caught big bass and when and will fish accordingly in 2025. Caveat: I'm fishing small water. My pond is 169 acres. The pond where I caught my PB is 50 acres. The biggest pond I fish is 390 acres. So, I can fish the entire body of water each morning, which means sooner or later, I'll find the bass.

How did the canoe feel? Regarding that clear water, one reason I cast big lures is so the bass can't see me first. I fish clear water too.

@bp_fowler: I've fished AEP! Beautiful area.

Here are three more from that morning, one long and fat and then two short and fat. Note the way all three are thrashing, which is so common with bog bass, who fight until you return them to their home:

I think it depends upon the lake bottom. The ponds and bogs I fish are shaped like shallow bowls. Two yards from shore, the water is 3' deep. Ten yards out, it's 5' deep. In the middle, it's 10' deep. So, there's not much structure. Accordingly, I fish cover rather than structure. So, I read articles and videos and comments where other anglers reference structure and I shrug. It doesn't apply. You might ask how I know there's not much structure when I don't have electronics. Well, some days when the Sun is high, I can see 10' down. And other than boulders here and there, it's pretty flat.

I am so lagging in posting bass pics, so here are some pics I've never posted of bass I caught on that late October trip. The top one is a fine girl. She's a still from one of those big bass that I accidentally videoed instead of photographing. The bottom two are short and stout. I always enjoy short fish eating above their length class:

I worked some in Appalachia, teaching coal miners' kids. "Don't go down that holler," I was told more than once and they weren't kidding.

There's no place like home. There's no place like home.

In my own way, I'm swamp Irish too.

I'm out of reactions, but thanks to all who are answering.

Not what you're thinking. Ever seen an Irish lad? Their facial cheeks are cherry cheery.

I'm 5' 11", descended from football players and way before that, German barbarians. I'm a little Scotch and Irish too. A scrappy Euro-mutt!

What a fun day! I had to Google 7 Mares soup. YUM!

I won't be surprised when you catch bass. Go get 'em, cowboy!

I want to add at least one new lure to my rotation in 2025. I can't tell you what that new lure will be. The bass get to decide. By rotation, I mean the lures I am confident casting. For example, I've caught bass on jerkbaits and jigs, but they're not one of my I'm-about-to-catch-a-bass lures. Same with strolling baits. I bought some new ones that @AlabamaSpothunter/Alex highlighted and I look forward to fishing them. In 2024, I added spinnerbaits and walking baits to my confident lures. I know I'm about to catch 2025 bass with those baits. Lots of bass and big bass. Now I want another one or two new lures that give me the same confidence.

I'm starting to see the surest sign of spring in New England. The Red Cheeked Males of Maine have donned their spring plumage, i.e. shorts and t-shirts. This happens annually when the temps climb into the forties.

^The life of a bass angler.^ And here's another hip-hip-hooray for @kingfisher from the Puritans of New England: P. S. - Yes, we Puritans drink a little hard cider to celebrate 30-lb. bags.

Far beyond frustrating. More like brutal. You are a heckuva angler. I don't catch 30-pound bags. I'm lucky to land a 20-pound bag, but though I'm far behind you, I utterly agree that bass are unpredictable.

@JohnFromLisbon: John, I'm stating the obvious here: BEAUTIFUL BASS! Dark bass before a dark sky. Such a cool photo.