Swamp Girl

I see you bought tickets too, @A-Jay: Meanwhile, on the coast, everyday is the same day. The ocean doesn't let us ride the Temperature Coaster Magnum.

Ditto.

Go catch some, but don't post the photos. Email the photos to me. Then I'll post them in the "Latest Catch" thread and make-believe that I'm catching bass. And the guys will say, "That Swamp Girl sure can cowgirl."

Over the past two weeks, I've driven to two ponds and one bog to see if the ice has melted. I did it again this morning. Here's video of me on the pond:

One time in Vicksburg, I fished the under an old marina's dock. There were holes in the boards big enough to fish through and I caught so many fish! It was a blast.

I wish you well, Darren. Please keep posting at Bass Resource and share your successes (We'll cheer!) and failures (We'll commiserate.). I also urge you to consider the option of fishing less fished water. Here's a trip I took last fall to water that was difficult to reach. If you're willing to work, you can catch lots of bass (I caught 2,044 bass in 2024 and the Maine fishing season is relatively short.) and big bass like these:

@softwateronly: Quantity + Quality + Canoe = a... Those misses are so exciting. Did you hook one of the megas even for a nanosecond?

@The Baron: I always enjoy your fishing trip reports, so MELT YOU STUPID ICE, MELT!

Darren, here's another video of a guy catching bass by just wading a shallow river. This would be great practice at detecting a strike:

You're the best of us, Alex. Why? Octogenarian fishing new water, catching bass, and wrasslin' your boat off stumps.

@TnRiver46: HUGE white bass and big smallie. #carpmakeamansmile

@Fried Lemons: What are we seeing in your second photo?

Ha! The above made me laugh, but it's true. Riffing off of what GP wrote, I urge the Original Poster to keep moving and keep trying new things. I'll fish one way one morning and catch a lot of bass with a particular lure at a particular place and then I'll return to that place with that lure the very next morning and catch little to nothing. So, then I go looking. Different places. Different lures. The largemouth bass move a lot in Maine and I expect in other places too and they change their minds about what they want a lot too. Here are some photos of bass I caught last August 3rd. Look beyond the bass at the water behind them. This first one was caught in open water about 25 yards from the shore: Then I caught this one in the middle of the lake: This one came out of the reeds: This one related to rocks: This one came from grass: My point is that sometimes there is no pattern, no single key, and you just have to keep trying different places with different lures. Other times they'll want a single lure at a certain kind of place, like lily pads or a hole and on those days, pound the bass with that one lure and nothing else. We never know which approach to take until we're on the water and we try this and that.

No, they aren't. This is what I also suggest. I further suggest that you consider paying to fish at one of those managed, private ponds. Here's why: You are catching so few bass that you might be missing hits simply because you haven't had enough success to learn what a hit feels like. I wish I could explain what hits feel like in a few words, but no one can because hits feel so different. I'll be retrieving a lure and set the hook and catch a bass and if you were to say, "Why did you set the hook? What did that hit feel like?", even seconds after it happened, I might not be able to tell you. If I had to explain a hit in two words, it would be that a hit feels different from what you were feeling a second prior. There's an often subtle, slight difference in what you've been feeling. I used to take rookies fishing in the Midwest and countless times I'd tell them, "You have a hit." They couldn't feel it, but I sure could see it So, you need to get some hits under your belt and a pay lake or paying a guide will help you do that. One other thing I'd try is leaving your boat at home and bushwhack into the woods. I'm one of the simpler anglers at Bass Resource. I fish from a canoe without electronics, a motor, and even an anchor. I do this to fish water that the bigger boats can't reach. Well, I suggest you watch this guy's walking and wading videos: He fishes mountain streams in Tennessee. He often catches smaller bass, but he steadily catches bass. He's consistent. Note that he's catching bass with a rod and reel and not much else. One reason he's consistent is because he's casting to bass that don't see a lot of lures. You have bass like that and places like that in South Carolina, but you'll have to leave your boat at home. My last suggestion is to spend time at Bass Resource and get to know us. If you build some relationships, you might receive some offers to fish with some of the big sticks (great anglers) here. I know I've invited some of the Bass Resource guys to come fish with me and I've seen BR guys fishing with BR guys.

Great topic! You guys know I fish in canoe, which is a wet boat, so I choose my snacks accordingly. I bought a bulk box of peanuts, some dipped in honey, and I think that'll be a good snack because I crave salt on the water and peanuts are loaded with energy. I take Hint or Bai, which are flavored waters, but I don't always finish them. A canoe and my plumbing make bathroom breaks tricky, so I mostly just drink when I'm thirsty, but don't worry: I steadily drink when I'm off the water meaning I'm well-hydrated the rest of my life.

Good. I'm glad you're not launching. High winds, cold water, and a new canoe are a terrible threesome. Anyway, you don't need it now. Did I tell ya the story about you catching a five-pounder and three bass in three casts? @GreenPig: We are now forever bound by the paddle, my brother.

A five-pounder from the shore! Plus three in three casts. That's catching, not fishing.

@softwateronly: Beauty! Plus, 14 this early in a season is smokin' hot comin' out of that cold water. @WhatJustHappened: Fingers crossed for you, buddy.

Wow, @Dwight Hottle!

Gosh, you really wanted that bass!

I love when Alex goes fishing!

So fat!

I gratefully stand corrected!

I think of you as the frog master, Pat, and I'm the frog fool because of my low hooking percentage. Your missing bass on frogs tells me that it's hard. I am so cool when fishing other surface lures, but I lose all my cool when a bass hits a frog, even though it's just another surface lure. I know I'm supposed to wait like I do with all other surface lures, but there's something about a bass busting through lily pads that makes me lose my cool.

Yeah, that Chucky is pretty confident too, but just wait until he meets Mr. Norris.