Swamp Girl

So many big bass have been landed and posted this spring that I'm a bit breathless, anticipating the next beshemoth to be posted here.

Good one! I'll add the "ka-blooie!" when a five-pound bass tries to obliterate a walking bait.

What's cool is that so many of these photos are water ringed by trees, but they all look so different.

Here's a song I wrote and I dedicate it to us. I sure hope nobody stole my song and maybe changed words here and there to disguise their theft: Hello darkness, my old friend I've come to fish with you again My little lure just lan-an-ded A mighty bass swirled, so grand it was And that bass that was branded in my brain Still remains Within the sound of silence Past restless dreams, we fish alone Seeing reeds and shoreline stone 'Neath the halo of a full moon Wondering if we launched a wee too soon When our eyes were stabbed by the flash of a rising Sun That split the night And touched the sound of silence

Chucky-grade confidence.

I bought ^this^ net from Dick's. Thanks for the heads-up!

I love owls hooting in the night. I also like when swallows swoop and veer so close you can hear the whirrr of their blurry wings. Speaking of wings beating, I like when geese fly so low you can hear their wings too. And woodpeckers! However, I think the funniest sound I hear is ospreys. They're big, fierce birds that sound like songbirds: And I like the great splash when ospreys dive on a bass.

@herder: Ahhhhhhhhh!

You keep that up, Tim, and I'm going to start using muskies I'll catch for mako shark bait!

I don't remember the name of the show. I only saw it once, but the show's song was so bad that it burned into my brain: Some people say I'm a fishin' fool, but I think fishin' should be taught in school. Put a fishin' rod in a young man's hand, the Earth has got more water than land, the Earth has got more water than land. I met them at a fishing show once.

Just the duck hunters. Yep, that's my thinking. It's full. Yeah, that's what bugs me, people thinking that they're entitled. I have worked hard. I'm thinking of putting a chain up and a "No Trespassing" sign. I'll tell the people who've been given permission to duck under the chain and keep using it, but only after they've called me for permission to use it on a specific date. I don't want any surprises when I'm coming through the woods in the dark.

It is beautiful, Bob.

Good attitude. I feel the same way. I actually find myself happiest on my short trips because I have zero expectations. I too am simply happy to be outside. This approach reminds me of the Shaker song: Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free 'Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be, And when we find ourselves in the place just right, 'Twill be in the valley of love and delight. Tis a gift to be funny too. A smallmouth stream is a church.

You might remember that I bought 4.5 acres of waterfront last spring. I didn't want to be one of those landowners who keeps hunters and anglers away from water. Well, I gave two guys permission to trap beaver, two permission to hunt ducks, three to hunt deer, and two to hunt coyotes. I've also given more than a dozen permission to fish, but I'm not giving anyone else permission to hunt or fish. There are so many using my land already and I'm dizzy trying to keep track of them all. All who already have permission are free to continue hunting and fishing. Just no newbies. What instigated this change is a guy who approached me and said, "I've heard there's a path you can walk down to the water." And I replied, "There is. It's on my land. I took a chunk out of my retirement savings to buy that land. And I paid to have the driveway built. And I paid for the gravel that coats the path beyond the driveway. And I pay the taxes on the land. And I fetched the dozens of pallets that built the boardwalk. And I paid to have the dead wood cleared on the shoreline." The guy wants to take his two grandkids fishing and I gave him permission, but he's the last. It irked me that there's an idea out there that my path is open to the public. I cross private land to reach a couple ponds and whenever I do that, I arrive with all due gratitude in the form of wine, beer, cashews, pecans, or chocolates. I have zero sense of entitlement.

I did a lot of hour to an hour and a half fishing trips last year. Ten minutes was consumed by walking through the woods and back and another five minutes was consumed backing the canoe out of the canal where I dock it, so efficiency was key. I'd only take two rods and fish close to my dock, as paddling the length of the pond to the best fishing would have consumed another 25 minutes. Many sessions I'd catch eight or nine, but I went looking for a trip report on one of my short trips and in the first trip report I found, I only caught four. Here are three of the four: Only four bass, but what a way to end a summer day, walking through the woods, down my boardwalk, launching my canoe, and casting to 17" to 17.5" bass.

Respect. You fish like Alex, catching more with less. Food always tastes better when we're hungry. Especially two, BIG, beefy burgers like you just landed. FWIW, with everyone catching and contributing, feeling like I too should pull my weight, here's my big bass of 2025:

Funny thread!

Duluth Trading Company makes close-to-lifetime hoodies. Thick too. And their sales are great.

Girls gone wild? Nah. It's southern boys gone crazy! Way to go, @Team9nine, you crazy guy, you. And thanks again for the water pic!

@Pat Brown: And let's not forget about Mike Siebert:

@Bird: I can't decide if I envy your bass or shorts more.

22.5 pounds of river smallies??? Wow!!! I'd listen to Mr. Taylor too.

High praise.

Looks just like my fishin' holes.

Considering your PB is already over nine pounds, you've got quite a task in front of you, but I love your enthusiasm.