Swamp Girl

Vegetarians around the would revere you.

Then that's what I'll do too! I'm starting to load my tacklebox for my first spring trip, which is a ways away, but I'll be ready.

I have both those lures, so thanks for the tips!

This is what I use: https://portagenorth.com/canoe-seat-cushion/?attribute_pa_color=black&srsltid=AfmBOorJDcEYyMaUjac12gVOYmDZxDreh9vwm5YCaoDtD0zB5HcZ-hX9sDM&gQT=1 I'm nearly 69, usually fish for five-hour stretches, and it's comfy. Something else to try is to drop to your knees now and then. When I paddled whitewater, I did so on my knees and you can fish from your knees too. A few minutes on your knees eases a few hours on your bum.

Says the angler who's caught a twelve-to-thirteen-pounder. If you were able to talk to animals, you would have heard your Brunhilda declare, "Dude, you are not average. You caught me!"

@WhatJustHappened: Do you still fish from a canoe? If so, I can suggest a bog. It requires paddling down a creek and dragging the canoe over a beaver dam to reach a bog.

That's the way it works in Maine too. I'd go catch bass in a certain place with a certain lure and the very next day, that wouldn't work and I'd have to find them and determine which lure they wanted just then. They keep us guessing!

Most excellent catches for any water. Alex sure can fish.

@The Baron, given that I'm north of you, you're "the South" to me, so you can answer the question whether February is too soon to catch bass in Kingston, Ontario, aka Maine's South.

An outboard tiller extension will let you steer from the middle seat, which will greatly balance your boat.

Hello and welcome!

I fish smaller rather than bigger bodies of water. I prefer water without a ramp or with a rough ramp. And if you really want to fine tune, fish bodies of water where trout are stocked and alewives migrate. What's the nearest town where you'll be fishing?

Welcome to Bass Resource, Mr. Happened!

My fingerless gloves are as hole-y as your jeans. I don't care. They work just fine. I don't wear jeans from my decades of wilderness tripping where we say, "Cotton kills." @AlabamaSpothunter: Three BIG bass. Those eyes make me laugh! Alex, if you taught a class in Maine on catching bass, I'd be sitting in the front row and taking notes! I'd also give you an apple everyday!

@Team9nine: FWIW, we wear the same gloves. I hope I don't get cited for wearing your gloves!

Good to know that number, i.e. 500 rounds. I'll do just that, Alex. Thanks again. You have coached me on catching bass. You have coached me on shooting. If I have a plumbing problem, I'll be asking you about that too.

I know this is a bass thread, but if @Team9nine stopped sharing his mega-crappies in this thread, I'd sure miss them.

The salesman told me to buy just that, a box of range ammo. I think I also bought that, if hollow points are Federal HST. And I bought an extra magazine too. I can simply and quickly reach under the bed with zero steps.

My main struggle in the woods is the weight of the gear I'm already carrying. Plus, I've lived years of my life in the woods and have never met a criminal.

I just bought a handgun, a Ruger 9mm that holds 15 rounds. I also bought a Browning lock box. I'm going to the range tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. I'll keep it under my bed.

Woo-hoo! Enjoy!!! I know how that goes. I also live in a frost heave area.

Ha! Cool! Literally and figuratively. I don't know about you guys, but this is the time of year when I've abandoned coats and mittens. I wear a thin vest and fingerless gloves and am good to go. I'm so acclimated to cold that I'm comfy and so, so sick of coats and mittens too. I'm one of many who feel this way. I'm starting to see guys in t-shirts and shorts walking into the grocery store.

The weather is finally improving in Maine. We are up to a high of 30 degrees today and next week are supposed to reach the low forties for three straight days. Still dipping into the teens or colder most nights, but I'm seeing slivers of spring. I'm still dazzled by Crater Lake's annual snowfalls. 40'!

Booze. I once saw a cigarette boat on Green Bay with five 250 HP engines on the transom. The guy docks it badly, struggles to secure it, and then staggers off. Yeah, a guy driving an aquatic cruise missile was stupid drunk.

Great idea. A lot of boats are long abandoned in backyards.