Swamp Girl

I have a much better chance of having the strength to swim to shore if I'm already close to it.

Even though it's 37 and raining just now and there's still some snow in my driveway, I might launch this Friday, when it's supposed to reach 55 with a nighttime low of 40. I asked @Lottabass about my prospects and he said that the bass might still be in their wintertime haunts, which I'm guessing would be the middle of the lake, where it's deepest (only 10' deep). I don't like fishing the middle of the lake when the water is still cold even though I now own a drysuit, but I'm not a strong swimmer, so I'd likely fish close to the shorelines and hope I could catch some there. We'll see. Fingers crossed the forecast holds and toes crossed I can finally catch some!

I remember a couple times last Spring when I had to quit because my hands quit working. The good news in Maine is that my pal's pond has thawed. I have yet to check my pond because I don't think I can reach it yet. You might remember that the plow guy pushes all the snow up to the edge of my property and it turns to ice and is a long time melting. It's so depressing to drive there and see the wall of ice between paradise and me.

@GreenPig: GP is out early and at 'em kind of guy, my kind of guy!

That's beautiful, for sure. Sadly, my lakeview would look more like the North Pole. Still, it would be beautiful, albeit a bleak beauty.

Warning: There is a hideous monster called the Bait Monkey who addicts anglers to buying tackle and some of the Bass Resource guys appear to work for him! Seriously, welcome and feel free to post pics of your boat, where you fish, and some bass you've caught. We all love fish pics.

Please tell me more so that I know what I have to look forward to!

Even though that's a little scary and a little funny, it's also cool that they have those family relationships and want to sally forth together. Contrast that with the modern American angler who too often fishes alone. Of course, many of us enjoy fishing alone, but I like a balance, fishing with Bob, the Kid, the Kid's dad, and others. I catch the most when I fish alone, but I help others catch bass when I fish with them, and both are great fun.

@bp_fowler; Gosh, I miss adventure fishing. However, I'm glad you're still doing it, BP! Beautiful bass and great job meeting the challenges to reach them.

Dwight the Conqueror!* *And a birthday boy too!

A 21-incher on six-pound test must have quite a tussle!

You're talking about me with your "fancy boat control" remark, aren't ya? Sure, I have a paddle. I admit it. I even carry a spare paddle, which makes me extra fancy, huh? I'm the fishing equivalent of good ol' Tom:

That is cool!

Pat's post is so good that I quoted the whole thing because it's worth a second read...or third...or....

Go get 'em, Darth!

I'm heartbroken for ya.

That's the ticket. @WaskaCrank12: New England is pretty and our coastal winters are warmer than Minnesota's.

I second what @Joedodge wrote about @Pat Brown's solid storytelling. I also second what @Jar11591 wrote about the spinnerbait. That's another bait that I associated with catching muskies and I was already using an underspin, which is pretty similar (blade plus trailer), but I learned heavily on spinnerbaits last spring and had a couple mornings where I caught three and four bass over nineteen inches.

First off, thanks for recalling Alex. I miss him. He was so welcoming and encouraging when I arrived at Bass Resource. I took my cue from him and try to encourage others. For me, it might be a walking bait. I'd caught muskies with them, but hadn't had much luck with bass. Then, two years ago back in August, I was struggling to land good numbers of bass and I watched a YouTube video about fishing for bass in August. A walking bait was used. So, the next morning, I started with a walking bait and I discovered that if I loaded some slack into my line by bringing the rod tip a little ways forward on my pauses, the bait would really lunge forward when that slack line was suddenly pulled taut. That's been my retrieve ever since and it's one of my favorite baits.

In the dark. In the cold. After the year you had. Beyond hardcore.

I change my mind. I want to live next door to Clayton. #whereverhegoesI'llgo

This reminds of Thailand and seeing five people on a moped AND five people wasn't rare.

I T-rig fish with both 8-12 lb. mono and 30 lb. braid. I don't notice any difference.

I'm good where I am. I have both brown and green bass and most trips, I don't have to share the ponds and bogs.