Swamp Girl

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.

That is interesting and I bet you're right about why they clobbered it.

@SJS: Like you, I was told to wait a sec before setting the hook. Then, when I returned to largemouth bass fishing in my sixties, I learned that you do what the three anglers explained above. I think the currently prescribed method is best because bass inhale baits. They don't gum their way up a bait. And just as quickly as they inhale, they can exhale a bait. I've seen them do exactly this in clear water. So, take up the slack and sweep set. BTW, it's a good question and I'm glad you asked it.

Sounds like a fun morning, Brian. It's always fun to score more than ever before with a new lure. That three-pounder has a fine shape.

Thanks, @herder. I love the blues. @Jar11591: There's nothing better than a shoreline drift.

It's an interesting question. I think @Jar11591 is right, that it's forage-related, and that the forage there is sized for small bass, but that begs another question: Why is small forage there?

Without electronics, I can't pinpoint structure, but through trial and error, I can find fish-holding areas that I assume are due to structure. You did a good job explaining a complex tactic, Dwight. I enjoyed reading your post.

I'm stuck in stealth mode. Seriously, I enjoyed drift fishing for decades when I fished from a motorboat. I should do it again. Thanks for the reminder!

What a great trip report, Clayton. I love how you broke down your thinking for us. And what a great bass too! I love your Kansas hawgs!

Yours is a good and fair question. On one hand, it doesn't really matter. On the other hand, when I report that I caught an 18-pound bag at my pond, I really don't want to be exaggerating. When I weigh a couple bass at each half inch length, I can use those weights going forward with greater confidence that I'm a reliable reporter. However, I don't want to waste fishing time by weighing hundreds of 17 and 18-inch bass this summer and I don't want to keep that many bass out of the water longer.