Swamp Girl

I assume, Tom, that you experienced the greatest pressure of all time in bass fishing.

Sounds a lot like my morning's fishing. I too worked hard to reach a spot that few would work to reach and I also caught a bunch.

It wore me out, Alex, but I think being wet and cool was a big energy drain and paddling was tough at times, as the wind kicked up and the weeds were so thick that I had to keep shaking them off my paddle. I am proud of how well I played them in such thick cover. Extracting bass from weeds has been my most important, new skill. Do you remember a thread I started a few years ago wondering how to fish in the thickets? Now, I love it. When I hook a four-pounder with a foot of water to play it, I keep my cool and enjoy the tussle.

Alex, the more stories you tell, the more I realize you lived a life of adventure.

They weren't bumping my lures. They were intent on eating them. That always bumps up my numbers. You know those days when they nudge your bait? This wasn't one of them.

If I build anything on my property, it will require a separate insurance policy.

You're right about them schooling. I took 75% of them out of one area. A few times, I'd pop my surface lure and shad would scatter, which is why, I'm guessing, the bass were there. I could have caught 100, but when I reached 70, I stopped casting and came home. I caught 75 one morning last June and wanted to hit the 7-0 mark one more time in 2024. Here's a bass from this morning that had a weird shape. I pulled my cell phone out of its waterproof pouch to photograph it because its tail isn't long enough for the rest of its body. It's like a guy with a long torso and short legs:

I caught 70 this morning, which is a LOT for me in the fall. When I reached my car, I felt like all the sap had been sucked out of me. Most of them were this size: And this size: I saw five deer emerge from the woods to drink at a point. I also saw herons, eagles, ospreys, and geese. I caught EVERY SINGLE BASS on a surface lure, including a Whopper Plopper, frog, wakebait, and popper. The popper was a Yo-Zuri and was clear, black, and gold. I had been working my poppers like walking baits, but this morning, I popped and stopped. I hooked one small bass, perhaps 13 inches, and a BIG bass tried to eat it beside my boat. I did catch some bigger bass. Here's one: However, my camera died. I think it needs a new battery. I returned to where the BIG bass tried to eat my 13-incher and worked that area again, but nada. I never actually saw it. I saw a lot of water being moved, but it would have to be big to consider a 13-incher a meal. Lastly, I caught some 15 and 16-inch bass that were so fat they made me laugh, but my camera wasn't working at that point. They're fattening for the winter. Speaking of winter, it was 49 degrees this morning and I had to walk in water up to my knees to launch my canoe, so that's one reason I staggered out of my canoe at the end of the fishing. Now I'm going to rest. So tuckered!

You make perfect sense. Quantity/quality doesn't have to be either/or although many frame it that way. That said, I'm off to catch a big bass (fingers crossed) and lots of bass (toes crossed)!

I like the pace of this video, Glenn. Thanks!

I'm thinking a good thought for you, Woody. Some good looking brown bass, @TnRiver46. Nice one, @DaubsNU1!

I simply use my light saber. Cuts it does. Here's a gif of me. Yes, the years in the swamps have aged me quite a bit:

Thanks, @BluegillsTightlines! Such exciting catches.

Ha! It's literally called "pond" in its name, thus I call it a pond, but I agree, it's a lake. It's the New England way, to call little lakes ponds.

That's true for me too. In June, if I discover that they're tucked into shoreline notches, I can pound those notches and catch 40 bass. If they're in the zombie reeds, ditto. If they're ten feet off-shore, more of the same. Come late summer and fall, I have to skitter all over to find them. So, it's early summer for me. Plus, as pretty as fall is, every dang day is shorter, giving me less and less time to fish.

Rodney, I'm thinking a good thought for you. Here's what the CDC says: However, you could wear gloves, making cuts unlikely, and your mental health is important too and fishing sure boosts my mental health. I think you should go.

I'm clearly in the minority with my approach, but I do fish smaller water than many of you and I fish my 170-acre pond several times each week, so there are fewer bass seeing more of the lures I prefer, again and again and again.

@TnRiver46: Man, you know how to live. It's clear from your posts how much fun you have with your friends and all the many places you fish and the cool fish you catch. If someone were struggling to squeeze all due joy from life, rather than therapy, I'd suggest you. Hanging with you.

Good tip. Thanks! Thanks too for the reminders to change my trebles. I did that last summer, but haven't yet this summer and my trebles hooks have accumulated a lot of wear and tear on them. Way back when, they were red.

I fished my pond for an hour this evening and caught four. I was surface lure stubborn, casting a popper for half an hour when it wasn't what they wanted, but in the other half hour, I managed the quartet with two at 17.5 inches, catching three on a pink Senko wacky-hooked and one on a spinnerbait. I lead with a healthy 16.5-incher and close with the best bass, the thicker 17.5-incher.

I have never used sonar, so I'm speaking from near ignorance, however I have seen bass chasing shad and I have failed to catch those bass...until this summer when a FAST retrieve worked. Burning the bait, I'm guessing, didn't let them realize that it was phony and because they were feeding, they were ready to hit everything that was fleeing.

This is why I'm now and forever known as Swamp Girl:

Now that's a guide! Yep, quite a guide. And a real mensch too. Now that's not a guide for he didn't guide you to anything. Guides are more than I can afford, but for fishing articles, I was guided a few times. I'd rather fish by myself or with a friend. I enjoy deciding where to cast and the gratification of guessing well when a fish hits.

@thediscochef: night fishing, a new pal, and a burger made of brisket and bacon? No wonder you're pumped! How? What was the fight like? Where did they hit? They say pictures tell a thousand words, but I'd trade some of your photos for a few more words.

Swamp Girl wants in!