Swamp Girl

Toledo Bend noun 1. A place where Catt can catch a 35-pound bag in 30 minutes 2. A priceless place

Dwight does catch tankers that are beautifully marked.

Okay, Dwight, I'm pondering and processing and I conclude...I LOVE FISHING! This old gal just needs a paddle and a misty morning to be happy.

My canoe doesn't guzzle gas and the two ponds I fish the most are five and twelve minutes away, so fuel isn't a concern. However, my personal energy is a concern, so I try not to fish back to back, like an evening and the next morning, where I'm fishing into the night and then beginning again in the late night. Mechanics do, for sure. My big fishing costs in 2024 were $75,000 for my five-acre lake lot, $5,000 for the driveway, another $1,000 for the meandering path, and $1,000 again for the boardwalk labor, for a total of $82,000. Of course, none of this money is gone. It's an investment account made of dirt, rock, trees, and shoreline.

If that's thin, then this guy is svelte:

I caught 25 this fall morning. The pickerel rush and cabbage are brown. So are the reeds. The shorelines are brown, brown, brown and there are more and more bright red maple leaves.

@Catt: And that's why I LOVE backstories!

Wow! You're probably not surprised that I don't just weigh weight when it comes to appreciating bass. I like backstories. I like backgrounds. I like colossal fights. I like color and markings. I know I'm an outlier, that many reduce bass to a number. Of course, I appreciate weight too, but not only weight.

@GreenPig: What a tail and what a tale!

That first bass by Fish Chris has the darkest, most striking markings. It's a greeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeen bass! @king fisher: Please post the pic of that DD where you're on the shoreline. I love that photo.

If you have a favorite bass that you didn't catch, please share it. Mine is @Catt's bass below. She has to be old, but she's not a ragged, unraveling old. She's at the peak of her powers, as evidenced by her big belly. I love bass with big bellies. If you have a favorite bass in mind, but can't find it, state the user and describe the particular bass as best you can. Then hopefully that angler can find the pic and post it: My second favorite bass is @king fisher's monster. He's standing on a shoreline. Hopefully he'll post it. I never tire of seeing her.

I am happy because retiring is good. I am sad because Kent is good.

I predict that the heat will break for @Team9nine and that he'll catch four or five bass, including one that'll break five pounds. What lure will he use? Well, that's a little hazy for me. A Fred? A Jed? I'm just not sure, but I'm pretty confident about the rest of my prediction. I further predict that @thediscochef will catch four or five bass too, including one nice one. Let's see if I'm right. #NewEnglandwitcheshavestrongjuju

I used one all morning and it caught bass, for sure, plus IT DID NOT BREAK. Thanks for the tip!

I fished an especially pretty pond this morning, launching in the dark. I used a spinnerbait, underspin, Spook, and fluke and caught fish on all four, but the spinnerbait caught the most. I ended with 25, but took no fish pics because they were only 15" to 16", aka two-pounders.

@bp_fowler: Hey, quit taking pics of cool dudes with soul patches and their bass! You're only supposed to take photos of your bass. Nice striper. I bet it stretched your line.

So, I'm throwing a Deps Sakamata 7" Shad in sparkly gold tomorrow. The last time I threw it, I caught a smallie and lmb in two casts, but because it's sturdy as pudding, that was the end of that lure. I've got four rigged and ready to fish tomorrow. Since they're seven inches, fingers crossed for some big gals! I ordered some 5/0 EWG hooks for them, but they haven't arrived and I'm tired of waiting, so I'm going with 3/0. I also ordered some more of the Sakamata, from five inches to seven inches. It's a big lure and I was amazed that a smallie hit it, but being so soft, I think anything that hits will be reluctant to release it. We'll see and I'll let you know.

I'm with Catt. I feel invulnerable with my underspins and Keitechs/Crush City Mayors. I pitch them everywhere. One caveat: Just because you hook meat in salad doesn't mean it's coming free.

So true. So not true.

I'd follow those sheep up the channel to shear them. I could use their wool going into winter.

Where in Wisconsin?

Robert Service was writing about you here: "There's sunshine in the heart of me, My blood sings in the breeze; The mountains are a part of me, I'm fellow to the trees."

@The Baron: Wes looks ten years older in that photo.

The wind is a harsh mistress. Whether I was backpacking, bicycling, or paddling, there are days beyond counting that I have rued her. Now, that's the spirit. The $19.99 I paid to join your fan club was the best money I've ever spent.

I use the Crush City Bronco Bug and Crush City Cleanup Craw. I don't know if they're the best, but I like the Crush City line.