Swamp Girl

We had the same success: I caught 17 with the biggest going 17.5" or so. I've experienced the same flurries with droughts in-between. That's the fighting spirit! They throw me for loops too sometimes and I sit at home and think, "How about if I........next time?"

Here's what I've learned about Kansas. Kansas LMBs are so fat. Kansas walleyes are sooooooo skinny!

That bass is HUGE, @Choporoz! I fished a bog this morning, but the weeds were insane. Weeds above water, on the water, and strata of weeds below the water. I picked weeds off two-thirds of my cast. I hooked what I think were two big ones and my mechanics were good, but I just couldn't keep them out of the weeds, which work like a Monopoly "Get out of Jail Free" card or a can opener or a safe cracker. I caught 17 bass on a shaded shoreline, in current, and in pads. I start with the first bass, then the best bass, and finally a pic of the bog.

I've had big ones suck a surface lure. One moment, all is well. The next moment, there's weight on my line and all is even better. Much better. Congrats, @BrianMDTX!

Good point, @TnRiver46, and good counterpoint, @gimruis. However, casting accurately at targets takes a lot of skill with the lure weight, wind speed and direction, distance, and obstacles like overhanging trees shifting.

Thanks, pdx! I never thought I could afford waterfront. One day, when stairs are too hard for me, I might buy a little, energy efficient modular and live there. There are two local firms that make such homes. Then I could walk out the door and walk the 100 yards or so to my canoe.

Like others in this thread, I want my drag to slip with a big bass.

Pretty photo, @Susky River Rat.

Well, I just went fishing for one hour and 45 minutes. Conditions were tough, as it was mid-day, sunny, humid, and hot. Breezy too. I tried the windswept shore, lilypads, and the deepest water and caught nothing. Didn't even get a bite. The nine I caught were all on the protected shore in about a foot of water, tight to the shoreline. All caught on a spinnerbait or underspin. I lead with a pic of the shoreline. Then pics of the bass. All small except for the last one, which was chunky. So, shallow summertime fishing worked for me today, at least. I started casting to the protected shoreline when I saw bass feeding under the woody bushes. About seven of the bass came within inches of the shoreline.

I think @Pat Brown should have a fishing show because he's great at teaching and he uses words in fresh, funny ways (elephants, peanuts) to make a point. Plus, he has Jake, the Bass Catching Machine!

@gimruis: I love fishing the windblown shore,, but my canoe also gets windblown into the shore. Dang it!

Gosh, yes. I hope to fish for two hours today and I'll be fishing my pond, which I've now fished dozens of times. Do I have a clue whether I'll catch them or not? Heck, no! Bass are shifty and shifting and their rules change from pond to pond and hour to hour.

What colorful writing! It both made me laugh and understand.

Interesting. I fish water with raptors (eagles and ospreys), so mid-day, I don't fish shallow much. I've seen the raptors plunge into the water and rise with a bass wriggling in their talons. However, if it's raining, foggy, early, or late, I think the bass are harder for the raptors to spot.

For the past three years, I have been fishing Cabela's brand braid that's about 30 years old. I know, I know, it's cheapo and ancient, but it works and it works in heavy, heavy cover. I've never had it break in battle. A few pickerel have cut it. However, I just bought some Suffix 832 20 lb. test and I'll soon be fishing like Hollywood! I'm expecting high-kicking dancing girls to suddenly appear on the bank with my first cast, while a band on a barge plays.

In the just posted article, "Going Shallow for Summertime Bass," pro guide John Neporadny extols the effectiveness of fishing shallow for summertime bass and he defines shallow as 1' to 10'. Well, on the two ponds I fish the most, the deepest spots are 10', so shallow for me would be 1' to 3' and I do fish those depths every time I'm out in the summer.* 1' was the magic number when I fishing in the spring, but there are still a few that shallow this deep into the summer. How about you? Do you fish shallow in the summer and if so, what do you consider to be shallow? *I also fish deeper. I never know where they are, so I look under every pond sofa and in every pond closet.

@Bazoo: My main/Maine lure this year, by far, is the underspin with a Crush City Mayor. No other lure has caught as many bass and it's not even close. It's perfect for pitching into reeds, grass, and pads. Some days, I slow rolled it on deep, rocky bottoms. I've caught hundreds of bass with it in a foot of water. It's also great for trolling when paddling from one spot to another. It's so versatile, so that's the lure I'd bring if you ever come to Maine. I keep doubting myself as to whether the bass are getting bigger. I doubt because I want them to be getting bigger, but I did measure many bass from this pond two years ago and the fish I'm catching now are far thicker. Longer too. Some 2022 bass from my pond are below. They're scrawny runts compared to what I'm catching now. I added a bass from this morning's catch for contrast. It's the last bass:

That's cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs.

That's generous praise, Gary. Thank you.

Every year, we're neck and neck with Vermont for least crime in the country. Ha!

True story: This summer, when I was fishing with the kid, one spot felt soooooooooo right. So, I told the kid, "Watch this retrieve. The bass is going to hit right...." And when I said "...now," the bass hit. I told him to cast where he caught these three bass. I positioned the canoe too and told him, "Wait, wait, now."

Hey, if you accept my Instagram friend request, you'll get to see all my meals! What a deal, huh???

Well, don't leave, Buddy. We'll need someone to turn the lights out when the rest of us are dirt napping! Seriously, are the young anglers on Instagram? Or some newer, hipper social media outlet that I don't even know?

I dock my canoe at the end of a boardwalk. The boardwalk is not on my land. It's on a pond owned by the citizens of Maine. My dad thinks I should chain the canoe to the boardwalk. I told him that in Maine, every other camp has half a dozen unchained boats. "Why would they steal my old canoe when there are thousands of others?" I asked him.

Spot on. And, yes, I rely on intuition. If you're ever in a canoe with me and I suggest you cast to a certain spot, do it. When I'm retrieving a lure, my head is rotating as I'm searching for the next spot that feels right. Andy understands.