Swamp Girl

In Maine, spring is a long time coming, so our bass spend half the year in a freezer. Just chillin' prolongs their lives and some live up to 20 years, as the colder water slows their metabolisms. I can see the great age of the old ones in their heads. Like this one: The old ones have craggy faces. She is furrowed as a woman who's been smoking two packs a day for 40 years. Contrast the rugged mug above with the smooth face of the 2.5-pounder below, looking as pretty as a Disney princess: Time etches their faces. Another tell-tale sign for weight is their lower jaws. Lip and grip an old gal and her jaw generally juts from her weight. One more craggy, ol' kisser, but without the jutting jaw: Now let's see those time-furrowed faces, looking like the bent-backed, ol' gal at the end of the bar.

@Pat Brown: Way to go!!! I fished my pond this evening and I continue my downhill slide...catching fewer and fewer bass. It's not just hot. It's steamy. Yeah, that humid. Plus, the sky was clear. Still, I caught eight, starting with two in the middle. Then I caught my best bass tight to shore. It was one of those extra fun bass because there were weeds behind weeds by weeds atop weeds beneath weeds. So, boating her was a rush. I picked up a couple more nice ones and finished with eight bass, all lmb, and all on an underspin and wakebait.

I'm off to fish my pond for a couple hours. I'll do some joyful paddling...and joyful fishing!

😉

This is an excellent article. Matted grass is where my dreams go to die...up to a point. I have managed to boat more and more grass bass this year.

Another brother!

I've been in similar situations in my old 14' V-hull with its six-horse Johnson, which has me quoting Mark Twain (again): It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog.

Brother.

I can totally relate to ^this,^ but my version is a bit different. There are times when I strike a paddling cadence that is efficient and elegant and my canoe tracks true and swift. And there are times, like in the movie, "A River Runs Through It," when I reach an understanding with the water and no longer need the metronome to command me, and I'll look at my body, not centered within the canoe as I was taught, but situated left or right of the beam, with the canoe following my lead, and not feeling a bit unbalanced, even though I clearly am. @Catt: That's it. I know my time on the water is coming to an end, so I want to gather as many memories as I can. @TOXIC: My most powerful fishing motor ever was 10 h.p., so I've never felt what you've felt, wind-wise, but I can infer the allure.

@A-Jay: Ha! Point taken, Andy.

When I'd fish a lake in northwestern Ontario for brown bass for a week, come the final morning of fishing, after I'd caught about 700 smallies, including four and five-pounders, I'd be so happy and relaxed in my canoe, no longer driven to catch scores more. I feel the same way now, having caught hundreds in 2024, my PB, and dozens and dozens of four and five-pounders. I've learned that some of you are more driven than me, but I'm wondering if some of you are like me, eventually reaching a point where you're simply happy to be on the water? I still go out and catch bass, but I cast a little less and simply witness a little more. Is it just me? Or do you too ever reach a state of contentment, where being on the water is enough?

Leading physical therapists from coast-to-coast keep three-pound Spots on their staffs.

Sadly, I am the Queen of Bass Burying Themselves in Weeds. So, yeah, I understand your motivation and envy your strength. I think, if a carrier's catapult breaks down, that the Navy could use you to launch their jets.

@Bluebasser86 Flying freshwater fish? Who knew?

Alex back in the saddle and riding high!

I went fishing again yesterday evening as I'd taken a pal fishing yesterday morning and whenever I take someone fishing, as much as I love to do that, I miss being able to focus on my fishing. Well, I focused, but for the first hour, could only catch one pickerel. I had a couple weak hits, but no bass. In the final two hours, the fishing picked up and I landed eight brown bass and seven green bass. The smallmouth were all cookie cutter. This size: Of course, being smallmouth, there was nothing thin about their fights. The lmb were thicker and they fought like the dickens too: Nothing big, but a fun evening. I think the heat and bright, blue skies are why I caught fewer than I normally do. I caught them on a wakebait, spinnerbait, and underspin, the only three lures I tried. The second bass from the bottom was in less than a foot of water, lying in the little river right behind her, a river which hosts Atlantic salmon. However, the best fishing was off-shore, in eight to ten feet of water.

That country is my happy place. It makes me ache with longing to see your photos and read your account. It also makes me very, very happy for your brother and you.

I went fishing with a pal this morning. I had three goals: 1. I wanted him to catch a lot of bass. 2. I wanted him to enjoy the morning. 3. I wanted him to catch a four-pounder or bigger. He achieved the following: 1. He caught 35 bass. Success! 2. He had a great time. Double score! He commented several times about how beautiful it was in the fog. 3. I caught the four-pounder. Dang it! Here's one of his average bass: Here's a 3.5-poundish* bass I caught: Here's my four-poundish* fish: And here's a pond pic: I only caught 22, but I was doing nearly all the paddling and a lot of positioning him. The only baits that were working were a wakebait and a spinnerbait. I couldn't catch a single bass on an underspin, which is my main lure. * "ish" means I'm guessing. My length-to-weight table tells me that when they get up to 19", they're about four pounds and I do know what a 19-incher looks like. I am certain that my biggest bass had a big head and my second biggest bass had a chubby belly and that my fishing buddy did a great job of netting them in deep weeds. That pond is at Peak Weeds right now.

@BluegillsTightlines, @A-Jay, and @Bluebasser86: @IcatchDinks: Beautiful bass!

Sometimes I lose a claw on the first cast. Sometimes two. Sometimes I even get to fish with two claws for a few casts! I've had great luck with the Bronco Bug on the fall. I've had good luck with the Cleanup Craw on the retrieve. However, the Mayor is my main lure.

I love Crush City lures.

And we'll be cheering for you when you do.

The first maple on my road has already turned. It's fire engine red. I'm not in a big hurry for fall, however, for that means shorter and shorter days. However, those short days sure are pretty.

By the time I get it all cut, I pretty much have to start cutting it again.

Woody, given the stare record, I also consider a five-pounder to be huge. Me too. I have over an acre of lawn and a push mower. However, come 2025, I hope to have saved enough for a rider.