Swamp Girl

I have met @Woody B, so I estimate his "micro-bass" to be a five-pounder. His "real bass" is the world record. You have to understand that Woody is about ten-feet tall and weighs 900 pounds. Here are some clips of Woody when he was just 8:

You have some of the greatest fishing in the world...if you have a four-wheel drive vehicle and are willing to scratch it and dirty it driving down logging roads.

Sometimes when a teacher is loaded with 74 years of wisdom, they want to impart all of that knowledge right now. Don't. Teach her the bare minimum to cast and let her fumble along with her casting for a bit. Then teach one more thing. And let her chew that like sweet cud. Then another. And so on. I say this as a lifelong teacher who's worked with kids beyond counting. Also, don't do all the talking. Ask her about her life. Lastly, note what she's doing right and reinforce that with praise. Here and there. Don't drown her with praise like you can drown her with info. Here's my student's biggest bass this year:

@Jmurphy87: Murph, you know how In-Fisherman thinks a 6.5-pound northern bass is equivalent to a 10-pound southern bass? Well, I think a Murph fishing-crowded-lakes 3.32-pounder is equivalent to a 5-pound, lonesome-lake Maine bass. @1984isNOW: If you're talking about water quality, it depends. The southern lakes have much more developed shorelines and therefore lower water quality. Up north, I assume that there are still lakes where you could safely, directly drink the water. If you're talking water temps, they're bath water warm. If you're wondering whether the bass are biting, yep. Always.

I like the look of these...a lot. I'm ordering some this evening. Thanks, good buddy!

@Fishing_Rod: Your comment was so detailed. That really helps me. Thank you for your generosity. I've been trying to gain confidence in the spinnerbait and I have that now. I'll still use it, but not 90% of the time. I tried a jig and a T-hooked Rage Tail, but the bass were not interested in these subtler presentations. Again. I'll keep trying them, hoping to determine when the bass do want them.

My success in the thick of summer's heat is up and down. For example, I caught only 21 this morning, but 49 the prior trip. I do appreciate the article.

You've done well, Pilgrim, to keep so much skin on your thumb with so many bass in your boat. Were it worth the trouble?

Me too. It's bothered me all day. I didn't use a trailer. No need that I could see.

@MIbassyaker: Cool trip report with great photos. Thanks!

It was a blast. You have to separate the rods and use you legs to keep two of the rods from going aboard while you play the third fish. My partner only fished two rods and he often had two on while I had three on. Such fun!

I launched at 5:00 a.m. in fog. I caught 21 bass. 20 on a spinnerbait and one on a chrome and blue Rapala Skitterpop. I tipped the Terminator SS spinnerbait with a green pumpkin NetBait B Bug and when I ran out of those, a Rapala Mayor in glitter green pumpkin. This was the first bass. I caught a lot of well-shaped fish, like these two, thick bass. I like this long one. And here's a wiggler. This was my second biggest bass. And here's my biggest. Pity she was wiggling too and you can't see her full length. I caught them in shoreline notches. I finished fishing at 7:30ish. It was a satisfying morning (I can get some satisfaction!) because I could easily see someone fishing the same 2.5 hours and catching one or two or even getting skunked because the bass were tight to cover, which required pinpoint casting, and once I hooked one, there were weeds and wood everywhere. I came home to breakfast and my pup sleeping at my feet. Say, I had a 22nd bass hooked, but my spinnerbait broke. I know I was weakening the metal by bending it back into shape many times. Do you guys use a spinnerbait to catch a dozen or so bass and then junk it?

I agree that the fish missed, not you. The rod never loaded because the fish missed.

I'm surprised Tom (@WRB) didn't write, "Eventually, I had a winch installed in my boat and a two-man crew to secure the bass once aboard. A nice bass can sink a boat unless it's controlled and I lost two boats before I learned my lesson: Winch and crew!"

I'm spinnerbaiting again tomorrow morning. And jig fishing. And I've got a T-rigged beavertail too. Change is afoot!

I have interviewed aerospace workers for decades. I always preface the interview with this: "I will know none of your acronyms, jargon, and technical terms. Talk to me as if I were a second grader and this interview will go great."

It's hip to be square.

Do you know what would happen to an old Yankee gal in Texas heat? Same thing that happened to this Vermonter when he visited Houston last month: Maybe I'll give them a try. Maybe. I can cast pert near everywhere already though, so..........

@gimruis: Ha!

Do you want my address, @gimruis? Since you clearly have no use for your Terminators, I'm happy to take them off your hands and free up space at your end.

Pat, you and I fish a lot alike. Your fishing style, of all the BR guys, is closest to mine. I too am a sneaky scooter who uses my lures like artillery shells. I'm happy with how I fish. I would like to become jig proficient and I'll be tossing a jig tomorrow morning. I'm not interested in electronics because I don't want to carry a battery. I don't think I'll ever get better at remembering the names of lures because descriptions like "a pink popper" work for me. And pitching, flipping, and punching are standing techniques. I catch plenty of fish as a sneaky scooter who uses lure like artillery shells, also known at the @Pat Brown School of Bassin'. I would like to have 40 minutes in @Catt's Heaven, where he catches 35 or more pounds of bass in merely 40 minutes! And I'd like to hook just one of @WRB's bass in the teens. That's all I want. Not too much to ask, is it? 🤣

Later model stainless steel Terminators. I still have two of the Titanium Terminators, but considering I already lost one of my three to a pickerel, I'm in no hurry to tie on the other two. Beauties, @casts_by_fly and @Choporoz!

There are so many things I don't do well. Some of my scores, on a 0 to 10 scale: Pitching: 0 Flipping: 0 Punching: 0 Operating electronics: 0 Jig fishing: 0.5 Remembering the names of lures: 1 Keeping bass from burrowing in deep, matted weeds: 1 And so on and on and on....

I'm just grateful you guys don't ask me anymore how big my bass are, that you've accepted that I like to hurry them back to breathing again. @Pat Brown: I must admit that I feel pretty silly for not pitching a spinnerbait before this. I ordered six more and they arrived this morning, so I'll one on my line again tomorrow morning when I fish for 3.5 hours.* *Shorter trip because of the new pup.

Here's another photo of my big girl with the spinnerbait clearly in her mouth: