Swamp Girl

I'm from Maine, the far north to your far south, but we are bonded by bass.

Hi, Jordan. I've kayaked down your eastern boundary a couple times. I always got a warm welcome when I came ashore, so I warmly welcome you to BR!

@OmegaDPW: Can you guesstimate the length or weight of your big bass?

So, in a canoe, I must bend to the bass's will, but in a motorized boat, you can eventually find the bass that heed your choice. I think you're right! Thanks, @DaubsNU1! It was fun, even though the bass wouldn't listen to me.

I have always loved the colors of the Spin-I-Diddee in the upper right, but the Plunker in the upper left was my best producer. #willoldschoolrule?

Good job, Buddy! I'm surprised your 19.5-incher didn't weigh more.

Here's a teaser, the lures I'll be using:

I rigged a couple T-Rigged worms today, one a 12" monster, and a fluke. I've been catching bass through the spring and June on underspins with Crush City Mayors, but I had an episode recently where I'd worked an area with my underspins and then reworked it with a worm and caught another six bass. Of course, the best laid plans of mice and bassheads often go awry. I also pulled some of my lures from 50 years ago and I'm going to spend two hours casting them with a fiberglass rod and a Zebco Cardinal reel.

They're all good!

Photo taken on a source-to-sea hiking and paddling trip of the Thames.

So sad for the two of you.

Thanks for working with those kids, Koz.

Yoo-hoo, Brian! It looks real comfy to me. And stable. I'm happy for you.

You hit the sweet spot, @Woody B. As PhishLI says, "Don't leave fish to find fish."

And ^this^ is why I'm the lucky president of the Rockin' Pat Fan Club.* Sadly, I'm only the VP of the Jake is Great Fan Club, but I'm thinking of taking the prez on a long walk on a short pier. Hey, accidents happen!

You got to hang with ICD, Pat! You got to hang with Jake and Pat, ICD! Pat, you have many fine qualities, but one of your best qualities, Mr. DD, is how you're happy with all the bass you catch. I've told this story in the past, but it's worth retelling. I was fishing with two female anglers who've achieved some fame and the boys in their boat on a different river were catching beasts, while we caught dinks. And when I bewailed the difference, one woman said, "They're all good." I've never forgotten that. That's you, Pat, celebrating all your bass, from dinks to DDs.

I fish Whopper Ploppers in the rain. Big ones. They provide a big target and churn a lot of water to compete with the plopping raindrops.

I'm glad you look beyond the bass and appreciate their home, Tom. I do too. Sometimes I just stop fishing to sigh with happiness.

@bp_fowler: I love the Crush City Mayor! @PhishLI: Hooray for the solid bass and dang it for the trolling motor. 3:15 a.m. is my kinda time.

I've never caught a spot, @Woody B, and I might never, but I wish I could feel their tug.

I had a friend hook something while musky fishing a spot where she'd seen the largest musky of her life, much bigger than her PB 54-incher. She was with her husband and the hooked something started to pull their heavy boat. "No musky can pull this boat," he said. He was right. She'd hooked a beaver.

I'm thinking there's more than one Kraken in your pond. Bass are so strong. It takes a little luck to land a big one or perfect circumstances, like open water with no weeds nor wood.

I fished from 4:30 a.m. to 7:30 a.m., catching 36 for a 12 bass per hour average or one every five minutes. I wanted to fish my T-rigged KVD green pumpkin worm, but didn't get a single hit. For the first 2.5 hours, they were also indifferent to my underspins with Mayors and my popper. They wanted a Whopper Plopper. I kept trying the others, but finally gave up and gave them what they wanted. My first fish was a chubby smallie. Not long, but well fed. The largies were nothing big, but lots of solid, healthy, hard-fighting fish. I caught them on a flat, on the edge of lily pad groupings, up a narrow river, and in shoreline indentations. I also caught quite a few in the middle of nothing. So, the bass really do tell us what they want and I was determined to not listen, but eventually they got through my thick skull.

@Bazoo: Wow! I love woodworking.