Swamp Girl

I'm guessing those spinners will work just fine. Let us know, okay?

@LrgmouthShad: Doing doughnuts around the lake and sipping on sweet tea sounds pretty, well, er. sweet! When I fished the solar eclipse, the best part of my day wasn't catching, but poking around a stream I'd never fished. I'd paddle a bit, take the water's temperature, jab my paddle down to see if I could find the bottom, and imagine fishing it in the dark someday soon when it's warm enough for the bass to actually chase my lures. I just wish I'd had a sweet tea with me or that my canoe was quick enough to do a doughnut.

Tom's suggestion is also mine. Smallies love spinners, as do trout. I've had my best luck with a #4 brass bladed Mepps.

Murph! Hail, hail, the gang's all here. And you're a furry Murph too! That bass is two-dimensional. I bet the pond has a parasite. There's a pond near me where all the bass are scary skinny.

@PhishLI reminds me of John McClane. No matter the conditions, Phish just keeps fishing like John just keeps fighting.

Even if bass aren't hitting a Whopper Plopper, I like the sound of them so much that I'll fish them longer than I should.

@IcatchDinks: I am so glad you are posting again. I really missed your posts while you busy with your newborn baby. Measured by weight, you're not one of Bass Resource's best anglers, but measured by your pluckiness and being present, whether it's enjoying the wildflowers or napping on a sun-warmed rock, you're the best.

I second every syllable that Alex wrote. Great day, @deep.

@throttleplate: I love, love, LOVE walleye. I haven't eaten them in years because they're rare in Maine and in none of the water I fish. However, I'm glad you're eating well today!

Pat, you're talking about understanding females. Females, Pat. Good luck with your quest, but consider an easier quest first, like finding the Holy Grail.

@gimruis: Jake, any boy worth his salt wears jeans with holes. Not those fake Kardashian holes in jeans, but jeans earned by runnin' and wrasslin' and fishin'. So, don't listen to Deputy Fife. FWIW, Sheriff Taylor took away Barney's bullet yesterday anyway.

I read that the temperature drop is real.

We are glad you're here! Let us know when you catch your first bass and post a pic so we can celebrate with you.

Me too. I'm in Maine, but we fish similar water.

@N Florida Mike joins the Hawg Parade.

Like Tim, I was underwhelmed. I was hoping for night-grade dimming. I did catch a bass during the eclipse and you can contrast that with an earlier bass, which is the first pic. Then there's my pic of the shadowed Sun. I did hear Mourning doves during the eclipse. They sing in the morning and evening and so they were fooled by the tricksy Moon. I also took the water's temp today, again and again. It ranged from 41 degrees to 44.5 degrees. We got 17 inches of snow last week. Most of it's melted, but I think it cooled the water. It's going to be mild again tomorrow, but I don't think I'm going to fish. I need to be patient and let the water warm some. Sure, I can catch bass with snow on the ground, but I can't catch many:

The humbug is about to be lifted. You might enjoy it up here, as I'll be on the only one on the lake.

Anyone fish(ing) the eclipse? I'll be out there and it'll be 92% sun obscured here, so it's going to be day. Then night. Then day. I'm excited to see how the bass react. I'm also going to be tromping through snow to reach the water, so today's trip will be a snow eclipse fishing trip.

"Many fish" gets short shrift at Bass Resource. As I've said many times, many fish-days are a blast. No-fish to one-fish days are one reason I quit musky fishing. Quality is great. So is quantity. A two and a half-pound bass is a hard-fighting fish. Three and a half? Even stronger! I catch three-pounders that drown the upper third of my MH fishing rods.

I've portaged to two lakes that I figured would be great because they were deep in the bush and likely had never been fished by anyone. No fish. Too shallow for fish to survive a northwestern Ontario winter. Still, it was cool to reach them.

Go, Leon. He should join BR. Beautiful bass, Woody!

We're all excited for you, @JayMac89. A PB is a big deal. It only happens a few times in our lives. Fingers crossed it happens one or two more times for you again in 2024. It will be warm enough for me to fish tomorrow, but I don't know if I want to tromp through the snow to launch. The snow is slush, really. It will be slippery and cold. Still,....

You are wise beyond your fishing years. Boat control's a big deal. One of my satisfying moments in fishing is when I paddling crooked open water through weeds. I've paddled so many thousands of miles that I don't have to think, "I have to execute a 30-degree turn to the right in ten feet." My canoe just makes that exact adjustment, as I shift my weight and paddle without thinking. Now, that's just navigating a swamp, but boat positioning is key at many moments in a fishing trip. You need to be in THE best spot to reach the opening in a lay down to then wrangle a big bass from it.

With that head, for sure. As Alex(ander the Great) once semi-said, the fish with the biggest mouth rules the tank and wins the day.

I once played a video game. "Once played" makes it sound like it was a one and deal done, but I was addicted to that game and would play it until four in the morning. I'd be exhausted, but keep playing. I'd be spending hours and hours in a basement when it was beautiful outside, but keep playing. When I quit it, I never bought another, just like a beer alcoholic can't switch to vodka and be suddenly safe. I watch people of all ages staring at their smart phones and see me, staring at that video game. I fear an FFS screen would transfix me in the same way. Anyway, I don't need FFS to catch bass. I rise earlier than most and work to reach water that most won't fish because it's too hard and that keeps fish swinging over my gunnels. I can't imagine dragging a transducer where I fish anyway or lugging a battery through the woods. FFS is for anglers with trailers and ramps.