Swamp Girl

I also don't remember what that lure is called. It's the oldest lure I own. I knew of it as a child and I wandered into an old school tackle shop as a child and saw it for sale, even though it predated me by a generation or two. So I bought it, but never used it because I was afraid I'd lose it. You might be right about the Pumpkinseeds. They're too cute to lose!

All great lures. I've caught more bass on an F13 Rapala than any other lure and it's not even close. The thing that confuses me about the Lazy Ike is that I didn't catch more fish on them. It's the wiggliest lure I've ever used. Great action, but I never had great success with them.

These are the lures of my childhood. I'm going to take a fishing trip in 2024 and only use about six of them. I'm thinking the Creek Chub Plunker, the Crazy Crawler, the Heddon Pumpkinseed (They're worth about fifty bucks each, so I better not lose one!), the Bass-Oreno, the Spin I Diddee, and the River Runt. I'm also going to use my old Zebco Cardinal spinning reel on a fiberglass rod with mono. Which ones would you choose?

You're always so kind and encouraging, King. Here's a girl from last spring. I just wish she hadn't been so floppy! Note the trees behind her. The only green in this pic is on the bass, plus the evergreen bushes:

I saw that @Dan N caught a bass yesterday in Wisconsin the first day after ice-out. When I started this thread, it was sunny and around 50. Today it's c-c-cold raining and 38 degrees, so my desire to fish today is as soggy as the day.

@gimruis, he rubs a lot of guys at BR the wrong way, which I learned when I first mentioned Randy in a different thread, so, yes, you're part of a seeming majority. However, I watch his videos and consider his positions. I also read your posts and consider your positions, Gimruis, which I frequently find persuasive.

Please don't. I have crooked teeth. Lots of people do. Please make your case without lobbing an ad home and btw, you did a good job of making your case.

And last year, I once went paddling without a paddle.

I'm out of reactions, so thanks to all of you for the information. I'm going to wait a few more weeks before launching. I saw a lot of ice still today. I did catch some fat bass on my first few trips last year. I also had a few one-two-three-bass trips, so my cold water experience mirrors what you guys have described.

Alex, how do you fish your Damiki Vault? Congrats on your sight fishing success and double congrats on your big-bellied girl!

Well, I can't fish quite yet. I texted a friend who has a lake home and asked him if the ice was gone. "Nearly all gone," he replied. "There are three eagles just standing on an ice floe in the middle of the pond." So, I drove out to three other ponds to confirm that the ice was gone, but it's not. However, it won't be long...I hope.

Here in Maine, the ice melted over the last week. The average daytime high is about 43 and the average nighttime low is about 33. So, the average of those two temps is 38 degrees. Will bass hit if the water is 38? Should I wait until it's 40? 45? I started fishing in 2023 in mid-April and the fishing was slow then. I expect it'll be even slower if I begin again in March, but if I could catch a couple, I'd be happy.

Yep, what Tom said.

Wow. Every bit of that bass is big: big belly, big tail, big head.

I'll try to find it, Bob, but I have a lot of Canada folders.

I am enjoying this conversation. Someone makes a point and think, "That's a good point." And then someone makes a counterpoint and I think, "That's a good point too," which is what I thought with @gimruis's and @TnRiver46's rebuttals. Thanks, @Tennessee Boy, for explaining that. Clearly I'm clueless about how it works.

Bob, I once caught a smallie in Canada so small that when I posed with it, you could mostly see my finger lightly pinching it and it looked like I was giving the photographer the bird.

I'm guessing that scanning in all directions means that there's nowhere the bass can hide.

Shooting oneself in the foot would be nothing new for humanity or fishing. I just read, "Cod: A Biography of the Fish that Changed the World," and it detailed the demise of the Grand Banks, perhaps the greatest fishery of all time. Marine biologists kept thinking/hoping that the fishery would reboot and every year, they still go out and look for cod. Not only don't the marine biologists find them, but the few remaining cod are both much smaller and are now predicted to go extinct in the Grand Banks. As the fishermen plundered the Grand Banks, they were warned and warned that they were emptying it, but immediate gratification is humanity's Siren. I will hand deliver your FFS, but I'm also coming with my decoys. Your buddy, The old Cricket

@Blue Raider Bob: Your bass confounds me as much as @Team9nine's crappie. How did you fit a hook into your bass's mouth, Bob?

Consider this about @Team9nine's crappie. Its belly is comically distended and yet, it still wanted to eat. That fish is never sated. In two years, if @Team9nine catches a 7 lb. crappie, he'll be able to say to it, "Good to see you again!" And if the crappie could reply, she would say, "I'm hungry. Got any minnows on this boat?"

@TnRiver46: Brother! @PhishLI: If I were still a writing teacher and if you walked into my classroom as my only student, I'd say, "I have nothing to teach you. You have pre-earned an A. Class dismissed." My only question for you, Phish, is this: You catch your PB while trawling. What do you draw on your bag? I'd use my FFS unit to make my decoys really mimic bass. I'd have them follow a lure. Even dart at it. I'd really hook the competition on fishing for my decoys.

So true, Alex. You'll notice above that I wrote, "I'd love to hear your stories," which is my way of wanting to glean from the screen.

I second @roadwarrior's WOW!

I always enjoy your wit, @king fisher.