Swamp Girl

Everything is relative. We've had a lot of nights in the teens, so when I looked at the weather forecast and saw a coming night where the low was just thirty degrees, I was excited. When we string a few daytime highs in the low forties and the nighttime low is only thirty, water starts to thaw. So true.

Hey, Ryan! You said you'd catch some bass and post and ZOOM, you did! Nice to have you in this thread and over the years, I'm looking forward to seeing many more of your bass. If you feel like it, take a photo of the place you catch your fish. I always like seeing where people are catching them. I wish I could reciprocate right away, but the guys will tell you that I'm tied for the worst bass angler in December, January, and February at Bass Resource, neck and neck with @A-Jay, @gimruis, @MN Fisher, and others. To catch a bass, we need perfect conditions.* *a spring thaw and the bass have stopped shivering long enough to bite again

I look forward to your fish pics!

Ha! I'm just happy that yet another paddling angler has joined BR. It's a great community. Please start posting your photos in the Latest Catch thread. We'd love to see them and celebrate with you.

@thediscochef: You've worked so hard to catch bass this winter, so I'm prouder times two of you. And since you have America's Best Beard, your fat girl has a glorious crimson backdrop.

Now that you offer, I should could use some help carrying my canoe through the woods. j/k and welcome!

That's a fat one, CP!

I've been on big water when the wind was howling too many times. I'm just glad you made it home safely.

Dang it, Bob. You know I want nothing but happiness for you, so when your Life choo-choo derails, I want to rail at the sky and say, "Why? Why? Anyone but Bob!"

I especially like his 19.25-incher. Baby got back...and belly. I love when they bow both ways.

40 fish and a couple seventeens, an eighteen, and a nineteen and a quarter is a great day. Congrats!

Are the huge bass still there, Tom, and if so, do you think they're too wise to be caught?

Hmm. I did not know that. I'll consider it. Right now, I'm broke. Pert near every spare penny went into the purchase.

There's no road to the waterfront, just a path. I don't think I could drag a shed down there.

@JackstrawIII: I love upstate NY. When I used to drive thousands of miles for my work, if possible, I'd book at room in an upstate NY town. I never stayed at a bad one. The countryside is gorgeous too. So, good luck in finding a waterfront property! You might want to check the papers too for foreclosed properties that are being auctioned.

Voodoo economics is make-believing. Snow math is snow real.

Nope. You didn't catch three. You caught six, with four being counters. There's a thing called Snow Math, where the snow doubles all bass caught.

I agree, Pat. Electronically, the fishing tackle industry is just getting started.

Cool pics, Z!

Good luck to you and your wife, Steve. For various reasons, I checked Zillow everyday for the last couple years, so when the right property appeared online at the right price, I could react with little hesitation. In Maine, riverfront sells for less than lakefront and I assume that's because of the risk of flooding and the consequent higher property insurance. I saw some sweet lots on rivers at great prices, but sooner or later, rivers flood. Just something to consider with a Chowan River property.

@Creek Pirate: That's a beauty anywhere. @Choporoz: Wow! You tell him, Tim! However, I don't think of Dwight and Alex as charred pots. They shine like buffed stainless steel. It's snowing here right now and will drop to 13 degrees tonight, but I can feel winter's grip slipping. I saw an area of open water a couple days ago on a local pond. Yeah, water that was wet!

Thanks, Eric, for the suggestions and photos. My fear of an upright shed is tipping. It's only five miles from the ocean and 60 mph gusts happen several times a year. I'm going with an unlocked storage locker,k which will low and inconspicuous. I won't buy an orange or yellow one. And if they steal my old PFD and net, I'll shrug.

Nowhere else??? I can't live without my bogs!!! However, I understand your position and it is persuasive. Fishing this pond primarily will be even more attractive with a boat and motor and anchor. The motor and anchor will let me fish anytime. Wind? Schmind! I'm going to buy the Striker 4.

8 lber? Ha! I wish!* *And hope!!!

Okay, I do believe it now. You should see my smile. The lake does have an association. I plan to join it. As far as species, it has largemouth, smallmouth (even plumper than the largemouth), pickerel, pumpkinseed, white suckers, yellow perch, golden shiners, and eels. There's no public access, but the association lets the Boy Scouts hold an ice fishing tourney there once a year. Here are a couple smallmouth from the pond. They're not @A-Jayish, but they're beautifully marked and well-fed. Most of the pond is soft-bottomed and that's where I catch lmbs, but as soon as I pass over a rocky-bottom, I start catching the smb.