Swamp Girl

Many Mainers say the same thing about the weather here, but only because they haven't lived anywhere else. Coastal weather is almost always stable, as opposed to mid-continent weather, which changes rapidly.

Some day, @BassSteve, I too want to catch one of those pretty peacocks! Here to here to hearty men of the north who are still fishing. That's you, @RipzLipz.

I bet! I know how that goes. Still, I called my dad yesterday and reread "Bright, Red Checks" to him again and he was so happy to remember the lakes we found and fished.

@RipzLipz, the Canadian Shield is canoe country. I can't imagine a better boat for portaging AND carrying camping gear AND fishing.

Good tips, Woody! Absolutely. I too have owned and loved aluminum boats and they're wonderful, but work like megaphones. I'm not surprised. This fall, I actually fished near a couple Mainers in a canoe and they fished exactly like me. They were close enough for me to cast into their canoe, but a couple times I forgot they were near simply because they were so quiet. Then they'd have a bass thrashing beside their canoe and I'd think, "Forgot about the two of you." They even whispered to each other. Maybe it's the Maine canoeists' way.

Those are good windspeeds, Tim. I didn't know you ^drive" a chick magnet!

Thanks, guys, for the great explanations, photos, and diagram. I got a good bead on this now. Apropos of nothing, hey, @A-Jay!

Please explain to this old primitive. What boats have jet intakes?

A mountain house? Atta, boy! I'd fish your lakes. I see those undeveloped shorelines and go, "Ahhh, that's the place."

No photo, @Koz? You're killin' me, man! However, post a photo and this will be me:

@Woody B, I remember one morning in 2023. I must have launched at fourish and was likely fishing until after nine. I'd caught nothing. So, I had paddled back to my car, which was parked on a point, and I heard water rushing out of the bog, so I thought, "What the heck. One. More. Try." And I paddled around the point to where the water was flowing and dropped a wacky worm into the current and caught one bass and I was so proud of that fish, even though it wasn't a fat 18-incher like yours.

@TOXIC: That sure sounds fun!

I pretty much fish the same seven lures. Like the rest of you, I've hundreds of other lures, some still in their packaging and other used just once, but I know how to catch fish on my seven reliable lures: popper, Whopper Plopper, underspin, Mepps spinner, squarebill, wacky worm, and T-rigged worm. Sure, I can go out and catch fish on a fluke, hard jerkbait, etc., but if I want to catch a lot of bass, which I do, my steady seven serve me well.

@Woody B just keeps catching and catching and catching.

Thanks for the suggestion. I researched them and watched some videos, but they're not for me. My canoe is already crowded with six or seven rods and my big net.

@Pat Brown: @N Florida Mike and @FishTax: I actually miss fishing the wind, which I could do when my Lund, anchor, and motors. As I've shared before, my canoe is a sail, being high, light, and wide. It's nearly 16' long, but weighs a mere 32 pounds, so it's a nerdy kid and the wind is its bully. Even the bigger bass bully it (and me), pulling and spinning my canoe. But it you can anchor a heavy boat on a windy shore, you can enjoy amazing fishing. I don't anchor my canoe. I tried. It was dangerous. If I anchor from mid-boat, where I paddle, the waves batter me. If I anchor from the bow, I have to crawl up to the bow where the canoe is narrower and even tippier...in the wind.

@Bluebasser86: That 16-incher is still a fattie. Even though the catfish could swallow that bass whole, I hope you didn't feed it to her!

I agree with Mike. Her head is small. @TheDuke couldn't fit his hand into it. However, her body/belly are big-big-big. She's been feeding well, for sure. I hope @Glenn posts his weight-guessing numbers someday!

Five to six pounds, but the others will be better at guessing, but listen to Tom(@WRB), who's caught bass that could eat your bass, as well as every "big" bass I've ever caught. Whatever the weight, it's a heckuva fine fish and wonderfully thick, so congrats!

If someone is in my boat and not catching fish, I'm working double time until they do. @Susky River Rat's observations about his area's musky anglers had my head nodding. When I fished muskies, it was so...catty. I fished with a couple renowned musky fishers in the Midwest, witnessed their talent and tenacity from a few feet away, and also read others clucking about them online. After a few years, that and the pain of heaving lures the size of mackerel led me to sell all my musky gear.

Whenever you guys write about big bass coming unbuttoned, I feel less alone in the world.

I kid you not, Bob, when I say that I was never asked that question.

Yep, we kayakers and canoeists have some advantages (and disadvantages too, of course), but only if we exploit them.

I enjoy trip reports like yours when you take us along with words and pics. Thanks!

Boy, you guys catch big fish!