Swamp Girl

An 18.5-incher is bigger than any smallie I've caught in Maine.

Tw-tw-tw-23 inches??? Man, oh, man, oh, man!!! And an 18.5-incher to follow? Nice bellies on both bass. When does your boat launch again? I love the handle, @Bazoo. It always makes me smile. Nice to have you back, @BassSteve.

I'd park on that lake for the next few years. I think it'll be amazing.

@Bluebasser86 That green beshemoth you caught is famous. Here she is wearing her superheroine clothes: I can't imagine boating a 24" bass. I caught two in 2023 over 22" and might have hooked a few that were bigger, but getting those biggest gals out of the weeds and into my canoe...again, I can't imagine doing that. I watched your video and saw her taking you for a ride. I've gone for rides too. Better than any roller coaster.

@ak6388: Hey, new guy! Nice to see your fish and where you fish. Please keep posting. Go, Bucks!

I LOVE those Kansas bass.

That's probably the difference, Tom. He's fishing big water.

GMan gets to the point FAST and I appreciate that, however I did fish lipless, squarebills, and spinnerbaits fast this fall and had little success with that. I caught plenty of bass and some nice ones, but not by fishing fast. Still, I'll try speed again next fall.

A friend once said that northern people evolved to de facto hibernate, to snuggle in caves through the winters. Michener opined something similar in "Alaska," writing that energy conservation was how the first Alaskans survived its winters. Maybe you're feeling that ol' cave tugging at you. I'm looking outside right now where it's raining, 37 degrees, and brown and I'm sure glad I'm in my cave! Don't worry 'bout fishing. Cave in to cavin'!

@PhishLI: Gorgeous bass and made even more beautiful by the tough, tough fishing conditions. Please let us know how your brother does in Texas. @The Baron: My great love of Ontario has me sad that you're done for the year. Oh, Canada. Sigh.

Hey, @ElGuapo928. It's always great to have new anglers come aboard the S.S. Glenn!

Hi, Basstermind! I like the way you fish, i.e. mountain biking to remote water and fishing from a backpack. Here's you explaining your roots:

I have some answers already for you, @postoak. Match them up with your questions at your leisure: Yes! Nah. Of course! Six. T-Rig it. I'd use black. At night. By day.

I replied, but it didn't show my reply, so I replied again. Sorry 'bout that.

I think we all have these instincts, but spending too many years inside drywall boxes dulls them. I think we all have these instincts, but spending too many years inside drywall boxes dulls them. I think we can all feel pressure shifts, but our sensitivity to these shifts is dulled by decades spent in drywall boxes. I think we can all feel pressure shifts, but our sensitivity to these shifts is dulled by decades spent in drywall boxes.

@PhishLI believes this too.

@thediscochef, I think people who spend a lot of time outdoors might sooner or later see something out of the ordinary. Lifelong outdoorsmen and women are like lifelong pilots. Spend enough time in a cockpit and you might see something that you can't explain. Spend enough time sleeping under stars and you might hear a bump in the night that's different than all the other, ordinary bumps. I've slept on the ground for years, often alone, so when somethings amiss, I know it because of the thousands of other nights that were utterly ordinary. Here's such a story: I once had three teen boys camped on the Mississippi River. In the middle of the night, I suddenly awoke. Not awake and somewhat sleepy, but utterly awake and flooded with adrenaline. I knew that there was peril beyond my tent's nylon walls, but I didn't know what it was. So, I slowly, quietly dressed and then waited and listened. Suddenly, the wind roared, but I was ready, so I ran from my tent yelled at the boys to run for the car as leaves and limbs were in the air. I aimed my headlights at the river and we saw bass boats being tossed on the shore. A new, big, aluminum dock was twisted and tossed on shore too. My boat was the only one that wasn't beached because I was always anchored into the prevailing wind direction with two anchors. The twister passed quickly and we had to remove a massive boy-crushing branch from the boys' tent. Their tent poles were snapped, so they slept in the car. I think I felt the pressure change like an animal does because I've spent so many nights (and days) outside. I told thediscochef about lights I saw in northwestern Ontario. I was with an outdoor writer and he was wise enough to turn it into a humorous column, lest his readers laugh at him.

I've have success this fall fishing only the warmer days. I caught 44 bass one evening and caught a couple six-pound-plus bass, as well as several outings with more than one four-pounder.

It's a great article. I read it twice.

When I net a bass, I lay the net across my canoe's gunnels while I activate my camera, position my bump board, and open my needle nose pliers. Only then does the fish come out of the net. I free it with the pliers, sometimes measure it, and photograph it. That's typically 60 seconds or less. Then it's back in the water.

As impressive as the bass in the video are, this is even more impressive: "...a few of this season's more memorable catches." A few!

I agree that bank fishing was why you didn't catch fish. There simply weren't fish where you were fishing. If you'd had a boat, you'd had been able to keep moving until you found them. I've watched YouTubers in boats fish the Susky and they frequently fish two or three spots before they find them.

I'd love to read them. Do you have a link or two?

I caught those bass earlier this year. I failed to find them initially to post them with the others. I'm sure there are others I've missed. I need to be more organized next year.