Swamp Girl

Fascinating. More and more, I think you're the fish whisperer, @PhishLI. I like the way you think too, @WIGuide. I've mentioned a couple times fishing a POND in Canada, the land of thousands of lakes, and this pond was right beside a logging highway. Strangely, it was full of big pike, partly because everyone ignored a pond on their way to a big lake, but perhaps it was also full of big pike because they ate every small pike that was born since there was no place to hide in such small water. I know this isn't the same as your fish kill pond, but your hypothesis got me thinking.

@Team9nine and @keagbassr:

Ooh, ^this^ intrigues me. It is dark water. You see how black its bass are. I assume they're black to blend with the water so that the raptors can't see them. Maybe dark lures might trigger more bites since their prey are likely black too. Another strange thing about his bog is that there isn't "a good spot." I've caught so few fish that I pretty much remember where I've caught all of them and the pattern is "here and there and yonder." If I were to mark on a map where I've caught bass, there'd be no clusters. I do remember where I haven't caught bass, like a laydown-choked outlet with current (You'd think that would be a great spot, right?), but I keep fishing those spots because I'm ornery. Or stupid. Likely the latter.

Good thoughts for Mrs. B. Cataract surgery is one of the most consistently successful surgeries and not a little bit successful, but "Hey, I can see again!" successful.

That's what this bog is for me! Here are two 2023 fish from it, but the most I've ever caught from it is seven bass and most times, it's one to three:

I feel that ^this^ is coming for me too. Dang it. We'll have our memories, won't we? Yep, they're fish-eating machines. Yowza! No wonder you haunt those ponds at night.

The bog down the road. Just beyond the big rock in the second photo is a beaver dam which creates a little waterfall.

A bog is a swamp, shallow and weedy. The small lily pads in the photos will widen and create a mat. There are also other weeds just under the surface. I thought you guys might like to see the bog since I failed to catch fish! At one point, my canoe practically bumped a bass. I saw the swirl right beside my boat. I was so proud of my sneaky, silent paddling.

Oh, yeah! I too have those fish I'll never forget. I could take you back to the very spot I catch them, show you were I cast, and detail all that followed. Say, Phish, do you think the beavers keep the quantity down and the quality up? Perhaps they interfere with reproduction with all their busy beaverness. Fewer bass would mean more food and more size for the bass that are there.

I caught one bass this morning. I lost a couple that were good-sized, which is easy to do in a bog with obstacles everywhere. I also caught three pickerels. I knew I wouldn't catch much. I never do at this bog. So, why do I go when I have about 20 other good places to fish? Well, I like the puzzle of this bog. I like spinning the combination dial hoping that one day I'll crack the combination. I love the beauty of the place. This morning, I saw a cruising bald eagle hit the brakes, twist its body, and plunge on a fish. At one point, I saw four beavers at once. And I like that this bog holds four, five, and six-pound bass and that they're black. So, do you have a body of water that you fish and fish and never catch much, but keep trying? If so, why?

I love quantity + quality days. LOVE 'EM! Well fished!

Way to fish, @Team9nine! And 40 on your prior outing too. Buy. a. lottery. ticket. NOW.

Heck, yeah!!!

I just found this thread and read it all. Heartbreaking.

Yikes! #freethefighter

I am so jelly, but happy for you two!

They're okay. Lots of people eat 'em. My faves are brookies, yellow perch, and walleye.

I catch a lot of fish when trolling and you're a big part of my success, Dwight, because you advised me to troll my Whopper Plopper. Bass love a trolled Whopper Plopper. The only thing I miss about trolling the Plopper is not seeing the strike, but it's still fun to hear it. I did buy a rod holder. It was about 75 bucks, but I could never secure it tightly to my canoe. My gunnels aren't your typical gunnels.

Hey, Chuck! Welcome!

Hey, D! Welcome! How cool to have bass our back.

I don't consider trolling to be a lesser form of fishing. The ONLY thing I don't like about it is that the rod is an awkward position when a fish hits. I have it sitting on the canoe's gunnels, with one leg over it. When I grab it, there's a half second where I lose some tension and I have lost some fish at that moment. When a bass hits, I paddle as hard as I can for three or four strokes to buy me some tension. It works a little.

Thanks!

I always troll when padding from one casting spot to the next.

I did not know this, Brian. Wouldn't our overwhelming air power have made mincemeat of the Panzers? I suppose that would have been weather dependent. If you've never read "Citizen Soldiers," I encourage you to do so.

No doubt, Woody. Every place has its positives and minuses.