Swamp Girl

Howdy, Steve. I fished a highland reservoir in Wyoming once for trout. I caught a lot of trout, but fishing in a place without plants was strange for me.

@NittyGrittyBoy, those are beauties. Who customizes them?

I have a horror movie idea: A feared musky hunter, who looks a little like Grizzly Adams, decides to throw musky-bait-sized lures to bass. Without a titanium leader, the muskies take all his big bass baits. With an empty tackle box and equally emptied wallet, the broken-hearted musky hunter drives his boat off into the sunset and is never seen again. The title? "Revenge of the Muskies" The sequel would be "Grizzly Adams Returns," and would tell the story of the former musky hunter making his way down to the Ohio River, up the Mississippi, and west on the Missouri River to grizzly bear country, where he befriends a griz and they live happily high in the Rockies. The last film in the series would be a return to the horror genre and would be called "You left me for a BEAR?" and would tell how an Ohio wife tracked her man down one river and up others, then up into the mountains, becoming madder and madder along the way, until she arrived many times more fearsome than a griz.

@AlabamaSpothunter I ordered the Ghost Trout, Alex. I just hope a chain pickerel doesn't steal it!

Alex, I know your first fish is the biggest, but I love the shape of your third fish. It's Orca-shaped!

Thanks for ^this info^, Alex. Now I won't worry that I'll pay for my purchase with sore shoulders. Should I cast it with my heavy action frogging rod (50 lb. braid) or a medium action baitcaster (20 lb. braid)? Or something else?

I'm glad you guys enjoyed it. The man who jumped on the bear's back is the only person on Earth who could go to a rodeo, watch the bull riders, and say, "Sissies."

Thanks, Mr. A. It thrills me to read about big fish fighting.

How did she fight?

You have tough weather conditions: wind, extreme heat, and winter bass with clamped jaws. "Oklahoma, where the wind comes sweepin' down the plain" ain't just a song lyric, huh? I'm like Alex in that I haven't sampled Spring yet. Summer was easier than Fall, as the deeper I fished into Fall, the fewer fish I caught. I'm hopeful for Spring. We'll see! Gosh, Woody, it doesn't look like you've struggled. You've posted fine fish many times. I sure hope so!

This is a harrowing read, but shows what courage a friend can muster: https://www.espn.com/college-sports/story/_/id/35820049/college-wrestlers-grizzly-bear-attack

Today is a great day to be fishing. @Team9nine, those are bigger than your typical bass, aren't they? That's a beaut, @Ktho~ I'm going out fishing now too while some of this great day remains, but first, I have to buy an auger. Will a Whopper Plopper work in the hole I'll drill?

Well fished, Green!* *I know it's presumptuous for me to call you by your first name, but I simply can't address you as Mr. Pig.

Hey, don't blame me for making you guys buy lures! Rather, I'm blaming all of you. I have placed about ten orders for lures this winter based upon your suggestions.

@Captain Phil, I just bought your favorite lure. How do you fish it? Twitch? Walk it? Steady retrieve? @Darth-Baiter, I'm thinking of buying your Chopkicker. Until you mentioned it, I didn't know that such a thing existed. It looks great. Expensive, but great and by great, it looks like it would make a sound that most bass have never heard.

@AlabamaSpothunter and @PhishLI, your latest posts are two of my all-time favorite. They address the preparation and the cerebral aspect of fishing. I love how Alex watched a Ben Milliken video, applied what he saw, and landed a big bass. I further agree about the importance of using your time off the water to prepare for your return to the water. Alex wrote that here: I love this too: Staying calm is key. If we're frustrated, our brains' gears seize. I watch other fishers, like Great Blue Herons, and they're so calm. So patient. Watching. Waiting. More watching. Silent, stealthy, fantastic, focused fishers. @PhishLI, what you wrote under this text made me snarl and grind my teeth. I'm glad you're cutting their lines. I once took some kids to fish the famous Fox River white bass run. There's no better way to hook kids on fishing than hooking one white bass after another. It was crowded that day and a guy in a boat next to us was broadcast bragging about no one was going to tell him how many fish he could keep. I have always regretted keeping silent. Poachers are vile. Finally, when I finally do get to fish again, I've got @PhishLI and @AlabamaSpothunter in my tackle box. One time Phish suggested some lures and I went and bought every suggested lure. Another time, Alex had success with a 6th Sense lure and I bought five of them. And it's not just you two. I'm forever googling lures that BR fishers mention and then watching YouTube videos of guys fishing those lures to see how they working the rod and cranking and the reel's handle. I don't think I'm earning my PhD, as Alex suggested, but perhaps an Associate's degree! One of the lures I ordered last night is a Bill Lewis StutterStep. It looks so different than my other lures that I'm excited to try it.

@AlabamaSpothunter Alex, I love the range of your lures. Of course, the number of fish you catch and their quality is impressive, as is your tenacity, but the number of lures you use to CATCH fish demonstrates your daring and creativity as a fisherman. I hope to emulate you when our ice melts. I bought a LOT of new lures suggested by BR guys. I even placed yet another order tonight. @roadwarrior, at the end of winter, I am so tired of armoring up before going outside that I often go outside without a coat. I went to the dog park today and only wore a vest and fingerless gloves and I'm not the only Mainer who's under dressing simply because we're sick of taking a couple minutes to prepare for cold.

Ditto. I lived in Eau Claire for 11 years, which as you know, it's a hop and skip due east from the cities. I also lived in Mass for a couple years.

Agreed, @MN Fisher. I actually enjoy winter. Viva la difference! My mom lives in Sarasota and she doesn't have seasons. It's hot or hotter. In my 11 years in Maine, it reached 95 degrees once. The low eighties are the typical summer high, but most summer days are in the sixties and seventies.

@PhishLI, you catch big fish on Long Island, which surprises me. I would think your lakes would be pounded given their proximity to millions of people. Or are people focusing on beach combing, the city, and saltwater fishing rather than bass? @Bluebasser86, whoa! Gorgeous fish! @AlabamaSpothunter, your hot streak spoiled you. You're still catching quantity and quality.

Lucky duck!

The South Bend Spin-I-Diddee was my first lure. I still own several of the old, wooden ones.

@Mainebass1984, the guys here have told me of your big bass-catching prowess, so you're a legend in my mind.

@Mainebass1984, I checked the nearest pond yesterday. Nothin' but ice, so you're right about waiting. And waiting. And waiting. And sighing too!