Swamp Girl

Where in Wisconsin, Bloom? I lived in half a dozen towns there, mostly the driftless southwest and Eau Claire. Also, where are you catching smallmouth?

So, the term began with you? Cool! BTW, I will never doubt anyone with a bass photo like yours.

I've scouted 32 bodies of water to fish next summer, some in person, some by watching YouTube videos, and some via Google Earth. Here are four that really excite me: Two are close to the ocean and used by alewives for spawning. Thousands or millions of alewives swim into these ponds and schools of bass congregate to eat them(I've seen the footage). I don't know if I can compete with the alewives themselves for the bass, but I'm thinking the bass must be fattened when the alewives are gone. However, even if the alewives are there, a surface lure that simulates a wounded alewife might do the trick. One pond is approached by a road that's been closed to cars by the landowner, but canoeists are welcome to slip under the barrier. That pond has a mile-long stream/swamp connecting it to another pond. I love the approach to the pond, which I walked, and I love the chance to fish two ponds with a swamp in-between. The third body of water that has me super-excited is a nearly 500-acre bog with zero houses. I could fish that for days and still not cast everywhere. Which one would you like to fish and why? And do you have any bodies of waters you've scouted for 2023? I realize that so many of you are still fishing and not dreaming and planning like me, but you can still play.

Gorgeous, fat, long smallmouth!

Darth, I was thinking the same thought this morning. We are respectful to each other. Cyber-rage bores me and it does stain many websites.

Tom, I bought a ray gun thermometer that you point at the water to take the temperature. Is that useless? I ask because you wrote that surface temperature doesn't affect bass behavior. What depth does then? Would it be the temperature right above the bottom? What if they're suspending?

That's a good question and a reasonable assumption. I can only answer, having lived in northwestern Wisconsin for 30 years, that coastal Maine is much warmer and that likely keep the bass alive. Right now, in January, the lakes only have thin ice when they have any ice at all.

If you're fishing chocolate milk, a chatterbait or noisy surface lure might work even better since they couldn't study the lure before hitting it. Full disclosure: I'm just guessing!!!

You're wise, Woody.

Gosh, ^this^ made me smile wide. I have paddled thousands of miles without tipping. I've also paddled big water in December without tipping. The thing that bugs me about outriggers is that they're one more thing to carry. They'd also create a lot of drag and especially in weeds. Like I posted earlier, I have a wet suit top and boots now and I'll have survival gear strapped to my body, i.e. fleece bottoms, waterproof matches, fire starters, an emergency blanket, etc. Plus, I can hug the shorelines, limiting my time in the water. And I can avoid the bogs until its warmer. The bogs are more dangerous because their shorelines are deep, sucking mud.

@T-Billy I already have everything you suggested, so I'm set. I hope. I am considering the outriggers.

@Jar11591 Thanks so much. That was super specific. However, "only a couple more months" makes me do this:

Do you think they'll hit a slow-crawling wake bait? I think they might because it lands so lightly and might not spook them in "dirt shallow" water.

Tim, some of the bogs I fish are only six feet at their deepest. I wonder how that'll affect their behavior. I'll see, won't I?

Gosh, I love ^this." Did you ever read Ken Kesey's "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest"? If you did, you might remember McMurphy trying to life a water unit that was too big for him. He knew it was too heavy, but he tried anyway, and after he failed and stood there bleeding, he said, "But I tried, didn't I? I tried."

Are you saying I should play some "Barry White" as I fish?

Man, Bob, you fish in style. Knowing how your hard work allows you to accomplish pert near everything, I suggest that you build a Tiki Bar on a deck off the side of your boat.

I bought a long sleeve wet suit top this winter and neoprene boots. I also bought a life jacket that has a kangaroo pouch on the front, with I'll load with emergency gear, so I'm feeling more confident fishing cold water.

Two advantages I think I have for prespawn searching is my innate restlessness, which has me preferring to move, and my canoe's 32-pound weight, which means the barest breeze moves it. So, I cover a lot of water and I think that'll help me locate the bass. I also have loaded my tacklebox with lipless crankbaits and walk-the-dog lures. I'll have five rods in my canoe, each with a different kind of lure and I'll often cast a lure one time before switching. Yeah, I'm twitchy. I fish like Kramer might fish.

If I owned a pond, I'd be their buddy too. At the big Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River, they built a tunnel that the salmon use to pass beyond the dam. HUGE salmon swim through it and every time one did, I'd squeal and run alongside it, as excited as if I catching them. I'm the same way at Bass Pro Shops, with their aquariums. And I wonder why others don't get excited. #weonlygettolivesolongsoenjoytheride!

Prior to 2022, the last time I fished for largemouth bass was when I was a teen. I'm 66, so it was half a century ago. I planned one trip with my brothers. We had arranged to fish a farm pond that was about 50 miles away. We always fished by bicycling to ponds. We were going to camp one night beside the pond and fish one evening and one morning. We were so excited, but the morning of the big day, we awoke to a howling head wind and snow. We set out, but it was horrible and after that, we always waited until it was solidly warm. Well, I'm not waiting this year. I bought a thermometer and I'm going to let the local water temperatures tell me when to launch my canoe. I'll do that at 50 degrees. I've watched videos and read articles about pre-spawn largemouth bass and I've made several tackle orders applying that knowledge. I've filled my tackle box with shallow-running crankbaits, chatterbaits, soft plastic paddletails, and jerkbaits. I've been studying the lake depth maps too (I don't use electronics.), marking deep water adjacent to shallow water and noting points. I've also changed my lines and lubed my reels. And I replaced hooks on my well-scuffed Whopper Ploppers. And I've scouted 32 new bodies of water. Some of them show great promise, based upon what I've seen and read. For example, two of them have alewives run into them by the millions (I've watched the videos.). Those bass have to be fat! I'd appreciate any wisdom around pre-spawn largemouth.

I am amazed at all the guys catching January bass!

I have read this three times and I'll likely read it another three times. It's fascinating. Thanks for shining your light king fisher! I'm greedy. I want to catch both. See me running to launch my canoe:

For us Yankees, we can't go fishing, that's why. Now, why are you asking questions when you could be fishing? ?

You and me pappy, @gimruis!