Swamp Girl

^This^ is why I love when Bass Resourcers share pics of where they fish. It's cool to see how bass environments vary so.

I don't catch many 12-inchers, but you're right. Maybe I'll do a couple fish fries in 2026.

The woman who yelled at me this summer didn't even have a dock. I wasn't allowed to fish in her view.

Thanks, @wdp! It feels like Heaven to me.

I've posted all the photos below here and there, but in this post, I've brought them together to give you a fuller look at my beloved pond. I bought it in the spring of 2024, five acres with 471' of "shoreline." I put "shoreline" in quotes because it's really wetlands with an inlet giving me access to open water. The first task was building a driveway. Because of protective laws, the driveway had to stop 250' from the wetlands. Here's the driveway where my property begins: Here's deeper into the woods: It doesn't look so clean and pretty anymore because of leaves, but it's still smooth and solid. The driveway leads to a little turnaround where a winding path takes me the rest of the way: The path actually looks better now than in the photo because I had some crushed gravel spread on it. I pad down that path in the wee-est light in the mornings. Then I reach the wetlands and I can see the 170-acre pond beyond it. You can also see my boardwalk, built from oak trees from my land. The trunks were cut in half lengthwise with pallets and milled oak affixed atop them. The pond looks so close in the photo below, but it takes a minute to reach it on the boardwalk: Here's a better look at the boardwalk. The local men loved building it. I was hoping it would last for two years, but now I'm thinking it will last for 20 years...or more: At one point, the boardwalk meets an old stone wall and the guys rearranged the stones to make that part of the boardwalk. You can see the stone wall below and you can also see the pallets before the milled oak was attached: A friend extended the boardwalk all the way to open water. He didn't make it as sturdy as the first part, but it works: Here's the view looking out to the pond from where I dock my canoe in the inlet: Again, the pond looks closer than it actually is and my docking area hasn't been sheathed with milled oak yet. And here's the view I see coming back to dock in the full bloom of summer: Now let's look at the pond. It's basically a rectangle and only one shoreline is solid and wooded. This one: See the house in the woods? It's 250' from the shoreline, as nine of the ten houses are. There's an old camp that's much closer, but it's rarely used. The other shorelines look like this: The wetlands filter the water, so it's one of Maine's purest ponds and wildlife abounds. The frogs hurt my ears in the spring and the bees buzzing is quite loud too. There are eagles, loons, owls, and ospreys. Beavers, deer, and otters too. There are distant hills, which I love: Most trips, I stop fishing to say, "Thank you." I mostly fish weekday mornings so that I'll have the pond to myself. If I fish weekends, I'll likely see another boat or two. I catch a lot of bass in eel grass, but they're not always there. They come and go: For a week in the summer of 2025, I caught them in pondweed too: This is my favorite laydown. At its peak, I'll catch half a dozen bass from it: This little stream, which leads to a big bog, is the best spot on the pond for big bass. I have yet to fish the big bog. It's not easy to reach: I have good luck in the two bays too. Here's one: Lily pads abound and they all hold bass, but they're not as good as eel grass: There are some shallow corners that can hold big bass: There's an island too and I'll sometimes catch bass off of it, but I mostly like to look at it. You can see my favorite laydown again: Of course, being New England, the shorelines are afire with color in the fall: But foggy mornings might be my favorite time: My pond isn't where I catch the most bass nor my biggest bass, but it's my favorite place. There's so much more to love than just bass. Speaking of bass, I did start to catch 19-inchers at the end of 2025. Finally! I'd caught hundreds of 18" to 18.75" bass, but no nineteens until this first one: I'm expecting to catch many 19-inchers in 2026, but if I don't, my love won't wane. I'll likely build a small Net Zero home there one day, a home that can heat and light itself and then I won't have to drive the five minutes to my pond. I'll just walk through the woods.

I am so sad with you, Tom.

For a sec, I thought, "What a great idea," and then I imagined myself trying to extract the boat from the pond without a solid shoreline, much less a ramp. I would look so very pathetic.

That would work IF my shoreline was actually on the pond. It's not. My shoreline is fringed by wetlands. So, I couldn't haul it ashore before winter.

Al @Lottabass, bass are a mystery wrapped inside a riddle boxed inside a conundrum. Only, one guy has cracked the code and aligned those cosmic tumblers: @N Florida Mike!* *However, sooner or later, Mike will misplace the combination as we all do.

I agree with @Brian11719. It's no biggie.

^My hero^ and I suspect I'm not alone.

Tempress seat, huh? Clever name. I wonder if I could mount it on my Old Town Predator 13 kayak. I too want a comfy bum!

That's a cool canoe, for sure. I've owned two Grumman Sportcanoes and they have some similarities. However, I now own two canoes, one hybrid, and one kayak. My fleet is maxed out.

Your seat looks soooo comfy! Is that red light on the port bow built into the hull?

I like the pic of your beautiful bass, but I like the lake pic just as much. I love seeing where other bassheads catch fish.

You guys are so analytical and draw from deep wells of experience. My approach is similar to @casts_by_fly, but Al continues to land big bass in Iowa, so I'd be fishing... Let us know how it goes. I'm glad you're going.

I like your fish stories, Andy.

He whispers to bass. Even half-frozen bass! His name is @Lottabass and his name is true. I envy your 66-degree day, Al. We won't feel that again until May. Your first bass is beautiful, both long and thick.

Sweet memories.

Some bass are real lookers and yours sure is, @keagbassr.

Exactly. Once you've cheated, you're a cheater. Tide Pods won't wash out that stain.

Congrats.

Me too because Frank can't catch a single cold water bass and Katie's pretty good at catching bass!

To be frank, I don't know a thing about catching cold water bass, so you're probably right.

PHAT phish!!!