Swamp Girl

After my cold fishing this morning, I launched again for the day's final hour and boy-oh-boy, am I glad I did. I caught two Nerf football smallies that I didn't photograph and four largies that I did: Then I caught what I'm pretty sure is the biggest bass I've ever landed at my pond. I photographed her straight on first: But then I rotated her a bit so you can see her girth: I'm at 1,234 for the year and so many of them have been quality bass. All the evening's bass were caught on purple, T-rigged Rapala Cleanup Craws, half casting and half trolling. One of the bass I caught casting felt just like I'd snagged some weeds: slight, steady pressure. No tugs. No line going left or right. However, the pressure was just different enough for me to set the hook and BINGO! P. S. - Those are beauties, @JonB2! I've never fished the Freeloader. I own a lure that looks like it, but I've never understood how it wiggles enough to trigger a bite. I see you used an EWG hook. Did you use a weight too? Regarding stealth, when I bump into a bass with my canoe because they didn't hear me coming, that's almost as good as catching one. Sometimes I'll paddle over lily pads just to watch bass after bass swirl and scoot.

I love where there's shiny, new plastic on my line. There's no way I'm scuffing it. The bass do that soon enough.

Jesse, I've seen a LOT of snappers in my life and this summer, I also saw a snapper that astonished me. When I saw it, I thought, "That's a monster."

I fished my pond this morning. I love walking through the woods to the pond, but was surprised to see ice on my canoe. I started the morning with three fine bass, all caught by trolling T-rigged Rapala purple crawdads in open water: Then the bite died. I tried working cover on the sunny shore with a popper and spinnerbait. Nope. I did catch another five casting to cover on the shady side, but they were all small. Like this: So, I returned to hunting bigger bass, but couldn't find any. Bass be tricksy! I'm at 1,228 for the year.

Not just long, but a dark beauty!

Woo-hoo, FryDog!

Wow, Mickey! I don't think I've ever seen anything that spectacular.

Amen, your Majesty.

Al, I often reflect on how you and I were born into the sweet spot in human history. We didn't die in our early thirties. We didn't have to dig peat in a bog to heat our hovels. Instead, we're a codger and a crone catching bass in bogs!

I would have petted the manatee too!

What point? 2025. When I took up lmb fishing again after nearly a half century away, it was a whole, new ballgame. So many new lures and techniques. So, I tried to absorb as much as I could and bought WAY TOO MANY lures on the path to discovering what lures work best where I fish. Many of you guys have kindly urged me to try this lure and that, but I'm at the point where I know what lures will catch bass at my two primary ponds. I see other anglers fish these two ponds and often are skunked...or they catch one or two. So, not any lure will work and not every angler casting the lures that do work can catch bass. My local bass do have preferences and those preferences change through the year because bass are fickle beasts, but there are still overarching patterns and I fish those patterns. When it comes to my two primary ponds, I don't think there's a person alive who knows them as well as I do and I acquired this expertise through errors. I've learned enough to leave the wrong lures on the shelves in my basement. If I were to fish with someone who outfished me with different lures and different seconds, I'd switch in a New York nanosecond, but that hasn't happened yet. Still, I hope it does. I'd love to learn a new trick.

I use to see pelicans in northwestern Ontario. I never quite adjusted to seeing those birds so far north.

What have you seen while fishing that wasn't bass, but still wicked cool? I saw a small flock of geese banking last night and they were white, as I could see their bellies, but then they rotated and turned black, as I could see their backs. Earlier this year, I saw an eagle turn, bank and descend, and grab a bass. It then flew into a white pine nest and there was a great screeching. I wondered if that was its young or mate.

I caught two Maine bass in 2024 that weighed exactly 6-12 and both were 22.25". Different builds at different latitudes.

This is a cool article about a cool angler fishing a cool place.

You had a GREAT year, Kayak Koz.

@pdxfisher: Well, a 14-incher fought like a dink compared to what came before her. Even my second smallie, which was slightly slender, acquitted herself well, but you and I know that smallies were born to fight.

Al, that first bass is HUGE! Big head. Broad back. Bulging belly. Like Marilyn Monroe, she's curving in all the right places. Sorry to read about your problems. Thanks for the pretty shot. I like to see where bass are being caught. Those look like pilings. Are they? Or fence posts? Or just trees?

I caught a pretty smallmouth this evening. I like this photo because you can see the bass, my boat, some of my equipment, the water, and the shore:

They all hit a blue Googan crawdad and a green Rage Bug, both T-rigged. I had a buzzbait ready, but I was fishing open water.

A few years ago, I was launching at different ponds. Now, I mostly focus on my pond, where I own five acres, and my pal's pond. I think something happened to my pond about a decade ago. Whereas the bass are generally quality fish, I don't catch five, six, or seven-pounders, but I think the big girls are coming...slowly. For example, I caught eight bass this evening. I photographed all of them except for the eighth bass, which was only about 14". It confused me. I couldn't understand why it wasn't trying to rip my rod out of my hand. That's because the first seven tried to do that. Here are they are. The first, the smallest of the first seven: This was the biggest lmb: This was the biggest smb: Here are the others: Here's another look at the biggest smb: Such fun and only five minutes from my house. I might build a house there one day. I'm at 1,220 for the year and one more pretty smallie pic to say bye-bye. It's a photo of my biggest smallie again and I like it because it tells a story. You see the bass, the water, how far away the shore is, the sky, some of my gear, and even the rod that caught it. Plus, you see the full color of the bass and it's not digitally enhanced with edit options:

I'd like to live on a pond in Maine too! Speaking of ponds in Maine, I've owned my land for 1.5 years and fished the pond for three years. Three years ago, the bass topped out at 16.5". Two years ago, they reached 17". Last year, they reached 17.5". Now I'm catching 18-inchers. The growth is slow, but steady. 2025 is pretty good. The problem is 2024, when I caught my PB lmb, my biggest bag ever, and 2,044 bass total. I'm shooting for 1,500 this year. I couldn't fish for three stretches this year, including a ten-day stretch in June, which is some of the best fishing. I'm off to fish right now! I had a 70-bass morning and a 58-bass morning last October. If I can replicate those, I'll reach 1,500 easy, but those two mornings sure sucked the sap out of me.

Okay, I'll chuck one this evening. However, I'm not hopeful because the bass haven't been hitting surface lures. I got two weak hits on a popper the last time I was out and nothing on a walking bait the prior two times. I use Keitechs, Mayors, and Zakos on my underspins. Casting distance is HUGE for me. I catch so many bass at the very ends of my farthest casts. Yesterday I was catching bass from a mid-pond wolf pack and to reach them, I needed long casts. It's often that way. Anyway, thanks for the advice. We'll see how it goes.

Ha, @Banned User! I know they're fun. I used to catch muskies with them. I can't imagine loving any lure as much as the underspin, which is more compact than a spinnerbait and casts farther. It trolls beautifully and works everywhere in the water column except up top. And I am fearless casting it under woody bushes because if I get snagged, I flick my wrist and I'm free.

Welcome and congrats on your big musky!