Swamp Girl

Yep, that's where I've been catching them. I'm guessing that there's some structure where I'm fishing that's gathering them, but I'll likely never know, unless someone with electronics tells me what's underwater and that's unlikely, as the other anglers on the pond are primitives like me. I just know that this one area is holding bass. I'll be fishing it again tomorrow morning and I'm going to try another area that I know attracts bass from trolling through it. When the kid and I last trolled through this other area, I told the kid, "We're coming into a bass-holding area." And 30 seconds later, his rod snapped back. That's where I'll also cast tomorrow morning. And I'm going to work my new toy, the Rage Buzz Minnow over the shoreline weeds too! It'll be cool, foggy, and raining when I launch, my kind of weather. Good luck today, F3!

Thanks for the suggestion, @Big Hands. The Rage Shad looks like my kind of lure. I also just bought the Sixth Sense Buzzgill.

@WaskaCrank12: 34 to 63 to 250 and counting. You doubled and then quadrupled your count. What an ascension! What's worked best for you? Do you attribute your improvement more to a lure or technique? To fishing the right spot or to better casting? Do tell.

Whereas I love the sounds of surface lures like the Whopper Plopper and walking baits, my most fun lure would be a VMC 5/0 underspin because it's a heavy lure that I can throw into heavy cover. If I miss my 2' of water opening and hit a bush, I can always pop it free without much effort and because of that, I have the confidence to make the hardest casts and catch those big bass that claim the hardest spots.

Ha!

Bob's a trophy husband, for sure.

I strongly recommend the Strike King Rage Buzz Minnow. First, the drawbacks: It's very soft and the tails were ripped off the two that I had in about seven minutes. Pickerel like it. Now, the pluses: It's very soft and so the fish really clamp on it. It's big and heavy and casts a long ways. I was able to cast it everywhere without getting hooked on weeds. I just ordered a bunch more.

High praise. I threw buzzbaits for muskies and own a bunch for bass, but have yet to throw one. Someday.

I've thought a lot about your hypothesis before replying and I'm thinking that there are just too many bass in my pond and my pal's pond for them to have learned my favored lures. AI says that an acre of water can support 80-100 bass. Maine's waterways are fertile, so if I assume an acre here can support 100 bass, making 42,000 bass in my pal's pond and my pond combined. I just didn't adapt to a pattern that I'd seen in 2024, when the bass stopped hitting my underspins and started hitting surface lures. I tried surface lures here and there, but I really needed to commit to them, which was easier when they stopped hitting my underspins. I'm excited to try the Rage Buzz Minnow (What a goofy name! It doesn't look like a minnow.) in more places. It only has one buried hook, but it's so soft that the fish don't let go, giving me time to set the hook.

I love your story, Al, and the telling too. Mine too.

That's where I've been finding them, way off shore on big rock flats. Look behind the bass below, which I caught this morning. See how far from shore I am? Note that there are no weeds in the area.

Yikes! Your fishing has been funkier than Sly and the Family Stone TIMES Earth, Wind & Fire. Maine has good fishing, for sure.

I agree. I've caught hundreds of smallies in Maine, but whereas in northwestern Ontario I could land half a dozen four to five-pound smallies (thick 19 to 21-inchers) in a great morning or evening, the fish above is my first smallie near four pounds in Maine. And the Midwest and Great Lakes grow even bigger smallmouth than northwestern Ontario.

Beautiful river and bass!

@Bird: Sounds like Heaven...West Virginia. I fished my pal's pond again this morning and landed 25. I also caught a couple pickerel, which you'll see below. Every bass was caught on the surface. I used a Rage Buzz Minnow for the first time and they loved that...a little too much as I soon lost their tails. I only had two of the Rage Buzz Minnows and they only lasted for three fish, a bass and the two pickerel. All the other fish were caught on a gold popper and a walking bait. The morning saved its best for last, so I'll lead with that, a solid bass caught on my Duo Realis Pencil walking bait, a 19-incher, caught in the middle of nothin' under a sunny sky: The smallmouth were hitting and handsome: The two pickerel were handsome too: Of course, I also caught other lmb: Here's the lmb that hit my Rage Buzz Minnow: I had a great morning, but am really missing my pond. Soon. My pond has been fishing tough, giving up few bass, but bigger bass. The challenge draws me. I'm at 1,122 bass for 2025. I do think I'll pass 1,500. I'm happy that the bass are finally hitting surface lures, but they also stopped hitting my underspins, so I no longer get any easy bass, that is bass caught while trolling!

F3, I assume those are your books and if my assumption is correct, congrats! It's cool that you've collected them. I treasure my old fishing magazines and my three old bait signs. Old bait/guide/tackle shop signs are soooooo hard to find that I've stopped looking. Anyway, the more you share about your approach to fishing, the more kindred I feel to you. Mr. Bazoo, I wish I had some suggestions for you. As always, I appreciate the many threads that you launch and the discussions that your threads initiate. My only comment about your query is that I wouldn't just look for books written by pros. There are many insightful anglers who don't want to compete in tournaments.

@Bird: 10 days in a row! I envy your stamina. I also wish I had the options of lures like a Ned and crankbaits. Even a crankbait that runs 2-3 feet catches weeds for me...on nearly every cast.

Thanks, guys!

Fingers and toes crossed for ICD and Pat!

Oh, I know.

I love the Nick Adams short stories, "The Sun also Rises," "...Kilimanjaro," and "The Short Happy Life...."

So true. My first fishing trip was with my dad and three brothers. We didn't have a clue how to catch anything, so we caught nothing. We later took a trip to northern Michigan and I cast my cheap red and white spoon and let it sink to the bottom. I then waited for a hit. When we finally started to catch bass, they were 14-inchers. I always wanted to catch a 17-incher like my brothers had caught, but everyone I hooked broke free.

@Lottabass: Ah, a man who's read Steinbeck. Now I like you even more, Al!

Oh, I do!

I was thinking at least four pounds too. Those heavy fish like to hug the bottom...and have the muscle to do so.