Swamp Girl

I've caught 2.5-pounders that pulled just as long and hard as five-pounders. The 2.5-pounders can jump just as high and often too. However, one thing that lighter bass can't do is wallow, which is moving a mass of water at the surface. I think about my "big" northern bass wallowing and then I think about @WRB's 17, 18, and 19-pound bass wallowing. It must have been like dropping this pig in a pool of gravy: Or dropping a hippo in a pool of gators. I can only imagine. Heck, we all can only imagine. Only Tom knows.

I've paddled thousands of miles, even in the winter. I've lived nearly a year in the wilderness. I've run whitewater in kayaks, canoes, and rafts. I've fished Lakes Superior and Michigan in 14' boots with ten horsepower engines. I share all this to preface this story: I tipped last year and when I tipped, it was so SUDDEN that I have no memory of falling. I was above water. Then I was underwater. And I've more than half a century of paddling experience. So, choose your PFD accordingly. Like @DogBone_384, I prefer a life vest (Chinook) with pockets. With all my attached doo-hickeys, I look like I'm on Seal Team Six, but everything my PFD carries are items I don't have to carry when walking through the woods in the dark. FWIW, I wouldn't fish with someone who wouldn't wear a PFD. These aren't just words. I've told two people that they weren't boarding my canoe without donning a PFD. They both protested, but relented.

Me too. Me too again. I had a 70-bass on a popper morning last fall. And a lot of my biggest bag ever was on the surface, also last fall: Both trips were at the bog I fished yesterday morning. It can be an easy bog to fish and it an be a hard bog to fish. Yesterday morning, I chatted with three other boats and they'd caught one bass between them. I only caught seven, but one of them was this: She was only 19", but with that belly, I'm guessing she topped five pounds. I know it doesn't look like a bog in the photo above, but in two weeks, all that open water will be weeds.

Such. Fun. I know it's heresy for some at Bass Resource to celebrate busy boat days, but I love 'em. And I have caught so many 2.5-pounders that pulled just as hard as five-pounders. Susky, you've had a good 2025, haven't you? You're always humble and funny about your struggle to catch bass, but if I remember your trip reports accurately, you're not struggling as much.

Ahh, thanks. You know I was hoping for video of the blow-up. I love watching big bass crush surface lures. It sounds like a bowling ball dropped in the water. Again, those are two, great bass and congrats again!

I love stories of small boats on big water.

Quantity and quality, Mike!

I'm happy for you, @IcatchDinks! That's a fine smallie. I fished for two hours this evening on my pond. It was windy and I started fishing the protected shore and rustled up a few fish. Then I fished the windblown shore and caught a few more, all on the Junebug wacky worm with a chartreuse tip. 12 in all. A few here: They were all healthy fish, but my big girl from this morning makes them all look scrawny: I'm at 337 for the year.

Can you upload your buddy's bass to YouTube and link to it? I'd love to see that blow-up!

@LrgmouthShad: Awesome trip report! I love floating rivers and then add fishing atop the paddling: Bliss.

I like it too! Maine grows some thick bass, for sure. Not as thick as @Bluebasser86's Kansas bass, of course, but thicker than many states' bass. When I returned to my car, the parking lot was full, which confused me at first. "On a Monday?" I thought. Then I remembered it was Memorial Day.

Now that's a pond...and a couple beautiful bass!

I agree with the guys about this video being exceptional. I was thinking about it as I was fishing this morning, trying not to make the five mistakes!

I thought I'd catch 40 this morning, but the weather is too unsettled. Warm air is coming, but it's not quite here, so the wind was coming at me from all directions. I sought shelter in a bay and took the prettiest photo I've ever shot of Maine: The air was so cool and clean that it felt like fall. I could only catch seven bass. Most looked like this, short and fat: I did catch one 19-incher, giving me 14 northern bass at least 19" for May 2025. Here she is in the air: And here she is on the board: I caught her on a 7" shad-colored Deps Sakamata Shad. I also tossed a big popper and a big walking bait, hunting for big bass, but I could only catch the one. I've caught 325 bass in 2025, way behind my total last year, but I'm catching more big bass.

OMG!

So, my canoe seat broke. That canoe is a Bell Rockstar, which hasn't been made for more than 20 years. It would take a master carpenter to replicate the part, which is a walnut drop that suspends my seat. Finding the long bolt might be hard too. My canoe was built by Ted Bell, who's a well-known canoe builder and so I googled Ted to see if he's still making canoes. He is, but not a Rockstar. So, I googled "Ted Bell drop" to see if perchance he's still making drop seats, as they're one of his trademarks. He is and a Ted Bell dealer is 30 minutes from me. So, I called them to make sure they had the part and removed my broken drop to compare it to theirs. EXACT fit. Ted Bell is using his old drop templates. So, I just installed them and hopefully my canoe is good for another 20 years. I'm going to buy another pair just in case Ted dies before I do.

I'm calling it here and now (This could be my Babe Ruth moment.): I'm going to catch at least 40 bass tomorrow morning and at least one four-pounder (I'm hoping this isn't my Mighty Casey moment.). My optimism is based upon how they were feeding last night...and last night was cold.

Wow! I've never seen that. I'm surprised an eagle would target such big prey. That's a beautiful, dark northern bass. Jesse, I think fishing is about to get HOT for us. I'm launching tomorrow morning on a bog and am planning on boating a big girl or two. Fingers crossed and line tight!

Wow, what an upgrade for you! We're all happy for you. Well, we're all happy except for @T-Billy who's trying to determine where you caught your big bass so that he can feed it to his even bigger muskies.

A darn fine fish anywhere and longer than any bass I've ever caught. Congrats. Quite an achievement!

I think they're pre-spawn, ICD, but it's gonna finally warm up starting on Monday. Even though it was cool today, I figured they'd be feeding with the spawn so close. I did catch this skinny one: I was just happy to be back on my pond. On the way back, I trolled a crankbait and underspin, but failed to elicit a hit.

After nearly three weeks of fishing my pal's pond, I returned to my pond. I sure missed it. I worked my along the edge of a bog. I kept trying to catch bass on the surface, but only caught two on a loon-colored Whopper Plopper. I did catch another 23 on a wacky worm. It was 49 degrees when I launched and I fished for two hours. 25 bass in two hours is pretty steady fishing. I could have caught more, but I kept setting the hook early, not wanting to gut hook any and I didn't; Every wacky worm bass was hooked in the lip. The bog looked like this: And the bass looked like this. They were fat and WIGGLY and ranged from 16.5" to 17.5". I'm at 318 bass for 2025 so far.

I could try. When it happens, they look like popcorn in a popper.

Fingers crossed you're cleared to fish, Alex. When I couldn't fish this past winter, the exploits of you Southern bassnuts keep me afloat.

The thing that I don't understand about some YouTubers is their clickbait titles soooooooooo over promise. They'll lead with "BIG BASS" and then catch one three-pounder. Sure, a three-pounder is a solid bass, but if you can only catch one three-pounder and if you consider that a "BIG BASS," you probably don't deserve your make-believe fishing show.