Swamp Girl

I fish electronically blind all of the time, but I have a good memory for where I caught bass and when I do catch bass, I "pin" the place in my brain, assuming there's structure there. Without electronics, I'll never know, but I don't think I need to know because once I know that a place holds bass, it's as good as knowing the shape of the structure.

I will straight up trade any of my canoes for your boat and I'll bake you two dozen chocolate chip pecan cookies too.

I quit musky fishing because of the wear and tear on my body. I remember just laying my rod on the gunnels and taking a break because it hurt to cast. So, no, I don't feel the pull. I did buy one bluegill swimbait that @PhishLI suggested and it's caught some bass, but it's small compared to what some of you throw.

I am an underspin addict and I use VMC's heavyduty underspins. I tried other brands, but none held up to the beating my underspins take. The VMCs hold up to hundreds of bass and bass caught in thick cover. My preferred trailers are Crush City Mayors, Keitechs, and Zakos, which I buy by the hundreds because each can only catch half a dozen or so bass:



I'm an oddball at Bass Resource because I troll a lot. I'm a paddler, so I troll when moving from one casting spot to another. The underspins are excellent for trolling, but I also love to cast them into thick cover with 12" of water. I begin my retrieve a half second before they land so that they don't foul with weeds. I buy the 5/0 hooks, but the 4/0s also work with the Mayors, Keitechs, and Zakos.

The beauty of underspins is that they work the entire column. You can slow roll them on the bottom or, as I already wrote, fish them in the skinniest water.

There's this: "Studies show that being in nature has a positive effect on our bodies by reducing cortisol levels, muscle tension, and demands on our cardiovascular systems (lowers heart rate and blood pressure). Being out in nature often may lead to lower rates of heart disease. The great outdoors can also help you increase your vitamin D level, which is important for your bones, blood cells, and immune system."
 
And this: "Nature can help decrease your anxiety levels and can help lessen stress and feelings of anger. Exercise can also help this, but it's even better when you're outside.
 
Regular access to green spaces has been linked to lower risks of depression and improved concentration and attention. Being outside allows us to be social and come together with family, friends, or even people you don't know while on a hiking trail, for example.
 
Additionally, you may find that you sleep better when you are regularly outside. Daily exposure to natural light helps regulate sleep/wake cycles. By making sure that you get outside in sunlight every day, you can improve your ability to sleep at night.
 
Nature can also have benefits for children. One study in Denmark examined 900,000 residents born between 1985 and 2003. They found that children who lived in neighborhoods with more green space had a reduced risk of mental disorders later in life."
 
AND THIS (Note the smile.)
 

 
Fishing is also problem-solving: Where are they? What do they want? Once hooked, how do I land them? Such mental stimulation helps prevent dementia. 
 
When I launch, I'm walking on rocks and branches. I must step into tippy canoes. These balance challenges increase my stability. Plus, I take people fishing and we bond over bass, increasing my social connections. 
 
So, no, it's not a waste of time.
 

Big mouth. Big belly. Big joy!
 
300 acres is the perfect size. Is he allowed to launch a boat there?

I've bought a few homes, so here goes: I bought my last home, even though it looked like a granny decorated it back in 1937, and hadn't been cleaned since then because:
 
A. It came with wrap-around woods. I've only had one bad neighbor in my life and that was more than enough. Now I want a woody buffer in every home I own.
 
B. It had great bones. I didn't care about the grime and dated finishes. I cared about a good foundation and frame. So, I told the home inspector to focus on that and he gave it an a-okay and when the home was demoed, I could see that he was right. I didn't spot a single knot in the wood of the frame. Not one. And the basement is dry and crack-free.
 
Some other HUGE pluses:
 
Dead end road. 
 
Big trees. Sure, you can plant trees and they'll be big in 50 years, but big trees today are great.
 
The neighborhood. Visit it at different times of the day. Get out and just listen. Do you like what you hear? Plus, knock on doors and ask your maybe-neighbors about what it's like living there in the summer. On weekends too.
 
The degree of shoreline development. The more homes you see, the lousier the water quality will be. 
 
If you're buying lakefront, is it a lake that is used by jet skiers and wakeboard boaters? Unless you plan to jet ski or own a wakeboard boat, those are big negatives, for they're noisy and erode shorelines. 
 
 
LAST POINT: You're young, so buy an imperfect home and work on it. Make it yours.
 
P. S. - That bass you're holding appears to be heavier than three pounds.

Go Bucks, indeed! What I love about the 12-team format is that the number 7 and *** teams are playing for the national championship. In a four-team format, OSU and Notre Dame wouldn't have been invited. 

You'd look silly beholding the grace and coordination of a ballerina and deny that that's art. Then watch a fly fisher in thigh-high current while working his/her line and you might look silly again denying that there's no art in that angling. 
 
Of course, many anglers bring a lot of science to bassing. A motor comes from science. So do carbon fiber rods and FFS and Garmin. 
 
 
Best response.
 
I'm a creative person and I have had countless conversations with other creative people. Whatever the medium (dance, theater, painting, writing, etc.), we all have the same challenges and similar choices. A painter works with form, color, and texture. I dancer works with her/his body. A writer works with words, but we're all trying to convey what we see. For example, Vincent van Gogh saw movement:
 

 
Grant Wood saw order:
 

 
I'm going to go with "a bit of both" as my answer. This is akin to fishing:
 
The scientific process, also known as the scientific method, is a systematic approach to investigating phenomena by making observations, asking questions, forming a hypothesis, conducting experiments, analyzing data, drawing conclusions, and communicating the results
 
However, when I fish, I don't always go with my set conclusions. I cast against the grain, which is creative and intuitive. And I certainly take the time to see what's before me and share that:
 

You might remember that I think I caught the Maine state record Chain pickerel this summer. This video makes me glad I didn't try for the record. 

I subscribed too. 
 
That was quite a battle and I liked the back reeling. 

Sometimes when a teacher is loaded with 74 years of wisdom, they want to impart all of that knowledge right now. Don't. Teach her the bare minimum to cast and let her fumble along with her casting for a bit. Then teach one more thing. And let her chew that like sweet cud. Then another. And so on.
 
I say this as a lifelong teacher who's worked with kids beyond counting.
 
Also, don't do all the talking. Ask her about her life.
 
Lastly, note what she's doing right and reinforce that with praise. Here and there. Don't drown her with praise like you can drown her with info. 
 
Here's my student's biggest bass this year: