I am excited to announce my upcoming trip to the far north this summer to be Swampy's guest for a few days of Bass fishing! I just couldn't miss the opportunity for some "taters and sausages" and gobs of Bass! Thank you Katie for your generosity! I am hoping for around the first of June unless Katy says earlier. She is in the know! Here's the deal.....private guide paddling a canoe with one hapless angler in the bow tossing whatever, where ever. Can't wait! Hope I get to take her offshore fishing as well. One things for sure.......I plan on embarrassing myself in some sho nuff Maine seafood somewhere of her choosing! We missed out on seafood in the West Tennessee swamps, but I'm going to make amends!

Other "bucket list" trips I will be praying for are....

Smallmouth fishing Kenora Ontario

Musky Fishing with Tim using bait bigger than I catch!

Sneeking into A-Jays boat when he's not looking....ditto for Dwight!

Heading to Kansas with Bluebasser

Mountain Fishing with TnRiver46

Pike fishing with gim, (He so eloquently speaks of the "Snot Rockets"),

Carolina fishing with Pat....I'll fish while you play guitar!

more Carolina fishing with Team9

good grief Don't know if I have enough in the tank to keep going!

ect!

Awesome! Can't wait until the trip report. Just don't let any of those pesky otters sneak up there with you to eat her fish.

Oh wow...cool!! I'm a couple of hours south of Katie, I'll wave as you drive on by

5 hours ago, Blue Raider Bob said:

in the bow tossing whatever, where ever

Nah. I know where they live. I'll show you.*

I'm just happy you're coming, Bob.

5 hours ago, Fishlegs said:

Just don't let any of those pesky otters sneak up there with you to eat her fish.

No need to bring your otters, Bob. We have otters already. And even though Tennessee has taters and sausage too, I'll be cooking up a big batch for Bob. Launching a canoe at four in the morning builds up quite an appetite!

*To be frank, I'm a little nervous about guiding Bob to bass because I want him to have the bass fishing adventure of his lifetime and I hope I can deliver that. If Bob is up for a bog trip, he might catch a six or even seven-pounder. If we just fish my pond, he'll catch scores of three to four-pounders. Bob will decide. Wherever we fish, it will be beautiful:

And my neighborhood is beautiful too:

And a drive up the coast will take us to thundering surf:

I would love to Bog fish! I don't care. Just so blessed to have my BR family!

Now that sounds like a good time, Bob!

To @Swamp Girl point, the Maine coast is about as beautiful as it gets ... Love the working lighthouses.

The Goat Island Lighthouse - Cape Porpoise, ME

My kids up on the top of the lighthouse (older pic) but you can slip your boat and climb the lighthouse

Heck, yeah!

17 hours ago, Swamp Girl said:

*To be frank, I'm a little nervous about guiding Bob to bass because I want him to have the bass fishing adventure of his lifetime and I hope I can deliver that

Katie, you catch 1500 bass a year, I catch 15. Don't think I have to catch bass to enjoy myself, your company, and the beautiful state of Maine. I am overly joyful just for the opportunity. 😊

I still have my boat, or a second kayak. I've always got an open invitation to members that want to go fish. I'll show you how bad the fishing really is here. I've fished with several members from here, it's always a good time.

On 1/28/2026 at 1:23 PM, Blue Raider Bob said:

Pike fishing with gim, (He so eloquently speaks of the "Snot Rockets")

I'm honored to be mentioned in this post. I can assure you of more than just snot rockets if it ever comes to fruition.

I will be retiring this fall and next spring I hope to make a big loop from middle TN into either Missouri and Iowa, Minnesota, into Ontario, then east to the coast, then down the coast into the Carolina's, then west towards home. May choose north through Kentucky, Illinois, Michigan route but that's the general plan. See as much of this beautiful land as I can and fish with as many of my BR brethren as possible. Would also like to head south to Florida with Captain Phil and stop by to fish for Suwannees with Alex. All options on the table at this point. At some point I'm sure Lottabass will need a net man!

23 hours ago, gim said:

I'm honored to be mentioned in this post.

And I'm honored Bob is starting his fishing with me. You won't catch bass with me as big as the ones you'll catch with @Lottabass, but knowing your history of fishing the backwaters of the Mississippi, you'll love where we'll fish. You'll feel like a kid again, poking around bogs. And I hope you'll love walking through the dark woods as much as I do. It's exciting to approach the bass step by step, knowing they're out there and hungry.

When you're here, Bob, we'll go over maps of smallmouth lakes in Ontario and I'll send you home with them.

48 minutes ago, Swamp Girl said:

And I'm honored Bob is starting his fishing with me. You won't catch bass with me as big as the ones you'll catch with @Lottabass, but knowing your history of fishing the backwaters of the Mississippi, you'll love where we'll fish. You'll feel like a kid again, poking around bogs. And I hope you'll love walking through the dark woods as much as I do. It's exciting to approach the bass step by step, knowing they're out there and hungry.

When you're here, Bob, we'll go over maps of smallmouth lakes in Ontario and I'll send you home with them.

@Swamp Girl I can’t wait to hear all about this 👍🏻

35 minutes ago, Eric 26 said:

@Swamp Girl I can’t wait to hear all about this 👍🏻

I can't wait either!

Walking through the bogs at night will take me back to my youth, walking the Cypress Swamps at night! The dimension of darkness lends such a renewal of the senses. Even familiar places gather new importance and interest when darkness fall. The Cypress swamps were exciting during the day, but downright spooky at night. I have lived on the same cedar glade wooded land for thirty years, but If I travel the same woods at night, I'm looking over my shoulder! 👀

Poking around Bogs may be anathematic to most people, but to the readers of this forum, it's the cherry on the cheesecake! I have just as much fun catching crawfish and minnows in creeks as I have fishing. Can't wait to get my feet wet in Maine!

36 minutes ago, Blue Raider Bob said:

Can't wait to get my feet wet in Maine!

If you're going in June I would advise you to wear something warm on your feet ... the waters are still cold ... haha ... Hope you have fun ... I'll be at the rest area along the Maine Turnpike at exit 25 waving to ya going by

33 minutes ago, Jigfishn10 said:

If you're going in June I would advise you to wear something warm on your feet ... the waters are still cold ... haha ... Hope you have fun ... I'll be at the rest area along the Maine Turnpike at exit 25 waving to ya going by

I wear watershoes or my neoprene boots. I often step into the water to launch because he's too shallow to float my boat or it's safer because the shoreline is raggedy.

21 hours ago, Swamp Girl said:

I wear watershoes or my neoprene boots. I often step into the water to launch because he's too shallow to float my boat or it's safer because the shoreline is ragge

21 hours ago, Swamp Girl said:

I wear watershoes or my neoprene boots. I often step into the water to launch because he's too shallow to float my boat or it's safer because the shoreline is raggedy.

Yikes! I'm used to warm mud between my toes! Might have to rethink this.....☹️

Maybe shoes are a good idea. Most Tennesseans actually wear them, even the mountain folk to the east TNRiver46. Actually the only difference between the West Tennessee swampers, and the East Tennessee hill folk is we boil and eat our corn. They drink it from a jar!

We were born with one leg shorter than the other for walking on the side of a hill 😂

4 hours ago, Blue Raider Bob said:

Might have to rethink this.....☹️

I thought I was giving good advice … haha … I’ll bet that in June those waters will be in the upper 50*s. Maybe low 60*s

I promise, I wouldn’t joke about the temps in ME

You'll be fine, Bob. You're coming at a great time to catch lots of bass and maybe a few big ones.

On 2/3/2026 at 10:15 AM, gim said:

I'm honored to be mentioned in this post. I can assure you of more than just snot rockets if it ever comes to fruition.

You can probably put him on a mess of rock bass too. 😜😂

@Blue Raider Bob , the water temps for that time of year may be cold for humans but magical for LMB ... hope you catch a biggun!

13 hours ago, T-Billy said:

You can probably put him on a mess of rock bass too. 😜😂

Rock and Slime Guide Service

56 minutes ago, gim said:

Rock and Slime Guide Service

@TnRiver46 would pay for that trip!!!