I already wrote a trip report for May 21st in the "Latest Catch Pics Thread," but I'm writing a stand-alone report now because it's likely to be my best outing of 2026, with both my biggest single bass and my best bag. I caught the first bass in my bag off-shore. She was slender, but long at 19.5 inches. I didn't have my bump board aboard, but my Predator 13 kayak has a measuring line molded into the hull. Unfortunately, it doesn't cradle the bass like a bump boards, so all my measurements were hasty and without photos. I used the hasty measurements with a length to weight chart to compile my weights.

My other four bass were much stockier than the open water bass above and I caught them in a delirious 1.5 hours of on a shoreline of overhanging bushy trees. It's historically a small bass spot, but for that hour and change, it was a big bass spot. This was the biggest, a bass I couldn't fit into the frame without shooting down at her:

What the photo doesn't convey is her depth. I remember looking at her in the net and marveling at her girth. She was 22" or thereabouts. Again, she was flopping on the raised, convex, black console beneath her and the bigger the bass, the faster I hurry them back into the water.

This one was 21" and girthy too:

This one was in the 19-inch range:

This one was in the 20-inch range:

If anything, I'm low on the bag estimate. For kayakers, it was a 100" bag.

I composed this post mainly for me, so that come the winter of 26/27, I can easily find these photos and smile, remembering when the cosmic tumblers aligned and the Big Bass Treasure Box opened for me. As I've shared more than once, as much as I like a big bass, I love a big bag.

Very nice bag, Swampy! I see your in a kayak.

Best,

FM

Awesome fish! But what is this heresy about a kayak? Lol 😆

Those are doozies, congrats.

5 minutes ago, bp_fowler said:

Awesome fish! But what is this heresy about a kayak? Lol 😆

My pal's pond is twice the size of my pond and my Kelvar canoe is slender and tippy. I was scared a few times in the fall of 2025 when the water was white-capping and I was a long ways from shore. Then I watched a guy on YouTube stand on the side of his Predator 13 without tipping it, so I bought mine used for $600 and leave it at my pal's pond. Its only drawback is the weight. It's a heavy boat to paddle.

18 minutes ago, Swamp Girl said:

My pal's pond is twice the size of my pond and my Kelvar canoe is slender and tippy. I was scared a few times in the fall of 2025 when the water was white-capping and I was a long ways from shore. Then I watched a guy on YouTube stand on the side of his Predator 13 without tipping it, so I bought mine used for $600 and leave it at my pal's pond. Its only drawback is the weight. It's a heavy boat to paddle.

Totally makes sense. I’ll confess that I’ve thought about going over to the dark side more than once. What’s stopping me is the space considerations….and the weight. Ounces add up to pounds and pounds add up to pain.

5 minutes ago, bp_fowler said:

Ounces add up to pounds and pounds add up to pain.

So true. And I've seen pics of the path you're walking to fish, plus I know that area. It's much harder than my paths.

When I'm kayaking, I do miss the spacious tub that's a canoe, but I love the high, comfy seat and the stability.

That's one of those special days we all long for.

11 minutes ago, GreenPig said:

That's one of those special days we all long for.

It sure was. I returned to that spot three times in the following week, but the big girls were gone. I'll fish it in the coming years, but I won't be surprised if I never find them there again. Bass fishing is like that for me. The Big Bass Treasure Box opens at one particular place and then locks forever.

Congrats! Epic day!!!

I thought you said you were going to catch those big fish next year. I guess you didn't want to wait. Congrats on a great day.

4 hours ago, Swamp Girl said:

I already wrote a trip report for May 21st in the "Latest Catch Pics Thread," but I'm writing a stand-alone report now because it's likely to be my best outing of 2026, with both my biggest single bass and my best bag. I caught the first bass in my bag off-shore. She was slender, but long at 19.5 inches. I didn't have my bump board aboard, but my Predator 13 kayak has a measuring line molded into the hull. Unfortunately, it doesn't cradle the bass like a bump boards, so all my measurements were hasty and without photos. I used the hasty measurements with a length to weight chart to compile my weights.

My other four bass were much stockier than the open water bass above and I caught them in a delirious 1.5 hours of on a shoreline of overhanging bushy trees. It's historically a small bass spot, but for that hour and change, it was a big bass spot. This was the biggest, a bass I couldn't fit into the frame without shooting down at her:

What the photo doesn't convey is her depth. I remember looking at her in the net and marveling at her girth. She was 22" or thereabouts. Again, she was flopping on the raised, convex, black console beneath her and the bigger the bass, the faster I hurry them back into the water.

This one was 21" and girthy too:

This one was in the 19-inch range:

This one was in the 20-inch range:

If anything, I'm low on the bag estimate. For kayakers, it was a 100" bag.

I composed this post mainly for me, so that come the winter of 26/27, I can easily find these photos and smile, remembering when the cosmic tumblers aligned and the Big Bass Treasure Box opened for me. As I've shared more than once, as much as I like a big bass, I love a big bag.

So happy for you Swampy! I've seen how hard you work for bass. You don't motor and troll like I do, you work for it!

1 hour ago, Fishlegs said:

I thouht you said you were going to catch those big fish next year. I guess you didn't want to wait. Congrats on a great day.

This trip report is about May 21st at my pal's pond. I think it'll be a couple years before I can catch a bag that big at my pond.

44 minutes ago, Swamp Girl said:

This trip report is about May 21st at my pal's pond. I think it'll be a couple years before I can catch a bag that big at my pond.

I believe you will get them there too.