Swamp Girl

@Rockhopper: Wow. Just wow! You are part of a big pack that's oh-so hot. Meanwhile, I cast from the shore again this afternoon and skunked again. I don't think bass like when I stand on snow. I did get a hit on a fluke.

@Wilk816: We love looking at bass at Bass Resource, so thanks for the photo! She was a beauty.

I'll give it a try. Thanks!

My experience with walking baits is that they clobber them, but I've never worked one slowly. Did your six-pounder clobber your walking bait?

Fingers crossed that you land a six, seven, or eight-pounder! And toes crossed that I catch any bass!!!

I passed too. I downloaded it and went through the steps and then went, "Naaah." I can't imagine it helping me catch a lot more bass. I know my ponds and bogs better than a computer program.

So true. I caught some of my first bass last year on the surface in c-c-c-cold water about a foot deep.

It looks great. Fish with well-earned pride!

Nearly all of you are catching bass, from coast (@pdxfisher) to coast (@Dwight Hottle). Here's my front yard minutes ago. However, fingers crossed that I can finally launch next Tuesday, when it might reach 51 degrees:

I think good thoughts about you finding a kidney every few days. I also think a lot about living a long life. There is longevity in my family, so I witness what happens as we age. There are healthy nonagenarians, but there are a lot more who are greatly reduced by living that long. From what I've seen, I don't want to live that long. If I could choose, I would choose quality over quantity, so it's great to see the quality of your life, my friend.

16 lb 11 oz is a HECKUVA smallie river bag. Gorgeous fish too. And steelhead are one of the world's greatest fish. What a spring it's been for you and other BR anglers!

@Harold H: When I fished in Canada, I'd position my elbow just like you did in your first photo so that the fish would be right beside my face to give a viewer a good idea of relative size. Doing so means that my big smallies look small compared to long-armed smallies, even though I caught some smallies between five and six pounds according to the length to weight charts and they were footballs, like the one below:

@Blue Raider Bob: You're welcome anytime, Bob. I'd love to put you on 50 fighting North Country bass one morning and another 50 that evening. The kid caught the top bass at my pond and his PB (bottom bass) at his pond. His pond's bass are bigger than mine, but mine are bigger year by year, so I'm hopeful. Of course, he's long-arming his PB, so the two bass aren't that far apart, size-wise:

That bass sure is black. That's my favorite hue in lmb. Anyway, it's a fine, sturdy bass, Alex, and I always love seeing your catches!

Ha! I do try to lessen maintenance. For example, look at the outside of the boxwood beds on both sides of my path. They have edgers designed to run mower wheels over them. And the boxwood beds are coated with mulch. Still, there is some work, but I'm happy working in the dirt. Thank you. Here's part of another garden I made. What you can't see is the Secret Garden, the Tea Garden, the patio, and the orchard. You had me at "fishing."