Swamp Girl

I love the markings on the top fish. Thanks for the details, Dwight. I have to catch my monsters vicariously because my tagline is "Quantity first. Quality second." ? Dwight, have you ever had a bass break your ten-pound braid?

That fish is soooo healthy. It looks...perfect. Just perfect. F-f-f-four pound test? OMG!

That 8.25 fish look like it ate the biggest smallie I ever caught! 20 yards? Whoa! Your drag must have been singing like the fat lady in the opera. Where do I find those pics? Never mind. I found them.

I love your face! And I'm glad your hands were shaking. The shaking shows how much the fish meant and big fish should be caught by those who love them, aka The Worthy.

I watched that video. Twice! It makes my heart race just thinking about it. FYI, for any in the Six-Pound Club, feel free to answer the same questions. Sincerely, A member of the Measly Four-and-a-Half Club

You're so kind, RW.

I don't expect I'll ever catch a 7 lb. smallmouth, so for those of you who have, could you please answer these questions: 1. Did you know right away that the fish was special? 2. If she jumped, she must have made a heckuva splash. Am I right? 3. What was the strike like? 4. Did she run out line like a pike or just bulldog the bottom like a heavy walleye? 5. Were your hands shaking after the catch? 6. Anything else you'd like to add?

Heck, yeah, it was fun. The thing that continually surprises me is the four ponds I've fished this summer are all within my town's limits. I'm going to try a fifth one next week. I scouted it and it looks real bassy, with lily pads everywhere. RW, I'm going to buy one of those yellow fish measuring boards with the sides. I'll set it on my lap and set the fish on it to photograph them. I don't want a fixed, fancy camera setup because right now I'm paddling three different boats and only one is mine. Plus, I'm an old woman and I don't want to carry a lot more stuff to the water. I'm also going to buy some more Whopper Ploppers right now. I only had two and lost one yesterday.

I like footbally fish! She's a beaut. Keep her from Tom Brady, however.

I fished this evening, starting at 4:10 and ending at 8:25 on a local Maine pond. I caught ten fish in the first hour trolling my Whopper Plopper. Then there was a lull for about 45 minutes and then the bite picked up and reached a grand finale in the last 15 minutes, when I cast my Whopper Plopper and had a hit on nearly every cast. I TWICE caught two-fish-at-once, the first a smallie/smallie pairing and the second a smallie/largemouth pairing. I caught 46 bass in all, 26 smallmouth and 20 largemouth. The smallmouth were nearly all 15 or 16 inches. I caught nine largemouth between 17 and 20 inches. So much fun! Here are a few of the largemouth and the two smallmouth I caught at the same time. My photography is no good, very bad, and terrible. I fully extend my arm to get the fish far enough away to be framed by my camera. This makes them look smaller, for it's the opposite of how many pose their fish, extending their arms to get the fish as close to the camera as possible, but they were ducky fish!

I'll try that original Rapala tonight, Mr. 84. Thanks for the suggestion!

I troll when I'm moving from one casting spot to another. I simply want to be fishing while moving. However, I do think I catch more while trolling/moving because my lure is in the water 100% of the time.

That second fish looks preggers!

Fat fish! The proof is in the thumb!

Credit Dwight then. FYI, I caught about five of the fish when I made my first paddle stroke. I'd cast the lure behind me, situate my gear, paddle, and BOOM! I think that happened because the lure was sitting there quietly with a bass beneath it studying it and then when I finally moved the canoe, the bass was locked and loaded.

Whoa, Mr. 86! I love your tagline, Brian: "Watching a slack line start running is one of life's simple pleasures."

I caught another 33 this morning. Woo-hoo! Say, I'd like to thank the men of this forum for being so welcoming and encouraging. I wish more women would fish. They'd find that fishermen are happy to help them.

I tried trolling a suspending jerk bait and a Whopper Plopper. Both worked really well! Caught 33 fish. All largemouth and smallmouth except for one chain pickerel and two perch.

So, I solicited advice on trolling behind my canoe and I've tried four of the suggestions so far and they all worked, but what worked best was Dwight Hottie's advice to troll my Whopper Plopper. The very first time I tried this (this morning), I chucked it behind my canoe paddled about five times, heard the splash, and reeled in two bass (This is my second twofer in the last week.). You can see the two bass in the net attached to the Whopper Plopper and then the bigger bass in my hand. Sorry for the quality of the photo. It's a terrible photo, but a nice fish. So, my advice is to listen to Dwight's advice. Beyond the two in the net, I caught another 31 bass this morning, mostly by trolling the Whopper Plopper.

I almost did that yesterday morning, but wondered if it would be cuckoo crazy, but you suggesting it, I'm gonna try it! I love the way the blow up on that lure. I used it for the first time a few evenings ago and caught 17 on just it.

I tried a Rat-L-Trap and that worked. I'm trying a surface Rapala next.

You are kind and welcoming, Roadwarrior, and a heckuva fisherman too. Thanks too to A-Jay for smiling upon my little fishing trip, and to Mighty Dwight and others for weighing in about weight and fighting spirit. I'm returning twice to the local lake this week where I've caught three 19-inchers and one 21.5-incher this summer in two trips and I'm excited about that. I agree with Misters Ruis and Panda about the fight in fish that fight current. I've only caught two striped bass in my life, but both were Maine tidal fish, the world's biggest tides, and they felt like bison on the line.

I might, Mr. Warrior. And you're right, I'm not in that club. I'm not arguing the size of the fight as much as I'm arguing the spunk of the fight. Young people are ornery. Young fish are ornery. I feel like I'm arguing with the gods here. Humbly, Puny Human ?

They're craftier, for sure, just like old Tom Brady is crafty, but they're also a little like Peyton Manning in 2016, with the zip missing from his passes, and momentum carrying him to Superbowl victory. Pound for pound, how could an old fish fight as hard as a young fish? Time doesn't work that way. Time makes us heavier, not more athletic.

I caught 24 bass this morning, the biggest being a 17-inch largemouth and a 17-inch smallmouth. Many Maine lakes have both kinds of bass and catching one and then the other has me rethinking smallmouth as superior fighters. I think they're comparable. I also think bigger fish are overrated. A 16-inch bass is equivalent to an 18-year old guy. Sure, one day he'll be longer and heavier, but at 18 years of age, he's at his athletic peak. I've caught 21-inch bass and 16-inch bass and I think the latter are better fighters than the fatter.