Swamp Girl

@Dwight Hottle and @AlabamaSpothunter:

@T-Billy: On behalf of zero power bestowed upon me, I appoint thee "BRer for Life."

I love fat bass! Nice catches, @ak6388! O-H....

I used to live in Brighton and Brookline, so I know your challenges and they're considerable. There was a downtown dam in Columbus, Ohio where I used to catch smallmouth. It's a thrill to catch wild bass in a tame city.

Whenever I'm working a weed line, I ALSO ALWAYS chuck my lure absolutely away from the weeds, where there's no apparent cover I.e. reason for them to be there. And it works often enough for me to keep chucking into the wild blue yonder.

Ha! I did have quite a few 40/50/60-bass outings in 2024 and two 70-bass trips, but watching YouTube videos, not all Maine anglers see so many fish.

Sad.

@Dan Turpin: I'm confused. Is Lake Menderchuck on Vancouver Island? I do know that if Peyton Manning saw those two bass, he'd start yelling, "Omaha, Omaha!" And Tom Brady might try to deflate them.

Way to go, buddy! I love when you catch fish and I get to read about your adventures (and even your windy misadventures).

Bass fishing reminds me of the stock market. When the bell rings to close the stock market each day, each pundit will make believe a reason for why the market went up or down. I wrote "make believe" because if they truly understood the whims of the market, they wouldn't need to be pundits. They'd be the world's first trillionaires. So, whereas sometimes some of us might guess why bass were here or there, there are so many factors in play that bass are mysterious. They are always on the move, from day to day and even hour to hour. So, whereas I hit all the usual suspects when fishing, I.e. laydowns, weeds, shadow, etc., I also cast everywhere else too because bass are mysterious.

Nice ones, @Team9nine!

Ha! I actually fished two more times yesterday. I was driving along a river and remembered I had my rod with the underspin in my car, so I stopped to cast four times twice. Double skunked! That's three times in a row I've been skunked, so I struck out for 2024. Seriously, I could launch my canoe, but the water is really cold. I could catch bass, but I could also tip and die.

Welcome, Michael. You've joined a supportive community. Fishing is a balm for many of us.

November might be a cool month, but it's a hot month for Scott.

@Dan N: Good job, Dan. I skunked.

I went fishing. It was a nice excuse to walk the pooch in the woods. I cast ten times and caught nothing. I only took one lure, an underspin. It did give me a chance to photograph part of the extended boardwalk, which now reaches all the way to the pond. You can also see the inlet where I dock my canoe.

@LrgmouthShad: Thanks for the detailed report. Well told and well angled! I have never caught a bass that long, but what's most impressive is the great girth, from head to tail. There are a lot of long, skinny bass that are posted at BR. This was not one of them. I'm so proud of you and happy for you.

Amen, brother. Love your post, @senile1!

I just might go down to my pond and cast a few times from shore!

That bass is as thick as one of @Bluebasser86's Kansas bass! What's most impressive to me is the muscle of the tail. I look forward to hearing about the fight!

Other than my Deps 6" and 7" Sakamata flukes, I don't use any of the above. @AlabamaSpothunter told me about the Sakamatas and I've scored with them. They feel different (softer) and the local bass like their size and feel. I'm kept busy with the lures I already own. I don't know what JDM rods are and I barely know what BFS is. I think they're light line setups, but for decades, I fished for smallies with four and six-pound line, tossing light lures long distances. I own a lot of crankbaits and would like to use them regularly, but the water I fish is just too weedy and shallow for them. I can use them in early spring for a couple weeks before the weeds rise. I use Whopper Ploppers a lot less simply because I can't cast them into weeds and under bushes. Plus, I catch a lot of bass with poppers, which land on the water without the BIG PLOP that can spook bass.

Hey, you're singing my song!

Whew! ^This^ made me smile.

Cool that you did all that, Bryon. We're a pretty easy-going group, so don't expect a lot of doubters.

I think it's good to move threads like this up top again from time to time. I was fishing this summer when un-forecasted lighting arrived. I beached my canoe and retreated into the woods to wait it out. It lasted for 1.5 hours, taking me into the night and even then, the rain pounded, making for a long, wet paddle home.