Swamp Girl

I'm guessing you've already considered this, Bob, and perhaps tried it, but just in case, give some thought to outfitting your surviving bass with torpedo tubes. What could possibly go wrong? Nothing! #yeah,I'mthevillageidiot

Dang it, Bob! I hate them wascally otters! Actually, I love to see them, but they depleted a bog I no longer fish. They're supreme predators, being faster, smarter, and more nimble than their prey, which is what I learned on a nature show.

I have a broken flux capacitor, but Florida has a lot of lightning. Let's meet there and go for it! What could go wrong? Great reminder. Thanks! I'll do it.

A few times last year, I just took two rods with two lures to fish my pond in the evening. I took pliers and my cell phone too, but that was it. For 2025, after trying so many different kinds of tackle boxes, I'm going old school with the one below. It'll be easy to open to dry the lures when I get home and the hard shell will make it waterproof when raining. It has three trays and I'll appreciate the handle when walking through the woods. I came to find the utility trays within a soft tackle box cumbersome and water-trapping.

Agreed. Her perfect form, free of scars and wear and tear, tells me that she's a perfect huntress too, meaning she kills cleanly and efficiently and therefore grows quickly. If you catch her again, you'll yell, "YOU AGAIN!" And she'll sigh, "You again? Oh, well, at least you treat me well."

I agree with Eric. She is such a beautiful bass. Peak health. She has thrived. Alex for the win!!! As beautiful as she was in the Sun, she was at peak beauty swimming away. Honestly, she looked bigger and bigger as she left.

I would have bid on the old lures still in their original packaging! Congrats times two on the boat!

Spot on. As you listen to the woman below, contrast her voice with Madonna's, whose voice is thin and tinny. Then remember that Madonna's voice is enhanced in studios and the woman below has only a guitar behind her: Ha! You make me laugh, Tim!

So true. I kid you not: When I was first home shopping in Maine, I found a 2200 sq. foot home atop a cliff overlooking the ocean and that home had three ponds for $229,000, but it was so far from quality healthcare that I passed. I still think about being perched on that cliff, high above the waves, and having three fishing holes too. Sigh.

No doubt. They do everything way better than me except, maybe, being sneaky. A 20' boat with a 250 HP engine and a trolling motor chopping the water and electronics sending sound in all directions isn't as quiet as my canoe. Plus, they couldn't reach some of the places where I fish...and catch fish...and their electronics wouldn't work there anyway. If I ever took a pro fishing and he asked for my local gal advice, I'd say, "Shhh." That is stunning range. And here I'm proud of my rare 20 lb. largie and smallie bags. Heh.

Alex, you know that YouTube video that I referenced above? Not only was that pro casting under overhangs, but he was catching big bass under those overhangs...in current! I wouldn't even attempt the casts he landed. I'd hook the tree and then be struggling to bring my boat back to free the lure.

Not how I'd describe you, Pat. I only need two words to describe you: bass whisperer.

I might have a chance if the tournament were a canoe fishing tournament. Those poor pros would be zig-zagging across the water and tipping too. Seriously, I watched a video where a pro was fun fishing a tight river with laydowns on both shorelines and he had mad casting skills. Of course, he might have edited the video to show only his best casts, but some of those casts were beyond me.

Do you troll while paddling? I do and catch lots of bass. I troll underspins and spinnerbaits. If I have enough depth, Mepps are great too. If it's dark, I troll Whopper Ploppers.

The latter.

Now that you mention it.... Deal! Wait, I uh, there is no, err, glass?

I've bought a few homes, so here goes: I bought my last home, even though it looked like a granny decorated it back in 1937, and hadn't been cleaned since then because: A. It came with wrap-around woods. I've only had one bad neighbor in my life and that was more than enough. Now I want a woody buffer in every home I own. B. It had great bones. I didn't care about the grime and dated finishes. I cared about a good foundation and frame. So, I told the home inspector to focus on that and he gave it an a-okay and when the home was demoed, I could see that he was right. I didn't spot a single knot in the wood of the frame. Not one. And the basement is dry and crack-free. Some other HUGE pluses: Dead end road. Big trees. Sure, you can plant trees and they'll be big in 50 years, but big trees today are great. The neighborhood. Visit it at different times of the day. Get out and just listen. Do you like what you hear? Plus, knock on doors and ask your maybe-neighbors about what it's like living there in the summer. On weekends too. The degree of shoreline development. The more homes you see, the lousier the water quality will be. If you're buying lakefront, is it a lake that is used by jet skiers and wakeboard boaters? Unless you plan to jet ski or own a wakeboard boat, those are big negatives, for they're noisy and erode shorelines. LAST POINT: You're young, so buy an imperfect home and work on it. Make it yours. P. S. - That bass you're holding appears to be heavier than three pounds.

Oh, I'm just trash talking. I'm sure it's hard and I'd be happy to try it. I just wouldn't want to lock onto that screen. I like sight-seeing when I fish. There are so many wondrous things to see. However, I don't think we have FFS in Maine. We're the ends of the roads, you know. We have one freeway and it literally dead ends. Here's an Ontario Backcountry smallie, another wondrous thing to see!

That's insane, @pdxfisher, but if it weren't an FFS bag, I'd be even more impressed. Knowing exactly where to cast incurs a 15-pound deduction. Still, a 25-pound bag is more than I've ever managed.

I haven't mustered the courage to cast an A-Rig yet. It looks so awkward.

I'm just hoping that one of you guys will be willing to insure my old canoes. I can afford six bucks a year. Any takers?

I love Clayton's blimps!!!! Thank blue somebody is still catching bass.

My pond is hosting a kids' bass tournament this week. Of course, they'll do a little drilling first.