Skunky, but Sweet Fishing Reports

[Swamp Girl]

I like when my fellow fishers report on skunks, dinks, and near skunks. On three of my 2023 trips, I caught a single fish. Late last summer and through  mid-fall of 2022, I frequently caught thirty-some bass in a morning or evening. For me, the humbling sets up the giddy days and it also reveals that even with the advantage of my fishing less-fished lakes, I sometimes can't solve the puzzle that is bass. In other words, sometimes the fish win, no matter how much you know or how sweet the water is.

 

Anyone else here like to read those trips when a fellow fisher brought down to Earth like a Mercury astronaut?

 

If you like to tell your tales of woe, why?

 

I do. For me, it might be a Catholic thing, as I was raised to confess my failings. I'm certain I would feel guilty if I didn't, if I suggested by omission that I always best the bass.  

[Drawdown]

I have always found it humbling that even tournament pros can go a whole morning without a fish before catching a big bag in the afternoon. Makes me feel less bad about 

[TnRiver46]

I guess that means you really enjoy my reports 

[bloom]

The skunks come easy for me, but I always have a good time.

[Woody B]

2 things.  A bad day fishing is still a pretty good day.   When I get skunked I always learn something, so that's good too.  

[BigAngus752]

Let me point something out...

1.  We have all watched the shows and we have seen pro fishermen get skunked repeatedly.

2.  (Nearly) everyone on this forum gets skunked.

3.  @A-Jay never gets skunked.

 

Robot?  Alien?  A.I.?  Does A-Jay really exist?  Or if he was a human at one time what kind of cyborg fishing machine has replaced him?  I knew the threat would come from the north, I just didn't know it would arrive in a Lund. 

[A-Jay]

36 minutes ago, BigAngus752 said:

Let me point something out...

1.  We have all watched the shows and we have seen pro fishermen get skunked repeatedly.

2.  (Nearly) everyone on this forum gets skunked.

3.  @A-Jay never gets skunked.

 

Robot?  Alien?  A.I.?  Does A-Jay really exist?  Or if he was a human at one time what kind of cyborg fishing machine has replaced him?  I knew the threat would come from the north, I just didn't know it would arrive in a Lund. 

I have zero fish days all the time - 

Some trips I sort of expect it, others I do not.

Not a fan of those.

Either way, sore lipping a bunch of juvenile bass is not something I strive to do.

So I don't try and 'salvage' the day by doing it.

I'm looking for plus size fish.

Sometimes I get them, sometimes I do not.

But when I do, you'll see them here.

A-Jay

[BigAngus752]

22 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

I'm looking for plus size fish.

These you get, my friend!  Epic footballs!

[Susky River Rat]

What is a bass? Having withdraws here. I like to call these “real life” fishing reports. It’s always easy to brag about big bags or numbers. It’s hard to admit the tough days and defeat. It seems the struggle has been real for most of us above the mason dixon line. I am trying to post my outings I catch fish. Wether it’s one or 100. I don’t make a living doing this. It’s a hobby. The last 6 or so years I’ve taken fishing way to serious. This year is all about enjoying it. 
 

So when anyone reads my reports and goes that’s it? Just know I had a blast doing it!

Edited May 3, 2023 by Darnold335
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[gim]

11 hours ago, ol'crickety said:

On three of my 2023 trips, I caught a single fish. Late last summer and through  mid-fall of 2022, I frequently caught thirty-some bass in a morning or evening.

I would like to point out that right now its still spring time.  I assume that the water in Maine is still quite cold, and the mornings have frost.

 

Your epic outings last year, you noted they were in summer and fall, when the water was much warmer and the air temperature over night was probably warmer too.  Bass are warmwater species of fish and their behavior/activity level is driven by their environment.

 

If you get into summer and fall here and are still having these poor outings, then you may have something but comparing a spring bite to a summer and fall one really isn't fair at this point.  Just an observation.

 

I believe that once we get into midsummer, your epic outings will re-emerge.

 

 

[Jar11591]

I was skunked during a 2 hour morning sesh about a week ago for the first time since at least 2016. Sure I could blame it on an extreme cold front and fishing a new lake, but I was skunked and there’s no way around it. I had completely forgot what it was like to take a skunk. I was humbled but I’ll be danged if it didn’t motivate me. 

[Swamp Girl]

21 minutes ago, Darnold335 said:

It’s always easy to brag about big bags or numbers. It’s hard to admit the tough days and defeat.

 

Heck, yeah!

 

21 minutes ago, Darnold335 said:

It’s a hobby. The last 6 or so years I’ve taken fishing way to serious. This year is all about enjoying it. 

 

^This^ made me smile.

 

18 minutes ago, gimruis said:

I assume that the water in Maine is still quite cold, and the mornings have frost.

 

True. It has been in the thirties most mornings when I launched and there was thick ice on some shorelines, but next year, I'll do it again. A lonesome lake or bog is my happy place and even catching one bass is fun. Unlike A-Jay, it doesn't have to be a big bass. I'm grateful for all of them.

 

The cool weather is finally coming to an end. Starting with Saturday, there will be a string of sixty-day degrees with nights in the upper forties. That should warm our water lickety-split. 

[Susky River Rat]

8 minutes ago, ol'crickety said:

 

Heck, yeah!

 

 

^This^ made me smile.

I have enough pressure in my life. Fishing needs to be the release. Not more of a cause. It doesn’t matter how good I am at fishing or not.

[Swamp Girl]

6 minutes ago, Darnold335 said:

I have enough pressure in my life. Fishing needs to be the release. Not more of a cause. It doesn’t matter how good I am at fishing or not.

 

I'm leaning your way. I do waffle on big bass versus what I call a busy boat. I also waffle on impressive numbers versus enjoying the feathered and furry wildlife. My number one moment last year was fishing in a pounding rain and having a massive eagle, the biggest eagle of my life,, fly over me twice. I didn't even know that eagles fly in downpours. It was just the two of us, loving that rain. 

 

A big bass is thrilling, for sure. They empty my adrenal gland and make my hands shake and make me seriously stupid for a few minutes. 

 

They make me happy when I reflect on them, but I don't know if I want to nurture the need to catch more and more and more. I just can't decide which road I'll walk, launching with a laser focus on bigger bass or launching on Come What May Bog.

[TOXIC]

Exactly the reason that my reports show exactly what we caught……or didn’t.  Last report on the Rappahonock showed a bunch of dink smallmouth because that’s what I caught along with a catfish, bowfin and a few largemouth bass.  A report is exactly that, a report.  There’s no shame in my game.  Towards the end of the month, I will be up in Michigan dangling my baits for massive smallmouth and if we get skunked, y’all will be the first to know.??

[Swamp Girl]

7 minutes ago, TOXIC said:

Exactly the reason that my reports show exactly what we caught……or didn’t.

 

^THIS!^

[Susky River Rat]

1 hour ago, ol'crickety said:

A big bass is thrilling, for sure. They empty my adrenal gland and make my hands shake and make me seriously stupid for a few minutes.

I can’t say bass have ever really done that for me. I’ve had fun but, the knee shaking hand shaking adrenaline comes from big musky.  Bass are the enjoyment of fishing. Now I may not have just caught a big enough bass lol. 

[Swamp Girl]

14 minutes ago, Darnold335 said:

I can’t say bass have ever really done that for me. I’ve had fun but, the knee shaking hand shaking adrenaline comes from big musky.  Bass are the enjoyment of fishing. Now I may not have just caught a big enough bass lol. 

 

Muskies make me fraidy! I've caught scores from my canoe and with each one, I've been too scared to shake. This is me realizing I've hooked another musky.

 

[Susky River Rat]

9 minutes ago, ol'crickety said:

 

Muskies make me fraidy! I've caught scores from my canoe and with each one, I've been too scared to shake. This is me realizing I've hooked another musky.

 

They are just miss understood! Ironically I’m still waiting for all these accidental 50” musky while bass fishing. I’ve hooked up with three bass fishing in the areas I did for musky where I’ve caught lots of them. None of them were 50”. 

[Swamp Girl]

50-inchers are rare. You could, however, go to Florida, pick pert near any pond, walk the bank until you see a good-sized gator, and foul hook it. That would give you the 50-inch musky experience. 

[PhishLI]

16 hours ago, ol'crickety said:

Anyone else here like to read those trips when a fellow fisher brought down to Earth like a Mercury astronaut?

I don't know that I like or dislike seeing it. I don't look at it that way. If anything, it tells you the poster is honest. Points for that every time. If you fish often enough you're going to get thumped sometimes.

 

16 hours ago, ol'crickety said:

If you like to tell your tales of woe, why?

Just keeping it real. We've all had to grind it out at times in most places. I don't fantasize that I'm a super hero, so why not? Also, it adds some spice to a fishing report.

16 hours ago, ol'crickety said:

I do. For me, it might be a Catholic thing, as I was raised to confess my failings.

Irish/Italian Catholic here. God's always watching, ain't he?

[Susky River Rat]

1 hour ago, ol'crickety said:

50-inchers are rare.

50plus  are 1.3% of all musky caught according to Muskies inc. I played the game for a long time. I know the drill. It was more of a joke about fish stories.

Well the last I looked it was 1.3%