Bookend Biggies!

[Swamp Girl]

I told Alex (AlabamaSpotHunter) last night that I was going to a quality/not quantity bog this morning. I launched at four in the morning in the rain. For the first hour, it was neither quality nor quantity. Then a bass hit my 130-size Loon-color Whopper Plopper. At first, I thought it was an ordinary 2.5 lb. bass, but then she came out of the water and emptied my adrenal gland. She took out line three times by the boat. I felt so lucky to land her. She was just over 21.5 inches. Then, a half hour later, I had another ordinary hit, followed by a size-revealing leap, followed by her burrowing by my boat too. Again, so lucky to land her. She was just over 21.25 inches. They sure are fat!

 

After that, I caught four Maine butterballs, i.e. short, round bass. I also caught seven pickerels. I was going to fish another quality bog tomorrow, but my heart can't take it. Instead, I'm going to fish a quantity pond. I am amazed at the difference in the jaws of 21-inch fish versus 19-inch fish.

 

I was thinking that soft plastics would be the trick this morning, but I caught everything on the big Whopper Plopper. I kept trying my big wacky and T-rigged Senkos and my paddletail, but nothing. 

 

Here are photos of my big gals followed by one of the Maine butterballs and finally, a photo of the bog.

 

 

[GreenPig]

Excellent. You may want to invest in a wrist worn HR monitor. ?

[Dwight Hottle]

Your on a big fish roll. Keep it up.

[Swamp Girl]

P. S. - I forgot to share that a Dehavilland Beaver flew over the bog this morning just as a loon was singing. For that moment, I felt like I was back in my beloved northwestern Ontario, except I'd be catching smallmouth there instead of largemouth.

 

@GreenPig, after I landed the first bass, my teeth chattered a few seconds, not for cold, but out of excitement. Heck, I was jittery all over.

[AlabamaSpothunter]

Awesome report and toads Katie!  

 

Certainly Bassin season in your locale, great to see you taking advantage of it.   Such healthy, and fat fish.......if you keep posting these reports Maine is going to have more people than Bass ?

[Swamp Girl]

@AlabamaSpothunter, I'm proud of my landing ratio this year. Sure, I lose fish, but so far, when I hook big girls, I'm landing most of them. I focus and coach myself on mechanics, such as keeping them out of weeds and maintaining tension and not rushing to net them by the boat, which is where I lost some fat gals last year. I'd reach for the net, which requires me to stretch, and in that sec, I gave them enough slack to unbutton. I'm still amazed at that last big hog you landed. It looked like she launched herself into your net. How did you train Alabama bass to do that???

 

As far as more people, I think most people prefer bigger boats, which require ramps. Even fishing kayaks are heavy. And my light canoe is tippy, which would be off-putting for many. Plus, I don't think most people are willing to set their alarm clocks for three in the morning. I've been eyeing a couple more bogs off the highway. They sure look bassy. 

[Jar11591]

Awesome day! Some more north country hawgs! Always weird when they only hit on the surface. That was my day yesterday, sans the big fish. 

[WIGuide]

Very nicely done!! A couple of tanks right there!

[PhishLI]

Killa!

[bowhunter63]

Congrats. Nice ones there 

[Alex from GA]

☺️

[roadwarrior]

 

 

                                         

[Susky River Rat]

I wish I had half the skill you have! Keep crushin em! Love the title book end biggies

[Swamp Girl]

1 hour ago, Darnold335 said:

I wish I had half the skill you have! Keep crushin em! Love the title book end biggies

 

I just fish water that doesn't get pounded. I also go early. I think that helps. This morning, I launched at 4:10 a.m. in the rain, fog, and wind. I've had good luck catching bass when it's wet.

 

I'm glad you like the title! They do look like twins!  

[Big Hands]

On 6/20/2023 at 6:23 AM, ol'crickety said:

. . . . after I landed the first bass, my teeth chattered a few seconds, not for cold, but out of excitement. Heck, I was jittery all over.

 

The big bass adrenaline shakes are for real, and those are some toads, especially for that latitude.

[Swamp Girl]

9 hours ago, Big Hands said:

 

The big bass adrenaline shakes are for real, and those are some toads, especially for that latitude.

 

Thanks! I see your PB is between 12 and 13 pounds. If I ever saw a bass that size beside my canoe, I'd faint!

 

 

Seriously, what did you do when you saw that bass? I'd love to hear that story.

[The Baron]

A couple of beauties!  I'm LOVING our little bass boat, but have not forgotten about our canoe - it will get used to access a particular little lake at least once this summer.  

Also on thinking you'd catch them on plastics, but got all on a Whopper Plopper... it never ceases to amaze me how specific this game can be.  My son and I fished through the same weedy bay last weekend for about an hour, him using a wacky senko and me a TR Bandito Bug - a bait/presentation I have a lot of confidence in.  He caught 1/2 dozen or more, I didn't get a bite.

[Swamp Girl]

2 hours ago, The Baron said:

A couple of beauties!  I'm LOVING our little bass boat, but have not forgotten about our canoe - it will get used to access a particular little lake at least once this summer.  

Also on thinking you'd catch them on plastics, but got all on a Whopper Plopper... it never ceases to amaze me how specific this game can be.  My son and I fished through the same weedy bay last weekend for about an hour, him using a wacky senko and me a TR Bandito Bug - a bait/presentation I have a lot of confidence in.  He caught 1/2 dozen or more, I didn't get a bite.

 

They are so specific and it can change from hour to hour. I always take at least five rods and sometimes six. I'd take ten if I could fit them into a canoe. And I have a different lure on each rod. I love chatting with other 45ers, i.e. folks who live about halfway to the equator. A wacky Senko is a great lure, but it's hard to fish. I HATE to deep hook them, so I set early and lose quite a few. 

[The Baron]

4 hours ago, ol'crickety said:

A wacky Senko is a great lure, but it's hard to fish. I HATE to deep hook them, so I set early and lose quite a few. 

Agreed, a senko is extremely hard to beat here and quite consistent.  The trick for me is hi-viz braid (10# fluro leader) and watch the sinking line like a hawk.  Most bites are very obvious, and I don’t give them much time with it.  Walking that fine line means big fish needs to be played very carefully (light drag, if possible) and netted ASAP, as we tend to skin hook a lot of them as the trade off for not gut hooking them. 
 

So many days for me start out trying to fish other techniques, for my own enjoyment/satisfaction.  But it’s not uncommon for me to “lower my standards” and end up throwing a wacky senko. haha

[Swamp Girl]

1 hour ago, The Baron said:

Agreed, a senko is extremely hard to beat here and quite consistent.  The trick for me is hi-viz braid (10# fluro leader) and watch the sinking line like a hawk.  Most bites are very obvious, and I don’t give them much time with it.  Walking that fine line means big fish needs to be played very carefully (light drag, if possible) and netted ASAP, as we tend to skin hook a lot of them as the trade off for not gut hooking them. 
 

So many days for me start out trying to fish other techniques, for my own enjoyment/satisfaction.  But it’s not uncommon for me to “lower my standards” and end up throwing a wacky senko. haha

 

Thanks for ^this.^ I appreciate hearing how other fishers set the hook.