My 2023 Season-ending Report

[Swamp Girl]

1 hour ago, T-Billy said:

S.W.A.G   Some women always get'm.

 

Love that! You guys are so kind and funny. 

[Pat Brown]

I'm so amazed by all the big beautiful big bass you can get to bite and then get in your quiet canoe.  Bass fishing at its finest.  As always, honored to call you a friend and co conspirator in the hunt for the next lunker.  Looking forward to ice melting off up North in the USA next year just a little more than normal and it might be just so I can see you get back to your bog beauties!  

 

I'm lucky to live in NC and be eagerly awaiting winter and the challenges/rewards/lessons it could hold.... hopeful you'll keep us up to date on your springtime schemes and tackle purchases during the interim?  

 

Congratulations on the best season ever!

 

-Pat

[Swamp Girl]

Oh, Pat, you're the best.

[TnRiver46]

We all knew you would keep fishing…….

 

I suffer from the same addiction 

[Swamp Girl]

19 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

We all knew you would keep fishing…….

 

I suffer from the same addiction 

 

Yep, you know me better than I know myself. I feel less alone knowing there are other bass addicts out there.

 

However, I'm so glad I returned to the water this morning. I had so much fun. 

[Carolina Pines]

Those are some fat, healthy bass @ol'crickety, it looks like you had an incredible year!  

 

You're inspiring me to get back in my Old Town Appalachian canoe and explore some new waters.  I found my local honey hole with my canoe, and I've been focusing almost entirely on that one body of water for a couple of years now because of all the big fish in there.  

 

However, there are lots of other local waters around me that have the potential to hold double digit fish.  I love the mystique and adventure that comes from finding and exploring a new lake, especially ones that get very little fishing pressure.  

 

I can't imagine having a list of 40 different bodies of water to explore!  My list has around 15 different spots, several of which I still need to figure out how to access.  Your season may be shorter, but it sounds like you have a lot more places to explore in Maine.  I hope you get to fish them all!

 

[volzfan59]

Doggone @ol'crickety, you've whacked some good 'uns this year! Well done ma'am, well done indeed.

[pdxfisher]

Wow, I got a cramp in my finger scrolling through so many pictures of big fish!! That is an incredible season. I think you had several trips this year where you caught more that the weight of the your canoe 

 

You also get great pictures of your fish. They all look so strong, fat and healthy. I can't even be jealous because your success is just beyond my ability to comprehend days like yours. I can't wait to see what you pull in next year. 

[Swamp Girl]

I'm going fishing tomorrow and Wednesday and then I truly am done, for the weather forecast after Wednesday isn't good. Even now, the nights are in the forties and the days in the lower fifties.

 

I'll be wearing neoprene on my upper body and feet, staying close to shorelines, paddling from the floor of my canoe to increase stability, and taking a waterproof ditch bag with dry clothes and fire-starting tools. 

 

I just hope I can catch some bass. I know I won't catch a lot of bass, but one or two over four pounds would end my year with style. I'm fishing an alewife pond tomorrow and a drowned bog on Wednesday. They both hold big bass. Fingers crossed! And I'm launching between ten and eleven instead of the dark and going home before it's dark too, as the temp drops fast as the Sun sets. 

 

After this week, I'll be sending some reels to Shimano for servicing. Some are 30-40 years old and increasingly creaky, so it would be great to squeeze a couple more years out of them. 

[12poundbass]

Congrats on an excellent season! Hopefully you get into some more tomorrow.

[Zcoker]

Those are some grand catches for Main! Congratulations! Your enthusiasm is inspiring. Must be kinda depressing to have to go dormant for a season. We have no clue what a season is down this way. A cold day here is a hot day for you. Can always come down to south Florida for some winter sunshine!

[Swamp Girl]

[MIbassyaker]

...and the hits keep comin'

[Swamp Girl]

I caught those bass earlier this year. I failed to find them initially to post them with the others. I'm sure there are others I've missed. I need to be more organized next year. 

[gim]

5 minutes ago, ol'crickety said:

I need to be more organized next year. 

Did you find the gloves yet?  lol

[Swamp Girl]

I missed one of my best 2023 bass: