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Stick Marsh & Farm 13
Capt. George Welcome
October 16, 2001
Stick Marsh-Farm 13 - Freshwater Fishing Report
Submitted by George, Imagination Bassin Guide Services
Date Fished: 10/16/01
Water Temperature: 86
Water Clarity: 2-3 feet
Date: 10/16/01 - Time: Daylight until 2:00PM - Weather: Blue skies with some clouds and temps that ran up to the mid 80's - Water temps: 86 (note, that is quite an increase from the end of last week)
Primary baits - Chug Bugs and Torpedo for top water: Senko for Carolina rigs and weightless.
Areas fished: Open water areas of the Stick Marsh - Spillway on Farm 13 - Main E/W ditch on Farm 13 (North side primarily) - SW area Farm 13
Mosquitos are a major concern when fishing in Florida and please use protection when coming here. They were out this morning and the flocks were looking for blood. Even with spray it's a mad dash to get away from the ramp area to avoid them as much as possible.
Leaving the ramp we headed into the Stick Marsh seeking open water areas. Although the hydrilla looks like it covers everything be assured that there is a fair amount of open water out there. One such area is located at the end of ditch 7 (separation ditch). Go to the west wall and then start working north. I am sure that several baits would be successful here, but we have found the top water baits to be dynamite. This is a big area so be sure to move slowly and cover it all. The fish are spread out but when you find one concentrate on that area to be sure that you have gotten them all. The fish that we are finding in these areas on the Stick Marsh have been ranging from 2.5 pounds to 8 pounds so be alert and ready with every cast. I mention this because it can be difficult to maintain concentration with the amount of casts that won't produce. However, with concentration and casting we put 27 in the boat this morning by 10:00AM and decided to check out some other areas.
Probably one of the most important pieces of structure we have on these 6700+ acres is running water. Hugh Crumpler spelled it out in his last report and I would invite you to go back and read it, as what he said is important information. The areas he talks about are "MUST CHECK" areas.
Leaving the Stick Marsh we headed to the "must check" areas and ended up at the spillway in the SE corner of Farm 13. Although the water is not running in there it is a good area to at least give a quick concerted effort. We put 6 bass in the boat using weightless Senkos and Carolina rigged Senkos before moving on.
Leaving the spillway we proceeded to the E/W ditch in the middle of the Farm. Starting at the pump house we worked our way west using both top water and Carolina rig baits. You won't be able to work very far before the hydrilla gets too thick but in the area on the north side of the ditch we managed 2 more in the boat.
The balance of the day we spent just riding around in the SW end of the Farm to see what activity we might see. There are definite signs of bass starting to move towards that area and it is one that we will be checking further on Thursday. Calling it a day we headed back to the ramp. We would have stayed longer but after watching the Yankee/Oakland playoff last night and then getting up at 4:00AM, I was unable to keep my fishing partner awake. The riding around had put him to sleep. See you on the water and say hi as you go by.
George & Scott Welcome are full time guides and full time fishermen on Stick Marsh/Farm 13. Our goal is to share these fantastic areas and our love for the sport. Two boats allow us to accommodate to six people. Contact us; you will be glad you did!
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