Stick Marsh & Farm 13
Capt. George Welcome
December 2, 2001
Stick Marsh-Farm 13 - Freshwater Fishing Report
Date Fished: 11/30/01
Water Temperature: 71
Water Clarity: 2-3 feet
It was another one of those days starting with a fantastic full moon in the west and a even more fantastic sunrise. The mosquitoes were a bit much at the ramp but they in no way doused the spirits of Glen & Theresa Pappas who had come to do their best on the Marsh.
The option chosen so that Theresa might have a outstanding day was shiners so it was off to the shack to meet up with Joe Middleton. Talk about mosquitoes, you could barely see Joe's face for the mosquitoes about his head. We then made our run back to the NW area of the Marsh where we have been fishing for some time now.
We picked up 6-dozen shiners and we fished 6-dozen shiners. They were a hardy bunch and every shiner got bitten by a bass. Total bass to the boat was 51 which for first time shiner fishermen that was pretty darn good. I wasn't supposed to say but I truly think that Theresa ended up with more bass than Glen.
The weather was fantastic, the catching was exceptional, and the company was the best, so for me it was a supremely successful day. Everyone got the hang of the hook set quite quickly which can certainly fool some.
See you out there. Say hi if you get a chance.
Date Fished: 12/1/01
Water Temperature: 71
Water Clarity: 2-3 feet
Kirk Shankle from Irvine, Texas arrived raring to go. Kirk has easy access to several of the Texas "hot lakes" and was really excited about giving it a go on our "little" lake. I think his first remark as we headed out from the ramp was that he was surprised at just how big the Stick Marsh/Farm 13 is. I think he was also quite surprised at just how cool our Florida AM runs across the lake could be and he was very happy for the use of a spare jacket that I keep in the boat. Today we were the only ones picking up shiners from Joe Middleton. The mosquitoes weren't quite as bad this morning and Joe only had a few buzzing about his head. There were bad at the ramp however, which is something that you should be very aware of. Repellant is a vital piece of fishing equipment on this lake and you will regret not having it if you leave it at home. The bite itself is not the big deal, but the possibility of some of the diseases that they can carry is. While on the subject of things to have, remember that the sun can be very hot here even in the winter so don't forget the sun protection. Also, this time of the year the sun can be very bright so remember the eye protection.
With shiners on board we headed for the NW of the Stick Marsh to see if the charm would hold as it has been for quite a period of time now. We had 7-dozen shiners and we wasted no time putting them to work.
The most that we moved during the entire day was no more than 75 to 100 feet. We hit bass immediately and only moved if the bite dropped which it did 3 times during the day. However, slight boat adjustments immediately solved the slowed bite. An impressive array of 57 bass made it to the boat. We lost one shiner in the tank, threw 7 over at the end of the day, and then nursed our sore thumbs.
Every shiner that was put in the water got hit with quite a few getting hit more than once. A lot of the bass ran at the boat instead of away, which made for some interesting hook setting. The most difficult hook set is when they run straight at the boat, but with a little thought and practice Kirk got the hang of it. We had 13 bass that were 6 pounds or better with the biggest bass weighing in at 8.5 pounds. Kirk was looking at my Boga Grip with envious eye so I had to hide it each time I put it away.
The weather was great, the bass cooperated, and the company was fantastic so again I had a memorable day on the Marsh. There were several things that were factors in today's successful trip. The first and foremost was that we were on fish and we never left them to find other fish. This may sound like a simple premise but it is the one that I see most often ignored by people fishing this lake. If you find fish don't just keep moving on down the lake. Stop and find out what's going on! If you have a bite going and it slows down, don't start the big motor and run off, move a little in a circle around the area you had the bite. You just might find bigger fish in the same group that want your bait. Also, you bait going back through an area that seemed to have cooled off from a different direction just might give you a real pleasant surprise.
Have a great day out there. See you on the water.
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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