Stick Marsh & Farm 13
Capt. George Welcome
December 21, 2001
Stick Marsh-Farm 13 - Freshwater Fishing Report
Date fished: 12/17/2001 – Time fished: daylight till 3:00PM – Weather: Clear with afternoon breeze – Water temps: Surface – 73 degrees
Areas fished: SW area of Stick Marsh and SW area of Farm 13
Baits used: Hard jerk baits, Buzz baits, Minus One cranks, Senkos
Jeff Nutter and his Dad came out to enjoy the fine weather we have been having here in Florida and to test their skills on the Marsh. We started in the SW area of the Stick Marsh and eventually ended up in the SW area of the Farm. There were two things to note: One, while on the Marsh we were fishing areas where the hydrilla is thinner and the water was clearer than most other areas. Two, while on the Farm we were looking for the duplicate conditions. In addition on the Farm side we stayed well away from shore areas because this will be where the staging females are more likely to be found. Thirty-four bass cooperated with the preferred bait being Senkos. The size ranged for 2.5 to 5.5 pounds and they were aggressive.
Today, 12/18/01 we arrived at the Marsh at 7:30 AM. It was our objective to see if we could find larger concentrations of bass and bigger bass for future trips. It was raining and a bit breezy but we noted about 7 boats working in this area. Working with several different baits we managed a few fish before heading south to the SW area of the Farm. Moving to an area just east of where Scott had worked yesterday we put the Senkos to work. A few casts and we were into a most interesting predicament. I had a big fish that hit as the Senko hit the water that was running out the drag as she headed eastward and Scott had a big fish peeling drag as she raced westward. Scott’s fish had headed under the boat, which made things even worse. The long and short of it is that neither of us got our fish. They are both there for the next anglers bait tomorrow. Don, our fishing partner for the day, just sat there mumbling something about how at least one of them should have bit his bait.
As we drifted along the action suddenly picked up and we had a triple going. This was the beginning of a path that we would drift until we quit at 12:30. We marked one end of the drift with a marker and used a stump for the other end. Every drift yielded several bass but Don’s bait, (which was identical to ours) just didn’t seem to be preferred. Again he proclaimed himself as “the World’s Worst”, but that claim was quickly doused with success. It became his turn and our turn to watch. However, I must mention this, Don has short memory and quickly forgot each fish as it was caught and called the next, his first fish of the day. I have to tell you, it’s just not easy.
The area we were in was well off the shorelines. The area we were in had sparse hydrilla and “coontail”. The area we were in had relatively clean water. Five hours of fishing yielded 64 bass that went from 3 pounds and up, except for two that were lucky if they broke a pound. Except for 3 fish all the fish were caught on Senkos. The Senkos used were all dark colors such as watermelon, and dark blues. Big fish, that’s plural, were over ten pounds.
Find clean water, spaced out weeds, and make casts and you will find fish. Once you find fish, “DON’T LEAVE THE FISH TO FIND FISH”. I watch more people out here running hither and yon and then when they get back to the ramp they complain that the fishing was no good. When you find bait that is producing stick with it. Another thing I see out here a lot is baits being changed without giving them their due effort.
Road conditions for the moment are outstanding. Water levels are up and the bass are in pre-spawn and spawn stages. Those in pre-spawn are staging on the outer edges of spawning beds. If you are wondering, the answer is no, you cannot sight fish. Our water is stained, the bottom is weed covered and the beds remain very hidden. However almost all of you know from all the previous reports what the spawn areas are. If you want big fish, fish outside those areas.
I wish to thank all that e-mail me, and all those that meet us at the ramp and thank us for the reports that we put up on some 19 pages including this one. I heard today at the ramp, as I have in the past, that our reports hurt the business opportunities of some but I just don’t agree with that premise. Those that feel this way feel that we give too much information out and hence less people are using guides. Personally, I think if less people are here this year fishing with guides, it might have far more to do with 9/11, and the economy, then it had to do with me giving away some perceived secret spot. Scott and I fish this lake extensively, with most days going from daylight until 3:00PM, which is when most of you come to fish. We hope sincerely that for those that bring their own boats we have in some small way made your trip a better one. We tell it exactly like it is when we fish whether the report is good or bad. Nobody can come out here and catch large quantities of fish on every trip and that’s just fishing. For this year, between Scott and myself, we will have fished in excess of 550 trips on the Stick Marsh. In addition, we fish the Marsh at least every other day, (schedules permitting), even if we don’t have customers. Our web page hits are in excess of 70,000 hits per month and for all this I have all you people that frequent these pages to thank.
One other thing that I would like to touch lightly on: I have been talking about Senkos in my reports for some time now. I receive baits from several different sources including some from Yamamoto Baits. However, the results with the Senkos have been exactly as printed from my experience. As with my reports, if they didn’t you would have heard it from me.
See ya on the water and say hi if you get a chance. Feel free to e-mail if you have any questions that I might be able to answer.
Date Fished: 12/20/01
Water Temperature: 71
Water Clarity: 2-3 feet
The weather today was clear but cool. The wind came up and blew most of the time we were there. Leaving the ramp at 8:00 we headed to the same area we fished on Tuesday. Working a drift line we had established on Tuesday we worked Senkos and small crank baits. Except for two fish in the morning, and 5 fish that came on gold spoons tipped with a Senko trailer, the rest came on weightless Senkos. Just a note: The Senkos work and work well, so I don't consider them expensive. We left at 1:00 and boated 30 bass with the biggest bass being 6 pounds.
Our initial drifts were in open water, but with the increase in the wind most of the hyacinth that had been caught on the hydrilla broke up and blew away. We changed our drift to on top of the mat and all of our bigger fish came out of the holes in the mat. An important factor that made the mat workable was that all the alga that has been laying on top of the mats is disappearing. The SW area of the Farm is starting to produce quality fish. Give it a try, you might be successful.
See you on the water. I am very approachable and will be glad to help if I can so say hi if you see us.
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