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Stick Marsh & Farm 13
Capt. George Welcome
August 18, 2002
Stick Marsh-Farm 13 - Freshwater Fishing Report
Submitted by George, Imagination Bassin Guide Services
Date Fished: 8/17/02
Water Temperature: 83
Water Clarity: 2-3 feet
Thursday was one of those bass fishing days made in heaven. All the conditions were there to participate in a hog-fest and I was not shy about taking advantage of it.
My original plan took me to the NW area of the Marsh and I managed several fish in the 2-4 pound class, but no heavy concentration of fish. I used a weightless Senko T-rigged, and a rattletrap.
With the wind picking up I moved to the Farm and as I rounded the center levee I could see the smoke rising from the pump station.
Once there and anchored up I call Randy Sanders who was working up front to come on back and join the fun. Anchor position was critical today so once Randy arrived he dropped anchor and came on board my boat. To make an excellent days catch story short, let it suffice to say that we stopped counting when we surpassed 100. Some bass were small and some bigger, but no true monster bass.
Friday's trip was with Mike Elsenbein and girlfriend Jamie and it was to be a totally different day. The first thorn thrown at us was the wind, which got stronger and stronger throughout the day. The second was a tough bite and the third was no current. However, although the bite was light we had a great time, as both Mike and Jamie were excellent fisher people and great personalities. Mike is a 1st Mate on a charter boat out of Miami and no stranger to the vagaries of fishing.
Hope to see you out there soon. Say hi if you get a chance.
Date Fished: 8/15/02
Water Temperature: 80
Water Clarity: 2-3 feet
Towering clouds offshore gave us one of those spectacular sunrises that really makes you appreciate life and all its wondrous opportunities. Eric Anderson, Tom Kaleta and I were in the NW area of the Stick Marsh when this event took place. I guess the bass were also watching the sunrise because they weren’t biting.
We moved to the Farm ditches and started southward. Carolina rigs, top water baits, spinner baits, and Texas rigs were being ignored but we were not to be deterred. Watching the eastern shore I noted smoke from one of the pumps so off we went. There wasn't much current but we set anchor and started probing the waters. Within ten minutes along came a farm hand and the pump was off.
Since we were this far I suggested that we might take a look at the spillway.
Arriving in the spillway we noted two boats, a running spillway, (spillway has been open for over a month), and one of the pipes east of the spillway open. Other than moving around in the spillway area that was our little bass producing lake for the day. Lots of bass in various sizes looked with favor upon the plastics that were offered, but today was not the day for a truly big bass. St John's people showed up at about 1 PM and closed off the pipe. The current through the spillway is very strong and once the pipe stopped carrying water it almost doubled in strength.
3 PM we were pulling the boat and putting the cover on when we heard a loud explosion. I thought possibly St John's people were blasting something but what it turned out to be was a boat that was around the bend on the C54 had exploded. Getting our boat back in the water we raced around the corner expecting the worst.
Fortunately, there was only one on the boat and although dazed the gentleman was uninjured. The boat, which had an IO, had backfired through the carb and blew. Whether there was a flame arrestor I don't know, but it was on fire and the engine cover was some 30 feet away. We suppressed the flames with my fire extinguisher, but there was no putting it out. With the gentleman safely back at the ramp and the fire department on its way we headed out. The boat was a total loss and almost completely burned to the water line when we headed down the road.
Be careful out there, and have all required equipment on board. See ya out there.
Date Fished: 8/12/02
Water Temperature: 83
Water Clarity: 2-3 feet
Techniques and baits continue to be the same for most of the lake. Carolina rigged plastics, 3/8 ounce of weight to keep you down, 1.5 to 2 foot leaders, and fish the adjacent roadbeds along the canals in the Farm are the ticket.
If something happens that gives additional current such as the Pump House being run on the Farm you can have a bonanza day. Such was the case for Scott and I on Monday. We did a bit of exploring and then settled in for a laid back day of catching at the pump house area. 127 bass days aren't hard to take.
Yesterday I went out for a bit more of exploration and of particular interest was the NW area of the Stick Marsh. The bass are moving in that direction and it shouldn't be too much longer before that area really turns on.
Good luck out there. Say hi if you get the chance.
Date Fished: 8/10/02
Water Clarity: 2-3 feet
I departed the ramp at 6:30am with Jeff Oxenreider onboard for a half day of show and tell on the Marsh. We spent most of our time running around the lake going over areas to fish and techniques to try, however we did manage to find a little time to fish. We started out throwing Carolina rigged Senkos on the north end of the center boat trail working our way south towards the intersection of the E/W trail.
With little time to fish and a stiff wind out of the east we fished a lot faster then I normally would. Not only was this Jeff’s first time to the Marsh it was also Jeff’s first time using a Carolina rig. Most of our fish came midway down the trail near the heavier Hydrilla including 2 fish over 6lbs. We did manage to pick up a few fish near the north end, but we kept on moving due to the short time we had to fish. We also spent a few minutes fishing the E/W boat trail, but only managed to miss a couple.
Remember fish as slow as the conditions will allow, and if you catch a fish throw a marker out and really work that area. When marking an area where you caught a fish don’t throw the marker right on top of the fish throw it where your boat was positioned at the time. This will ensure that you don’t chance spooking the fish or possibly having a fish wrap you up in the marker.
Scott
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!
George & Scott
Imagination Bassin Guide Services
Days: (561)370-1606/1607
Evenings: (561)370-1606/1607
Toll Free: (877)890-6809
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