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Stick Marsh & Farm 13
Capt. George Welcome
January 26, 2003
Stick Marsh-Farm 13 - Freshwater Fishing Report
Date Fished: 1/25/03
Water Temperature: 42
Water Clarity: 2-3 feet
Fortunately I did not have to work in yesterday's cold as I was able to reschedule my client for a day next week. It was cold and it was windy. We had snow flurries in several locations down here around mid-day to include as far south as Port St Lucie.
Today Joe Dolan from Keller, Texas was scheduled so we started with a delayed start time to give it a chance to warm up a bit. It was in the 40's by start time and actually got quite nice as the day wore on. Water temps started quite cold but warmed to 49 by days end.
Scott headed to the south end of the Farm and didn't move from that area. Using Senkos rigged with a swivel and short leader they were able to get over 20 bass that wanted to play and held on. They had as many hits that they missed as the bass would pick up the bait and race towards the boat.
With the water levels dropping the grass is almost to the surface down there. That means that the stumps will start rearing their ugly heads so be careful down there. You may get lucky a few times running in the south end of the Farm but if you do it enough you are going to get caught. I think more lower unit damage has occurred on the Farm than anywhere else on the lake. Idle when you are down there and tomorrow won't be ruined for you.
See you out there tomorrow. Say hi if you get the chance.
Date Fished: 1/22/03
Water Temperature: 52
Water Clarity: 2-3 feet
Depending on where you were on the lake the water temps ran between 50 and 54 degrees. The weather was fantastic compared to the cold and wind of the last few days.
We started yesterday at about 8 and left by 1:00. The idea was to check some different spots and some of the old spots to see if we could find a better and bigger bite.
The only bite we found was a bite in the "*(&*" as the lake gave it to us. A couple fishes here, a couple fish there, but no consistent bite whatsoever. The good news was that the pickerel bite had dropped back also.
5 hours of fishing and 10 fish boated plus a couple of pickerel. For us it seemed that the weather had finally put a damper on things. The good news is that the weather is changing and the water will be warming.
See you out there.
Date Fished: 1/20/03
Water Temperature: 54
Water Clarity: 2-3 feet
We had 4 trips over the last four days, with Tim Wong and Robert Chew of California fishing two days and Bruce Ense and Wyndham Hewitt fishing two days.
Day one (the 17th) was an introduction to tough wind conditions for Tim and Robert. It was blowing when we left the ramp and worsened as the day wore on. We managed to get some bass in the south end of the Farm before it started really blowing but not much to write home about. We then moved over to the west wall but again not much happened there. Any bait that moved quickly attracted pickerel and working plastics as the wind increased became more and more difficult. By the time we left the lake the run back to the ramp was an interesting one along the east rim of the Marsh. Tim and Robert were off to Wal-Mart to up their clothing choices as the 18th promised to be super cold.
As promised the 18th was definitely frigid. Temps with wind chill were in the mid-twenties but Tim and Robert were ready to roll bright and early. Bruce and Wyndham were also ready to go and ready to have a great time.
The first day for Wyndham and Bruce, (THE 18TH), they fished with Scott and they started out with 6-dozen shiners. They finished the shiners by 11:30 AM in the spillway area. Their net for that area was 35 bass, several pickerel, and 8 Pelicans. All were released unharmed. They then went to the Pinball Alley area and worked Bomber Long A's and caught another 22 bass and numerous pickerel. Although the temperatures were frigid if you got on the fish they were still quite active. Both Wyndham and Bruce have big fish on previous trips with us, but today's big fish was only 5.5 pounds.
Day two for Tim and Robert, (THE 18TH), was one they will probably only remember as numbingly cold. No one could anticipate the cold that descended into Florida and trying to keep the hands warm enough to work bait and handle the reel in these temps is extremely difficult. Fortunately, the water was warm enough that nothing was freezing except the fingers. However, with stout hearts and persistence they managed to land a few bass which helped to warm them a bit. About mid-day we moved over to the Pinball Alley area but only managed a couple of fish over there. Tim and Robert will be back and let's hope the weather is just a tad nicer to them.
For Wyndham and Bruce's second day the plan was 6-dozen shiners and then switch to artificial as they had done the day before. The one difference is they wanted to work the shiners in the Pinball Alley area. I had been a long distance witness when the anglers on Jeff Duvall's boat landed a pretty nice fish the day before and after telling them about it, they wanted to try the same area.
The pickerel were out in force, so much so that it didn't take too long to decide to move. Off we went to the west wall and guess what was right there mixed in with the bass, and guess who wins the shiner. We managed a couple of bass but the pickerel won the contest for quickest to the shiners without a doubt. With only a few shiners left we moved to the south end of the Farm but quickly switched to artificial with shiners trailering on the drift. The last three or four shiners were quickly eaten and a few bass were taken on Senkos, but none were bigger than 3 pounds. Today, the bite was much tougher but we still had a good time. Temperatures warmed a lot faster today and it wasn't near as windy.
See you on the water. Say hi if you get the chance.
Date Fished: 1/17/03
Water Temperature: 54
Water Clarity: 2-3 feet
Thank you Peggy Mc.
By now, Brian Graves, John Cooper, Brink Brinkerhoff, Don Hall, and Dan Kehl are safely home snuggled warmly in their homes, ready to brave today's cold snowy weather. However, Wednesday they hit the lake with enthusiasm and anticipation of a good days fishing and that is exactly what they got.
The group had well over a 100 bass with the big fish of the day being caught my John. She tipped the scale at just over 6.5 pounds and came on a non-weighted, c-rigged, watermelon Senko. We never left the south end of the Farm and we never threw another bait.
Yesterday Scott and I worked for about 4 hours on the Marsh without any great success. We also checked the spillway and pump house. They closed the spillway at about 11 AM; and the pump house was idle. The pipes in the NE corner of the Marsh next to the parking lot were flowing outward to the farm canal at a fast clip but as you saw by Rob A's report he didn't find much there. The farm is pulling water to their ditches in anticipation of having to spray through the night tonight. The temps are going low tonight guys.
See you on the weather. Dress for the cold breezes in layers and don't forget the sunscreen.
Date Fished: 1/15/03
Water Temperature: 59
Water Clarity: 2-3 feet
The first thing of note is that the water temperatures are up for at least the next couple of days. This adds up to the water being a place to warm your hands each time you bring in a bass, but then you are going to have to deal with the cold morning air to catch the next one. We are still dealing with cold fronts, and right on schedule another one came in yesterday AM with medium force winds. However, on the good side, we have seen no slow down in numbers of fish willing to play. On the somewhat bad side, right there with those bass that are willing to play there are a lot of pickerel that want to play also.
To get past the problem, (if you consider it a problem); with the pickerel change your baits to plastic. Our #1 producer has been a non-weighted, C-rigged watermelon Senko and we have yet to catch a pickerel on it.
Brian Graves, John Cooper, Brink Brinkerhoff, Don Hall, and Dan have joined us and have completed two days of fantastic fishing. Hopefully today will be the same and they go home with great memories to help keep them warm until the cold leaves the north country. We have fished the same general area for the last two days, that being the south area of Farm 13. We have successfully worked both shiners and artificial, however when working the shiners the bass were interspaced with the pesky pickerel. 24 dozen shiners over the two days never got us past noon each day and then the switchover to artificial was made.
This weekend you can look forward to some cool temperatures as another cold front sweeps through on Friday but don't let it get you down. Break out the warm clothing, put on the plastics, get yourself to the south end of the Farm in the clean water and have a blast. If you are looking for a trip we have some openings next week and would be more than glad to work with you.
Go to http://www.imaginationbassin.com and look at the southern area of the Farm. Most of that area is holding bass, closer to the extreme south as opposed to the deeper areas. Bear in mind that there is a lot of wood down there so be careful.
See you on the water.
Date Fished: 1/13/03
Water Temperature: 55
Water Clarity: 2-3 feet
Sunday, although the parking lot was filled with trucks and trailers, we saw very few boats on the Farm. The wind was blowing at about 15 out of the north so unless you had the equipment working the south end of the Farm was a bit difficult. However, the wind did not bother the bass or the pickerel and the fishing was fantastic.
I threw a clown skirted Terminator, and a Senko from 9AM until 1:30PM and Scott threw a stick bait, a Senko, and a chart/white Terminator. Our purpose was to determine what baits, and what locations to fish for the upcoming week for the trips that we will be doing. The most productive bait was the clown Terminator with a gold thumper blade, slow rolled and hitting the grass. The second most productive was the stick bait, but the biggest bass came on a watermelon Senko, rigged with a 1.5 foot leader, swivel and 1/16 oz split shot.
There were three keys to our success, (43 bass to 8 pounds in 4.5 hours). The first was location. That was easy - the south shore of the Farm has clean water, healthy grass, and lots of fish. The second was controlling the boats drift, and that was easy: just put out something to slow the boat down which, in our case was the use of a drift anchor. The third was the most difficult and that was to put up with the wind which, if you did you were catching.
If you want to improve your odds out here I would suggest a guide might not be a bad idea for at least a day. A good guide will be able to show you locations, techniques, and give you instructional advice which can only enhance your trip here.
See you on the water. Say hi if you get the chance.
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