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Stick Marsh & Farm 13
Capt. George Welcome
May 20, 2002
Stick Marsh-Farm 13 - Freshwater Fishing Report
I know that there are many out there waiting to hear: “TOP WATER BITE IS HERE”! Unfortunately, as much as I would like to be able to tell you that it’s not happening yet.
However, I can tell you that the crank bait bite is strong all over the Farm and in some locations on the Stick Marsh. Since the 1st of this month we have been concentrating on the Farm side but a quick stop last week on the Marsh side, in the NW, did offer up a 13.5 pound gal and she did come on the first cast of the day. She was the only bass that came in that area but she was the one that made the day.
Basically the time has come to break out the electronics, go to the Farm, and work the cover adjacent to the old irrigation ditches. Rattletraps, spinner baits, Carolina and Texas rigs, Minus-1’s, Wiggle Warts, and soft jerk baits will all work.
Some info that might help: There are 4 main ditches that produce most of the bass on the Farm side. The deepest is the one that runs from the Pump House on the East side of the Farm to the shack that is located due west on the West side of the Farm. The next deepest is in the middle of the Farm running North to South. Splitting the West side is another that runs north to South and likewise on the East side. There are roadbeds that run adjacent to these ditches and are combinations of gravel and sand and the hydrilla on them will generally be sparser than on the opposite side of the ditch. On the E/W center ditch the North side is most often the better side to fish. On the N/S ditches the East side is generally the better side. The intersections of these ditches can be hotbeds of activity as most often there will be some form of current whether generated by pump house flow, spillway flow, or wind.
You will need electronics that can be monitored to stay in the ditches because they are not clearly defined by hydrilla edges. The ditches are relatively narrow. The most successful method of working these ditches is to stay in them and cast out, retrieving your bait back over the edges. However, at times the reverse can be true and if one doesn’t yield success, then do the other. Right now the best success has been coming from either the North ends of the N/S ditches or the South ends. The closer we have gotten to the middle of the lake the less we have caught. The bigger fish have for the most part come from the North end, and the quantity catches have come from the South ends. My starting point has been the North end of the center N/S ditch and then moving to the ditch to the East and then the ditch to the west of center. We have gotten bass to 8 pounds up here.
We are expecting top water action to break loose at any time so always be watchful for bass busting surface shad. Generally this can happen anywhere on the Farm but my experience has place the most action in the beginning on the center N/S ditch south of the intersection with the E/W and all along the eastern side.
There has been conversation about the possible spraying of the Stick Marsh side. However after talking with Bob Eisenhauer of the Florida GFC I have found out that it’s not going to happen this year. It appears that the consensus of opinion is that the benefit level would be low based on the condition of the hydrilla so they are going to hold out. To us this simply means that we will have to adjust as the bass have and find where they move to. Some of the areas such as Twin Palms will not hold as they have traditionally but the fish will be somewhere close by.
Working baits: Crank baits – start slow and then go to fast retrievals and if neither seem to be working use a mixed speed retrieval. We have found that both ends of the retrieval spectrum have been working at different times of the day. Carolina rigs are always a slow retrieval. When you thing you have it slow enough, slow down some more. Texas rigs – Slow retrievals and bounce retrievals have seemed to work equally well. Spinner baits – Slow roll, hitting the grass is definitely the way to go with this bait.
Weather: This time of the year the weather is extremely fickle and has the potential of being quite dangerous. Thunderstorms that will usually show up in the latter part of the day are not only dangerous for their lightening but also for severe winds. Do not sit and ignore the warning signs thinking that it’s a small lake and you can always make a shore. I have seen many boats swamped as the wind can change this lake faster than you can get you motor running and head for the ramp. Be safe! The storm will pass most often quite quickly and you can head back out to enjoy some more fishing. It is very difficult to fish when your boat is sitting on the bottom of the lake. It is even more difficult to fish when a volt or two of lightening has tickled your arm. This time of the year it is also extremely important to have plenty of fluids on the boat and to actually drink them. Don’t bring them along to just decorate your cooler. Remember to bring plenty of sun protection. SPF 48 is just about right and of course don’t start using it after you burn.
See you on the water. Stop and say hi if you get the chance.
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