Stick Marsh & Farm 13
Capt. George Welcome
August 17, 2003
Stick Marsh-Farm 13 - Freshwater Fishing Report
Fishing date: 8/15/03
Water temps: 83
Water level: Very high
Conditions: Bright, Sunny
Scott had to coerce me into going today as my hands and arms are just about
worn out. Of course if you believe that I have a bridge for sale that you can
make a bundle on. Fishing the current of the spillway area produced over 150
bass by 1:00. There was a good breeze to keep us cool and lots of big fish to
keep us happy. The size and number of fish are holding in there with many fish
being up over that 5 pound mark. Storms moved in at 1:00 which ended the day for
us. Four boats fishing the area.
Fishing date: 8/16/03
Water temps: 83
Water level: Very high
Conditions: Bright, Sunny
We knew that this was going to be a busy weekend at the Marsh so we planned
to be in the water by 5AM. Gary Piscano was going to be with us today and
scheduled to meet us at 4:30. Gary showed up at 4:00 as I was icing the boat and
loading the drinks so we actually got to the ramp at 4:45 and thought had to be
the first there. NOT! There was already one boat launched and gone and Stan
Daniels was busy prepping his boat. A two minute launch and a quick run to the
spillway in the dark made us the number two boat for the day. By daylight this
was going to be drastically different.
I counted at one point 18 boats fishing in the area. Total cooperation and great
camaraderie amongst all the boaters made for a fantastic day for everyone down
there. Water flow through the spillway, and two of the three pipes wide open
have the fish spread all the way back to where the area opens into the lake. At
times the fish would hit crank baits of various sorts, but for the most part
most were being caught on Carolina rigs.
With the water levels rising quickly the current has actually been greatly
reduced but there is still more than enough current to allow for ideal
conditions for catching bass such as those above. These two bass slammed Senkos
worked in the heavier current at the mouth of spillway. Throughout the day we
would alternate between fishing the current up in the mouth and the downstream
current out beyond the cable.
The fish bit pretty much all day long although today there was not many caught
on crank baits of any sort in these two areas. The preferred color of the Senko
was dark. The Carolina rigs were set using a 3/8 ounce weight with about a 2.5
foot leader and 4/0 hooks. We used 5" Senkos in several different watermelon
versions.
We finally called it a day around 2:30 after boating between 150 and 200 bass.
Without a doubt, this is the greatest fishing experience that could be found
anywhere. The Stick Marsh/Farm 13 holds some of the biggest bass, and has one of
the largest populations of big bass that can be found anywhere. We don't always
have current and situations as we have had over the last few days, but we do
always have the population and opportunity throughout the entire lake to catch
that big fish and to wear your arms out. The lakes face is changing constantly
and is greatly affected by many factors. Seasonal as well as temporary
conditions making fishing this lake an ever changing process of adjustment.
There are times when you could come here and find the last few days
conditions working for you, and I would have to say those times outweigh the
dreaded others. However, there will be those days which no one can control when
you will have to work to make the day and the weather can get a bit tough.
However, perseverance, practiced skills applied, and location can make the
day.
This particular day Mark Lee and his Dad arrived to less than ideal condition
with a combination of wind, rain, and temps in the forties. A front flew through
and made conditions far less than ideal. However this didn't deter Mark who made
the adjustment, kept on pitching, and was rewarded with this nice fish. By the
way, Mark and his Dad were getting hit with wind
gust to 32 miles per hour when this picture was snapped. Hope you are having a
great summer Mark.
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