Stick Marsh & Farm 13
Capt. George Welcome
October 24, 2003
Stick Marsh-Farm 13 - Freshwater Fishing Report
Cocoa Beach to Jupiter Inlet out to 20 NM ... 4:30 AM EDT Fri Oct 24 2003
Today ... East winds 5 to 10 Knots ... Increasing to 10 to 15 Knots. Seas 2
to 3 feet. Intercostals waters a moderate chop.
As you can readily see by the above NOAA forecast, winter weather patterns
are arriving with fronts rolling southward that will cool our waters. It is
presently 59 degrees with an expected dip to 55 over the next 2 hours. New York
City is sitting at 39 degrees which would be a bit cooler than I would want to
see.
The last week has seen the arrival of two fronts but both were mild with only
small increases in winds and very little drop in temperatures. Water
temperatures are still holding in the high 70 ranges and the bite has been mixed
between top water soft jerk baits and down with the Senkos.
Chris Cattuna of Wayne, NJ came out to sample some Florida fishing and had a
great time on the Marsh/Farm. Chris lives on Packanack Lake and gets to fish
most days, but he could not resist the opportunity to spend a day here while
vacationing with his family in the Disney area. We started the day with soft
jerk baits over the grass and ended throwing Senkos and it was the Senkos that
brought the bass to the boat. Fished weightless and little movement did the
trick.
It has been relatively slow over the last week with most fish being caught
down instead of on top. Half day forays have yielded catches in the 20 to 30
fish range. A lot of smaller bucks are showing up in the SW areas of the Farm in
preparation of the upcoming December spawn and it is only a matter of a short
time until the big females start showing up consistently down there. There are
some in the area right now; make the right cast and she could be yours. If you
catch her get your pictures and measurements but remember to be gentle and
return her to the water as quickly as possible.
Stick Marsh/Farm 13 is a public body of water with an immediate catch and
release rule in effect. Fish and Game enforcement frowns greatly on the placing
of any bass into a live well. Crappie or "specs", have a 25 per person limit and
bream and such have a 50 per person limit. There are plenty of cats, some
pickerel, the pesky bowfin and alligator gar, and a strange looking freshwater
inhabitant, the needle fish. Shore fishing is available but difficult at best as
is the case with most Florida bodies of water. There is one ramp to access the
lake at is located at the end of Fellsmere Grade Rd, which is a 6.5 mile dirt
adventure. Ramp procedures here are the same as anywhere: prep your boat first
and then use the ramp as quickly as possible. With only one ramp location,
prepping your boat on the ramp and tying it up is just a tad impolite. Be aware
of your fellow fisherman and make every ones start of day a good one.
Our busy season is here and as you make your plans to visit Florida and fish
here keep this in mind. There are several really good guides to choose from and
tons advertising on the internet. Many have the Stick Marsh featured in their
ads, but never fish here and will try to divert you to other lakes. How do you
figure out who is who? It is real easy. Get references! "Word of mouth" is the
best way to know, but inquiries on the internet are good also. Most guides are
advertising on the internet today: go to their pages and look for a comments
section;
http://www.imaginationbassin.com
When you do book your trip be sure to communicate the type of fishing that
you want to do and any needs that you may have. Most guides provide tackle if
needed but that does not mean that they will have it on board if you do not let
them know in advance. Good communications will make a better trip for you and
the guide. Some thoughts that I would like to pass on: remember that when you
hire a guide you are hiring his expertise and not his boat. Treat his boat as a
guest as you would want people to treat your boat. Don't walk on seats, throw
trash just anywhere, store lake litter under your feet to be ground into the
carpet, knock drinks over, come aboard with dirty feet, or any of the myriad of
other things that can damage an expensive investment. Obviously the boat is made
to work from but use it as you would use your own. If you are going to use the
guides fishing tackle do so in the same manner that you would use your own. If
you are hiring the guide than avail yourself of the guides expertise. Follow the
guides suggestions and you will probably do a lot better out here than if you
follow your own methods of fishing. Remember, he is a "Guide" with a lot of
fishing experience with emphasis on this lake and not just a charter boat. If
you have done your homework and gotten references you will probably have a great
day out here even if the fishing is slow.
See you on the water. Say hi if you have the chance.
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