Stick Marsh & Farm 13
Capt. George Welcome
January 11, 2004
Stick Marsh-Farm 13 - Freshwater Fishing Report
Report for 1/1-10/2004
Water Temps: varying from low to upper 50's with surface temperatures
reaching higher
Location: Most fish that are being caught are located on the south end of
Farm 13. They are spread out from one side to the other but the best area seems
to be located about midway and east.
Fish have ranged from small bucks to some big bass. We have used both shiners
and artificial, and artificial leads as the biggest producer by a wide margin.
The bait that has been the leader by far is the 5" Senko in any of the dark
colors, however there does seem to be a preference to the watermelon shades.
Fished weightless and worked slowly they have brought to the surface bass as big
as 11.5 pounds. We have found many gals with bellies full of eggs and we have
found others that have spawned.
The weather has been as unsteady over the last month and a half, but the last
frontal passage left some relatively calm weather in it's path. The day of the
front was really windy and we have more to come I am sure, but in there wakes
you can definitely put some quality fish in the boat if you are in the right
location and using the right baits.
There has been a lot of inquiries about the road conditions. Compared to
years gone by the road is in very good shape. Those days of bone jarring
washboard are a thing of the past. We still get washboard but not nearly as bad
as it used to be. The dust however is still as bad if not worse that it used to
be.
There has also been a lot of inquiries about area motels. Without getting
into total recommendations let me give you some distances: Palm Bay to the
Marsh: 19 miles. Vero Beach at I95 to the Marsh: 19 miles. 192 in Melbourne to
the Marsh: 33 miles. There are good motels in Vero Beach, the Jamison in Palm
Bay, and good motels at 192. The two mainstay motels of the past, Motel 6 in
Palm Bay, and the Days Inn in Palm Bay are not recommended because of
cleanliness and security of equipment.
We started this period with Tommy Collier from Jackson, Miss. who fished with
us for three days. Tom hit the lull after the storm and the fishing reflected
it. For most areas, Tom's catch would have been respectable, but for the Stick
Marsh/Farm 13 fishing was off. Catches ranged from 15 on one day to just over 40
on the best.
This 25.5 X 19 inch lady came on day two, late in the day of day two on a
weightless watermelon Senko. As you can see by the background we are not shore
pounding. The fish are pretty much well off shore in and around the stumps and
hydrilla. This lady weighed in at 11.5 on the Boga Grip and was gotten after
some tricky moves through stumps and branches. The south end of Farm 13 is an
area that has many stumps and lay downs and getting them up and moving can be
critical to getting the bigger fish in.
Day three started out strong with this 7 pound bass coming aboard early. Again
the watermelon Senko worked to seduce this lady out of her cover. I wish I could
tell you to go to position X and target cover or structure Y to get these fish
but that's not the key out here. These fish are being caught on the move as they
go around and around this area surveying sites that the males have prepared for
nesting. Lots of casts and the right cast are what is producing at this time.
Our next trip out was with Bill and Jim Vanderschalie from Walkersville,
Maryland. The Senko was still holding as the bait of choice and Bill landed this
fish working it slowly through the stumps and weeds.
Everyone got in on the action as the day progressed. The weather was fantastic
except for the calm winds let the gnats get going. But when catching fish like
the ones above the gnats aren't so terrible.
Scott and I did some scouting over the next couple of days but without
anything new to add to the pot. There are some fish in the NW of the Stick
Marsh, but the biggest we found there didn't go over a pound and a half. We
checked Twin Palms and saw no sign of any fish in that area. Basically with very
little weed growing, the Stick Marsh side doesn't seem to be a happening place
at this time. On the Farm we checked all three N/S ditches, the SW area, and the
south end of our westernmost N/S ditch. The only thing of note that we found was
fish in the same area that we have been reporting about for the last few weeks.
Weather brought on by cold fronts and its associated winds are going to be the
determining factor of success. However, the waters of Stick Marsh/Farm 13 are
still going to out-produce any of the other Florida lakes for both size and
numbers.
I get a lot of questions about measuring fish and determining weight. Below
is the "how to measure" directly from the Florida GFC. You cannot measure a fish
being suspended in someone's hand accurately. Further, the measurement and
formula is only an approximate method of weight determination. In order to
determine the weight accurately you need a reliable scale. Once such scale is
the Boga Grip, which is accurate enough to be able to be IGFA certified.
MEASURING TOTAL LENGTH AND GIRTH
All
freshwater Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation
Commission regulations and the "Big Catch" program depend on "total length."
The total length is the maximum length of the fish, with the mouth closed
and the tail fin pinched together. The best way to obtain this length is to
push the fish's snout up against a vertical surface with the mouth closed
and the fish laying along a tape measure, then pinch the tail fin closed and
determine the total length. Do NOT pull a flexible tape measure along the
curve of the fish. The photo to the right shows a bass on a measuring board
with the mouth held shut. Prior to getting a final measurement the caudal
(tail) fin will be pinched shut.
TOTAL LENGTH MEASUREMENT
"Girth" is best measured with a fabric ruler, such as tailors use. It can
also be determined by drawing a string around the fish at its widest point
marking where the string overlaps and then measuring the distance between
the overlapping points on a conventional ruler. The measurement should be
taken perpendicular to the length of the fish. This measurement is
analogous to measuring the circumference of someone's waist. Knowing the
girth is important when trying to certify a fish for a record, and provides
useful information to biologists about the relative condition of a fish.
GIRTH MEASUREMENT
Using total length and girth you can get a rough estimate of a fish's
weight using various
formulas.
Please remember that if you are going to release your catch, it is very
important the fish be properly handled and released as quickly as possible.
See here for
live-release guidelines. Also don't forget if you catch a quality-sized
fish that you can receive a free angler-recognition certificate and sticker
from the "Big
Catch" program.
See you on the water. Say hi if you get the chance.
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