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Stick Marsh & Farm 13
Capt. George Welcome
July 15, 2005
Stick Marsh-Farm 13 - Freshwater Fishing Report
Tim returned for day two and three and both days were smashing success stories with catches that went well over 100 fish per day with the majority of the fish 4-pounds or better. Tim has one more day to return later this month to attempt to have an even better day. A combination of shiners and artificial contributed to his success, with about equal results for both types of baits.
With extremes in water levels due to the almost constant afternoon rains and the passing of Dennis, the spillway and other water flow structures continue to be open. Putting the baits in the right spot has made major differences as the bite has been very much limited. The bass are not hitting just anywhere in the current, nor have they been hitting shiners just because you have them.
The highlight of the week's trips however was yesterday. Scott had Bill O'Keefe and his nephew Daniel Dwyer. This was Dan's first trip to the Marsh, and with just starting to bass fish, hopes were high for a successful trip to keep up the interest. There was no limit to the success in both quantity and size as Daniel hauled in bass after bass up to 7-pounds.
I had out my grandson Chris, and granddaughter Caitlyn, and we were set up in another area of current working C-rigged baits. The first major event was a break off by Chris of something of size, but never seeing the fish we had no idea just how big, or even if it was in fact a bass. The answer was given as we left for the day. Hugh Crumpler flagged me down on the way out and showed us Chris's rig which he had removed from a 25" gal they had caught. The point of interest here was that Hugh and client were fishing a fair distance away from us, a good 500 yards away, and they caught this fish within minutes of the break off from Chris.
The second highlight of our short day out there was when my grand daughter Caitlyn hooked into what would be her big fish for the day, and the biggest that she has caught to date totally on her own. She handled the fish like a pro, never getting over excited, applying just the right amount of control without horsing the fish. Her reward for doing everything right was this 8-pound gal.
It was a struggle for her to hold but she managed. Chris helped for the second photo and you can certainly tell by the smiles that they were having a great time. Caitlyn was using a Carolina rigged lizard with 3/8 oz. weight, a #4 Gammy offset U-bend. The rod and reel were Shimano, and the line, Power Pro. She's becoming quite the fisher gal! At 9-years old she did quite a job. In just three hours including the fish above we boated 28 bass on Carolina rigs.
July, as we had thought has been a super month. Rains and Dennis have kept the water flowing and the bass very active in areas of current. The temperatures have been a tad warm, but with the catch rate no one has noticed. Late afternoon storms have been good to us and held off allowing full day trips to complete. There has been some minor showers with only one day having the sky open up an let loose a soaking experience.
The grader has been out more often and although some areas of the road are rough, most of it is in fairly good shape. The rains have kept the dust down more than usual which helps greatly with the boat cleanup. With the heat levels up don't forget the fluids and the sunscreen protection.
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