Stick Marsh & Farm 13
Capt. George Welcome
November 16, 2005
Stick Marsh-Farm 13 - Freshwater Fishing Report
>Keeping up with reports about the Stick Marsh is pretty much a daily chore
from now until the end of June. We hope for those that come with their boats it
gives some assistance and that you are able to profit from them and have a
better day than you might have otherwise. For those that are coming to fish with
us, we hope that the reports will give you some insight on when to plan your
trip. We maintain at least four years of past reports on our pages, (REPORTS),
and reviewing them will give you some idea of trends from the history. We also
maintain at least four years of pictures, (GALLERY),
which will give you some idea of the quality of fish that reside in this
fantastic fishery.
Presently we are already starting to see the increase in traffic as the
winter sets in up north. Yesterday I counted 5 vehicles from Illinois, 1 from
Tennessee, 1 from Virginia, and 2 from Georgia. Road maintenance is at least
once a week, which is keeping it in fair shape. Lake levels are still high as a
result of Wilma, many rain storms, and flooding up north, which is not allowing
the waters to flow north.
General info: The Marsh/Farm is located at the end of a six plus mile dirt
road. The nearest gas, food, bait, or ice is either in Fellsmere, (9 miles from
the ramp), or in Palm Bay, (15 miles from the ramp). There is no potable water
or electric at the ramp and bathroom facilities are limited to outhouse style,
and quite poor on most days. Mosquitoes are present at the ramp at dawn and
again at dusk so bring repellant. We have a couple of nasty potential diseases
here so getting bit is not a good option. Florida sun is not what you are used
to: it is hot and it is direct so have protection. Make good preparation, don't
forget the camera and the rain gear, and have a great time fishing.
Monday Scott had out Tony Naines and his friend Dan from Naples, Florida. The
weather forecast called for a slight chance of rain and winds in the 10-20 MPH
range. The fishing forecast was excellent with the use of shiners, as the lake
is a tough nut when the wind blows. The Marsh/Farm is a giant rectangle that is
surrounded by levees. There are no coves or places to hide.
Scott headed to the south end of the Farm and set up on the west side of the
approach to the spillway. The first try was free-lined shiners, but debris on
the bottom made that difficult so out came the floats. The bass were cooperating
fully, with almost no wait time after the cast.
Quality was the name of the game and quality was slamming the baits today.
The morning was gorgeous with no wind, clear skies, and bass just whacking
the baits. However as the weatherman forecasted the rains did come and the wind
did blow, but without much if any affect on the fishing. We did make one small
move as our area slowed down, but in no time the bass were slamming again.
These are but five of the 70+ bass that made it to the boat for Tony and Dan.
There were pesky pickerel, some mudfish, a few birds and one pesky gator that
messed with the shiners. However, the predominate specie was bass, and their
cooperation coupled with being in the exact right spot made for one fantastic
day.
See you out there. We do have openings so if you want to get in on the action
give us a call.
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