 |
Stick Marsh & Farm 13
Capt. George Welcome
March 23, 2006
Stick Marsh-Farm 13 - Freshwater Fishing Report
It's been a steady stream of trips on the Marsh since our last report.
On the 7th I had out Travis Morgan and friend Jason from Hurricane, West
Virginia for a day of shiners on the Marsh. Par for the course this year, the
Mother Nature threw curve ball at us and limited our locations to fish. The back
lot was the choice and the fish cooperated enough to give us an empty bait well
by days end.
On the 10th Scott had out regular customer Frank Delucas and they worked
shiners in the back lot. Frank fits into a Mr. Who's who category on salt water
using fly rod, but when he comes to the Marsh he just loves the action the
shiner fishing provides.
On the 11th I had out Carl Bird and friends from Statesboro, Georgia throwing
artificial on Kenansville. The action started good in the morning and then
slowed to a crawl, picking up late in the day again with spinner baits. Senkos
produced the most fish. Big fish for the day was 5-pounds.
On the 12th and 13th Scott and I had out Tom Chessler from Anchorage,
Kentucky, his son Ben, and friends Kyle and Blane. Shiners were the order for
the first day, and artificial for the second.
Kyle holding one to remember his trip to the sunny south.
The guys found out quickly that shiner fishing is not the lay-down method of
bassin that so many claim it is. It's real easy to miss those strikes and takes
some getting used to.
Day two was artificial bait on the south end of the Farm and Senkos were the
bait of choice on this foray.
Tom and son Ben.
On the 14th Scott had out Frank Rose from Bayville, New Jersey using shiners
in the back lot. Frank was down for the week for one of his many repeat trips to
the Marsh.
Frank Rose
Frank didn't get that 10+ this trip, but he swears he is going to do it the next
time he is here.
On the 15th the wind blew hard so we stayed home.
On the 16th I had Ron Moore from Memphis, Tenn. and we worked artificial in
the south end of the Farm. This trip for Ron was really a tough one as the fish
just wouldn't cooperate. Between the frontal passage and the wind the fish just
couldn't be coaxed into biting. Unfortunately Ron only had the one day this trip
and the one day just wasn't going to do it.
On the 17th and 18th Scott and I had out George Bock and friends from
Chattanooga, Tenn. Shiners were worked in the back lot mostly with a short time
spent in the south end of the Farm. This is an annual event for George.
George Bock
On the 19th I had out Bill and Doug Payne from Murray, Kentucky throwing
artificial on the Farm. Scott had out Danny French and friends from Jacksonville
and Palm Bay, Florida throwing artificial and shiners. Bill and Doug are
veterans of the Marsh so they knew things would be difficult with yet another
front pushing its way through the area. We caught them using rattle traps and
Senkos, but the numbers were down and size was also.
Scott's people also only had moderate success using the same baits. When will
the wind ever go away?
On the 20th, 21st, and 22nd, I had out Gary Morgan from Maine, and friend Dave throwing
artificial and shiners on Kenansville and Blue Cypress Lake. On the 21st Scott had out John Pruett and friend from
Huntsville, Alabama throwing artificial on the Farm. After the wind and fronts
arrival things were slow on the Marsh which was to be expected.
Over on Kenansville the bite was a bit better and using Senkos Dave was able
take the lead with this nice bass.
Dave Taylor
The 21st called for winds gusting to as high as 35 so shiners were the
option, Kenansville the destination, and Blue Cypress were Gary's 6+ gal came
from.
Gary Morgan
After the hard winds of Tuesday the destination chosen for Wednesday was a
combo of lakes Kenansville and Blue Cypress. Late Tuesday someone missed a big
fish and hopes, although faint, were that she might be waiting in her home on
Blue Cypress. Senkos started the day on Kenansville and the bite was decent but
waned by 10:00. We moved over to Blue Cypress to finish out the day. The big
fish of the day wasn't the monster of yesterday and she fell for a Horny Toad
jerked through the grass. Since the wrong rod found the fish no picture was
taken.
The 18 trips have kept us hopping, leaving little time for fishing reports.
Over the last couple of weeks as you can see catching has had its ups and downs
The passage of new cold fronts is an event that we have been able to count on
occurring about every third day, and wind has been an almost constant companion.
With the water in a constant state of aggravated turmoil it has been very
difficult to put together a solid bite in any particular location. Couple the
weather with the spawning activity and the constant movement of the bass in the
bedding areas and you can readily see the difficulty faced in catching big
numbers. However, even though the numbers have been down, size has been
available on just about every trip. A few burps by the anglers have been cause
for some anguished moments as the big gal was missed or slipped away.
As we depart the heaviest part of the spawn the big gals will again become
very active as they feed to recover from the spawn. Over the next several weeks
the numbers will go back up and size will be a common player. Top water is an
event of any day now, and the fish will spread from the Farm side into the Stick
Marsh.
See you out there. Say hi if you get the chance.
More Fishing Reports:
|
|
|
|
