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FARM 13 / STICK MARSH FISHING REPORT
FOR THE MONTH OF APRIL 2003
April 30, 2003
Dave Cohen is a local angler, but he majors in the saltwater side of things. So, when his visiting Father-in-law wanted to go bass fishing, I got the call. Turns out that Jim Andrews knew a thing or two about that bass fishing, too. But as fate would have it, guess who caught the old big bass?? Yep, the guy who has salt spray on his tackle who knew little about freshwater bass.
In this trip, we had a day that showed the Carolina rig goes with a shell bed like ketchup goes with French fries.
We started out with those great open water bass in the Stick Marsh. All it takes is a shallow crank plug and a bit of cranking to tie onto these 2-4 lb. fish with regularity. We have been doing this now for about 2 months and even telling everyone exactly 'what and where'. But, we seldom have any company around us. Heck, that's good, from one perspective. But, I sure would like to see everyone experience this great fishing just once.
Drifting with the wind, we tagged a few fish right off the bat, and then we hit a dry spell. Soon, though, we started getting them again, just at a slower pace. Jim Andrews started to slow down a lot and we found out he has a bad rotator cup in his shoulder and all that fast retrieve cranking was getting to him. That gave us a great excuse to go worm those shell beds in the Farm 13 side.
Jim Andrews wanted to fish a Texas rig worm, as he was not familiar with the Carolina rig. But, since the wind was blowing and we were going to have to be casting into that wind, the guide talked him into just trying the Carolina rig first.
Jim was later heard to remark, "Dang, Dave, we gotta fish this thing more often!"
Pulling up on a shellbed location, we anchored the boat right in the middle of a submerged canal. At this location, the bass school had been found to work on both sides of the canal and up and down the levees on both sides. Anchoring as we did gave our party members the options to cast in virtually any direction.
Dave and Jim proceeded to cast where the guide suggested, to get started off. As luck would have it, a double hook-up came quickly. Not bad and we were off and running.
It became easy to tell that Jim was beginning to like that C-rig set-up. The locations of the shell beds and the hard levee surfaces were easy to detect with its ½-oz. sinker and the strikes of the fish even easier to feel.
Once the fish began to thin out, I moved the boat just a bit to allow casting to an adjacent shell bed. Dave caught three small bass immediately. And, then, along came Mary.
Or, Beth, or Jean, or whomever she may have been. She wasn't one of those giant fish, but she was a big old girl and made Dave Cohen smile from ear to ear.
Another fine day with two fine gentlemen anglers. I sure have a tough job.
Next up, we take out a 16 year-old 'pro angler to be' during his school's Spring Break. Tim Griffin fished behind his house in a canal and was limited in what/where/how he could fish. He had basically taught himself to fish one lure that was adaptable to the canal environment. And, boy, was that kid GOOD with it! Join us and see how Tim just might really be a pro someday.
Deep thought for the day: 'Did you ever wonder why in the World Kamikaze pilots wore helmets??'
April 25, 2003
Bob Browning and I share a common background in the defense industry. We both worked for big defense contractors on Government weapons system and equipment. He is still active and I am recently retired from the game. He happened to be in town for a Program Review on one of the systems, which was one I worked on at Harris Corporation before I retired.
So, when Bob wanted to hold a "Program Management side meeting" one afternoon, I knew just the way to host him. Our 'conference room' was the Stick Marsh and the 'conference table' was provided by STRATOS. The subject was "Soft Jerk Baits", with no set agenda.
The side-meeting was a complete success.
At the ramp, we both agreed we had a problem fishing the hordes of open water bass out in the Stick Marsh portion of the impoundment. 20-35 MPH winds from the southwest pretty well negated that. (Looked great for surfing, but not fishing.)
So, we headed for the leeward west wall of the Marsh. The big STRATOS and our Frogg Toggs did their jobs well and we had a dry ride across the rough water. Checking two or three places near the end of the big divider canal, we drew a blank. So, we opted for the SW corner of the Farm 13 section.
Boy, did that work out well.
Just behind the Nursery (coordinates B-3 on our interactive map), we found a good area of fishable water with perfect conditions. The grass was 1-2 feet below the surface, with a good bit of wood mixed in. The strong SW winds broke over the west levee just enough to make boat control easy, but still give us a good light-diffusing ripple on the water. With the bright sunny skies of our post-cold front condition, the bass would have been burrowed down in that grass, if it were not for the broken water surface.
Most any jerk bait probably would have worked in the area. The bass were ready and willing to go at it and the strikes were fast and furious. It showed with total certainty that post-cold fronts and rapidly rising barometers DO NOT stop bass from feeding. (Just remember the thing about 'light penetration' and you have the real answer to that story.)
We chose to go with the 4-inch Bass Pro Shops STIK-O and work it fast across the top with quick, short jerks. (If we had decided to work the soft plastic lure slowly, we would have had to use something that sank more slowly, such as a Bass Assassin. The water was just too shallow over the grass.)
But, the friendly guide had worked this area a few days earlier and already knew the fast surface presentation should work. And, work it did. It was to be a short day, as Bob had to catch a flight from Orlando that afternoon. So, he made the most of it. It was pretty obvious Bob Browning was an accomplished fisherman, so I got to applaud a lot and take a pile of pictures.
I'd bet a nickel to a dollar, Bob comes back to the Stick Marsh pretty soon!!
In our next report, we had a day that showed the Carolina rig goes with a shell bed like ketchup goes with French fries.
Dave Cohen is a local angler, but he majors in the saltwater side of things. So, when his visiting Father-in-law wanted to go bass fishing, I got the call. Turns out that Jim Andrews knew a thing or two about that bass fishing, too. But as fate would have it, guess who caught the old big bass?? Yep, the guy who has salt spray on his tackle who knew nothing about freshwater bass.
Hope you join us.
(By the way, the Skeeter is now on its trailer and has the motor installed. Looks like a champ, too. We'll be featuring it very soon on the site.)
Next time you are in Bass Pro Shops, or you favorite sporting goods store, please note that:
"The best things in life are NOT free; they are darned EXPENSIVE!!"
April 23, 2003
 Mike Carr and his seven year-old son, Alex, had a very positive fishing experience on the Stick Marsh recently. And, yours truly was privileged to be along with them. Observing a Father so devoted to his son is a great way to spend a day.
These two Kentucky residents we on vacation in St. Augustine (FL.), about 2.5 hours to our north, when Mike coerced his wife into letting him and Alex fish for a day. They called me, asking about a guide to take them out on the St. Johns River in the Jacksonville (FL.) area. Of course, I told them about the greatest bass fishing hole in the Country.
Boy, were they glad they decided to visit the Stick Marsh, rather than the river!!
Mike expressed a bit of concern early-on about holding the seven year-old's attention during the outing. That is normal, in that some of the younger set have not yet become afflicted by the 'fishing bug' and don't find being confined to a boat too appealing. Well, Alex put all those fears to rest really quickly. We quickly taught him to toss a Fat Free Shad medium runner on a spinning rod. Then, he caught a fish on the crank plug right off the bat. That's all it took and he was 'hanging in there' all day. Just take a look at his smiles in the pictures. No one had more fun that day than Alex Carr!!
Working the open water of the Stick Marsh, we bounced plugs off logs and limbs and caught a few good fish. Even the giant bluegills tried to eat the plugs. But, we never found that Mother Lode school of 3 to 4-pound bass that usually happens along. Plus, Alex was starting to get a case of the 'tired arm' from cranking that plug so fast. So, with only 8-10 coming to the boat, we made for the shell beds of the Farm 13 side.
The shell beds were hot for us. A big school of nice bass were holding on the first shell bed we stopped on, and the Carolina-rigged worm was just to their liking. Mike and Alex thought the worm was great because you did not have to crank your arm off with it.
Once the anchor was down, we never had to move again that day.
One physical thing to know about young Alex is that he probably weights 50 pounds soaking wet. At seven, he has not started any type growth spurt yet. So, when he starts tangling with bass in the 4-pound range on a 6-foot rod, he had a bit of difficulty holding his own. At times, we would hold onto the back of his belt or pants to keep him upright and in the boat, as he tried to control the bigger fish. It was also necessary, at times, to support the rod a bit when the fish made their initial strong runs. But, the little guys gritted his teeth and got every one of them. He never lost a one.
While Alex was doing his thing, Mike got the hang of fishing the C-rig and did a lot of damage, himself. And, every so often, the two got doubles. They will both remember those doubles as a part of the memories of this Father and Son outing.
With a little assistance from the guide, Alex wound up with the big bass of the day. Mike caught his share of the bass, too. But, more importantly, he got a gift that can't be purchased - a great day in the outdoors shared with his son.
Bob Browning and I share a common background in the defense industry. We both worked for big defense contractors on Government weapons system and equipment. He is still active and I am recently retired from the game. He happened to be in town for a Program Review on one of the systems, which was one I worked on at Harris Corporation before I retired. So, when he wanted to hold a "Program Manager's side meeting" one afternoon, I knew just the way to host him. Our 'conference room' was the Stick Marsh and the 'conference table' was provided by STRATOS. The subject was soft jerk baits. The side-meeting was a complete success.
Until then, 'IF YOU DON'T THINK IT WILL MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE, YOU CAN BET IT SURE WILL!!'
April 20, 2003
 Barbara Eyer called and said she and her fiancé 'just want to catch fish - any kind at all.' Boy, that was an open-ended request. But, it is easy to fulfill at the Stick Marsh. When we started fishing, I found out Barbara had never fished with an artificial lure in her life. That soon changed, as the Marsh bass gave her and Bob Stack a 'get that Rebel Wee R' lesson they'll not soon forget.
Running the big STRATOS to the geographical center of the Stick Marsh (i.e.; the red buoy), I rigged out two rods with silver and black Rebel Wee R's. Then, we turned to Barbara to give her a casting lesson using a spinning outfit.
If you think about it a moment, all one has to do is grasp the line with the index finger, open the bail, and cast to make a spinning outfit work perfectly. The key, though, is that the index finger must release the line at the proper instant. My method of teaching for this outfit has never failed to work well, and here is that 'key' element of instruction.
"As you bring the rod forward and while your arm is extending, simply point your finger directly at the target as you make the cast. That causes you to start moving the index finger from the closed position to the extended position at exactly the proper time."
A second, but lesser important, thing to remember with spinning outfits is NEVER cast hard. Just make a soft, smooth cast. There is such little resistance to the line leaving the spool and the rod that an easy cast goes just about as far as one you try to send to the moon.
Barbara Eyer's first cast was a beauty. Her second was even better. Then, we were off and running with many 'instant replays' of the recent great crank plug activity we have been seeing in the fabulous Stick Marsh.
The only thing that limited the numbers of bass Barbara and Bob were able to catch was the fact that this was new fishing to both of them. Being basically live bait purists, their arms, shoulders and hands just were not accustomed to that continuous 'crank bait burning' that made the bass chase the little Rebel lure. By my best count, the soon-to-be-married pair brought just over 20 bass to the boat, which is pretty darn good for newcomers and a half day of fishing!!
What made this day so special for me was the fact that Barbara and Bob were such personable and warm people and such a pleasure to simply be out in the boat with. It was also obvious to note their compatibility. Betcha they make a great husband and wife team!
Next time, we are going to take you along with us as we host Mike Carr and his seven year-old son, Alex, on the Marsh. These two Kentucky residents we on vacation in St. Augustine (FL.), about 2.5 hours to our north, when Mike coerced his wife into letting he and Alex fish for a day. They called me intending to find a guide to take them out on the St. Johns River in the Jacksonville (FL.) area. Of course, I told them about the greatest bass fishing hole in the Country. Boy, were they glad they visited the Stick Marsh. Plus, seeing a Father devoted to his son is a great thing to experience.
See you then, and remember: "If Tommy Edison hadn't discovered electricity, we'd all be watching TV by candle light".
April 17, 2003
 Having written a word or two for a few newspapers in my time, I appreciate professional sportswriters who have the ability to find new and interesting subjects on a continual. It gets hard to do week after week, year after year. And, once the writer has settled on the subject, he/she must then apply that artistic capability to paint a picture with words and let the reader actually 'see and experience' what the story is about.
One of the very best of those professionals is Byron Stout, Sr. Staff Writer for the Ft. Myers (FL.)  News-Press. His award-winning sports page is well known to we 'also-rans' of outdoors writing. So, I was really excited and humbled when Byron called and asked me to help him do a major story on the Farm 13/Stick Marsh complex!
Byron Stout knows how to fish. That's for sure. He does a lot of saltwater excursions and a good number of freshwater trips, too. All I had to do was provide the proper lure, explain what type area we would be fishing, and Mr. Stout took it from there. As he played down his first good-sized bass, it was easy to see that he had done that trick before. He first got the bass's head up and away from the submerged brush and then expertly played the fish down while to water flew in every direction.
Something I noted about Byron Stout reminded me of some of the older sportswriters I knew years ago. First, he had that ever-present notepad and pencil in his right-front shirt pocket. And, second, he used the heck out of it. As we fished, Byron asked a lot of questions about the history of the Farm 13/Stick Marsh complex, how it had fared over the years, and what I thought of its future. Byron always stopped fishing and made very specific annotations in that notepad when we covered a significant point of information. Many writers today, myself included, often try to memorize the contents of conversations and subjects we intend to write about later. A pro records the data and assures it is accurate.
We only got to fish a few hours, in that Ft. Myers was a long 3.5-hour haul back across the Florida peninsula. But, it was plenty and the bass cooperated well. We took a lot of pictures, shared a lot of stories and had a great time on the water.
The next time you happen across a Byron Stout piece, whether in a newspaper or a major outdoor magazine, keep this in mind - Byron Stout is a very reliable source.
April 14, 2003
 Harry Olsen came down for some good Stick Marsh fishing recently. Harry is an old Army buddy. He was the Conventional Maintenance Officer and I was responsible for the Air Defense missile systems. It was he and I who (so to speak) 'blazed the trail' from Germany to Lake Caspe in the middle of Spain in search of the greatest bass fishing in the World. We found it, too! Absolutely UNBELIEVEABLE bassing at that time. 1000 bass in five days of fishing. Others eventually followed our instructions on how to make the trip, and the Special Services organization in Frankfurt even organized bus tours to the place.
Harry, who is of Norwegian decent, lives in a typical place - somewhere above Duluth, MN. There were three feet of ice on his home waters. When he arrived at the Melbourne/Palm Bay airport is was a balmy 74 degrees.
And, the fish were hungry.
Our patterns during Harry's trip were schools of bass along canal levees in the Farm 13 and in thick grass north of the boat ramp on the Marsh side.
Carolina rigs worked to perfection on the levee shell beds. We used ½ oz. sinkers and 5-inch Pumpkinseed Zoom finesse worms. There was some surprise schooling activity on one of the holes, with baitfish flying in all directions and bass cartwheeling into them. For that period, we switched to Rat-L-Traps and found the school to be 3 and 4 lb. fish, a really nice size for catching.
On one hole, we anchored and took 17 bass on the Carolina rigs, while a NITRO boat from SC tried its best to wedge its way in on us. When a boat gets within underhanded flipping distance of you, that's 'wedging in'. Nice thing was, the 4 guys in the NITRO did not catch even one fish. Sorta like it should be when you travel so far, but leave your manners at home.
Our next super-productive spot was actually north of the boat ramp. Most don't know that you can go behind the ramp to a long canal heading west to the water discharge gate. All along the left side of that canal is a flat that has a lot of vegetation mats. But, it also has a LOT of open water. And, under that open water is a lot of new hydrilla. And, in that new hydrilla were hordes of bass and crappie, with a sprinkling of giant bluegills thrown in for good measure. This 'backwater' area is a good place to remember when the winds and waves are high out on the main water.
Just to break the monotony of catching bass, we rigs up some of our crappie jigs and made a pass down the south bank of the backwater flat. Late-spawn crappie were plentiful, as were bluegills that were there to eat the crappie eggs and fry. As we neared the west end of this stretch, we suddenly found 2-3 lb. bass eating the tiny jig every few casts.
So, being fishermen but not completely dumb as people sometimes thing we are, Harry and I changed off to STIK-O jerk baits. Boy, was that a good move. We could work the unweighted lure rapidly across the surface, or just cast it out and let in sink. Either way, a fish would inhale it. It turned out to be a school of bass clustered in that back SW corner right at the mouth of an emerging airboat trail.
Well, Harry's back sitting in out on his lake in his icehouse about now. The ice remains at 3 feet and it is still snowing in northern MN. But, he went home with a heck of a tan and some raw fingers from handling to many Stick Marsh bass. Harry looked pretty good when he arrived that day at the airport. But, take a close look at what the shock of Stick Marsh fishing can do to a person. However, someone has to do it and Harry Olsen went the distance with them!
NEXT TIME:
Barbara Eyer called and said she and her fiancé 'just want to catch fish - any kind at all.' Boy, that was an open-ended request. But, it is easy to fulfill at the Stick Marsh. When we started fishing, I found out Barbara had never fished with an artificial lure in her life. That soon changed, as the Marsh bass gave her and Bob Stack a 'get that Rebel Wee R' lesson they'll not soon forget.
Ever get the urge to add just a bit extra to a good fishing tale? Well, just keep this in mind - 'Telling the truth is not having to remember what you said'.
April 7, 2003
 The 'get out there in the woods with them' pattern in the Stick Marsh is still hotter than a firecracker. The Rebel Wee R continues to do exceptionally well. And, we added another lure to the list of those being super productive - the Fat Free Shad medium runner (see photo).
The reason for this pattern is, as we have said before, the absence of grass in the Stick Marsh portion of the impoundment. The submerged brush is basically 4 feet down, with some limbs and tops up within a foot of the surface. But, the high brush is very spread out, so it is possible to fish the crank plug with limited snags. The lures we are using, being short-billed, manage to run off or over the snags most of the time. When/if we do get hung up, our lure retriever gets 99 of 100 lures back (see this link for a photo and description of our retriever.
www.jimporter.org/tipster/tipster1.shtml
It appears that a chop on the water helps this pattern significantly. I suspect this is because it breaks up the surface and impedes the penetration of light, so that the fish come shallower in the brush. It also means we can drift across the water without having to use the trolling motor. If the winds are too high, a sea anchor/wind sock slows us to a crawl.
Remember that you don't need a guide or any special gear to enjoy this period of good bass action. Just get out there and chunk a lure.
These next two photos were made yesterday when I took out my best client - my wife, Dot. She sure can put a hurting on those big fish!
 
April 3, 2003
I just had to follow up on that STICK MARSH BASH FLASH we did the other day! The fishing is absolutely wild in the Stick Marsh portion of the impoundment. And, what is so great is that I have yet to find an area that does not have a lot of bass. They appear to be everywhere!
I see a few others out in the Marsh working on the bass. But, the ones I have talked to say they are not doing well. The reason, I suspect, is that they won't get off the soft plastic lures. The plastics WILL work. But, we are having wind every day and it is darn hard to fish soft plastics effectively. Add to that all the hype over the over-priced SENKO lure and you find anglers who get the impression that is the only lure the bass will take.
Here's the real skinny on what and how. In the past 4 trips (three were half days), we have done about 220 bass. The average weight is running around 2.5 - 2.75 lbs. We are fishing crank plugs! ¼ oz. Rat-L-Traps, the Rebel Wee R and the Bomber Model A (models B02A and B05A) have all been good. Yesterday, I tried 11 lures and caught fish on all of them, which included a Speed Shad, a Cordell CC Shad, and a Swimming Worm. By anchoring when we found a pod of bass, we also used the Bass Pro Shops STIK-O very effectively.
The key element is to select a crank plug that you can run at 4 - 4.5 feet. Let it hit limbs and logs and work it through the cover. When you hit wood with the lure, brace for a strike.
Here are pictures of some of the 55 (approximate) bass taken with Walt Hoover yesterday (2 April). Plus, there is a picture of Walt's Model A Bomber and my Rebel Wee R.
If you are close enough to come fish the Marsh now, by all means do so. You don't need a guide or any special instructions. Just work the crank plug and keep moving until you hit a big group of bass. Then, work around that area. There will be plenty of fish!
Today's Weather for
the Stick Marsh Area
Past Stick Marsh Fishing Reports
Farm 13 / Stick Marsh Information Guide
Email questions to jporter@jimporter.org.
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