|
|
FARM 13 / STICK MARSH FISHING REPORT
FOR DECEMBER 2003
December 31, 2003
As we closed out the old fishing year and ushered in 2004, we once again count our blessing at having the opportunity to associate with so many fine people. Being a fishing guide is a lot of work, believe it or not. But, it is also the most fun I have ever had in my life!! It's the people I meet who make it that way.
Around the 3rd of December, my wife fielded a phone call from Naomi Dunn way up in cold West Virginia. She and her husband, Mike, were due to be in our area over Christmas and she though a guided fishing trip would be what Mike would like from Santa. It was to be a secret until they opened gifts in Florida, so we could only communicate with Naomi at her work place. We all plotted and schemed, with hopes that Mike's stocking would be filled with leapin' lunkers come 29 December, our scheduled fishing date.
Right after Christmas Day, Mike checked in with us and was ready to go. His Florida host, Eric Amos, was also invited along. So, on the morning of the 29th, we met at the ramp and headed out after some Stick Marsh bass.
Starting over behind the ramp area, we quickly found some small bass ready for soft jerk baits and Texas rigged worms. But, while they were active and willing to strike a lure, these bass were small. So, we fired up the big STRATOS and its Evinrude and went south to Farm 13. Our first stop was along the east levee and the grass line bordering the eastern-most canal. Mike got them to hit the soft jerk bait, but these fish, too, proved small. Plus, they were hard to get out of the grass. Eric laid his Texas rig aside and opted to try a buzz bait. In that the water was up slightly and covering the top of the grass a bit, this was a logical choice. And, it proved effective, even with the cloudless, bright blue sky overhead. Again, though, nothing of size came our way.
By now, the wind was coming up. We tried a couple of shell beds out in the main Farm 13 open areas, but had no success. Having a couple of dozen shiners onboard, we opted to leave the windy open water and try some sheltered grass lines.
The action on the shiners was pretty good. But, most of it was from chain pickerel and mudfish. A few bass beat out the trash fish for the live bait, but none were of any size.
So, we finished up with a decent catch, but nothing of size to talk about. However, we did note three major points in our favor:
- While we were enjoying the 70-degree Florida weather and bright sunshine, a lot of people elsewhere were shoveling snow.
- It was cold as a bear that day in West Virginia.
- We were out fishing.
Sometimes, we just gotta look at the positive side of things to know how good we have it!
Our old friend and fishing partner, Bob Alexander, is a special kind of guy. The last time we fished with Bob, he was hosting a young man named Ryan Petrek, who was one of few people to ever beat leukemia. We had a grand old time, too (see the Jan. 03 reports).
This time, Bob called and said he had a business associate he wanted to take out for a positive fishing experience. He said the associate loved to fish, but never has the time anymore. We were later found out why.
Clint Wright is a professional educator, as in 'superintendent of big school systems'. He educates, not only in 'reading/writing/arithmetic', but also in the 'business of life', as well. Clint apparently has the calling to clean up troubled schools and troubled students. And, standing well over 6 feet and going better than 300 lbs. (I estimate), he certainly looks the part for the job. Having just left a successful position in the Lakeland (FL) area, Clint is now down in south Florida (Ft. Lauderdale area) doing his job. When we stated that it sure looked like he had his work cut out for him in that part of Florida, Clint told us his 'secret to success'. "You tell the students and teachers exactly what you expect of them and you will get it", said Wright. "If you don't communicate those expectations, you will get nothing but trouble in return. That is why so many teachers and parents fail their children today -- they don't set the rules and goals."
From that point on, I knew I was really going to like Clint Wright.
Bob and Clint's 'fishing expectations' were conveyed to me as crappie, crappie, crappie, a bass or two, and more crappie. I had no trouble understanding that and fired up my magic 'crappie finder' the next day. When the boys arrived to fish, the crappie were waiting.
I doubt you could have planned a more perfect day to fish. Here it was the 30th of December and the weather was a balmy 75 degrees, with a clear blue sky. There was just enough of a light breeze to hold the minnows and bobbers in next to the grass lines we were fishing. As my long-time friend, Derrell Miller would say, 'the band was playing, the girls were giggling, and the fish were jumping into the boat'.
We started off anchoring each end of the big STRATOS to position it parallel along some grass lines in a Stick Marsh canal. Here, the canal was 9-10 feet deep, with a grass line along the north bank. The grass line came out to a depth of 5 feet at its edge and, then, there was a drop into the main canal channel depths. A month before, the crappie had been right in that grass. Now, after a few cold fronts, they were in the open water just out from the cover. It was here that I located them a few days earlier using jigs. In that Bob and Clint wanted to use minnows, catching these fish was a snap. All we had to do was catch the fish where we were anchored and move long the grass line a bit when those fish thinned out. They were not giant crappie, but most were good eating fare. Clint was like a little kid who had found a key to the candy store. I mean, he enjoyed that bobber going down and catching those fish!
As we re-positioned the boat from time to time, I kept my PERFECT jig in the water to try and locate some bigger crappie out in the depths of the canal. It was just as we anchored down close to the end of the canal that the little jig earned its keep. Recalling a couple of old treetops that used to show at the end of the canal, I swam the jig through where I though the remains might be, hoping to possibly get hung and mark the spot.
I did not get hung. But, I did catch three very nice crappie in as many casts! It turns out that the tops had rotted away and now lay down on the canal bottom. But, there appeared to be a lone underwater grass bed there, too, and that's where the fish were. We quickly positioned the boat adjacent to where I had caught the three fish. Boy, minnows sure don't last long when fished over a grass bed full of hungry crappie!! I am not sure how many were caught, but it more than rounded out our already teeming livewell. And, they were all bigger fish, too.
Well, we had now completed the 'crappie, crappie, crappie, and more crappie' part of our tasking. Now, it was time for 'a bass or two'. So, we fired up out magic carpet of fiberglass and sped across the smooth water to Farm 13 and the Nursery area at the south end. The pesky grass gnats were there waiting for us, too. I figured we had better catch a bass quick, or we'd be out of that location even quicker!
Quickly, Bob caught a small bass on a shiner. Then, we had a few half-hearted takedowns by what were probably chain pickerel. But, within a very short period after setting the shiners, Clint got a nice bass to the boat. It was not a big fish, but it was the largest he had ever caught. So, between that and the bugs (plus, it was getting late), we decided to 'get the heck out of Dodge'.
This was one of those fishing trips guides really love. Good people, great conditions, a lot of fish cooperation, and just plain old good times on the water. Like Clint put it, "It gets no better than this!"
One of those 'PROFOUND STATEMENTS' to dwell upon:
'He who hesitates is probably right.'
December 7 - 24, 2003
Boy, the time zips by fast. Here it is, Christmas already. We have been meeting so many great folks to fish with. It is so unreal that so many people who use our guide service seem to be folks we have fished with all our lives. I guess there is just a commonality among anglers. While all the other guides have been moaning about the lack of clients, we can truthfully say that we are booked up. I think the difference IS NOT the fishing ability or success. I believe it is because we fish to have FUN! And, we danged well do, too. If you don't love the sport and love sharing its benefits and excitement, you have no business trying to be a guide.
It is called 'guiding', but I really think it should be called 'sharing'. I assure you that I enjoy it as much, or more, than the guest does in my boat. My biggest thrill is to see them get 'that big one'. It highlights my whole day/week/month/year/whatever. If it were not such an obsession, I would have never dove in to net that 12 lb. bass that came off Chuck Brookman's hook last year. I can't really explain it, but to say that it is a weird calling to share fishing.
We have been on the water so much, there just has not been enough time to keep up the fishing reports. Our great webmaster, Bryan Hague, can put 'em up as fast as we write them. But, we have been having so much fun, we just can't charge batteries, do the boat/truck maintenance and clean things up fast enough to also write the reports.
You will like what we are getting done on the fish reports now. Most days, the fishing is awesome (to paraphrase guide Hugh Crumpler's favorite expression), but the string of unseasonably strong cold fronts has definitely had some effect on the fishing. One day, we absolutely slay the bass or crappie. The next day, with no change in weather or conditions, they are turned off like a water faucet. When the fronts come through, the fish do not necessarily seem to respond negatively. Usually, they have continued to go wild over shiners and jerk baits (bass) and minnows or jigs (crappie). Then, suddenly, they seem to just stop for 24 hours. Someday, I will get to talk to a fish. And, boy, have I got some questions as to why they do things and when they do them.
Someday-------.
Finally, here is the way things have been going.
Bob Browning stopped by for a half day trip. He was here last spring and we had a great day with jerk baits. Being a present program manager on a major Defense Department contract, and I being a past program manager in the same arena, we hit it off well. Bob really fishes that Stik-O jerk bait well, too! Just ask the Stick Marsh bass. He left some hair-lips out there. Bob is one of those people who have been in my boat for 40+ years. Whether it was really Bob Browning all those years, or not, he presently fits in like an old friend. A true pleasure to share a boat with. Bob has a Bass Pro Shops very close to his office in Maryland and he played Santa Clause perfectly. When he popped down our 'chimney', he brought a sack of Stik-Os and Yum Dingers. He didn't even ask if I'd been good or bad. (Of course, that's why your dog is 'man's best friend'. He won't tell on you, no matter what you do.)
Roger Marcotte and his son shared a day with us last year. We had a great time, with shiners flying and bass cartwheeling in the middle of them. This year, Roger brought along his buddy, Doug. And, while the numbers weren't there this time, the bass were good quality fish. Once more, the shiners lived in the danger zone and the bass had a field day. We had a great day with good company, and that's what it is all about.
Art Chu came to fish, along with one of our regular clients, Richard Dunn. This was one of those days that was hard!! No rhyme or reason -- it was just hard. The bass didn't cooperate well and the crappie were selective as to whose lure they bit. We worked the crappie much more than the bass and did wind up with a good bunch of the papermouths. Some were good 'slabs', too. But, all in all, it was slow. It was one of those days we had to work for the fish.
Mike Bovinette and Fred Caroll made the drive down from Jacksonville, Fl. Great guys to share the boat with. No giant bass, I hate to say, but some good fish. Shiners and bass - somehow they make for some excitement.
My wife and best friend, Dot, decided she needed to get a lure bitten, so we headed out for a few hours on a beautiful sunny afternoon. The crappie were waiting for her, as usual, and she had a ball catching them on a jig. Having more than enough to make a good meal, we culled down to a dozen nice ones for our neighbor and ourselves. Then, it was off in search of giant bass. (Dot got spoiled by the big bass last spring, when she really had a great streak on the 6 to 10 lb. fish on the Stik-O jerk bait. Just before we left in June to vacation in North Carolina, she snagged her largest -- a beautiful 10.7 lb. giant.)
There are a couple of schools of really hefty bass that work the north ends of a couple of the north/south canals in the Farm. They are a bit difficult to locate, in that they roam over a lot of territory after the baitfish. I have only found three places that seem to be repeated holding areas along the submerged canal levees for these schools. Sometimes they are on those spots (shellbed areas, of course), but most time you just have to hunt for them. That's hard and usually not too productive, other than catching singles. But, this time I had 'old lucky' along with me and Dot's first cast landed right on top of them. These fish seem to increase in size 1-2 lbs. a year, fairly true to the local biologist's prediction of their growth rates in the fertile Stick Marsh. Two years ago, they were 1 to 1.5 lbs. Last year they were 2.5 to 3 pounds. Now, they are a solid 4 to 5 lbs., with a bigger one mixed in occasionally. As the fish get larger each year, the school size diminishes, probably with natural mortality. Whereas we used to get 20-30 bass from the school, this year we catch only 8-12. But, the size makes it great, even if it were only one fish caught.
That first cast of Dot's was taken by the ' bigger one mixed in occasionally', as she exercised her pecking order rights. The 7 lb. beauty showed signs of well defined egg sacs developing, so we have great hopes another school will take this one's place someday. My gal's second cast got the 'runt' of the school, at 3 lbs., or so. Then, I decided I 'd had about enough of this 'guide and watch' stuff and got into the act. We got the predictable 11 fish from the school and all were really healthy, strong specimens. It was probably for the better, as I think Dot's arm was giving out from the power of these size fish. Sure wish we could catch bass like that every day. But, that's why it's called 'fishing' and not 'catching'.
Our good friend, Gary Davies stopped by on his way to Key West for a few weeks of 'forget the Virginia snow and lay in then sun'. Gary was an Army buddy of ours. In fact, we were promoted to Lieutentent Colonel at the same ceremony year's back. Gary was a Chemical Corps officer, while I was an Ordnance type keeping air defense missile systems on the air. As luck would have it, Gary wheeled into the Stick Marsh on the day that all the fish decided to bite the World. No matter what we did, where we fished, or what lure we used, the fish all went wild. We started with bass and two dozen shiners. The shiners lasted exactly 25 minutes and produced 18 bass to 8 lbs. Every bass was 3 lbs., plus. Our next stop was the north section of the eastern most canal in the Farm 13 side. Dropping a PERFECT jig to the bottom and retrieving it slowly back got a big slab crappie virtually every cast. When we missed a cast, we still got a small crappie. Moving to some shell beds along the middle Farm 13 canal, the Carolina rigged worm was awesome. It did not seem to matter what color, or if the retrieve was slow or fast --- the bass were there and eating. Maybe Gary just brought his well-known 'lucky streak' along with him, or the fish just decided they wanted to commit suicide. Whatever the case, it was one of those exceptional days we get once-in -a -while.
Got this call from Ron Blistick, out of Ohio. Seems as how he was tired of shoveling snow and just wanted to thaw out for awhile. Straight through driving was about 18 hours, but Ron said every time he got out at a rest stop, the weather was warmer. So, he was drawn to keep driving south!! Can't say I blame him, either. Ron had never fished a Yum Dinger jerk bait before, so he was the IDEAL candidate for it! No preconceived notions or bad habits. All I had to do was tell him to fish it slowwwww, and NOT to set the hook until the fish swam off with the lure. I don't think he missed a fish. He was that good with it! Plus, the guy finally got us a big bass to gloat over. 8 lbs. 4 oz. ain't bad for a beginner. I wish I could say it was because he had a good guide, but Ron did it all by himself.
Then came the Chu clan. Art Chu had the crappie bug from the previous trip with us the month before. This time, he brought his son, Irwin, and Irwin's niece, Sarah. Sarah is presently completing her schooling to be a dentist and she also knows how to fish!! Plus, she was a sight better to look at than Art and Irwin!! Probably the most photogenic lady we have had out in awhile. Beautiful smile and a heck of a hookset with a shiner. The weatherman messed over us royally for the Chu family. The forecast of warm and partly cloudy turned out to be 'chilly, with periods of rain and wind'. But, we hung in there. Art Chu, who is 83 by his own count, went at it all day. He just closed the neck of his rain suit jacket and pulled up the Frogg Toggs bib pants and fished!! Sometimes, that's what it takes -- just bear down and FISH!!! We started on a great shiner hole and found virtually nothing!! I mean, not even a live shiner was attractive to anything. We got 2-3 bass and that was it. So, off we went for crappie, deciding to let the water warm up some before we dunked the shiners again. As we pointed the big STRATOS across the Farm 13 and Stick Marsh waters, the cold rains set in. Our rain suits did their thing, though, and we made it over to the north canal if the Marsh in dry fashion. It continued to rain for an hour, but we stayed nice and dry. One reason was that we anchored in the north canal of the Marsh with our backs to the wind. Then, we set small bobbers at 3 feet, applied a minnow, and set them along a grass line for crappie. That worked pretty well and we got a good eating mess. But, then the sun came out, the wind stopped, and so did the crappie. Kinda odd, but then so is fishing at times. We checked a few other crappie spots with no luck.
Then, we went over to the flat behind the ramp and down near the exit gate. Going out on a limb, I said that we should get some bass there and we would give it 15 minutes to produce. If 15 minutes did nothing, we'd go back for crappie (which was their first choice in fish anyway). I gave Art, Sarah and Irwin a Stik-O rig and told them how I thought they should fish it. Then, I gave my usual demonstration so they could see about how it is worked for the Marsh bass. Nope, I did not get lucky and catch on the first cast, as sometimes seems to happen. It was the second cast and a chunky 2.5 lb. fish climbed a stickup to grab the Stik-O as it hit the water. That got everyone's attention! I laid my rod down and let everyone start casting. Sarah got a small bass on her second cast, too. And, then, it all stopped. After awhile, I picked my rod back up to see if things were really as bad as they appeared. They were. I had three quick strikes, which I think were needlefish or gar, and the Chu's did about them same. So, we decided to go back to the shiner hole.
It was a good decision, as we got non-stop action. The only problem was that many were big chain pickerel. Then, we noted a lot of fish start to roll at the surface in our hole. They looked at lot like mudfish rolls to me, I said. I had hardly gotten the words out of my mouth when every rod went down and, sure enough, they were all giant mudfish. I mean those 10-12 pound critters. But, the 6 or 7 we caught were fun and really put up a fight. Then, as quickly as they came, the mudfish passed on through and we got back to the bass.
Daddy Art Chu suddenly pulled a nice bass out from under the grassline we were on. Then, came a few small ones, including a deformed bass that I have caught 2-3 times in the past year. He had a badly broken back sometime in his youth and has a hard time catching food, I suppose. His head is quite large, but his twisted and deformed body is very small and thin. He is still in there trying, however, and obviously catches enough food to survive.
Bass are starting to bed big-time on the Marsh. Due to water clarity and the material residue on the bottom, you cannot see them. But, from years of fishing the place, we know the spawning areas most used. It was at one of these locations we were fishing. And, true to expectations, a big old female showed up. The attached photo is of a fine female specimen taken just outside the spawning area on 23 Dec by Irwin Chu while fishing with us. The girth was darn near the same as the length. Someday, she may be the next World's record. She sure had all the physical attributes. She and others heavily laden with eggs were exactly where they should have been -- in a holding pattern just off the spawning area, awaiting a male to come and herd her into the bed. All we did was set the shiners along the grassline outside the spawning area. We took the photos and put her back quickly. You can expect to see a lot of these big girls in the next 6 weeks.
Hope you had a great Christmas!
Remember to handle the spawners carefully and put them back quickly.
December 4, 2003
Water Levels - Down 1-foot due to back-pumping into the surrounding farms for irrigation purposes.
Water Clarity - Good
Fishing - Excellent
SPECIFICS:
 The recent cold snap has done what we predicted and the larger Speckled Perch (crappie) are now beginning to show up in schools in open water adjacent to the dense grass areas. This makes it much easier to present a lure or live bait effectively. As the weather continues to cool even more, expect to see more decent-sized Specks in the big canal that divides the Stick Marsh and Farm 13 sections of the impoundment. Right now, the majority of Specks in that canal are very small. Please put these back for next year. Currently, the northern portions of the north/south canals in the Farm are all holding Specks. The 'sleeper', which is fished very little, is the fist canal to the west of the center of the Farm. It has virtually no grass line along its northern trace and fishermen simply pass by what they cannot easily see.
So far, our guide trip clients have all managed to limit out on good Specks. Most are running 3/4-pounds, with 20% running upwards of 1-1/4 lbs. The strong winds have not been a major problem, in that we always have some locations on the leeward sides that hold fish. Art Chu, from the St. Pete area, said the Stick Marsh was obviously a better Speck fishery than Okeechobee. Larry Parks, from Vero Beach, noted that depth presentation with the lure was absolutely essential. (NOTE: While most fish schools are found to be in roughly the shape of a football or spherically, Specks tend to school horizontally. That is, nearly all the Specks in a given school will be at the same depth. Because they tend to stay in that schooling pattern and not wander from it, a jig or minnow presentation must be very close to the depth of the school.)
Bass continue to do well. Some anglers are having trouble adapting to the effects of the cooling weather changes, which simply requires that we slow down the lures a bit. The soft jerk bait (examples: Stik-O, Yum Dinger, Senko) presentation, which is proving to be a great year-round pattern for the Farm 13/Stick Marsh impoundment, remains a top choice for taking both quantities and quality largemouths. A very lightly-weighted plastic worm is also productive. Colors don't seem to matter much to the bass, but the anglers prefer Junebug and other dark shades. Look for places with clean water, sparse grass and some wood mixed in. The south end of Farm 13 and the west end of the Stick Marsh both meet this criteria and have been producing exceptionally well. These are lots of small bass staging for the upcoming spawn in both these locations, so expect a lot of strikes. The bass' feeding activity levels are very high right now. So, set the hook quickly before they swallow the lure and injure themselves.
Shiners are great for bass right now and will continue to be so until next April. The most productive shiner period is late December through the end of March. Fishing the shiner about 3-feet under a bobber is good around vegetation. In the deeper water sections of the canals and floodgates, free-lining is effective. A good shiner spot will have two characteristics: 1) it is on a movement route (examples: the edge of a grass line or canal, a quick depth change, or definitive line of stumps); and, 2) it has overhead cover or depth.
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.
|
Recommended sites by The Fishin' Tipster |
A common question that we get: "Is there somewhere close to get bait and tackle?" This is where we get our bait.
Pete and Tina Heinz / 9 South Mulberry St. / Fellsmere, FL 32948 / 772-571-9855
Get your site listed here
Let us help you drive more targeted traffic to your site.
|
Rank our Site
©Copyright 2001-07 All rights reserved by Jim Porter, any reproduction, quotation or other use of this site or its elements is prohibited without the express written permission of Jim Porter
|
|
FROGG TOGGS RAIN GEAR
THE BEST PRICES AVAILABLE!!
|
|
