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FARM 13 / STICK MARSH FISHING REPORT
FOR THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY 2004
February 29, 2004
Closing out February, we find that the fishing remains excellent in the Stick Marsh, as well as all other surrounding lakes.
Lake Kissimmee is turning giant bass to a few shiners anglers and the crappie there are now in the grass lines spawning. One place in Kissimmee for quantities of bass is the northern inflow point of the Kissimmee River. Remember that West Lake Toho is being drawn down to have muck removed from the shallows. So, the water is being let out of it at a higher rate than normal. That puts a lot of current in the Kissimmee River, creating some great moving water potential in the lakes below it. Lakes Cypress and Hatchena, between Toho and Kissimmee, are really good this time of year. The moving water potential just makes them better. Moving water locations (inflow and exit points of the lakes, normally) should be addressed with a Rat-L-Trap and a Carolina-rigged worm. You are looking for shell beds and rough spots in the current flow areas. Pay close attention for bass chasing baitfish on the surface in the current. That's when the good times roll!! Toss the Trap or the Stik-O right at them and hold on.
We were at our favorite barbershop getting our 'ears lowered' recently. You'd like the place -- small, out-of-the-way, a barber that's been there a long time, a standard clientele, and enough BS to charge your laugh machine up for a week. Anyway, Dallas Cobb was in the chair and talking fishing with the barber. Seems as how he had a couple of friends coming to town and wanted to get them a trip to the Stick Marsh. The friendly barber pointed him over to me.
A couple of weeks later, Dallas, the Father and son team of Wayne and Cameron Wenzel, and I were zipping across the Stick Marsh waters with high expectations. I had told them all about the phenomenal Stik-O and the surface action we have had with it all winter. They were primed and ready. But, I also expect they were a bit skeptical about topwater strikes in the colder months.
Well, they found out, as have ALL the anglers who have been out with me since last October. The bass will get that rapidly wiggled Stik-O right up there on the top, regardless of weather, temperature, cold front status, wind speeds, sunlight/overcast conditions -- NOTHING stops them. Plus, I make it a point to also show every party how DUMB fish really are. I get one to strike the lure and then, without ever setting the hook, I demonstrate that you can actually lead them around like a dog on a leash. They are just too dumb and ornery to let go of it. Showing that the myths people believe about fishing are usually just Old Wives Tales and 'excuses for NOT having caught fish' really makes my day.
Settling in down at the south end of Farm 13, we got everyone rigged up. Of course, we did our standard 'dog and pony show' demonstration about the dumb bass and raised expectation levels a few hundred notches. As best I could gather, young Cameron had not fished very much. So, as you would expect, he wound up doing well and catching the largest bass. Sometimes, it is good not to be too confused with prior 'facts', so you can do what the guide suggests.
From this point on, it really just the standard fishing trip on the Stick Marsh. The bass ripped into the Stik-Os, as expected, and everyone had a good old time. Everyone caught fish well and Cameron got the biggest bass he'd ever caught, at nearly six pounds.
One particular event happened that most anglers never get to experience. I was tossing a Stik-O out the back of the boat on, of all things, a light crappie rig. Since that was not where the others were fishing, I would not interfere with them. Sure enough, I had a good fish come on the lure and, of course, I could not hold him in the grass on the light line. He broke off and went his merry way.
Well, actually he DID NOT go his merry way. I guess he just got PO'ed. Anyway, Wayne tossed his Stik-O back behind the boat and immediately got a strike. Upon netting the nearly four pound bass, I went to remove Wayne's hook. After a quick glance into the fish's mouth, I grabbed a lower jaw in one hand, an upper lip in the other, and spread them for all to see. There, in the cavernous mouth, were not one, but two Junebug Stik-Os and two Owner worm hooks. One even had a few inches of 'someone's' light line trailing off it!!
Wes Brown called and wanted to test the Stick Marsh while vacationing at his timeshare over in the Disney area. Even though it was his wife's birthday, she graciously gave the angler a 'kitchen pass' to come fish. I told Wes that she sounded like a 'keeper' to me!!
It is always great to share a boat with someone who likes to fish. And, that usually turns out to be everyone who books me. It is a double-pleasure when I find out the client really KNOWS HOW to fish, too!! I just get to basically sit back and watch the action. Wes Brown, who lives near famed Toledo Bend Reservoir, on the Texas/Louisiana line, was one of those. He loves to fish and really knows how to handle the equipment.
Wes had never fished shiners, so he asked me to get a dozen, or so, just for the experience. All I could find were the smaller domestic shiners, but they catch fish, too. We plunked those down right on the end of the center N/S ditch in Farm 13. Almost immediately, a good 4 lb.+ fish gobbled the first one up and it was off to the races. A couple of smaller fish followed and then the place just died. We moved around just a bit and maybe got one more fish. But, a dozen shiners don't go far and we were soon out of them.
However, Stik-O DO go far!! In fact, they go a long, long way sometimes. Wes Brown found that out pretty quick. I did the demonstration dance and Wes said, "Heck, I can do that!"
And, he could, too.!!
And, he did, too!!
A great day with a really great guy - it doesn't get much better for a guide.
It's a lot of fun when two old fishing buddies get together for a day on the water. They usually have a lot of tales to tell, plus they usually rag each other all day. The fishing guide they choose is sort of like the 'fly on the wall', getting to listen to and observe all the fun.
Such it was when old pals, Ray Hill and Mike Black, came down from to try the Marsh. Ray comes from Lake City, FL., while Mike now lives in Georgia. They brought Ray's boat along, with the intent of fishing a few days after I gave them an initial orientation to the Stick Marsh.
The pair asked to try a few shiners, in addition to the artificials during our half-day trip. So, with two dozen shiners in the well, we made an initial stop at the Twin Palms landmark.
(For your information, 'Twin Palms' is now 'Single Palm and A Stump'. It seems the recent storm we had took down most of one of the landmark dead palms. Now, just look for one palm out there in the north-central area of the Stick Marsh.)
The winds were a brisk 15-20 knots out of the NE as we set two anchors just upwind of the remaining palm. Immediately, two bass went on the shiners. Re-baiting, we tossed them in again and waited -- and waited -- and waited. Darn, that must have been the only two bass within 100 feet of the place. So, we pulled anchor and moved 50 feet.
Still no fish. That was strange, as I knew this location well and it nearly always has some fish, if not giant ones. The only reason I don't fish the shiners in the Stick Marsh side more often is that the giant bass are simply tough to get out of all that submerged wood of the old swamp.
We pulled again and moved 50 yards SW to a single old stump that shows now. What most don't know is what is actually around this single stump. I have seen this area at very low water and know that there is a cluster of stumps just off this single one. Plus, there is a circle of submerged brush surrounding a pothole just to the east of it, too. We played the winds and got the boat anchored. Then, we tossed the shiners out into harms way.
Very quickly, Mike got a good five-pound fish. Then, Ray got a good one. I had hopes we were on them now. But, one more fish and this place died on us. Well, heck, we really wanted to go to the south end of the Farm anyway. So, up with the anchors and off across the waves we sped.
Down in the SE section of the farm, we opted to drag the shiners.
Actually, this method is really 'trolling'. We use no weight and no bobbers. We just hook the shiners through the lower lip and a nostril hole and toss them out behind a slowly drifting boat. It only takes a few seconds before they follow along like an obedient dog on a leash. The beauty of this method it that the shiners stays within a couple of feet of the surface and doesn't get fouled in the submerged grass. Secondly, we cover a LOT of water and find the fish, rather than waiting for them to find out bobbered shiners. We are getting a LOT of big fish this way right now.
The winds were blowing the same 15-20, so we had put our trusty sea anchor out to slow us. The waves were very tolerable, in that the submerged grass in the Farm dampens the wave action well. Mike immediately hung a couple of good bass, while Ray got bites that were probably chain pickerel. Cranking the big motor, we idled back out and made another drift through the area. The action continued fairly rapidly, but our shiners were so small that we just raised no big bass. (We have found that the bigger the shiners used for drifting, the bigger the bass will be.)
Pretty soon we were out of the few shiners we had brought and it was time to do the Stik-O dance of delight. While we were drifting the shiners, I had demonstrated how easy it was to catch the bass on the rapidly worked plastic bait. So everyone was ready to go. And, true to form, the bass were expecting the lures. Bang, crash, jump -- Stik-O were eaten one after the other.
Even though the winds were high from the NW, it was heavily overcast, and the barometer was rapidly rising as the front moved through, Mike and Ray found the bass were active and could be easily made to come up on the surface for a properly worked lure. Every fish we caught on the Stik-Os could be seen by a boil on the surface. Plus, I showed them how to lead those 'smart bass' around on their leashes. The fish just will not turn that thing loose!
It just proves further that successful fishing is more dependent upon the angler than the conditions. In most cases, the fish really don't care about what goes on outside their submerged World.
Our only problem this day was that there was not enough 'day'. A half-day trip goes quickly when you also try to do a few shiners. As we got within 30 minutes of dark, we pulled 'em in and headed for the ramp.
One of those 'Hard Sayings':
'THE SEVERITY OF THE ITCH IS PROPORTIONAL TO THE REACH!'
February 22, 2004
We are somewhat WAY behind with fishing reports! But, our schedule has been all fishing, with no time for much of anything else. It has been a tough Winter up north and that bring a lot of folks south looking for some relief from the cold and, of course, to fish.
Ms. Patty Haley was standing around the Stick Marsh parking area and ramp one afternoon when I was going to hunt some new fish locations. She loved bass fishing, but was just down for a week from Michigan to visit relatives and did not have access to a boat. Then, she saw my guide service notice on the windows of my truck. I have never been hired so quickly.
That lady knew how to fish, too. She could use a Texas-rigged worm very well and got a half dozen off a levee shell bed quickly. Down in the south end of the Farm, she proved proficient with the soft jerk bait. In fact, Ms. Haley solved the secrets of the Stik-O about as fast as she had hired me for the afternoon. I just ran that trolling motor and watch her catch fish.
The infamous Farm 13 gnats finally got to us and we decided to run over to the Back 40, behind the ramp. However, we made one little stop right at that opening in the trees between the ramp and the Marsh. "Sometimes --," I told Patty, "just sometimes."
It turned out to be just that 'sometime' and a genuine grown fish ate the lady's Fat Free Shad like it was candy.
Not a bad way to spend a warm Florida afternoon during the winter!!
Jerry Davis and Frank Griffin paid their annual visit to the Stick Marsh, bringing Chad Stewart along for his first outing on the famous impoundment. Our intent was to teach some shiners to swim, while also finding a giant bass, or two.
 
The giants did not show up, but Jerry and Chad sure got hold of some close seconds!! Frank just caught fish, smiled and said maybe next year for that big old good'un.
Gary and Mary Atwell, our good friends from Virginia, finally retired and decided to take a month or so to visit relatives down in the warmer clients. But, their first stop was with us. Gary sure likes those Stick Marsh bass!!
Our first day on the water was really super, with 40-45 fishing coming over the side on the Stik-O jerk bait. We had a lot of good fish, but none were giants. Usually, if you catch a lot of Stick Marsh bass, the odds give a big one, or two. But, not this trip. We were fishing 4-7 feet of water in the very SE corner of Farm 13, battling gnats and digging the fish out when they buried up in the grass.
One of our days was spent on Goodwin Lake, the big borrow pit adjacent to the Stick Marsh. [You will find our article and pictures on fishing Goodwin at this link (Goodwin Lake).
We have been averaging nearly 40 fish a trip fishing Goodwin, but the bass were a bit slow for Gary and I this day. And, we got no big bass. The fish we did catch were all fine, fat specimens and show Goodwin Lake is still ready.
No sooner had Gary and Mary Atwell departed for the Florida Keys, than who should land on our doorstep but the old tree clearing crew of Doc Tolley and Gary Sale. These two Paul Bunyan types left the 10-degree weather of Winchester, VA, with the sole intent of thawing out. Fishing was also on their minds. But, after close to two months with ice on the ground, they sure wanted some warmth.
Last year, this pair attempted to rid the Stick Marsh of the rest of its remaining timber. With Doc idling the boat against the big waves and up to a tree, Gary would attempt to tie the anchor rope to it and tie off the boat. Seems as how the largest wave came just as Gary got his arms around the tree to pass the rope. The wave hit the boat, the boat backed up suddenly, and Gary did the only thing he could at the time -- he became a 'tree-hugger'. There he was, in a passionate embrace with that old dead Palm tree, while the waves crashed and Doc tried to get the boat back under him. But, it was not to be, as things started to happen in a rapid manner.
Suddenly, the next-largest wave pounded into the dead tree trunk and Gary heard a cracking noise. (This certainly HAD to be a fine Kodak moment!) The whistling wind drowned out the sounds of our friends screams for the boat to come back, but ever-vigilant Doc knew what was coming. He could see the tree starting to list to one side slightly (of course, it was listing to the side on which Gary was clinging; I mean, would it happen any other way?). Now, it was decision time for Doc. He could go for Gary and maybe have the tree fall on the boat. Or, he could just let that sucker dunk Gary first and then go get him out of the water.
Actually, there was no time for any decision, as the rotted relic of a Palm tree started to fall right on over.
Gary said the water was danged cold (along with a few other choice words we'll not repeat here). But, he was really lucky Doc didn't try to come back for him too quickly. That tree landing on top of him in the water was a darn sight better that him being between the tree and the boat. That would have smarted.
So, after reliving the great tree adventure of last year, we all agreed to no more of the same stunts this trip and went to the pond. I mean, we gotta protect our remaining forests, don't we??
The Stick Marsh trembled when Doc, Gary and I arrived (or, maybe it was Doc's stomach; kinda hard to tell sometimes). Off to the south end of Farm 13 we went, Stik-O ready for battle.
The action wasn't long in coming, either. Once I had demonstrated how I work the bait with a lot of action to agitate the bass, Gary and Doc proceeded to develop their own techniques. Since there is really no bad way to fish the simple lure, both soon were catching fish. As in previous trips, we stayed in 4-7 feet of water that had submerged grass. This particular time, it appeared the bass were in the shallower water. In fact, we got so shallow that the fishery biologist's electro-shocking boat came very close to us as he worked the south grass line.
The next day, we found our way over to Kenansville Lake to hunt those big old crappie. On our pervious trips, we had found some of the K'ville Lake crappie had already spawned. But, since they don't all spawn at one time, we were hoping to find others still in the easy-to-fish grass.
Sure enough, the crappie were right where they could be expected to be and we got more than our share. The little PERFECT jig once more showed why it is such a popular lure for panfish. The only oddity was that all the giant crappie we caught came from the deeper water of the canal along the grass line. We later found them to be bursting with roe, so they were simply in a holding pattern in the open water, waiting some signal from Mother Nature to go and do their thing.
Thought For The Day: 'TO STEAL IDEAS FROM ONE PERSON IS PLAGIARISM; TO STEAL FROM MANY IS RESEARCH.'
February 5, 2004
A Great Shiner Trick!!
Another Very Productive Way To Present Shiners!!
There are usually two (2) primary methods of presenting shiners to those big old Stick Marsh bass: under bobbers with a split shot to give them incentive to stay down; and, free-lining them with no weight and no bobber.
Well, there is a third method that has really been doing well and it is based on simply ADAPTING to the present conditions.
This time of year, we get a lot of wind from the changing weather conditions. Florida is actually starting what would be termed our 'Spring' transition from Winter. So, the cold fronts affecting the more northern part of the country only tend to project their lower, weak ends to us. We don't get too cold, but we do get the associated winds. Plus, since the portion of the fronts we receive are weak, their wind patterns are usually of short duration, as the wind currents from the Atlantic quickly start to override them. Some effects from the Gulf also interact. What I trying to say is that the winds change around a lot and it can change directions, off and on, all day along.
Also, the grass patterns in our lakes start to change during the Winter months, as they do most places. We never get so cold as to kill off the hydrilla or milfoil very much, so our grass only winds up dying off near the surface. Right now, most of the Stick Marsh grass is 3-5 feet below the surface and the fish use it almost as they would a hard bottom, cruising it for food.
So, we take advantage of the varying, but fairly constant winds, and the large expanses of submerged grass to present shiners in a manner that cover a lot of water with a minimal amount of difficulty. We hook the shiner through the bottom lip and out one of the nostril holes on the top. The we place a bobber anywhere from 2-5 feet ABOVE the shiner. NO weights are used. Using the winds for slow propulsion, we simply drift the shiners across the submerged grass. Since the bottom grass mass is only a few feet down, the bass easily spot the shiners. Bass, particularly the larger ones, seem very attracted to live bait fished this way. You will also get the added benefit of actually seeing nearly all strikes, which will be either blow-ups or boils on the bait.
February 1, 2004
IT CAME EARLY!!
Kenansville Crappie Have Spawned!!
We were there very recently and found the crappie all along the grass lines of the rim canals. They were aggressive and appeared to be guarding the spawning areas, or protecting the recently laid eggs. The little PERFECT jig (cinnamon w/chartreuse tail) was devastating on them, as were minnows. Plus, many were really large fish. The egg sacs were depleted, with only some minor residue remaining.
The very NEXT day (spelled 'NEXT DAY'!!!), those fish were gone. G-o-n-e - went - outahere - booked - split - hightailed it - moved ---!! It was absolutely scary how fast they transitioned away from the grass to wherever they went. I suspect they just slid right out into the open water of the adjacent canals and started to school up again. But, the ones we did catch were really difficult.
So, I suspect my last message about the Stick Marsh crappie probably spawning early will be right on track. In fact, I will bet there are many engaged in the reproduction task right now. The thing to do is listen to all the bass fishermen out there and see if any caught a lot of crappie on Rat-L-Traps, or spinnerbaits, or other small artificials. Old Papermouth will attack just about anything that comes into his chosen spawn location. Additionally, take the jig and go work those south Farm 13 grass flats where the grass is 3-5 feet under water. It is best that there are stumps/wood remains in there, as well.
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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