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FARM 13 / STICK MARSH FISHING REPORTS
For the month of May, 2006
May 1, 2006
The water at the south end of the Farm is fair, even with all the winds the past few days. BUT -- I worked them today with artificials and did not get a strike. I fought the waves and gusts and was able to hold the boat somewhat. Plus, I even anchored and fished a Texas rig worm. Nothing worked. It may be that shiners would work. But, usually, when the winds are up high, the fish have just been turning off. I would think that shallow water (the impoundment is down 20 inches) simply allows the fish to be buffeted about when the winds blow hard.
So, maybe they are moving to cover or depth and out of the shallows. They could move all the way south, in behind what few reeds there are, or even into that small ditch that runs east/west across the very south end of the Farm. Who knows, they might even try to go north to the deeper parts of the N/S canals, or even the center E/W canal? Whatever the case, it is tough and probably will be until the winds slack off. They should change from the present NE/ENE to SE late tomorrow or Wednesday.
Until then, Garcia sure does look like the place. But, it is low and shallow. The latest fishing report with pictures went on-line yesterday, so check it out. Plus, there are some new tips and a lure color survey we did on the Old Tipster's News page. Go to this link for that: www.stickmarsh.com/hotnews/
May 6, 2006
For all of you who have asked to be apprised of when topwater gets right in the Farm 13/Stick Marsh Impoundment, you can consider yourselves 'apprised'!!!
It started a bit slowly, with a few fish in the shallow wood coming up on the RIPPIN' Stick and a Rebel Pop-R. It is now going at a hog-wild rate, with the fish eating everything you throw at them on the surface. If you watch (and listen), you will find they are chasing baitfish back in that wood and the bass appear to be in schools. If one person gets a strike, the other person should cast to the same place ASAP. This is the best topwater action I have ever seen on the impoundment in the 17 years it has existed. Just go to the south end of the Farm and fish 100-200 yards off the south shoreline/levee. There is a LOT of wood in there and you will get the boat upon a stump once in awhile. But, the further back into all those stumps you go, the more open it actually gets. That's a real surprise.
We used only the Pop-R and fished it with a soft, but steady, retrieve of constant pops. They'll hit it so hard as to raise the hair on your head. I suspect most any topwater popper will work just as well, as should a Zara Spook. But, they seem to like the water being throw a bit, as a popper will do.
Keep a rigged RIPPIN' Stick right next to you as you fish the topwater. If you get a strike that misses the plug, immediately drop that rod and put the RIPPIN' Stick on the spot. Just let it drop on a slack line. One will get it nearly every time!
If you prefer the RIPPIN' Stick type lure, or just get tired of the topwater plug and want a change of pace, throw the RIPPIN' Stick at every stump/piece of wood you can see. Do NOTHING but let it fall on a slack line. Watch that line for the strike. If you appear to get no strike, very carefully, take up the slack and feel of that lure. 50% of the time there will be one holding on.
As for time of day, I don't think it matters. For the past three days, the topwater bite went ALL DAY, no matter the wind or bright sunshine. It was a strong bite at all times.
One thing I did note is that early and late the bass appear to be further back in the wood and a bit shallower. From 9AM until around 5PM, they will move out a bit to the north. But, it is maybe 100 yards difference.
One of the really great things about these fish is that so many are large. I think that, in the 3 days (half day trips at that), we have caught probably 150-200 bass Of that number, only 3-4 have been under 2.5 lbs. We have not managed any 10-lb.+ fish. I think we had a few on that size, but did not manage to get them to the boat. But, we had four in the eight-pound range yesterday and three in the 9-lb. range on each of the other days. The 5-7 lb. bass were a dime a dozen. Don't go in there without some strong line and heavy rods.
May 10, 2006
That super hot topwater bite was good on Sunday and Monday, but way off yesterday, Tuesday (8 and 9 May). No way to explain that one. But, the RIPPIN' Stick was hot as a firecracker both days, as I expect it will be this afternoon (I am booked all week, with today being an afternoon trip).
There are a zillion bass from 2-4 lbs. back in all those stick-up, all across the Farm's south end. But, the eastern half is much cleaner and the activity levels higher.
Two more lures that will work in there are a small spinnerbait in a bright color and a VERY shallow lipped crank plug, like a Mann's Minus One. If it runs more than 3-4 inches deep, you will be hung a lot. The bright side is that you will see every strike on the plug.
One thing that did change from last week is that the big bass seem to have moved out of that shallow wood 100 yards off the south shore of Farm 13. We bombed them on Friday and Saturday, with an approximate combined total 9 bass in the 8-9 lb. range, all on RIPPIN' Sticks. It was obviously not the normal fishing those days, but it sure was great while it lasted. I am sure there are some of the big gals still there.
We took about 42 in a half day 8 May and around 30 in a half day on the 9th. Not a fish out of that two-day total was quite five lbs. That is really unusual. There are so many big bass in that impoundment, the odds usually give us at least one 7-8 lb. fish for every 15-20 caught.
RIPPIN' Stick color seems immaterial, as we caught bass on all five of our colors about equally (Green Pumpkin, JuneBug, Watermelon Seed, Pumpkinseed, and the bright chartreuse). JuneBug seemed to have a slight edge, but Watermelon Seed accounted for the larger fish.
Time of day still did not seem to matter. In fact, the topwater bite seemed to fall off the last hour, instead of increasing.
A WORD TO THE WISE - I can't help if it is also advertising, but this is just the truth and can help your pocketbook. Senko’s will set you back some 60-70 cents apiece. And, they are soft and usually tear off or rip on just one bass. The RIPPIN' Stick costs about 20-25 cents each. It is much tougher (4-8 fish per lure, on the average, if you run the hook down into the worm an inch before bringing the point back out; that also positions the hook at the mid-point of the lure and gives it the proper weight distribution for a horizontal fall) and will sink at a proper rate when you use floating super lines, such as Fireline, Power Pro, etc. lines. Because of its additional weight, the RIPPIN' Stick casts better in the wind, controls easier, and sinks faster because we packed the molten plastic base with all the salt it would dissolve/hold. Now, those are just facts about economics and performance. Sorry it comes off as a sales pitch, too.
May 8-10, 2006
This report is difficult. I had two gentlemen who told me earlier that they were highly experienced bass fishermen and wanted to only use artificials. They stated, emphatically ‘no shiners’. And, they only wanted short, half-day trips. With all the hot topwater bite and the RIPPIN’ Sticks being eaten like candy in previous days, I was excited to be able to show them some fine fishing experiences.
But, it turned out neither had a boat, nor even knew how to rig the hook in a worm or jerk bait. But, they did have a lot of brand new, very expensive equipment. They apparent fish small ponds from the bank on some golf courses. On top of that, one was an extremely rude individual.
I guess I just fell for what they said about their expertise and should have asked a few detailed questions. It is extremely important that your Guide understands the client’s knowledge/abilities, so as to plan the trip and assist the guests to the maximum.
I kept a good count of the fish caught. There would have been more, but a lot of strikes were missed. Monday’s total was 42. Tuesday, we had 30, with time lost due to high winds that came up. Wednesday, the winds got us again and there were only 18 bass taken, with one of the duo hardly fishing at all. Can't catch them if you don't fish!.
So, I find that in three short HALF-DAY trips out, we had a total of ninety (90) bass caught, all on artificials. Granted, we never got a fish over 5 lbs. and that I can’t explain. But, the count sure looked good to me, considering --. There could well have been some big bass at the other end of the many missed strikes experienced.
Their last words were that they had expected to catch many more fish and a lot of double-digit bass. They were very disappointed and said it was the all the Guide’s fault. Apparently, these guys thought the Stick Marsh bass were going to jump into the boat for them.
I have never had a booking like this one before. And, it certainly was very testing. Three major points come from this experience:
- Consider your Guide’s recommendations; after all, that’s one of the things you are paying him for.
- Catch rates, especially if you insist on using only artificials, are greatly influenced by the angler’s fishing competency and experience.
- Be nice, guys and gals, because NICE does matter.
May 7, 2006
Jake Cundy and Don Hanks were a real pleasure to fish with. They wanted those Stick Marsh bass and, hopefully, something like a giant, or two. We worked the topwater poppers and the RIPPIN’ Stick with pretty good success. But, we never got that giant bass. That was our first indication that the topwater bite might be slowing down. The soft plastics continued to be good, though.
 
May 5, 2006
Our old pal, Tommy Benson came back for a repeat performance of the trip we had with he and his Dad on 17 April. This time, though, Dad couldn’t come. So, Tommy got to work those bass over with a few shiners, the RIPPIN’ Stick and topwater. And, boy, did Tommy get the bass. Plus, he got that giant old gal, as you see in the picture. He kept yours truly on that net all afternoon.
As the afternoon progressed, Tommy asked me to fish along with him. So, I rigged a JuneBug RIPPIN’ Stick and started working the wood slowly. Suddenly, I got a strike and was into a nice 6-lb. fish. Almost immediately, I heard Tommy grunt and felt the boat jump as he set the hook hard. He’s into a bass nearly 8 lbs. and needed the net quickly. So, I held my ‘biggie’ next to the boat with one hand and wielded the net with the other. Once Tommy’s bass was safely in the net, I slid the net down the side of the boat and under my bass. It sure made a good picture.
May 2, 2006
 Brothers Gary and John Walker wanted to catch just one giant bass. But, they said they’d like a few smaller ones included. So, we opted for shiners to make sure we had the best possible odds at that giant bass.
Moving to the south end of the Farm, we set the Blazer boat across a small ditch. In this way, we could float the shiners in the ditch, as well along the small levees to each side. The location was a myriad of stumps and logs beneath the surface and just the perfect environment for big bass. In fact, we have caught over 70 bass 7 lbs., and over, from that one spot since January. I think that surely makes it a big bass location!!
In wasn’t long before both anglers were into fish. A good way to measure the action is to count the number of pictures I shot of their catches during the afternoon. We had 44 pictures, some of which you see on this page.
All afternoon, Gary and John traded the lead for the largest fish. First, one held the lead. Then, the other would top that. Then, leader number one would catch an even bigger fish and regain the lead. I was on the edge of my seat all afternoon, waiting for that 14 - 15 lb. monster to finally show up. But, that big a bass is a rare commodity anywhere you fish and we never got that one. But, the guys DID catch some big bass this day!
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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