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FARM 13 / STICK MARSH FISHING REPORT
Month of October, 2003
October 26 2003 - CRAPPIE REPORT
 THE WEATHER COOLED A BIT THE PAST 48 HOURS.: As we informed you earlier, some cooling trends will move the crappie from the dense grass out to the edges and eventually into open water. Once in the open water, they will school up and cruise the open water adjacent to the cover zones. Some will go into the deeper canal traces. But, they will again be reasonable accessible without having to try and fish in the middle of the grass mats. We were out yesterday to check what the cooler weather may have done to the soft jerk bait action and to see if any more crappie had started to gather on our favorite open water spots. It appears the cooling was not sufficient to affect the bass at all. They are still chasing the plastic like they were starving to death. On our crappie spots, we did not find MORE crappie. But, we did find much larger ones. That is a sign of movement, as the bigger fish always assert 'pecking order' rights for the choice locations. So, things are ! looking good!!
 Here's WHAT WE ARE USING: As always, we like our little PERFECT crappie jig. And, so do the fish.
Here's HOW WE ARE RIGGING IT: We use it on 6-lb. Fireline and it casts great. However, if the wind is blowing, it is a help to either add a BB split shot 6 inches up the line, or tie a second jig on. When we use tandem PERFECT jigs, we usually tie them about 8 inches apart. Sure makes casting easier in thoses winds. The added weight is also good if we are letting the jig go all the way to the bottom in the canal traces.
Here's HOW WE ARE PRESENTING IT: There are a LOT of ways to present a jig to a crappie. But, 99 times out of a hundred, a very slow and steady retrieve works best. No jigging, jerking, or speed changes with the PERFECT jig. Just cast it out, let it sink to the desired depth, and reel it back slowly and steadily. That's about as simple as it gets.
 SAFETY NOTES:
- Watch closely when you go out into the Stick Marsh through the opening in the trees. Apparently, some people think they are being Weekend Semi-Pros if they run at 50 MPH all the way to the ramp. Someday, one will meet the other as one comes from that little canal to the west of the opening. Common sense is a terrible thing to waste.
- There are still a lot of floaters out there. Be careful and watch for them, especially hung in the grass.
- If you don't know where the stumps are in the Marsh and in the south end of the Farm, for goodness sake, ASK someone. Lower units and transoms can be repaired, but death is tough to fix.
October 25 2003 - CRAPPIE REPORT
Here's WHAT, HOW, and WHAT WITH:
We have had a cooling trend the past week and the crappie are starting to sense a cooling in the water. That means they will be starting to move from the thickest grass beds and out to the edges of the cover to bunch up until spawning time. That bunching is when the open water of the the big canal between the Farm and the Marsh gets right. Plus, the open areas adjacent to grass beds will start producing. I did great on them yesterday about mid-way in the north half of the center canal on the Farm side. I used the PERFECT jig in cinnamon w/chartruse tail and the chartruse w/blue tail. But, truthfully, I don't think the color had anything to do with it. I just found the fish. I cast right down the center of the canal and ran the jig slowwwyyyy right down the middle of the canal and over the grass growing in the canal trace, itself. Also, the bigger ones were good in the Farm's E/W canal, but you need to fish for them in a spec! ial way. Forget the grass. In that canal they hang right against the SIDES of the dug out portion of the canal. It is hard, like coquina stone. Get the jig or minnow right against the side wall at about 8-10 feet. Don't fish in the middle nor along the grass. Concentrate on the SIDES down at 8-10 feet. I am sure minnows will worl just as well, if you can keep the Needlefish off them. A bonus to fishing deep along the canal walls is that you catch a ton of bluegills, shellcrackers and a good number of bass on the jig, too.
SAFETY NOTES:
- Watch for drufting logs. We have had lots of wind and many have broken loose from the banks.
- DO NOT run in the traces of the canals in the Farm 13 side. That is where most of the floaters get lodged. Then, they can't get out oif the canal trace because the submerged end comes in contact with the leeve. Run the OPEN water of the Farm and stay out of the canals!
- When you have to cross one of the Farm's submerged canals, slow down as you approach the grass lines on each side. That's where a lot of the logs hang up and stop. Then, the grass gets whipped over them by the waves and they will eat your lower unit for lunch!
October 22, 2003
When Jose Armas called about fishing the Stick Marsh, he said he only wanted one thing: to catch one of those giant bass. I explained that there are a LOT of big bass in the Marsh. But, there are also just a LOT of bass of all sizes. Catching a trophy is usually a matter of fishing where trophy bass appears to hang out a lot, the large bass bring able to beat the hoards of smaller bass to the lure/bait, and of course a bit of luck.
I promised that we’d do our best.
Jose and his fishing buddy, Steve Cordero, made the long drive up from Miami, ready to ‘get with the program’. These two had been fishing together for a long time and were really enthusiastic about fishing. As much as I hate to report it, they did not get the trophy bass they wanted so badly. But, what DID happen more than satisfied them!!! In fact, it blew their minds.
Being experienced fishermen, Jose and Steve very quickly adapted to the unweighted, fast action jerk bait technique we have been using with such success. As we began, I gave the usual demonstration of how I recommended they fish it. On my second cast, I caught a decent bass. That immediately got their blood going strong.
 The area we were fishing, on the south end of Farm 13, had been producing great for the past 10 days. The fish were really stacked in there and each day we had been able to get at least one 6-lb. bass, along with a number between 3 and 4. But, the average was just under 2-lbs. My theory is that there were so many of the smaller, faster bass in this area that they simply beat the larger fish to the lure most of the time.
Jose and Steve wasted no time getting started and both began to catch fish at will. Jose worked the soft jerk bait rapidly across the water, very similar to using a rapid ‘walk the dog’ approach with a Zara Spook. It is the method I prefer, as I believe it agitates the bass and draws a lot of ‘let’s kill it’ strikes. Steve employed a mixed approach. Sometimes he worked rapidly and, at other times, he slowed it down and paused to let the lure free-fall for a count, or two. Both worked very well. Again, most of the bass were just ‘catching-size’ fish and there were a lot of them. Occasionally, a 3-lb. bass showed up and maybe one or two a bit larger. We do know that one really nice fish took Jose’s Stik-O lure. The big gal rolled on the fast-tracking lure and made a large boil. She, then, started taking Jose back to Miami!!! But, alas, she pulled off before we even got a good look at her, so we can’t even estimate the size.
 We started fishing around 10:00AM and finished at 6:30 PM. It was basically non-stop action all the way. When we got back to the ramp, I asked Jose how many fish he estimated they had caught. He was adamant that they had broken 100!! I said that I figured it to be around 80, but that I had lost count around the 65 mark. Either way, both anglers were elated at the sheer quantities of bass caught and released that day, as it was far in excess of anything they had ever experienced.
And, that’s the way it continues to be on the fantastic Stick Marsh right now. Read our last few reports and you will see that the bass are extremely active and well concentrated in large quantities in the Farm 13 area. I don’t know if a major cold front will cause this great pattern to go away, or not. Right now, and into early November, I see no significant weather changes. But, a good cold snap always comes to Florida around the second week of November. I suppose we wait and see. Just be sure and try to experience the current superior fishing, if you get the opportunity. You don’t need a guide. Just go to the south end of the Farm 13 and use the baits and techniques I have listed.
As additional information, the weather is very comfortable now and the nights are cool, The rains have all but stopped and the storms non-existent. The water in the impoundment is in EXCELLENT condition, with basically clear and clean conditions everywhere.
“GOD DOES NOT DEDUCT FROM MAN’S ALLOTTED TIME THOSE HOURS SPENT FISHING.”
(Author unknown)
CORRECTION TO PREVIOUS REPORT: In our smallmouth story, we indicated that the record smallmouth bass was 10-lbs. 14-oz. from Dale Hollow Lake in Tennessee. It turns out that the record book says that there was an 11-lb. 5-oz. caught in that same lake. The 10-lb. fish is listed as the ‘Unlimited Tackle’ record, while the 11-lb. Smallie is listed as the ‘All Tackle’ record. We just failed to read enough fine print, I suppose. But, I am still not sure what the designations really mean. How-some-ever, it is pretty clear that the 11-lb. 5-oz. smallmouth was the bigger fish. So, we take a slap up the side of the head with a wet shiner and will strive to do better!
October 18, 2003
We are back in high gear guiding the Stick Marsh now. With four trips is the past six days, it is noted that the fishing is still fantastic!!! Plus, the weather has cooled and the rains subsided. What can be better?!
Last Monday, we were out with Don Hitchcock of Melbourne, Fla. What we found set the stage for great fishing for the next two trips. Working numerous locations and patterns, we found the Stik-O to be best. It did not appear to matter how it was worked, slow or fast, it would produce well. But, it was obvious that a fast, erratic retrieve prompted many more strikes. With Don Trafford, on Wednesday, we solidified the findings and established a basic pattern that produces in any location where there was submerged grass. I suspect it will also work well around the grass on the surface, but our success was so good, we elected to stay with the submerged grass. Trafford was an experienced angler and adapted to the un-weighted Stik-O quickly. The hardest part was remembering NOT to set the hook on the strike.
Our trip Thursday, 16 Oct., was with the 'Brothers Brewer'. Kid brother, Dave, who lives in our area was hosting his older brother, Wayne, for a day on the Marsh. Wayne had flown in all the way from San Francisco for a visit and Dave wanted to show him the best thing around -- the bass of the fabled Stick Marsh! They were not disappointed either!
First, I must tell you that Dave and Wayne deserve a lot of credit. They made their own success but working with the un-weighted Stik-O rig until they got the hang of it. Neither had ever fished this type lure before and neither really fishes too much these days. You see, both are in their very senior years. But, they stayed with it for a good 5 hours.
We started out in the south end of the Farm 13 side drifting over submerged grass in five feet of water. As we started, I picked up a rod and demonstrated how to work the lure. And, as fate would have it (as well as a guide's luck), I caught a 2-lb. fish on that cast. That got everyone ready to go, for sure.
Whereas Trafford and I had done well across this grass flat the day before, today the fish appeared sparse. Dave was the first to get a couple of strikes and figure out how to fish the Stik-O, so he brought a few small fish aboard. Wayne was working his lure slower and did not score. After four drifts across different sections of the flat with minimal success, we decided to move to an adjacent bank area where the hyacinths were stacked up along the grass. The chop on the water was slapping into the hyacinths and we could see a few bluegills and shiners working small insects or grass shrimp.
Sure enough, the bass were right there! Dave and Wayne immediately doubled up, with Wayne's 3 lb. fish being the best. For the remainder of our short day on the water, we worked approximately 50 yards of this shoreline. I would hold the big STRATOS against the wind and ease it along, while Dave and Wayne perfected their handling of the Stik-O finesse technique. As the two gentlemen caught more and more bass, their skills also sharpened with the lure. Soon, it became apparent that both had become very proficient. 80 and 83 years of age', or not, Dave and brother Wayne proved that you sure CAN teach a pair of old dogs some new tricks!!!
Our final tally was around 24 Stick Marsh largemouths for the Brothers Brewer, with Dave having four in the 3-4 lb. range. Wayne's last fish was a good 4 lbs. to cap our catch. There was also a 6-lb. fish that came over the side, but that was a case of the 'guide's luck' again. I had cast out one of the Stik-Os behind the boat to get a loop out of the line on the reel. Wouldn't you know that big old sow would be right there when it hit the water?!
My wife, Dot, and I went for three hours yesterday and fished the same general area that I had taken the Brewers into. Dot is so good with that soft jerk bait that she had me 7 to 2 before I realized what was happening. So, I got to play catch-up for the next little while. But, I got even with a 6 and a 4-lb. pair. The three hours showed what experienced anglers could expect at the Marsh right now, as my bride and I boated 40 fish.
So, it's a good time to fish the Marsh. The water and air are cooling and the fish activity is excellent. The crappie are also starting to come from deep within the cover to the edges of the grass beds. We found lots of smaller crappie readily available on both the Hitchcock and Trafford trips. A couple of more cold fronts and that fishing will get hot.
Remember to book you fishing trip with us as early as possible. Our tel. is 321-951-7841 and our email is jporter@stickmarsh.com.
Now, get off your duff and go fishing!!!!!
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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