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FARM 13 / STICK MARSH FISHING REPORT
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SEPTEMBER 2003
Special Trip To the Marsh - 26 Sep 03
 Old Jim had to slip away from all those smallmouths in the Carolina mountains and make a quick trip to Florida on business. So, we made a half-day to go check the Marsh. Boy, it was as though we'd never left (except for all that high water!!) Here is what we found.
Water Levels and Grass Conditions: Water levels are approx. 1 ft. above normal. It looks as if they water management folks have been dumping a lot into the St. Johns River basin, although there was none going out of the Stick Marsh when I was there. Clarity 2 to 3 Ft. Water is in great condition - clean and very clear. Hydrilla topped out all along south end of Farm 13 and old canal levees. But, the high water conditions make it very fishable!!
Best Current Patterns and Areas: The big SE gate was running, as well as the Farm gate on the east wall. The east wall gate was cut off right after I arrived. I found one school of bass and some crappie on it in the north side eddy area.
Best Lures and Colors: Carolina Rigged Stick-Os, and the Stick-O fished jerk bait style. Also used a medium diving Fat Free Shad in front of the east gate in the blowout hole. Crappie were wild about our PERFECT jig, but that is always the case. Just have to find them first. Then, crappie are a snap to catch. Kind of a dumb fish.
Comments/Tips/Recent Trips: I started just outside the opening in the trees near the ramp. The sump hole there and the old stumps you can see directly in front of the opening usually have a school of bass somewhere in the vicinity. That is where I 'broke in' the old Skeeter with 28 good fish just before departing for NC last June. I had to look for these fish for a few minutes, but one gave them away when he busted a hapless shiner on top. They were holding along the east side of the sump hole, about 50 feet back from the first stump and towards the opening in the trees. At real low water, you can see that there are 3 old short stumps at that location along the edge of the sump hole. At normal water levels, these stumps pose no problem to boating. They just hold bass at times. But, it would be good to remember they are there when the water levels get 3 feet low. Next, we went to the submerged roadbed between the Farm and the Marsh. It is sometimes full of big bass, but this time we caught 2 dinks. On over to the east side gate we went and found it running strong. It was almost too strong to fish a Carolina rig worm, and that is really running water! So, we rigged some extra weight and fished from the side. Tossing the Stick-O up towards the gate, we let the current push it along towards the back lip of the blowout hole. The strikes were constant. But, they were so soft that it was really hard to detect them. Ring that up to the fast current, the rough bottom the lure was bouncing across, and maybe just bass that weren't that hungry. We had one good fish around 7 lbs., but all the rest were just 'fish'. We caught a 13.7 here last year, so we always have great expectations for that gate area!! Suzanne remembers it well, too, don't you, girl?! Next, we sampled three shellbeds we like and found fish on only one. Plus, there were not many there, either. So, we took the Stick-O and went jerk baiting some grass. Topwater did not produce for us. But, by dead-sticking the soft lure (just letting it fall on a slack line), we were able to draw a lot of strikes. We would connect with about half the fish, so I suspect the other half were either bluegills or real small bass. We did catch one little bass that was 6 inches long on the 4-inch lure. So, some of the others could have been his brothers and sisters.
One other type location produced as we were running out of time and daylight. The intersections of the Farm side canals held some bass, but they were 2 lbs. and under. Plus the center N/S canal had a decent school about 2/3rds of the way to the north end. Again, though, they were just fish and nothing over 2 - 2 1/2 lbs. It's a good time to visit the Marsh. Try to find a time when the storms are not so much of a threat and you'll have a good time!! I will be back for the winter around 12 Oct, so say hello if we run across each other.
Weather Comments: Light winds and warm in the mornings; hot with thunderstorms in the afternoons. But, they seem to be fading and we don't have them every darn day as in the middle of summer.
SAFETY NOTES:
- Drink lots of liquids and wear light clothing, that is ALSO light colored.
- Learn to recognize the symptoms of heatstroke.
- Watch for storms and that killer lightening.
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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