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RECOMMENDED BY JIM PORTER
FARM 13 / STICK MARSH FISHING REPORT
FOR JANUARY 2002
January 30, 2002
The road has been graded twice in 5 days - a minor miracle. It is still a bit rough in a couple of short sections, but much improved over what it usually is. The water level, unfortunately, appears to be slowly receding and is now about 6 inches below normal pool. That is still OK for safety and you can continue to run on plane in those areas we normally run. I certainly hope we get rain and do not have a repeat of last year's stump races.
There were two algae blooms early this week, but there appears to have been minimal effect. One was in the SW corner of the farm side and the other in the center of the Stick Marsh portion. Prevailing winds push the greenish/blue milky-looking water around to other areas somewhat. But, most appears to have dissipated. There were a few dead catfish noted in the Farm. But, other than that, we were lucky yet again. We did catch bass right in the middle of a lot of the poor looking water. But, we were down deep with a big crank plug to do it (photo).
Bass continue to be good in the south Farm areas on shallow crank plugs and Traps. If the grass is thin enough, a Texas rig worm does the trick. A few top water bites happened and we expect this to gradually improve as the peak of the spawn ends.
As stated in earlier reports, we think the crappie may spawn a bit early in the Stick Marsh. They nearly always start in mid-February on the full or new moon. This year, it would appear that might be new moon in the 2nd week of the moth. By the next full moon, in late February, the spawn should be really going strong.
We took our pal, Jimmy Garrett, out for a few hours yesterday to check the crappie (photo). (Jimmy, you may recall, visits the ramp daily with his wheelchair and yellow dog, Otis.)
We make one quick stop on a piece of canal structure for bass and took a 6 pound fish immediately on a crank plug. That was the only strike there. Moving to a blowout hole in front of an intake gate, we zeroed again on bass. So, it was off to the crappie hole.
The crappie were ready and willing to cooperate, as we tried our 4 new PERFECT crappie jig colors on them. I still can't figure which color is really best for the fish, since they all seem to do well. I suppose color is just going to be a 'fisherman' preference. The crappie we are fishing are NOT spawning, but sure are in the location to do so. The water is 4-5 feet deep, with stumps and sparse grass. It is close to some hyacinth clumps along the south shore of the Farm, so I suspect there are many more crappie groupings like these. We just have to find them.
January 26, 2002
I received this email from Williams 6T9 in Jacksonville this morning and it was a very timely question.
QUESTION
Jim:
How the spec fishing? Has it improved any?
ANSWER
Funny you should ask today.
We had Wayne Winters and his wife, Myrna, out yesterday for a combined bass/spec day. We went through the shiners with a few bass. But, I think the mudfish or gar were killing most of them. One goal was to catch Myrna something bigger than 2 pounds, which was her largest to date. Well, the first bass she got topped that by a wide margin. In fact, we catch very few bass under 2.5-3 pounds in the Marsh.
After going through our small number of shiners, we moved over into the south end of the Farm. I had caught a decent number at this location during the week before, so I knew they were somewhere around.
This was also an area where I had found some big crappie before our cold spells set in. What I had found was that the crappie appeared to come from under the grass mats and to the edges late in the day.
Wayne, Myrna and I got there around 2 PM yesterday, a bit early I figured. But, we quickly caught 4-5 small ones off the edges of the grass. Then, I got the notion that they might be out BEHIND us in the deeper water and grass, rather than under the mats. It made sense, since the females need the warm sun and warming water to raise their body temperatures and ripen the eggs.
So, I backed out 50 -100 feet and -bingo - there they were. Great big old slabs, too. We had 42 in the boat by 5 PM and had tossed back a number of smaller ones.
The water was 5-6 feet deep and had some stumps and sparse grass. This is exactly the type area they usually spawn in, too. So, I suspect they may be going to spawn early due to the excessively warm temps were have had. I cleaned 5 to eat last night and the eggs were very bright yellow. But, more importantly, the big red blood vessels had started to appear within the egg sacs. That is a sure sign they are getting close to laying them.
The crappie may be anywhere in the Stick Marsh where there are those same conditions. They don't need the wood, but they do spawn only where there is some grass. They do not make nests, like bass and bluegills (you have never heard of anyone seeing crappie nests on a sandy bottom, have you?). Crappie expel their eggs in stringy masses that are real sticky and they rub up against the grass to make the eggs stick to it.
Anywhere along the south end of the Farm is a good possibility right now, especially the B-2,3 and C-2,3 coordinates (see the map on my website for coordinate references). The Nursery area (B-2,3) is always a crappie spawning location, so it is a good bet.
Because of the grass, minnows are not a good choice. The will be hung a lot and will get grass on the hooks and line. But, pre-spawn and spawning crappie are so aggressive and protective of their chosen areas, they will readily attack most anything that comes close.
So, we recommend jigs, or small spinners (however, spinners are subject to fouling in the grass a lot, too). I use 6-LB line and a light action spinning outfit. We hold the rod tip up and pull the jig at a slow and steady pace, keeping it about 18 inches under the surface. I used three new colors of our PERFECT jig, which we are about to announce on the website (the new colors are to provide the angler a color choice; but, quite honestly, I can't find that color matters too much to a crappie, so long as the jig is small and moves slowly). Wayne and Myrna opted for some small twister-tail grub bodies on 1/16-ounce jig heads and the crappie thought they were just fine, too.
As for bass, shallow crank plugs, jerk baits, and worms continue to do fine. We even caught 3 nice bass real quick on spinnerbaits over in the SW area of the Marsh side the other day. That is a really good sign of activity.
You will find that the cold weather recently has caused the grass to die off on the surface. A lot of it is breaking off and really clogging the open water areas, making some fishing difficult. It is a good point to note the wind directions for the day and recognize that the loose grass is going to be moving in that direction.
The road was graded Thursday, thanks to a telephone call Sunny Wells made to the Stick Marsh area manager for the St. Johns Water Management District. As last time, the grading was minimal and is only going to be of value possibly through the weekend. Water levels are 4 inches low, but pose no danger in the normal boat run areas. Watch for floaters out there.
January 23, 2002
Road is in only fair condition. Very washboard-rough in places. Water is dropping a bit. Now about 6 inches off normal level. But, that does not cause any problems yet. Artificials are picking up markedly. Rat-L-Traps, as we have been saying, are still the better choice, with shallow crank plugs and jerk baits running next. Only 1 out of 6-8 boats I talk to have been doing well on artificials. So, it is not a sure thing yet, unless you know the place well. Shiners are still a good choice through the end of Feb. I like to get 6 doze shiners, run them out, and then go to artificials. It has worked well on most trips. We have been getting some BIG bass, but they are not being caught nearly in the numbers as you might be led to believe. You have to work for them. But, make enough casts and catch enough fish and there will eventually be a giant in there somewhere.
January 22, 2002
Did you ever talk about an exciting event and suddenly have it happen? Sorta blows your mind, ya know? So it happened yesterday when we were out with Ron Hight and Bob Alexander on the Stick Marsh.
Bob is a rather experienced fisherman and has his priorities in the correct order. When he is not working, he is usually fishing. In order to maximize this approach to life, Bob went into the consulting business so he could set his own work schedule. Maybe I should re-phrase that - 'so he could set his own fishing schedule'. Where sailors are known to have a 'girl in every port', Bob has the business set up so that he has a fishing contact at every customer location. That would work for me. His friend, Ron, is one of those retirees with everything set up, too. He is basically a full time RV'er, going where he wants when he wants. Additionally, he has a lake house on Lake Martin, in Alabama (we have chased those spotted bass there a few times, you betcha!), and another place in Washington State. So, neither guest was a 'slouch' at fishing and we were on the line to produce some action.
Our first spot was a proven giant fish location, so we made a quick stop to see if she was home. Four shiners roamed the area for 20 minutes, daring anything to come and try to eat them. Not even a gar or a mudfish cared to take our prized offerings. So, up with the anchors and off to the next location.
The winds were just right to push our shiners directly into the grass line were had chosen to fish. So, we anchored the big STRATOS parallel to the grass line and started baiting up. While I got the rigs arranged and baited, I mentioned to Bob that this grass line had produced many trophy bass in the past, and many in the past couple of months. I explained that the bass appeared to like to stay under the vegetation mat. Further, that if the bass were there and if the shiner was placed really close to the vegetation, the fish often took the shiner immediately.
Swinging a big, sassy shiner over to the edge of the grass, we watched it splash down. Suddenly, at about the same time, we all realized that the bobber had never stopped and was nowhere to be seen. Further, the 50-pound Fireline was slowly swimming towards our right. I handed the rod to Bob, who happen to be on the right side, and said simply, "She's got it."
'Got it', she had.
Bob Alexander let the bass take out the slack line until it started to become taunt and then gave one of those good 'turn the boat over' hook sets. But, it did not even seem to phase the fish. She just continued to swim away, just at a stronger pace. It was obvious to even the most casual observer that this was no lightweight fish.
I let Bob know the line was 50-pound test and he let the fish know, in return. While the big girl did not stop, she changed directions and started a right-hand arc around the front of the boat. Bob took advantage of the slight turn and pulled her head around so that she wound up coming back to the original side of the boat. She made a couple of runs to the deeper water, another move to the left and back to the right, and then made the mistake of coming close alongside. I put the net under water and Bob lead her right over it.
Our digital scale, having malfunctioned on a giant fish the week before, had not been replaced and remained defective. But, it gave us an indication from which to interpolate the weight. With that and our experience with giant Stick Marsh bass, I estimate the big female at 11 pounds, possibly more. She was a beautiful specimen, with no defects and no imperfections on her huge frame. Being packed with eggs, we quickly took some photos and let he go back about her business.
That grass line, plus two other adjacent locations have Bob and Ron another 18-20 bass, with only one fat pre-spawn female being under three pounds. Ron had the next largest fish of the day take his shiner in open water 30-40 feet off the vegetation mats.
With the day becoming late, we wound up the shiner rods and moved over to a large stump-infested flat for some quick artificial try-outs. Two nice three pound bass quickly went on the Model C77 Big O crank plugs.
Then, Bob indicate he would like to have enough crappie for a meal, so we broke out our PERFECT jigs and ultra-light outfits and moved in against a hyacinth block. The wind made it hard to feel the fish well, not to mention place the jigs accurately. Out of eight crappie caught in the next 20 minutes, only two were keepers. So, we released them and called it a day.
A GOOD day, at that. Thanks for the fine time, guys. I enjoyed it more than you did!!
January 21, 2002
Guiding fishing parties allows one to meet and associate with many different people. It makes for a variety of experiences, many of which are cherished for a long time.
- Don M - The 83 year-old gentleman who wanted to experience catching a trophy bass in his twilght years. And, he did, too.
- Ronnie M - The young man who Fate cheated with its onslaught of Lou Gerigs disease in the prime of his life. Ronnie got his largest bass ever.
- Nat and Ben M - 12 and 15 year old boys of an overseas missionary family who, through the magic of the Internet in Singapore, had seen this thing called 'fishing' and longed to try it. Between them, they brought 45 bass over the side of the boat on buzz baits.
- Tommy B - A challenged young man, who is a bit slow, expressed a genuine love for fishing, but just couldn't go alone. He caught a true Stick Marsh giant on warm April afternoon.
- Tina J - She was about as troubled a young teen girl as there ever was, in and out of different foster homes and juvenile facilities. Then, she got to go fishing and see the real outdoors outside the ghetto life.
- Art and Tom - What a pair! Boyhood friends, students at the same seminary, and now pastors of their own Southern Baptist churches - and so 'full of it' that I had to wear my rain suit on a clear, sunny day. They personified what true friends really are.
- Jay F - As a linebacker for the Buffalo Bills, Jay is a terror on opposing running backs. But, he handles a bass so gently, they almost seems to smile up at him as he removes the hook.
- Robert D - Awaiting a heart transplant with no real guarantee of success, Robert was facing the inevitable and was about as low mentally as a person gets. For two days, though, he was as high as a kite, catching and releasing 100 bass up to 11 pounds. Robert is somewhere else now, catching trophies every minute.
The list goes on and on and keeps building. I never ceased to be amazed and delighted at all the pleasure fishing gives me, over and above the fishing itself.
Take this past week, for example.
"How often do you take the boys out fishing?" I asked Gene Coleman.
"About every weekend", he answered, noting that they would be grown and gone from the nest all too soon.
At ages 16 (Eric) and 6 (Alex), the boys were obviously Gene's pride and joy. And, Gene Coleman struck me as the kind of guy every kid should have for a father - patient, caring, loving. When Gene first contacted me about a trip, his initial comments were that he wanted the boys to experience a real fishing trip and all that went with it. As he explained further, the father indicated that he had recently purchased a small boat and motor, but that he was somewhat limited in his own knowledge of fishing.
The first thing I noticed, when we met at the ramp that morning, was a brand new rod and reel in each boy's hands. The second thing was the anticipation of going fishing - that anticipation was so thick, it could have been cut with a knife.
Setting out to teach a few shiners to swim and catch some fish, we found the fish not very cooperative in the areas we had chosen. Those that did take the shiners often got free meals as we were slow to learn to set the hook with authority.
Taking a break from the shiners, we moved to the edge of a grass line and rigged Alex's new rod with a small bobber and hook. Adorning the hook with a fine, healthy cricket, we pitched the rig towards a patch of hyacinths. Then, we watched as the bobber did its quivering dance and suddenly shot downwards. The huge bluegill made a lightening run to the left, but Alex turned him around like a pro. Then, the fish ran right and, again, Alex managed to hold him. Cranking like mad, the young man brought the fish alongside the boat and we scooped him up. 'Proud' is probably a weak choice of words to describe Alex at that moment. They are few things more satisfying than seeing an excited youngster with his first big bluegill on his own fishing rod.
After sacrificing a few more crickets, we moved into a new area and again set out the shiners. This time, we hit the jackpot! As we baited up, we saw a school of bass chase baitfish out of the water and up onto the bank right where we intended to fish. Watching their feeding frenzy unfold, we saw the bass were actually running the baitfish up and back along a 50-foot section of the bank where some hyacinths provided a bit of cover. At times, the pursued baitfish became airborne as they jumped completely over the vegetation mat in their bid to escape.
All we had to do was lay the shiner right in next to the vegetation and it was consumed by a hungry bass. Not too many 'if's, ands, or buts' here - shiner hits water, bass hits shiner. With the adults doing the initial hook setting, Eric would handle the 7-foot rods as best he could and eventually bring the bass to the boat. Unfortunately, there were no trophy bass for us. But, we did consume all the shiners, and Eric and Alex got to see some real bass feeding activity, complete with flying water and flying baitfish.
Back at the ramp, we loaded the big STRATOS onto its trailer and re-told the stories of some of the day's adventures. In hopes they would continue to fish with their Dad, I gave each youngster a big plastic bag crammed with assorted fishing lures.
This is the email I got back from Gene Coleman the next evening:
" Jim,
Just wanted to write and thank you for a GREAT time fishing Monday. We really appreciate all of your help and guidance. Not only did we catch a respectable amount of fish, we also learned a great deal. It was EXACTLY what I had hoped to accomplish. Years from now the boys and I will have great memories of our fantastic day of fishing at the Marsh and I guarantee Alex will always remember the day Mr. Porter took him fishin' and let him drive the boat. Thank you so much! Gene Coleman.
P.S. Alex liked his new lures you gave him so much he wanted to sleep with them. We talked him out of it, but I owe him a tackle box!"
That's what it's all about.
January 18, 2002
Water is normal level. Weather is stable, with no major changes due and little wind. Road was finally graded on the 17th. BUT, they did a very poor job, so there are some rough spots. Watch closely and save your equipment some wear and tear.
The artificial lure of choice right now has to be the Rat-L-Trap type, followed closely by a 3-4 foot deep crank plug (we use a middle-size Big O or a small lip Model A) and a Senko-type soft plastic (we found the Bass Pro Shop store brand 'Stick-O' to be a near duplicate of the more expensive Senko bait). Shiners continue their normal job of catching lots of fish.
As the cold front effects wear off, the dense grass in the marsh is thinning. This especially true for surface grass down to 3-4 feet. There are a LOT of places in the Stick Marsh now that have great open water in the midst of the dense surface mats and the Trap does well. 12 and 13 Jan, we had really great success on the Trap, as well as some fish on topwater. A mild front pass on Tuesday evening and had some effect, but not too much. Wednesday, we found the Trap was still good. So long as the water remains up, the grass will continue to recede and the crank plug fishing will get better and better.
There are some large openings between the thinner mats in the SE section of the Marsh side (coordinates F-9 and 10 on our interactive map). Most will have brush top remains down about 3.5 - 4 feet. Keep the lures right across the tops of that brush. Give a Texas rig worm a try, too. But, weight in lightly. Where the brush thins, you can get pulled overboard. There are some VERY large bass using the SE part of the marsh side. Incidentally, you will also find crappie in some of those openings. The cold weather we have had makes the crappie bunch in the open areas prior to the Feb spawning. That bunching has happened. There are also a few good open areas out in the dense mats in the west end of the Marsh, in the C-11 and 12, and B 11 and 12 coordinate areas. The grass is under 3 to 5 feet in some of these openings and we were successful with shiners. But, our major success was last weekend with Traps and the Senko-type worm application. And, we saw a number of fish in the 4-6 lb range.
On our recent trip with Walt Jorgensen and his pal, Skip, we fished shiners in these western open places. However, what we experienced was a bit odd. Of all the fish caught on shiners and the Traps, not a one was over 3 lbs (see photos). That is extremely rare in a place such as the Marsh. Normally, if you catch enough fish, the odds give you some big ones. But, 'somedays you is the bug and somedays you is the windshield'.
January 12, 2002
Go back and read yesterday's report on fishing with Bill and David Segall. Then, keep these words from the report in mind: "Bill got the big fish (photo), as shown in the photo, while David's all were just 'fish' (photo)."
Now, take a good look at this giant Lady David is handling with such care! 10-1/2, and then the scale stopped climbing. It still refused to read further, even after re-setting. Might have been 12. Who knows, but it was one BIGGG old sow, for sure. Now Dad's playing catch-up!! What will tomorrow bring?? It's anyone's guess.
Watch the following write-up and refer to our interactive Stick Marsh map. We will tell you exactly where we all were fishing.
This morning, bright and early, Bill and David went back to the exact place that we stopped yesterday's guide trip (map coordinates F-10). They had brought their own boat and planned to fish 2 more days. Boy, are we glad they did. Bill got the big bass yesterday and David got all the 'dinks'. Today, the places were reversed. And, it looks like they probably did not really need a guide.
My wife, Dot, and I went down at noon today and checked in with the Segalls. At that time, they had 7-8 bass on shiners. We decided to go work artificials and see if the cold front effects were easing, while Bill and David continued to teach those shiners to swim.
Moving 50 yards to the west, we quickly nailed 2 bass on jerk baits. Satisfied that would work to some degree, Dot and I went to the west end of the Marsh (B-11) and fished the holes in the thick grass. Grass bass went on the jerk bait. 2 pounds of fish and 6 pounds of grass! Switching to a Pop-R, we surprised everyone by hammering 3 quick fish. Wow!! Topwater was working well. That was a major sign of improvement!
Over on the west levee of the Marsh (A-10 and A-11), we tossed floating worms. A slow and steady retrieve with the unweighted worms produced 3 quick quality fish. One was a lady-in-spawning, with a bulging belly of future fishing excitement. Suddenly, a shallow crank plug called a good fish up. We were on a roll, it seemed.
Then, the cell phone rang. Bill Segall said, "I think we have a quality fish for photos here."
We replied that we had been doing well with a series of lures. Bill advised they had caught 7 fish on Rat-L-Traps, while floating the shiners. Boy, the bite was sounding better and better. The cold front conditions were finally gone!!
A few minutes later, we pulled up beside the Segall's boat. David, who was almost shaking in his boots, retrieved his 'quality fish for photos' from the live well. It just kept coming and coming out of that well! Take a look and tell us this isn't what people flock to the Stick Marsh for!! 10-1/2 pounds (maybe even more) of pure trophy bass. David's big girl was everything we ever dream off in a giant fish - big, healthy, full of eggs, wonderful color. Absolutely the best!!! After we snapped the photos, David Segall gently placed the big bass in the water and slowly moved her back and forth to pass water across her gills. Very quickly, the giant bass collected her wits. Then, befitting a real trophy bass, she slapped water in David's face and shot for the depths of the Stick Marsh. It was storybook stuff, for sure.
Rolling up what we saw this afternoon, we think the extreme cold fronts since Xmas and the New Year have now been neutralized by the current warming trends. The extended weather forecasts show no major fronts. So, we expect to see a MAJOR upswing in bass catching on the Stick Marsh. It has been very good, with a slow-down since the strong fronts. But, now, it is coming back. And, it looks to be coming back strong. We predict that the south end of the Farm, coordinates D-2 and 500 hundred yards to either side, will be a trophy spot.
We also predict that the next 'hot zone' of Stick Marsh fishing will be coordinates F-10, 11 and E-10, 11. Count on it.
Crowds are light right now. The parking lot has a lot of space. This may be the time for YOUR big bass. It sure looks like the next 2 weeks are going to be the stuff fishing stories are made of. We just have to hope for weak weather fronts. You don't need a guide to fish the Stick Marsh, IF you do your homework. But, if you plan to fish 3, or more, days, it would be a good investment to get one for the first day.
Me? I am booked pretty good, but do have some openings. But, I will set you up with someone who is a great angler and knows the Stick Marsh well - someone I can guarantee. So, if you call for a booking, rest assured you will be taken good care of. You have our word on that.
January 11, 2002
Seems like everytime we go out with Ron Norris, from the freezer box of Michigan, it rains and blows like the dickens. Last May and then on 2 January (see the 2 January fishing reports) were no exceptions. So, when we decided to go out again on 7 January, I figured we had it made. The weather reports were mild conditions and no rain until late that night.
Wrong (I sure am glad I am not a weatherman!). As you can see by the rain suits, the weather scheduled moved up a bit. BUT, the good part was the approaching cold front did have some warmer air in front of it and the bass decided to feed a little.
Since late November, my hot lure in the south end of the Farm side has been a shallow crank plug. Specifically, the 2-1/4 inch Cordell Big O (the middle size of the three models). It runs about 3-4 feet on a slow to medium retrieve, and its flat running position makes it bounce off stumps exceptionally well. (TIP: a shallow Model A Bomber will do about the same thing.)
Crank plugs and cold fronts don't go together well, but we decided to be hardheaded and try them for awhile anyway. I'm glad we did. The Big O lure got the 'biggie' fish of the day (see photo). Then, Ron switched over to another similar crank plug that I could not identify and got the next-biggest in short order (photo).
We also found that a SENKO would work, if dead-sticked. Ron had a good touch with it and boated a few, but no big fish.
As soon as the fronts slow down and we get a good warming trend in Florida, look for artificial fishing to really take off!!!
Yesterday, we had the pleasure of hosting Bill Segall and his son, David, from the West Coast of Florida. Bill, an Executive VP of a construction company, indicated he had 90 construction projects underway and needed some major 'stress relief'. This time, Mother Nature did Her thing quite well and we basked 9in 75-degree weather with light breezes. Now, THAT'S how Florida is supposed to be in the winter.
Coming off cold fronts 48 hours earlier, we opted for shiners. Stopping at the middle gate on the Farm side, we found a very light water flow; really not enough to pull bass in to it. Free-lining with just a minimal weight to hold in the current, Bill socked one fish quickly (photo). Not long after, David broke off a fish and then lost another when my knot somehow came loose (can't explain that one, but I sure was embarrassed). Hugh Crumpler stopped by and we offered to let him fish the area, too. (Secretly, we hoped he would show us where the fish really were!!) But, we had been correct in our assessment that the current was too slight to draw in the bass. So, off we went to the Stick Marsh and its grass.
 
We stopped in the SE area of the Stick Marsh, but much more out into the area than most have been fishing. The grass was thick on the surface, but there were also a lot of holes in it that were big enough to anchor the boat and fish the grass edges. With grass and wood underwater in the open areas, too, there really was not a 'bad' place to set a shiner. The fish cooperated reasonably, but did not climb in the boat. The better place produced 5-6 fish, while the others would only turn 1-2 before we would decide to move on. Bill got the big fish (photo), as shown in the photo, while David's all were just 'fish' (photo). I guess Dads get top billing most of the time anyway. They deserve it!
Bill caught one small bass that was unique in its deformity. Most of us see bass that have had their tails broken by the bite of some larger creature. The tails usually mend with a very noticeable 'S' curve in them. Bill's fish had that physical feature. But, it also appeared to have had its back or neck area damaged as well. The bass had mended well and was very strong and active. But, his head and lower jaw definitely had an 'upwards' look about them (photo).
January 2, 2002
We have been 'out-of-pocket' with our fishing reports, so this will be a rather 'full' update, covering the latter half of December 01. Like many, we went on some Xmas travels and had houseguests for a while. But, we also had some year-end guide trips that turned out great.
We hosted Ronnie and Derrell Miller for a few days with mixed results - slow artificials to fast shiner action at times. Using artificials, we found lots of small bass still inhabit ting many of the major cover and shore areas. A small Texas rig was good for the small fish. The larger fish were found out in the stumps and timber remains, generally away from the shoreline areas. The lure of choice was a shallow crank plug with a slow retrieve. We used a middle-sized Cordell Big O and an Excalibur Swim'N Image successfully. Even with the slow retrieve, the fish hit the lures hard.
The next day, Ronnie and I went alone for ˝ day and used a few shiners. Working around to a few choice spots out in the open water wood, we turned a few fish and Ronnie had the Big Old Girl come off at the boat. Late in the day, we moved to grass lines and hit a super concentration of fish. Nothing big went on the shiners, but the action was non-stop. Double and triple shiner bites kept both of us grabbing and passing rods, while we laughed and hoped it up.
On Day 3, Derrell joined us again with more shiners. Making a tactical mistake, we opted to go back to the previous day's hot grass line area early in the day (it is an afternoon activity place). The location was conspicuously void of bass and not even mudfish took a gander at the shiners. Finally, a few stragglers happened by and wound up coming over the side of the boat. Then, as luck would have it, Derrell had what was once a 'real giant' bass suck up his shiner offering. I say 'what was once' in that the fish was approximately 29 inches long and had a head and mouth like a volleyball. But, she had a fungus starting on her long and skinny body. Obviously in the latter stages of her life, the shiners were possibly the only meal she could catch.
Moving out into the open water wood, we resumed the hunt for the Big Old Girl Ronnie had lost the day previous. She was not to be found at her previous day's location, but Ronnie did capture her cousin of nearly 8 pounds at the next stop. This was significant, in that, up until then, Ronnie's personal best bass had been around 6.5 pounds. Having been diagnosed with a debilitating medical condition recently, his fishing days may be limited. So, our primary fishing goal had been to get Ronnie the biggest bass we could and we were elated at his catch.
After recovering from our New Year's celebrations, we started off Year 2002 with Ron Norris and his Father, both visitors from the cold climate of Michigan. Nearly every stop produced a fish or two with the shiners, but the action was slow. We experience a lot of bites and pull downs, but the bass where we were fishing seems lethargic. Those we caught often played around with the shiner for 5-10 minutes before finally taking it gently.
Major rain moved in on us as a cold front started its trek into the Florida peninsula, so we bundled up in the rain suits and gutted it out. Moving around within standing timber remains, we found a few fish, with Ron having that big one come off (getting away is how they get big). As it moved into afternoon, we made a move to the grass line that had been so good to Ronnie Miller a few days before.
With the rains and strong winds picking up, we found our grass line was having a problem with hyacinths being blown in. It was hard to keep a shiner out there without the line becoming entangled by a passing floating plant. Finally, we got the boat adjusted in a perpendicular position to the grass line and just above it, with the wind to our back. This sheltered us from most of the hyacinths and allowed them to simply stack up on the backside of the boat. The action started with an immediate fish, obviously a female ready to spawn. We still experienced many pull-downs and false takes on the shiners, but we also caught fish at this location. Ron's Father took the big fish of the day here.
Today's Weather for
the Stick Marsh Area
Past Fishing Reports
Farm 13/Stick Marsh Information Guide
Email questions to jporter@jimporter.org.
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