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Stick Marsh & Farm 13
Capt. George Welcome
August 28, 2003
Stick Marsh-Farm 13 - Freshwater Fishing Report
Submitted by George, Imagination Bassin Guide Services
Date Fished: 8/28/03
Water Temperature: 84
Water Clarity: 2-3 feet
Date fished: 8/25/03 Water Conditions: Stained to cloudy with current at the spillway and the pump house Weather: Warm to hot - no rain
Roger Adams and his F-I-Law Chris came out for a 1/2 day of fishing. As luck would have it the spillway although flowing well just wasn't going to give us the morning bite. We did manage a few fish in there but nothing of size to do much yelling about. Scott was out working other areas as a scout for us and found the pump house to be working somewhat so off we went.
Both the spillway and the pump house are primarily Carolina rig areas and once anchored up at the pump house it didn't take long to catch some fish. As with the spillway however, size was just not there, and before long the bite dropped off. One of the problems of 1/2 day trips is they don't give you much if any time to look around, however by the time we hit the ramp we could say that the day wasn't a total bust. I believe we managed to pull on about 20 bass but big fish didn't get much over 3 pounds.
Date fished: 8/25/03 Water conditions: Stained and cloudy with current at the spillway and minor current at the pump house Weather: Hot and humid - cloudy with afternoon rain and T-storms
Today Brett James returned to fish with us again. Scott took the party out and I was out to scout other areas for him. Scott started at the pump house and I went to the spillway. Although the current was flowing well at the spillway I didn't find much of a bite there. The bite at the pump house was intermittent as the current was weak but in the early AM it was the better of the two areas. I went out to some of the areas in the Farm but couldn't find any bite that was substantial but was able to pick some fish in the SE and along the center N/S ditch. Scott moved to the north end of the easternmost N/S ditch and picked a few up there.
Eventually I moved back to the spillway and spent the rest of our fishing day. The gate was clear of water and the current was strong and using C-rigs we got on a good bite that lasted until the man from the SJWMD came and lowered the gate. Scott and his crew came down just in time to miss the bite, but not much before some really good drenching rain came through. With lightening popping out of the storms we decided that discretion was the better part of valor and headed for the ramp. Total fish for the two boats: just over 50 with big bass about 6 pounds.
Yesterday Scott and I decided to give it another try but this was to be the worse day of the the last three. Four fish came from the spillway, 4 fish from the pumphouse area, one fish from the north end of the eastern ditch, and one from the NW area of the Marsh.
The spillway has been kind of hit and miss over the last week with gate levels and water conditions making the difference. It seems if they alter the flow, the water quality is really affected and the bite quits until everything stabilizes. One of the events that is affecting the quality of the flow south of us is the work that is being done on the widening of route 60. The northward flow is coming from the Ft Drum conservation area and the reservoir south of 60 and flowing through Garcia and on to us. If the gate is high then a lot of the debris from these areas flows through and puts a crimp in the action. If the gate is low the debris builds up behind the gate and the water quality drops. It is the mid-point flow that seems to work best.
The pumphouse flow and water quality depends on pretty much the same scenerio. If the water is full of debris even if the current is strong the bite just isn't going to be there.
Water flow through the lake even with all the water coming in is slow. Because the areas north of here are full of water they just can't get the flow going. The water coming in the from spillway will usually generate current at the intersections of the ditches, around the point of the divider levee, and through the cut at the entrance into the Marsh. With the high water this just isn't happening. The gate in the NW corner of the Marsh is clear of water.
There has been some spinnerbait bite out in the Farm and on the Marsh in the SW area. Most fish have been caught on Carolina rigged Senkos and Fat Ikas, and some on the rattletrap. We are finding that at least a 1/2 ounce of weight is needed in the spillway and pump house areas and a 2 foot leader is about right. We also noted that tubes were working in the spillway on C-rigs. For those that are in the right place at the right time results are spectacular, but fishing is fishing and there are going to be those times when things can get a bit slow by Marsh standards. We rate our days by quantity and size and consider a day of 15 fish or less a disaster, 15 to 25 slow, 25 to 40 pretty darn good, and 40 and up "WOW". Of course no matter what the quantity, one fish of 10 pounds or better turns the slowest day into a "WOW".
See you on the water. Say hi if you get the chance. If our reports help in some small way to make your day better out here or at home then it makes them worth all the effort to put them up.
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