Stick Marsh and Blue Cypress

[George_Welcome]

The business of taking people out fishing has its upsides and its downsides. The downsides are few: it can rain, the wind can howl, and the temperatures can reach extremes of opposite spectrums. The upsides are many as each and every client is unique in personality and fishing experience. I cannot remember one instance of a bad day on the water because of a clients temperament or fishing ability. The reality is that most trips stand out as being one of great fishing and fantastic camaraderie.
Near the end of September, the 26th to be exact, I had the opportunity to take out Aaron Lewis for some recreational fishing on Blue Cypress. For those that don't recognize the name, Aaron is the lead singer for the band Staind. This young fellow is one avid fisherman. With a tour schedule that is loaded with heavy travel and long days, Aaron still finds time to fulfill one of his passions: The chasing of finny creatures. One compartment on his bus is loaded with his gear always at the ready for one of his forays. Although the fishing was a bit slow on our day together we caught some, talked about many things, and in general had a great time on the water. I thought my schedule of early morning rises, long days, and nighttime activities on the internet were long, but it doesn't hold a candle to schedule this band follows.
Fishing both Stick Marsh/Farm 13 and Blue Cypress has been filling our mornings and we have watched a steady progression of success over the last couple of weeks. On Blue Cypress the fishing location hasn't changed. The grass is holding the fish but it takes patience and persistence to dig them out. Saturday for example, with three souls on the boat we managed to nail down 20 bass with a couple of nice fish as kickers. For a 1/2 day of fishing that's not too shabby.

The grass, (Kissimmee or knot grass), stretches most of the western shore.

Senkos placed well into the grass and using a slow jerky retrieve produce.

The isolated small patches can be very productive, so they are a must hit location.

Sometimes Don gets lucky and manages a fish or two.
On the Marsh we have seen some major improvements, and have found fish both on the Marsh side, and the the Farm side. The bait of choice on the lake until yesterday has been Senkos, with any dark color doing the producing. On a half day trip on the 5th we never left the Marsh side, opting to work the timber and brush that this side is loaded with. What started out as a calm and fishy day switched to wind whipping the lake into white caps and we watched the bite drop off instantly.
Yesterday, Don and I started of the Marsh covering quite a bit of area for the short time we were out there. Not finding the bite we wanted we headed south to the Farm. Working the venerable rattle trap proved to be the ticket for the 9-bass that we had by 11:00. No monsters, but there were a couple that hit the 4-5 pound range.
Cooler weather is on its way south and with its arrival you can expect to see a rapid change on these lakes as the fish start coming out of their hiding holes to feed. The gals will be concentrating on feeding up for the upcoming spawning seasons, and the males will be cruising their selected bedding areas looking for just the right spot. As we move further into this month the congregations of bass will get bigger and the action a lot hotter.
See you out there. Say hi if you get the chance.