Stick Marsh/Farm 13 Florida

[George_Welcome]

Yesterday's investigation of the Marsh/Farm came on the heels of four consecutive days of high winds. Water levels have come up with the rains from Barry, however the 6" or so increase are not enough to allow thoughtless navigation out there. The result of those winds was water that was extremely turbid in most places. The Stick Marsh side had visibility levels that didn't exceed two inches anywhere. I check the NW, Twin Palms, and the cut, and found very dirty water. Yesterday's wind was 10-15 out of the west and not helping the situation at all.

As I started in the Farm I found pretty much the same conditions except for one area. The spillway area had some of the dirtiest water that I have seen in there, and all across the north end conditions were the same. The pump on the east wall was running but no flow could really be detected. The water there was as dirty as elsewhere. One note on the pump area: There are several humps in the pump basin which will get you if you cross them. Be careful when operating in and around the pump. I then checked the SW area which is known as the nursery and found water there to be as bad as anywhere.

The one exception to the highly turbid conditions was the south central area. This area had a foot of visibility outside the wood and more in the heavily wooded areas.

Today I decided to do some fishing as the winds had decreased. Getting a late start I launched at 8:30 and headed straight to the Farm side. First bait out was a chug bug but there were no takes where I was. I started on the outside of the south wood. Picking up the Yamamoto SwimSenko I proceeded to put five fish in the boat pretty quickly. However, the fish were relative small: not what I was looking for. Don and Steve were further in the wood and reporting catching bigger fish, so in I went. Operating down in the south end takes patience and caution as the stumps are plentiful and hang-ups occur frequently. I did not have a major increase in bite so I started moving eastward.

Seeing one bass then another chasing bait on the surface brought me back to the Chug Bug, and the slam-fest was on. Pass near a stump and there was a bass. There was another fisherman in the area and I yelled over to put on the bug. Doing so put him on this tremendous bite also. Every fish was good sized and the numbers caught grew quickly. When it was all over I had put over 25 fish in the boat including this one:


She tipped the Boga Grip at 8.5 pounds: A typical Stick Marsh/Farm 13 lady.

Called it quits at 11:30 and headed home. Three hours of fishing with 25+ bass just isn't too shabby. See you out there. Say hi if you get the chance.