
Stick Marsh & Farm 13
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By George Welcome
Report for 1/1-10/2004 Water Temps: varying from low to upper 50's with surface temperatures reaching higher Location: Most fish that are being caught are located on the south end of Farm 13. They are spread out from one side to the other but the best area seems to be located about midway and east. Fish have ranged from small bucks to some big bass. We have used both shiners and artificial, and artificial leads as the biggest producer by a wide margin. The bait that has been the leader by far is the 5" Senko in any of the dark colors, however there does seem to be a preference to the watermelon shades. Fished weightless and worked slowly they have brought to the surface bass as big as 11.5 pounds. We have found many gals with bellies full of eggs and we have found others that have spawned. The weather has been as unsteady over the last month and a half, but the last frontal passage left some relatively calm weather in it's path. The day of the front was really windy and we have more to come I am sure, but in there wakes you can definitely put some quality fish in the boat if you are in the right location and using the right baits. There has been a lot of inquiries about the road conditions. Compared to years gone by the road is in very good shape. Those days of bone jarring washboard are a thing of the past. We still get washboard but not nearly as bad as it used to be. The dust however is still as bad if not worse that it used to be. There has also been a lot of inquiries about area motels. Without getting into total recommendations let me give you some distances: Palm Bay to the Marsh: 19 miles. Vero Beach at I95 to the Marsh: 19 miles. 192 in Melbourne to the Marsh: 33 miles. There are good motels in Vero Beach, the Jamison in Palm Bay, and good motels at 192. The two mainstay motels of the past, Motel 6 in Palm Bay, and the Days Inn in Palm Bay are not recommended because of cleanliness and security of equipment. We started this period with Tommy Collier from Jackson, Miss. who fished with us for three days. Tom hit the lull after the storm and the fishing reflected it. For most areas, Tom's catch would have been respectable, but for the Stick Marsh/Farm 13 fishing was off. Catches ranged from 15 on one day to just over 40 on the best. This 25.5 X 19 inch lady came on day two, late in the day of day two on a weightless watermelon Senko. As you can see by the background we are not shore pounding. The fish are pretty much well off shore in and around the stumps and hydrilla. This lady weighed in at 11.5 on the Boga Grip and was gotten after some tricky moves through stumps and branches. The south end of Farm 13 is an area that has many stumps and lay downs and getting them up and moving can be critical to getting the bigger fish in. Day three started out strong with this 7 pound bass coming aboard early. Again the watermelon Senko worked to seduce this lady out of her cover. I wish I could tell you to go to position X and target cover or structure Y to get these fish but that's not the key out here. These fish are being caught on the move as they go around and around this area surveying sites that the males have prepared for nesting. Lots of casts and the right cast are what is producing at this time. Our next trip out was with Bill and Jim Vanderschalie from Walkersville, Maryland. The Senko was still holding as the bait of choice and Bill landed this fish working it slowly through the stumps and weeds. Everyone got in on the action as the day progressed. The weather was fantastic except for the calm winds let the gnats get going. But when catching fish like the ones above the gnats aren't so terrible. Scott and I did some scouting over the next couple of days but without anything new to add to the pot. There are some fish in the NW of the Stick Marsh, but the biggest we found there didn't go over a pound and a half. We checked Twin Palms and saw no sign of any fish in that area. Basically with very little weed growing, the Stick Marsh side doesn't seem to be a happening place at this time. On the Farm we checked all three N/S ditches, the SW area, and the south end of our westernmost N/S ditch. The only thing of note that we found was fish in the same area that we have been reporting about for the last few weeks. Weather brought on by cold fronts and its associated winds are going to be the determining factor of success. However, the waters of Stick Marsh/Farm 13 are still going to out-produce any of the other Florida lakes for both size and numbers. I get a lot of questions about measuring fish and determining weight. Below is the "how to measure" directly from the Florida GFC. You cannot measure a fish being suspended in someone's hand accurately. Further, the measurement and formula is only an approximate method of weight determination. In order to determine the weight accurately you need a reliable scale. Once such scale is the Boga Grip, which is accurate enough to be able to be IGFA certified. MEASURING TOTAL LENGTH AND GIRTH All freshwater Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission regulations and the "Big Catch" program depend on "total length." The total length is the maximum length of the fish, with the mouth closed and the tail fin pinched together. The best way to obtain this length is to push the fish's snout up against a vertical surface with the mouth closed and the fish laying along a tape measure, then pinch the tail fin closed and determine the total length. Do NOT pull a flexible tape measure along the curve of the fish. The photo to the right shows a bass on a measuring board with the mouth held shut. Prior to getting a final measurement the caudal (tail) fin will be pinched shut. TOTAL LENGTH MEASUREMENT "Girth" is best measured with a fabric ruler, such as tailors use. It can also be determined by drawing a string around the fish at its widest point marking where the string overlaps and then measuring the distance between the overlapping points on a conventional ruler. The measurement should be taken perpendicular to the length of the fish. This measurement is analogous to measuring the circumference of someone's waist. Knowing the girth is important when trying to certify a fish for a record, and provides useful information to biologists about the relative condition of a fish. GIRTH MEASUREMENT Using total length and girth you can get a rough estimate of a fish's weight using various formulas. Please remember that if you are going to release your catch, it is very important the fish be properly handled and released as quickly as possible. See here for live-release guidelines. Also don't forget if you catch a quality-sized fish that you can receive a free angler-recognition certificate and sticker from the "Big Catch" program. See you on the water. Say hi if you get the chance.