Stick Marsh & Farm 13

Date fished: 6/25/04 Water Temps: 89-91 Weather: Partly cloudy - very warm - light winds Time: Daylight till 12:00 PM Scott went from the ramp to just inside the cut in the Marsh. The top water bite was a bit slow but things picked up out in the Marsh. Working with Senkos in some of the areas on the Marsh that historically hold fish proved to be the pattern for the day and by noon they boated 33 and missed a few. George and Don, two Coasties that are stationed in Canaveral thought this cruise was better than the one they just came back from. No illegal immigrants to deal with was the order for the day, and we never saw one during the trip. They did have a few comments about some of the boat handling they saw out there, such as people getting on plane in the idle zone that goes from the ramp to the cut. It seems that more and more people are doing the high speed trick in the idle zones and one of these days somebody is going to get seriously hurt. I went out by myself to check some areas on the Farm side and the only area that I didn't find fish was in the western areas. Any of the scattered hydrilla was holding fish as long as I didn't get too close to the E/W ditch. One of the patches held a 8.5 pound lady. As long as they don't get back into the hydrilla you can let them run, but look out if they find the hydrilla. The 26th  early conditions were the same as the 25th. Light winds out of the ESE kept it a bit cooler than the 25th. Scott had out Ron Dickerson from NC and his friend Brandon. Initially the bite was strong and then the wind came up. The light patches of hydrilla that there were fishing disappeared with the wind and a heavy ripple dimpled the surface. The wind also knocked the bite right down even when they could find the grass. I believe the count for the 1/2 day trip was in the neighborhood of 12 fish in the boat with only a few misses. I had out George Pelletier from Connecticut and this was his second trip to the Marsh. With us also the early bite was good and then we went to picking at the bass here and there. Early in the afternoon George laid into a good fish and she was full of fight. He managed to get her near the boat a couple times but on her last surge he used a hydrilla patch to slip the hook. I estimated a weight between 9 and 10 pounds. She came of a floating stump that was hung in hydrilla and I promised George if I saw her again I would let him know. Our catch for the day was less than 20 which for the Stick Marsh is a slow day, but we still had a good time fishing together. On the 27th I had a 1/2 day trip with Matt and Joe Smith, plus their father Mike and two friends were in a follow boat. We started in the grass inside of the cut with buzz baits and Matt and Joe showed the bass that they were up to the challenge. Very few hits were missed. We left the top water and moved out into the Marsh working around some of the grass that is coming up. Matt started with the Senko as recommended and Joe stayed with the buzz bait. After three misses Joe switched to the Senko and they put another bunch in the boat. No giant bass up here, but there size wasn't something to sneeze at either. We moved to the Farm side to an area that I fished with George yesterday and began hitting bass right away. Moving the boat to within casting range of the log that held George's fish yesterday I directed their attention to it. Two Senkos flew threw the air and both youngsters were within inches of the lay down. Joe's trigger was pulled and his reward was the lady that I believe George had yesterday. She measured 25 inches long by 18 inches in girth and weight 9.25 pounds on the Boga Grip. I know that George would be pleased that a youngster was the one to catch the one he left behind. By the end of the trip the count was over 30 and one grand lady. The Smiths are from Palm City, FL and you can bet they will be back again. Behind Joe you can see the hydrilla that I keep referring to. If you will note the pad closest is heavier than the back two. The back two would be more likely to yield a bass. Today Scott and I went to a different area and working with the same pattern we managed to boat 33 by 11:30. I pulled a blurb and let a bit fish off which I am still kicking myself for, but other than that it was a great day. See you on the water. Say hi if you get the chance. We did see Don today but unlike on the 26th he wasn't able to scare the fish into not biting any more.