AUGUST 2003

 

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 pump house 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.

 

Submitted by George, Imagination Bassin Guide Services

I received a call the other day from Stan Daniels. He had a commitment to accompany his son and to help out coaching and had a call from Dr. Jeff Spratt who wanted to go fishing. Scott was free so the arrangements were made to meet at the ramp at 6:30 for a fun filled, fast action day on the Marsh. Part of the day was to be spent with some shiners and the rest using artificial.

Off towards the spillway they headed, Scott, Jeff, and his buddy Fred Lewis. Anchoring up off the side of the current they proceeded with Carolina rigs and shiners. The shiners barely got wet before they were smashed and it took no time to go through two dozen.


As has been the case over the last week and a half or so the bass that wanted to play were of pretty good quality. I think you can tell by the smile that this one made Dr. Jeff quite happy. The bite ended in the spillway area rather early today so off to the lake they went.


This gal came off the center ditch in the vicinity of the intersection. Note the dead calm water. Not a breeze was stirring today and things were slowing rapidly as mid-day approached.

Scott moved off to the SW end of the Marsh and then to Twin Palms picking up a few more fish but nothing of real note. By 1PM the heat had really settled in so the day was called. All in all they landed between 30 and 35 bass and I am sure that Stan will hear from them again.

Baits of choice were Carolina rigs, rattletraps, and shiners today. The best artificial approach was the C-rig, and the shiners did best free-lined with no weight.

See you out there. Say hi if you get the chance.

Don't forget, you still have a short time to avail yourself of our summer special. Now through September 30, book day one at the normal rate and get the second day for $125.00.

 

Submitted by George, Imagination Bassin Guide Services

Don A.K.A. (World's Worst Fisherman) holding one of those things he claims to have difficulty catching. Well, the truth be known, he did not catch this one either. However, we did not trust him to take the picture as he is known to drop things in the water and we value our camera too much, so we got him to pose.

Yesterday we headed into the spillway to check the flow. Although it was increased the amount of debris flowing through made it difficult to get the baits through the drift. Heading out into the SE end of the Farm was a good move for us. Weightless Senkos and buzz baits worked over and around the spread out hydrilla, worked pretty good.

Off to the east two pretty good storms were quickly making their way toward us but it looked as if it would split around the spillway area so back to the south we went. There, we finished out the day with Carolina rigged Senkos. Although we pulled out the rain gear just in case, we never got wet. It poured just south of the spillway, and it poured just north of the spillway as we caught fish in the spillway. We fished until 2:30 yesterday and found a total of 63 bass willing to play. When we were not in flowing water the key was spread out hydrilla and "Clear, clean water".

This morning there was not a cloud in the sky and the stars twinkled brightly as we left from the ramp. Coated in Cutters to keep the pesky mosquitoes away, and already prepped for the upcoming sun by covering up with some 48 SPF, we flew across the mirrored surface of the Marsh headed for the SE end of the Farm. Based on what we observed yesterday we figured the water would be cleaned up in the spillway area and the bass would be almost ready to jump in the boat. By the time the sun rose over the horizon we had already boated 14 bass including some good sized ones. However the brighter it got the slower the bite was.

Some came our way after biting a chrome and blue rattletrap and some came on Carolina rigged Senkos including the one below.

Although long she did not have the gut to make her truly big, but even without the gut she weighed in at 7.5 pounds. We moved out into the lake about 9AM (32 bass boated) and fished until 11AM covering some of the areas that we normally fished, however the bite was slow and we only caught another 4 bass out there. We checked the pump house and although it was running the current was very weak. We checked the intersection of the center ditch and caught nothing. We did get 2 of the 4 just south of the intersection, 1 north of the intersection, and 1 in the SE area of the Farm.

At 11AM we headed back to the spillway for a final check and managed another 7 bass before quitting. Basically what we found is the bite shut down not only in the spillway but also out on the lake. Oh well, there is always tomorrow.

See you out there. Say hi if you get the chance.

 

Submitted by George, Imagination Bassin Guide Services

Date Fished: 8/19/03
Water Temperature: 84
Water Clarity: 2-3 feet

There are a couple of important things to pay close attention to when you come to Florida in the summer.

The first is protection for your skin. The sun here is hot and it is very easy to get burned quite severely. Correct protection starts at your motel room before you ever come to the lake with application of an adequate sun protectorant. SPF 45 is a must and getting it on before exposure to the sun is a must.

The second, and this one can be a killer, is adequate consumption of liquid. Far too often I need to remind people to get a drink, and far too often I hear that they are just fine. Liquid and plenty of it is an absolute must if you are going to keep the body hydrated throughout the day.

Another item of protection that is most often neglected is protection from the pesky mosquito. There are several things out there that can make you either very sick or worse, and they come to you via the mosquito. Encephalitis, (which is quite serious), West Nile Virus, and Malaria can all be contracted through the bite of a mosquito. These are not illnesses that should be taken lightly, so when you come bring plenty of good insect repellant. On the Stick Marsh you only need worry about these pesky critters prior to sunrise and just around sunset, so if the launch is early, or the return is late, cover and spray.

The last couple of days on the Marsh have seen some drastic changes in water flow. Yesterday at 9:15AM, the water management people arrived at the spillway on the Farm and lowered the gate to 2 feet. With the extreme high water situation that we have this cut the flow drastically, and cut the bite associated with this flow.

We started in the spillway yesterday and moved out into the SE area of the Farm adjusting to those changes. The weather was bright and hot and we departed before 11AM. All of the fish we caught were caught on Senkos, both Carolina rigged in the spillway area, and weightless outside of the spillway. We had boated 40 bass before leaving the spillway and picked up another 17 as we worked our way out from the mouth of the area.

Today's trip started on the north end of the center ditch and as we worked our way southward 2 bass were caught on a chrome/blue 1/2 ounce rattletrap. From here we went to the spillway and picked up about 25 bass on rattletraps, Carolina-rigged Senkos, and Storm Chug Bugs. As we left the spillway area the water management people arrived and raised the gate to 3 feet but it didn't do much for the flow or the bite.

We moved out through the SE area of the Farm catching a couple of nice bass in the scattered hydrilla and then moved to the southern end of the center N/S ditch. You can view these areas I refer to on my site at: http://www.imaginationbassin.com/StickMarshAerial.htm which includes GPS numbers for all of them. On the center ditch we finished out the morning leaving the lake at 11:30. Storms were coming in rapidly and the heat was just a tad much.

See you on the water. Say hi if you get the chance.


Submitted by George, Imagination Bassin Guide Services

Fishing date: 8/15/03
Water temps: 83
Water level: Very high
Conditions: Bright, Sunny

Scott had to coerce me into going today as my hands and arms are just about worn out. Of course if you believe that I have a bridge for sale that you can make a bundle on. Fishing the current of the spillway area produced over 150 bass by 1:00. There was a good breeze to keep us cool and lots of big fish to keep us happy. The size and number of fish are holding in there with many fish being up over that 5 pound mark. Storms moved in at 1:00 which ended the day for us. Four boats fishing the area.

Fishing date: 8/16/03

Water temps: 83
Water level: Very high
Conditions: Bright, Sunny

We knew that this was going to be a busy weekend at the Marsh so we planned to be in the water by 5AM. Gary Piscano was going to be with us today and scheduled to meet us at 4:30. Gary showed up at 4:00 as I was icing the boat and loading the drinks so we actually got to the ramp at 4:45 and thought had to be the first there. NOT! There was already one boat launched and gone and Stan Daniels was busy prepping his boat. A two minute launch and a quick run to the spillway in the dark made us the number two boat for the day. By daylight this was going to be drastically different.


I counted at one point 18 boats fishing in the area. Total cooperation and great camaraderie amongst all the boaters made for a fantastic day for everyone down there. Water flow through the spillway, and two of the three pipes wide open have the fish spread all the way back to where the area opens into the lake. At times the fish would hit crank baits of various sorts, but for the most part most were being caught on Carolina rigs.

With the water levels rising quickly the current has actually been greatly reduced but there is still more than enough current to allow for ideal conditions for catching bass such as those above. These two bass slammed Senkos worked in the heavier current at the mouth of spillway. Throughout the day we would alternate between fishing the current up in the mouth and the downstream current out beyond the cable.

The fish bit pretty much all day long although today there was not many caught on crank baits of any sort in these two areas. The preferred color of the Senko was dark. The Carolina rigs were set using a 3/8 ounce weight with about a 2.5 foot leader and 4/0 hooks. We used 5" Senkos in several different watermelon versions.

We finally called it a day around 2:30 after boating between 150 and 200 bass. Without a doubt, this is the greatest fishing experience that could be found anywhere. The Stick Marsh/Farm 13 holds some of the biggest bass, and has one of the largest populations of big bass that can be found anywhere. We don't always have current and situations as we have had over the last few days, but we do always have the population and opportunity throughout the entire lake to catch that big fish and to wear your arms out. The lakes face is changing constantly and is greatly affected by many factors. Seasonal as well as temporary conditions making fishing this lake an ever changing process of adjustment.

There are times when you could come here and find the last few days conditions working for you, and I would have to say those times outweigh the dreaded others. However, there will be those days which no one can control when you will have to work to make the day and the weather can get a bit tough. However, perseverance,  practiced skills applied, and location can make the day.

This particular day Mark Lee and his Dad arrived to less than ideal condition with a combination of wind, rain, and temps in the forties. A front flew through and made conditions far less than ideal. However this didn't deter Mark who made the adjustment, kept on pitching, and was rewarded with this nice fish. By the way,  Mark and his Dad were getting hit with wind gust to 32 miles per hour when this picture was snapped. Hope you are having a great summer Mark.

 

Submitted by George, Imagination Bassin Guide Services

Date Fished: 8/12-13-14/03
Water Temperature: 85
Water Clarity: 2-3 feet

Over the last week we have fished both Ansin/Garcia and the Stick Marsh and have had some pretty outstanding results. Scott took Ryan Edwards out on Garcia. Ryan was participating in a Jr. IGFA tournament. This young fellow did quite a job ending up with a bass to be entered that was just over 4 pounds. The water movement through Garcia is tremendous and the flow is through most of the impoundments. Participants in the tournament could fish with artificial or live bait and Ryan opted for shiners. Ryan placed 15 bass in the boat. With the water movement in Garcia the weekly night tournament crew should see some really good catches. I was out during the same time with Don and found a lot of fish in one of the rear impoundments. Floating the grass and throwing weightless Senkos produced more than 30 bass by 10:30.

Currently on the Stick Marsh/Farm 13 there is water flow everywhere. The fishing has gone from good to absolutely fantastic with some really good fish being caught.

This 11.5 pound fish came from the spillway area. Fish are hitting Carolina rigs, rattletraps, crank baits, and the occasional chug bug. I hate to admit it but Don got the big one.

Don and I managed to catch over 150 bass with the majority of the fish falling into the 3 to five pound range. We had at least 15 bass that went over 6 pounds. The best bait was the C-rig. There were two other boats in the area with one being from Illinois. Two young fellows from that boat came onboard with me for a short lesson in C-rigging and then went back to their boat and did a very respectable job of catching. I did not get Mike and Steve's last name but if you are reading this; Great job guys.

Yesterday Scott and I took a visiting friend, (Rob Shaw) from South Carolina, out to sample some of the fantastic fishing. Rob has been out once before with us but circumstances were not what they are now. During the course of the day Rob would be treated to fishing that not many people get to experience.


Between the three of us we boated between 250 to 300 bass ranging up to 8.5 pounds. Numerous fish fell into the 6 pound range and most were caught on Carolina rigged Senkos. The rattletrap bite while it was active was awesome.

In the use of any bait the method was easy. Throw the bait out, let the current work the bait as it swam in the current, set the hook, and reel in the bass. In most cases there was no need to work the bait as the current would do it for you.

Current is being generated from the spillway, the pipes to the east of the spillway, the farm's pump house on the east wall of the Farm, the pipes in the NE corner of the Marsh, and it is all going out the spillway structure in the NW corner of the Marsh. The water has cleaned up tremendously and the bass are loving it.

I have seen these conditions before, but I have not seen as many big bass as we have in the last two days. If you have the opportunity you don't want to miss our on what the fishing can be like.

Good luck out there. Be prepared for the sun with UV protection and plenty of liquid. Keep it fun and keep it safe.

 

Submitted by George, Imagination Bassin Guide Services

Date Fished: 8/5/03
Water Temperature: 85
Water Clarity: 2-3 feet

Date fished 8/5/03

We caught fish at several locations today to include: Pump House on the east wall of the Farm. Scattered grass in the SE of the Farm. The pump was running producing a weak but productive current until about 10AM. Carolina rigs produced quite a few fish with the average fish weighing over 3.5 pounds. This has been on of the few times lately where this area has produced good size fish.

When the cut the current back we moved off to the scattered grass in the SE areas of the Farm. Weightless Senkos produced a few more fish and again most were 3 pounds or better. 1/2 day of fishing netted 38 bass with the big gal weighing just over 7 pounds.

Date fished: 8/6/03

Yesterday with a day off, Scott and I opted to go out to Alligator Chain of Lakes on the eastern edge of St Cloud. First stop was Lake Gentry where we caught 6 bass. Only one was a keeper. The fish we did find were on the edges of grass. This lake is a big bowl on the south end of the chain at is not connected by waterway to the other lakes. At 10AM we trailered up and headed over to the ramp to put in on Alligator Lake. First stop was at Alligator Lakeside Inn which is on the north end of the lake. They didn't have much in the way of tackle in the bait shop, but there is a lunch counter with a good variety of choices. After some refreshment we were off to explore the lake. We fished some down the west side of the lake and some down the east side. As with our catch on Gentry the fish we found were all small.

From this lake we took a narrow canal over to Lake Brick, which although connected by this canal is not part of the chain. The ride down the canal goes through an Oak Hammock and is extremely picturesque. We barely arrived at the lake when weather started throwing light our way and making big booms so it was time to head out. However we did make a quick run around this small lake and it is one I will be going back to. Lined all the way around with cypress, this is definitely one of the prettiest lakes in Central Florida. If you live in Florida and are looking for a diversion from the lakes you fish normally, you just might find this chain very enjoyable.

See you on the water. Say hi if you get a chance.

Submitted by George, Imagination Bassin Guide Services

Date Fished: 8/5/03
Water Temperature: 84
Water Clarity: 2-3 feet

Date fished: 8/2/03 - Saturday had to be one of the hottest day I have ever spent on the water, and also one of the shortest. I could actually feeling the sun burning my arms.

However, some 48 SPF sunshield kept me safe as I worked rattle traps and C-rigs in the spillway area. Simply put this area produced 50 fish to 6.5 pounds by 10:00, and at that, Scott and I headed back to the ranch for some AC.

Date fished: 8/3/03 - Sunday I was going to take a rest from work and go fishing. As I drove through the center of Fellsmere on my way to the lake I saw what many would consider a strange sight indeed. It had rained pretty hard Saturday afternoon and there was a lot of water along the side of the road. Sitting on a milk crate at the edge of one of these puddles was a hapless looking individual working a chug bug across the surface of the water. Since it was still dark I thought the right thing to do would be to warn the fella that not only were there no fish in road puddles but that it was very dangerous to sit so close to the road. As my truck slowed to stop the fella jumped up, and before I could say a word he was sitting in the truck. I had seen Don (World's Worst Fisherman) pull this trick once before, but today he caught me totally by surprise. As you can guess, I ceded to his pleadings and took him to the Marsh with me.

We were a full hour before daylight when we arrived at the spillway and as any of you know these Marsh fish don't like to get up early. However the first cast of a red Senko by Don into the dark and swirling waters produced a nice fish. I heard Don mutter something to the effect of "I'll show you how to do that someday", as he cast to the same spot again. As daylight came upon us we could see that the current flow had been greatly reduced from previous trips out here and with the bite sporadic we opted to try some other locations.

Next spot to check was the pump house and although the pump was moving water on the farm's fields it wasn't doing a thing for the waters of the Marsh. We moved SSW and started working top water baits around the grass patches. As we neared one of the big patches that has been producing for months we picked up several more fish. At one point we had a double. My guess was that since the grass was so thick the bass couldn't make out that it was Don so they were biting pretty good. However as my bass got near the boat Don got down to grab her. All it took was that nearness and she became terrified and ran. She must have spread the word quickly because we only caught a few more there before they stopped biting and seemed to disappear.

From there we worked the south end of the center ditch with traps and bugs and Senkos; Casts 85, fish 0. Moving from there we headed to the Marsh. 10:00 AM and it was already raining quite heavily to the east and I wanted to be closer to the ramp. We hit the cut into the Marsh with a few casts as we headed to Twin Palms but nothing wanted to play. Once at Twin Palms I started circling until I found the fish. Rattletraps and Senkos are both good choices here. As the rain got closer and the heat rose we headed for the ramp. 10:30 seemed like a good time to leave and 23 fish seemed like a pretty good day. I left Don off at his puddle and wished him well as I headed off for my AC.

Date fished: 8/4/03 - Yesterday after some boat cleaning, Scott and I got a late start and opted to keep the boat clean by going to Garcia. We worked our way out to the pit area, made a few casts, confirmed that there were bass where we thought they would be and headed back to the ramp. The southwest corner of the pit looked pretty good as we marked bass scattered about and watched some shad busts occur. Scott is escorting an 8 year old for his first IGFA Junior Tournament on Saturday and hopefully he will pull a big one out of here to make his day.

See you on the water.