Date Fished: 2/27/03
Water Temperature: 71
Water Clarity: 2-3 feet

There is plenty of clean water, hydrilla and bass to keep the boats very busy on the lake. The lake is still fishing quite small and at any time you can see 15 to 20 other participants in the search for the "lunker" of a lifetime, but that will change rapidly over the next couple of weeks.

The annual February rush is over and the parking lot is seeing fewer cars. I read a comment somewhere that pretty much explains February fishing on this lake: ""So, I would advise you (if you are bringing your boat) to go and find 3 or 4 boats together and fish around them.""

When the lake fishes as small as it did this year, the boats will become a crowd, however remember that there is plenty of fish for all. Those people fishing right around you are there because the fish aren't spread out, so sit back, relax, chat with the others around you, and catch a lunker.

The last couple of trips have been quite successful. Mark Kirchner brought his sister Lee and we spent the day using shiners for scouts. The crowd in the south end of the lake had us quickly looking for some alternative location and the area I picked had us out of shiners before 2:00. Yesterday we fished artificial in the South end. We started out in the morning using chug bugs, "yep, they are hitting top water" and as that bite dropped off we transitioned over to the venerable Senko. Our target was 35 bass so we were off the lake early.

Things are going to spread out pretty quickly over the next couple of weeks the fishing will get back to what I consider more normal. Water temperatures are rising and the bass will be moving out for forage and rest after the spawn.

Check out the Stick Marsh side of the lake, you might be pleasantly surprised.

Date Fished: 2/24/03
Water Temperature: 72
Water Clarity: 0

The fishing remains very good and should only get better as we move towards the summer. The south end of Farm 13 is still your best bet for catching both numbers and size. Senko’s have still been the bait of choice, but be ready throughout the day to work a top water plug as some real nice bass have been slamming chug bugs. Long A’s, spinner baits, and many other lures have been producing great catches.

Yesterday I had the pleasure of spending the day with Larry and Linda Martin of VA. We headed to the south end of Farm 13 and spent the entire day catching Bass. With steady winds blowing 15+mph I used two drift anchors to slow us down so we could work our Senko’s SLOW. The further south we got the cleaner the water was, and that was the big key to our success today. The other important factor was to stay where the fish have been and not jump around. We fished our Senko’s c-rigged weightless, and color did not seem to make a difference. Another day of over 45 Bass made for a very enjoyable day on the water.

Date Fished: 2/16/03
Water Temperature: 68
Water Clarity: 2-3 feet

If you had the opportunity to be here over the last week you had the opportunity to experience some pretty good fishing. The weatherman gave us a break, the moon came up and the fish got busy. If you made the right cast you found a big fish.

We were extremely busy and had a great time with all of our clients.

On the 13th Tim Carrigan and party went out with me to get a feel for the area. I've yet to talk to him to see how he did for the rest of the week. Charles Caley and party went out with Scott and we just heard back that they had a fantastic fishing trip with several big fish to the boat.

On the 14th Jack Sinnigen brought his Father-In-Law and son for a 1/2 day trip and we did some shiner dipping with excellent results. Scott took out Jeff Jacobs and Randy for the first of a three day venture and it was artificials all the way for them.

On the 15th Jeff Jacobs and Randy hit the water with Scott and Mark Laminack, his wife and son Cody headed out with me. It was artificial baits across the board with Senkos leading the way.

On the 16th Jeff Jacobs and Randy were out for their last day with Scott and Johnny Oatts were out for me.

Over the four days things remained constant with all fishing taking place on the Farm. The best bait by a large measure proved to be the Senko, but we also had some very interesting early morning fishing with a fair amount of fish slamming the chug bug. If you could get past the pickerel, the stick baits were working and the same held true for spinner baits.

The lake has been fishing small and there has been an amazing bit of cooperation amongst all the fishermen over the last few weeks. Expect the fishing area to change over the next week as this weekend was the big one and the fish will be moving out rather quickly. I think there is going to be a lot of big fish caught out along the ditches over the next few weeks, and I think you will find more and more fish moving to the Stick Marsh. There have been some nice fish caught up there and we have had some decent results in the the NW area of the Marsh. We also heard of some nice fish out at Twin Palms.

See you out there.

Date Fished: 2/11/03
Water Temperature: 65
Water Clarity: 2-3 feet

Patience and perseverance: Two attributes that are needed when the fishing gets slow.

It's been said a million times: If you know your on fish don't leave them to find others. The fish will bite, but they will do so on their own schedule.

Once you learn these two simple but true statements and have the perseverance to keep casting and the patience to stay put then you will probably see an increase in your results.

Another important ingredient is the bait that you are throwing. A common question that we get is: How do you know what's good and when do you make a change. The first one is easy; try it. The second is change after you have put honest effort in making the bait work. This means, don't put it away after 5 casts and think that is honest effort. Bait jumping is a dangerous to your catching as is location jumping.

Scott and Glen Jurek of Illinois went to a tried and true location today and threw baits that have proven to be working in this area. The predominate bait at days end was the Senko and it produced 33 out of 35 bass. The fishing started slow, but we know the fish are there and Scott and Glen stayed put. Boats arrived and boats left because they didn't have the fish jumping in the boat. I hope they did well but probably while they ran about Scott and Glen were putting fish in the boat. The fish bit sporadically, but they did bite, and did bite in a location that hasn't changed for a few weeks now. No giant fish today, but plenty in the 3 and 4 pound class made the day very enjoyable.

See you on the water.

Date Fished: 2/10/03
Water Temperature: 64
Water Clarity: 2-3 feet

Yesterday proved to be a very profitable day on the lake. I started on the Stick Marsh side and stayed until about noon. The bass are moving in and a pair of twin 6.5 pound bass first thing had me really excited. One came on a chrome/blue rattle trap, and the other on a watermelon Senko. While continuing to work most of the NW area I was able to boat another 24, but none to the quality of the first two. However, it won't be long now.

Moving to the south end of the Farm I picked up a couple on Senkos and then the rest on a Bomber Long A. A real nice 8.5 pounder came early on and I quit at about 1:00 with a total of 30 for the day.

This morning I had every intent of working the stick bait in the south end of the Farm but my day came to an end early on. I managed to get a couple of 5 pound bass right away and then lost the bait to a stump. Trying to contact Scott, (about the 15th attempt) on the Nextel, and again not having a signal, my tolerance for Nextel ran out. I think some bass are probably making a few long distance calls with that phone right now. I headed out to talk with another cell provider ending my day of fishing. I saw Steve on his way south and mentioned the great stick bait bite, and with his ability with that bait I am sure he did well.

Tomorrow Scott will be out with clients as I head off to the Motor Guide repairman for yet another repair to our trusty trolling motor fleet. Say hi if you see us out there. Catch a big one.

Date Fished: 2/8/03
Water Temperature: 65
Water Clarity: 2-3 feet

Today the wind decided to make things a bit more difficult and it stayed cloudy all day, but 6-dozen shiners got eaten. No 10+ pound bass for us today, but Barry Coffin and friend George both agreed that the trip down from Georgia was well worth it. Anchoring in one position was all it took today and the pickerel bite fortunately wasn't all that active.

Yesterday was a fantastic day with occasional sun, light breezes and several fish on each drift. Big fish was a 7+ pound gal which topped out the 48 fish day.

Artificial baits are working extremely well, and we have found Senkos to be working in a top notch manner. We are still rigging them with a swivel and leader. I heard someone ask what was meant by the term C-rig, and for those that don't know it is simply short for Carolina rigged. We are using a 18 to 24 inch leader and burying the hook in the worm as the grass and wood will definitely catch a tex-posed hook. The only thing we were able to get on a jerk bait, (Bomber Long A), and a spinner bait were pickerel.

The fish are still hanging in on the south end of the Farm and probably will for a couple more weeks. Don't forget that bass like to hang out in water transitional areas: At the edge of dirty to clean water. I think you will find more of the 4-5 pound fish out there.

See you on the water. Say hi, if you get a chance and catch some bass.

PS: Shiner fishing if done properly will result in very few gut hooked fish. However, I can assure you that all of the guides that work out here are very well versed in how to handle one if in fact it does get hooked. In most cases the hook can be removed without any terminal damage to the fish. As one that has been fishing a long time and been a strong proponent of catch and release, I take the responsibility of keeping our bass very healthy very seriously, and again I can assure you that the rest of the guides out here do also. The biggest reason for gut hooked fish is multiple un-tended poles and you won't see that ever occurring on our boats. As a matter of fact I see more gut hooked fish with worms than I do with shiners.

Date Fished: 2/6/03
Water Temperature: 64
Water Clarity: 2-3 feet

Over the last few days fishing on the Marsh has been good to excellent. Lots of bass, and particularly big bass are being caught and the big ones are becoming a regular event. Multiple baits are accounting for them, from live bait to plastics and even top water baits. Yes, I said top water baits. Don't leave the ramp without one at the ready.

We have had several trips and all have been a blast but the one today was one of the best as it included a youngster on board. Greg Carr, a Head boat Captain from New Jersey, from the Barnegat Light fleet and his not quite 5-year old son Kevin showed up ready and raring to go. With the rest of the family touring the Disney area attractions Greg wanted Kevin to experience some fresh water fishing as he is already had quite a bit of the salt water experience.

Kevin reeled over twenty bass to the boat today, (of course after we cast and set the hook), and had his picture taken numerous times holding bass that he could have almost hid behind. He is definitely going into my book as one trooper as he was ready to keep going even at quitting time. My camera wasn't working, but Greg's was, and as soon as I get them e-mailed to me they will be up on my sight.

As we worked around today we heard laughter coming from all sides as fishermen in the area caught bass after bass. Temperatures were warm, the wind was down, the water is warming and the bass are just waiting for the fisherman and his bait to come along.

If you have been waiting for things to pick up wait no more. It's only going to get better.

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

Date Fished: 2/3/03
Water Temperature: 58
Water Clarity: 1 foot

The first two days of the month find the lake fishing relatively small with most activity still located in the south ends of Farm 13. Saturday I had Bobby and Ginny Warner from Ocklawaha, Fl. Were out with me and we had a pretty good day throwing C-rigged Senkos. Ginny quickly outpaced her husband and by 10:00, she had him 13 to 7. By days end I think it pretty much evened out however, as we ended out the day with close to 40 bass in the boat.

Weather-wise the skies were clear and the morning started out calm, but by mid-day we had to contend with 25 MPH winds that occasionally gusted to over 30.

Scott had out Jim and Greg who traveled down from Milton, Mass and they fished both Saturday and yesterday with us. They had to leave early yesterday to catch a flight back to the cold country but before they departed they had a good time catching bass using the same methods as us. They also got to see a bit of the nippy weather as yesterday the morning hours were just a bit chilly.

Yesterday I again headed to the south end of the Farm, this time with Todd and Corey Alberto from Dover, NH. This would be their third day in Florida starting with a stop in the Miami Lakes area for Peacocks, then on to Okeechobee for largemouth Bass, and culminating here on the Marsh. Their comment was that next time it will be three days on the Marsh.

Although the morning was really chilly, by days end everyone was down to shirt sleeves. Our over 35 bass trip was due to presentation of a Senko on a non-weighted C-rig. The other bait that I noted being successfully used in the area was a Bomber Long A for bass in the boat. With over 115 bass in two days on the boats I would have to say that the Senko is working pretty darned good.

The majority of the fish being caught are running in the 2-5 pound range but there are some big ladies being caught. Over the last two days we have had an 8 and an 8.5 and we have seen the same weight range fish being caught on other boats. Early yesterday we saw an 8+ gal succumb to a shiner and another 7+ fall to an aptly presented bit of plastic.

Remember, your big fish can be on the next cast. It's taking a lot of casts because the more aggressive bucks are tough to get past. Be patient, keep casting, and stick with the fish. If the motor is running and the boat is moving you aren't going to catch fish.

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