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JANUARY 2003
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Submitted by
George, Imagination Bassin Guide Services
Date Fished: 1/31/03 Today found us working Senkos more than the stick baits or spinner baits. Stick baits would work, but more pickerel bit them than bass. I did lose an Excalibur to one feisty bass, who proudly hopped out of the water periodically to show us that she now owned it and I didn't. The key to multiple hits today was lighter line or so it seemed. Color also seemed to play in that we had more success with red/black laminate over the watermelon series. We boated 34 bass to 4.5 pounds and several pickerel. The south end seems to be where most the action is and most boats were down there. As we come into February remember that this is our busiest month for visitors and be careful out there. As you make turns into the middle ditch whether from the ramp or from the farm remember that a boat could be sitting right there so keep your eyes open. It is also one of our busiest Crappie months so the ditch will probably have quite a few fishermen there. The lake is fishing small so close quarters has to be expected right now. Watch out for floats and shiners as you move around. Relax out there, catch a big one, and say hi if you get the chance. |
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Submitted by
George, Imagination Bassin Guide Services
Date Fished: 1/30/03 The slow bite continued this morning, but as the day wore on it improved. Clear skies with light clouds and warm temperatures plus no wind made for an extremely nice day out there. We started down the west wall of the Farm and then moved to the south areas. The first fish of size nailed a Senko and weighed in at 4 pounds. As the clock rounded 12 we moved further east and continued throwing the Senkos. By days end Dave Liu and friend Bo had landed 25 bass with the 4 pounds being the biggest. The weather forecast calls for continued good weather and I am hoping that we have seen the last of endless cold fronts. Tomorrow should be good both for weather and bite. See you out there. Say hi if you get the chance. |
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Submitted by
George, Imagination Bassin Guide Services
Date Fished: 1/29/03 There's not a lot to say; It was a slow day that required a lot of casts. Ron Witte who hails from MC met me at the ramp at 7:30 and plugged away until 4:00. Senkos, spinner baits, rattle traps were thrown down the west side, in the south end and over at pin ball alley for a total catch of 11 bass and probably as many if not more pickerels. Nothing on the rattle traps with the rest being divided between the spinner baits and the Senkos. I will be back out to give a shot tomorrow and I am betting things will be greatly improved: (fingers crossed, knees held right and such). See you out there: |
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Submitted by
George, Imagination Bassin Guide Services
Date Fished: 1/28/03 A lot of the water that was clear in the south end and the SW end of the Farm is now stained which has allowed the spinner bait bite to come back. We launched today at 8:30 to do some scouting and found fish in both the SW area and the South area. They hit Bomber Long A's, Terminator Clown spinner bait with a thumper blade, and Senkos in watermelon, and laminated red/black. We are still using the C-rig without weight for the Senkos. We quit at 1:00 with 18 bass to the boat. The really good news is we turned a few of the bigger gals loaded with eggs to include one 5.5 pounds, and one 8 pounds. The Long A accounted for the biggest and the spinner bait accounted for 3 fish over 4 pounds. The best producers were the spinner bait and Senkos and more good news was they didn't account for many Pickerel. Water temperatures are coming back up and with the predicted weather over the next week they should get back closer to the 60's. See you out there. |
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Submitted by
George, Imagination Bassin Guide Services
Date Fished: 1/27/03 The water clarity in the south end of the Farm is rapidly decreasing. We watched the stained water spread southward by as much as 300 yards yesterday in a matter of 5 hours. Put on a swivel, a 1.5 foot leader, a good hook, and a dark Senko and you will find bass willing to play. With the water temperatures coming up I would expect to see more and more. We were able to boat 23 yesterday with probably as many missed. The bite was really mixed with only a few taking it aggressively. The big fish was 4 pounds but we definitely saw an increase in the overall size of what we were catching. We fished from 8:30 until 2:30 and were down to t-shirts by the early afternoon. The water level is down or the stumps and grass are up - your choice. Take it easy out there and enjoy the fishing. Say hi if you are in the area. |
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Submitted by
George, Imagination Bassin Guide Services
Date Fished: 1/25/03 Fortunately I did not have to work in yesterday's cold as I was able to reschedule my client for a day next week. It was cold and it was windy. We had snow flurries in several locations down here around mid-day to include as far south as Port St Lucie. Today Joe Dolan from Keller, Texas was scheduled so we started with a delayed start time to give it a chance to warm up a bit. It was in the 40's by start time and actually got quite nice as the day wore on. Water temps started quite cold but warmed to 49 by days end. Scott headed to the south end of the Farm and didn't move from that area. Using Senkos rigged with a swivel and short leader they were able to get over 20 bass that wanted to play and held on. They had as many hits that they missed as the bass would pick up the bait and race towards the boat. With the water levels dropping the grass is almost to the surface down there. That means that the stumps will start rearing their ugly heads so be careful down there. You may get lucky a few times running in the south end of the Farm but if you do it enough you are going to get caught. I think more lower unit damage has occurred on the Farm than anywhere else on the lake. Idle when you are down there and tomorrow won't be ruined for you. See you out there tomorrow. Say hi if you get the chance. |
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Submitted by
George, Imagination Bassin Guide Services
Date Fished: 1/22/03 Depending on where you were on the lake the water temps ran between 50 and 54 degrees. The weather was fantastic compared to the cold and wind of the last few days. We started yesterday at about 8 and left by 1:00. The idea was to check some different spots and some of the old spots to see if we could find a better and bigger bite. The only bite we found was a bite in the "*(&*" as the lake gave it to us. A couple fish here, a couple fish there, but no consistent bite whatsoever. The good news was that the pickerel bite had dropped back also. 5 hours of fishing and 10 fish boated plus a couple of pickerel. For us it seemed that the weather had finally put a damper on things. The good news is that the weather is changing and the water will be warming. See you out there. |
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Submitted by
George, Imagination Bassin Guide Services
Date Fished: 1/20/03 We had 4 trips over the last four days, with Tim Wong and Robert Chew of California fishing two days and Bruce Ense and Wyndham Hewitt fishing two days. Day one (the 17th) was an introduction to tough wind conditions for Tim and Robert. It was blowing when we left the ramp and worsened as the day wore on. We managed to get some bass in the south end of the Farm before it started really blowing but not much to write home about. We then moved over to the west wall but again not much happened there. Any bait that moved quickly attracted pickerel and working plastics as the wind increased became more and more difficult. By the time we left the lake the run back to the ramp was an interesting one along the east rim of the Marsh. Tim and Robert were off to Wal-Mart to up their clothing choices as the 18th promised to be super cold. As promised the 18th was definitely frigid. Temps with wind chill were in the mid-twenties but Tim and Robert were ready to roll bright and early. Bruce and Wyndham were also ready to go and ready to have a great time. The first day for Wyndham and Bruce, (THE 18TH), they fished with Scott and they started out with 6-dozen shiners. They finished the shiners by 11:30 AM in the spillway area. Their net for that area was 35 bass, several pickerel, and 8 Pelicans. All were released unharmed. They then went to the Pinball Alley area and worked Bomber Long A's and caught another 22 bass and numerous pickerel. Although the temperatures were frigid if you got on the fish they were still quite active. Both Wyndham and Bruce have big fish on previous trips with us, but today's big fish was only 5.5 pounds. Day two for Tim and Robert, (THE 18TH), was one they will probably only remember as numbingly cold. No one could anticipate the cold that descended into Florida and trying to keep the hands warm enough to work a bait and handle the reel in these temps is extremely difficult. Fortunately, the water was warm enough that nothing was freezing except the fingers. However, with stout hearts and persistence they managed to land a few bass which helped to warm them a bit. About mid-day we moved over to the Pinball Alley area but only managed a couple of fish over there. Tim and Robert will be back and let's hope the weather is just a tad nicer to them. For Wyndham and Bruce's second day the plan was 6-dozen shiners and then switch to artificial as they had done the day before. The one difference is they wanted to work the shiners in the Pinball Alley area. I had been a long distance witness when the anglers on Jeff Duvall's boat landed a pretty nice fish the day before and after telling them about it, they wanted to try the same area. The pickerel were out in force, so much so that it didn't take too long to decide to move. Off we went to the west wall and guess what was right there mixed in with the bass, and guess who wins the shiner. We managed a couple of bass but the pickerel won the contest for quickest to the shiners without a doubt. With only a few shiners left we moved to the south end of the Farm but quickly switched to artificial with shiners trailering on the drift. The last three or four shiners were quickly eaten and a few bass were taken on Senkos, but none were bigger than 3 pounds. Today, the bite was much tougher but we still had a good time. Temperatures warmed a lot faster today and it wasn't near as windy. See you on the water. Say hi if you get the chance. |
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Submitted by
George, Imagination Bassin Guide Services
Date Fished: 1/17/03 Thank you Peggy Mc. By now, Brian Graves, John Cooper, Brink Brinkerhoff, Don Hall, and Dan Kehl are safely home snuggled warmly in their homes, ready to brave today's cold snowy weather. However, Wednesday they hit the lake with enthusiasm and anticipation of a good days fishing and that is exactly what they got. The group had well over a 100 bass with the big fish of the day being caught my John. She tipped the scale at just over 6.5 pounds and came on a non-weighted, c-rigged, watermelon Senko. We never left the south end of the Farm and we never threw another bait. Yesterday Scott and I worked for about 4 hours on the Marsh without any great success. We also checked the spillway and pump house. They closed the spillway at about 11 AM; and the pump house was idle. The pipes in the NE corner of the Marsh next to the parking lot were flowing outward to the farm canal at a fast clip but as you saw by Rob A's report he didn't find much there. The farm is pulling water to their ditches in anticipation of having to spray through the night tonight. The temps are going low tonight guys. See you on the weather. Dress for the cold breezes in layers and don't forget the sunscreen. |
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Submitted by
George, Imagination Bassin Guide Services
Date Fished: 1/15/03 The first thing of note is that the water temperatures are up for at least the next couple of days. This adds up to the water being a place to warm your hands each time you bring in a bass, but then you are going to have to deal with the cold morning air to catch the next one. We are still dealing with cold fronts, and right on schedule another one came in yesterday AM with medium force winds. However, on the good side, we have seen no slow down in numbers of fish willing to play. On the somewhat bad side, right there with those bass that are willing to play there are a lot of pickerel that want to play also. To get past the problem, (if you consider it a problem), with the pickerel change your baits to plastic. Our #1 producer has been a non-weighted, C-rigged watermelon Senko and we have yet to catch a pickerel on it. Brian Graves, John Cooper, Brink Brinkerhoff, Don Hall, and Dan have joined us and have completed two days of fantastic fishing. Hopefully today will be the same and they go home with great memories to help keep them warm until the cold leaves the north country. We have fished the same general area for the last two days, that being the south area of Farm 13. We have successfully worked both shiners and artificial, however when working the shiners the bass were interspaced with the pesky pickerel. 24 dozen shiners over the two days never got us past noon each day and then the switchover to artificial was made. This weekend you can look forward to some cool temperatures as another cold front sweeps through on Friday but don't let it get you down. Break out the warm clothing, put on the plastics, get yourself to the south end of the Farm in the clean water and have a blast. If you are looking for a trip we have some openings next week and would be more than glad to work with you. Go to http://www.imaginationbassin.com/StickMarshAerial.htm and look at the southern area of the Farm. Most of that area is holding bass, closer to the extreme south as opposed to the deeper areas. Bear in mind that there is a lot of wood down there so be careful. See you on the water. |
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Submitted by
George, Imagination Bassin Guide Services
Date Fished: 1/13/03 Sunday, although the parking lot was filled with trucks and trailers, we saw very few boats on the Farm. The wind was blowing at about 15 out of the north so unless you had the equipment working the south end of the Farm was a bit difficult. However, the wind did not bother the bass or the pickerel and the fishing was fantastic. I threw a clown skirted Terminator, and a Senko from 9AM until 1:30PM and Scott threw a stick bait, a Senko, and a chart/white Terminator. Our purpose was to determine what baits, and what locations to fish for the upcoming week for the trips that we will be doing. The most productive bait was the clown Terminator with a gold thumper blade, slow rolled and hitting the grass. The second most productive was the stick bait, but the biggest bass came on a watermelon Senko, rigged with a 1.5 foot leader, swivel and 1/16 oz split shot. There were three keys to our success, (43 bass to 8 pounds in 4.5 hours). The first was location. That was easy - the south shore of the Farm has clean water, healthy grass, and lots of fish. The second, was controlling the boats drift, and that was easy: just put out something to slow the boat down which, in our case was the use of a drift anchor. The third was the most difficult and that was to put up with the wind which, if you did you were catching. If you want to improve your odds out here I would suggest a guide might not be a bad idea for at least a day. A good guide will be able to show you locations, techniques, and give you instructional advice which can only enhance your trip here. See you on the water. Say hi if you get the chance. |
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Submitted by
George, Imagination Bassin Guide Services
Date Fished: 1/10/03 There are fish in the South end of this lake from the west levee to the east corner, however they are concentrated more in the middle south. Shiners will catch them but artificial is doing a bit better if the wind isn't blowing hard. I did a late day 1/2 day trip to help someone out and his people opted for shiners. The only problem that we had was getting past the pickerel to the bass. 3 guys, 8 dozen shiners - south end of the Farm: all ingredients for a great time. On the way back to the ramp the "down" tilt-trim relay let go. No problem I thought, I would just move the plug to the other relay and lower the motor. Yep, that one went also. There were plenty of hands to help load the boat though, and I had the new relays installed quickly as soon as I got home. Yesterday I had another short day fishing from daylight until 10:30. Another boat dilemma, a stuck float switch on the bilge pump had me headed home for more repairs. However, in the south end of the Farm, using a weightless watermelon Senko, I had boated 13 bass with one at 6 pounds. There was plenty of company in this area and those that I saw putting fish in the boat were using plastics. PS: The bilge pump was an easy fix. I discovered that my aerator pump decided to die at this opportune moment and that little change out turned into a 6 hour chore. See you on the water. Headed out in another hour so if your out there say hi. |
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Submitted by
George, Imagination Bassin Guide Services
Date Fished: 1/5/03 Steve: sorry to hear about your blade. I would like to say just a word about navigating the Farm. If you wish to not have problems the rule is really simple. On the west shore is a shack at the west end of the E/W ditch. From this point draw an imaginary line to the SE corner at the spillway. Running your boat north of this line is safe and running your boat south of this line isn’t. If you see someone running south of that line, consider them very lucky if they don't damage a blade, lower unit, or at the very least spin a hub. From the south end of the 1st N/S ditch to the south end of the middle N/S ditch is a big bay-like area. In this area you will find lots of bass willing to play and yesterday quite a few people took advantage of this bonanza. Scott and I did some probing yesterday and we found an abundance of bass, (over 80), that willingly took a weightless Senko and tried to turn it into a meal. We found them along the west side of the SW area and down in the middle area of the south that I referred to in the above paragraph. We found far more in the middle south than anywhere else. In addition to plastics we noted several anglers having pretty good success with hard jerk baits, particularly when the plastic bite would drop off. We have another front moving in through the end of this week, but if you can move about safely down there I think you will find that the bite continues to be good. The fish are close enough together that you can get away with dropping an anchor and working a circle around the boat. See you on the water. Be safe and say hi if you get the chance. |
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Submitted by
George, Imagination Bassin Guide Services
Date Fished: 1/4/03 The water temperatures have been moving up and down pretty quickly over the last few days as has the air temperatures and wind. However, 2003 started itself off with a bang, and after fishing 4 trips, the world is shy 36 dozen shiners. I spent two days with a novice fisherman from Maryland, perhaps some of you have heard of Mr. Ken Penrod, and we had a ball. We tossed shiners, swapped tales, watched the wildlife, and pulled back when the bass were inclined to jerk our arms. Periodically a "Florida Brown Bass, AKA mudfish" would come for a visit and we even saw a few of those chain pickerel. Both days were spent in the SW area of the Farm with only a brief visit to the spillway. Based on the way the shiners reacted, we weren't happy with the water in the spillway. The flow rate was good, but the shiners were telling us the oxygen content wasn't too good. During the 2 days we found fish that ranged from 1.5 pounds to 6.5 pounds. I will be out there tomorrow working artificial so hopefully I will have more information that can help you that are so inclined to work the artificial. See you on the water. Say hi if you get the chance. Scott will be putting up a report for the 4th trip either later today or tomorrow. |
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Submitted by
Scott,
Imagination Bassin Guide Services
Let me start by saying that both Ryan and Matthew were a joy to have on my boat. They were very well behaved (even during the slow periods) and very polite. They fished there hearts out and were lots of fun to watch. It's always fun to be able to watch kids catch fish but it's an added bonus when you can tell they truly love fishing. Loaded with 10 dozen shiners we started out free lining our shiners in the Spillway in the SE corner of the Farm. The water was flowing strong but after only catching 2 fish in an hour I decided it was time to make a move. I headed to the SW corner of the Farm, and anchored up on the east side of the west ditch. We have found the best quality and number of fish the further south you go. Sometimes it's a matter of moving 10 feet and you're into the Bass. Casting our shiners towards the west edge of the ditch proved to be the most productive. We fished our shiners both with a balloon and free lined. The balloons worked better early then as the day went on the Bass preferred the free lined shiners. The fish were not there usual aggressive self today so it made hooking them a little tricky. Every fish we caught was hooked in the upper part of the mouth, and not one fish was gut hooked. This tells me that they were not inhaling the shiner which can lead to a day of lots of misses. By 3:00 they caught 20+ fish with the biggest going 5.8lbs. Every fish but one was caught by the boys, and they hooked lots of the fish them self's including the big one. Thanks Ryan and Matthew for also helping out with getting the shiners out of the live well for us. Scott |
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