NOVEMBER 2003

 

Submitted 11/30/03

My report is slightly overdue with the holiday and moving my house taking all my spare time. Fishing has had its ups and downs with the weather but most days have gone pretty well.

11/25 Scott had out Joe Dolan from Texas and they were throwing Senkos in the same area as Mark Richards and myself. The catch numbers were around 40 for the day but they just didn't get into that big one. Ironically where Mark caught his double digit fish, Joe and Scott had gone through several times. Mark is still leading for our $2500.00 big fish contest but there's another real one real close.

10.5 pounds caught on a #222 Senko 11/25/03

Over the next three days Scott had out Rob Shuler and his friend Joe from Tennessee. Each day they opted for shiners and although they had lots of 4-5-6-7 pound fish they also never saw the big one make it to the boat. Areas they fished include the gates both on the Farm and on the Stick Marsh side.

I had out Rich Przybyl from Penn. on the 28th and we fished the south end of the Farm for most of the day. We did briefly try the SW corner but to no avail. Again on this trip the most productive lure was the Senko fished weightless and the most productive method was jerking it across the surface. I think we came in at the end of the day with something in the neighborhood of 20 fish which although good on some lakes, it is the slow side of a day on the Marsh/Farm.

Yesterday Ron Fields and Ron Page from Ohio and they opted for shiners. Ron and Ron have been out with us several times and although they have done very well each time the big fish has always eluded them. However, Ron Page changed all that with this beauty that came from the spillway area on the Farm.

10.25 pounds caught on a wild shiner

Basically shiners are doing well one day and so-so the next. Areas producing the best have been spillways front and back with the best fish coming on free-lined shiners. Other areas of the lake aren't doing as well with the shiners.

Artificial baits have been doing real well unless the wind has kicked up. This time of the year the bass are hanging around waiting for the upcoming spawn. Areas that have done well are the southern areas of the Farm and on the east side of the eastern most N/S irrigation ditch below the intersection. Best bait over the entire 5 days has been the Senko worked both top and bottom. Buzz bait has produced several fish. Spinner bait has not been working for us, but it is something to spend some time with each and every trip. Hard jerk baits have produced a couple of fish here and there. Definitely get yourself to the south end and along the ditches. The upcoming week looks very windy so I would recommend shiners from Middleton's Bait and Tackle. With winds forecasted to blow 20 and better, this is a tough lake for artificial.

As for the contest, Mark is in first place for the $2500.00 and in 1st Place for biggest caught on a Senko for the Yamamoto rod. Ron is in second place for the Yamamoto Rod w/Chronarch.

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

 

Submitted 11/25/03 George

Mark Richards came to the Marsh to get some quality fishing in and departed with not only his biggest fish of his life so far, but also possibly the smallest.

However, prior to catching this one he had already warmed up his arm and shoulder muscles wrestling this lady to the boat.

Just to make sure things weren't cooling off too quickly a short time later he followed up with another nice fish.

Mark has taken over the lead for first place towards winning the $2500 prize with the above 10.5 pound beauty. He caught it on a #222 Senko. She measured at 26 X 18 and was weighed on a Boga Grip. Not only is he in first place with the biggest fish so far, but he is also leading for the Yamamoto Custom rod for the biggest fish caught on a Senko.

We spent the day in the south end of the Farm working with buzz baits, Senkos, and the occasional popper. Obviously the most successful bait was the Senko that caught the above fish. The fish are starting to stage for spawn and although the bulk of the population is bucks, keep in mind that the very next cast could be that fish of a lifetime.

Weather was good, water temps were approaching 71, and for most of the day the wind was calm.

See you on the water. Say hi if you get the chance. Got a question? Send me an e-mail.

 

 

Submitted 11/24/03 Scott

Today I had the pleasure of taking Larry Elswick for a ˝ day afternoon of Bass fishing. Larry decided that he wanted to give shiners a try so with 4 dozen shiners we headed to the Spillway area on the C54 canal. Fishing the shiners both free lined, and with balloons we had constant action until the 4 dozen shiners where gone. The fish came from both open water and from underneath the matt of Hydrilla and Hyacinth. No real big fish made it to the boat today, but with plenty of action Larry had a great time and will be back in December with hopes of catching a Lunker.

 

Yesterday we headed out to do some scouting, and catch a few bass along the way. The bass are on the move and fattening up in preparation for the upcoming spawn. Look for clean water in the south end of Farm13 and you should find Bass. The most productive bait has still been the Senko’s in dark colors fished weightless. We did managed to catch a few fish on a Bomber Long A (Shiner color) and lost one big fish on a white Buzz bait. The SW corner of the Farm is still holding lots of fish, but don’t hesitate to work other areas on the South end of the Farm you might be pleasantly surprised.

Good luck and see you on the water. Say hi if you get the chance.
Scott

 

Submitted 11/22/03

Bo White, his wife, and friend Greg arrived at the ramp at daylight. Scott met them with live well loaded with shiners and they departed for the Farm. They started at the spillway and ended at the spillway. The twist to that is the start and the finish was at two different spillways. The first in the SE corner of the Farm only produced sporadically and was harboring a healthy crop of pickerel.

However, as you can see by the photo, the second spillway was producing fish more to their liking. Placement of the shiners was extremely critical, but dropping them in the right spot turned what would have been a so-so day into a good day.

I fished a half day with friend Don Willis and we worked several areas of the Farm and the Marsh. We found fish in the southern areas of the Farm. We didn't find fish in the Stick Marsh and we spent a bit of time in the NW areas.

Mostly what we saw were bucks making ready for the upcoming spawn but we did manage to get a couple of ladies also. Senkos were the bait that worked, although we tried buzz baits, spinner baits, rattletraps, and jerk baits. The wind wasn't too bad which was a major improvement over the last couple of weeks.

We have a very busy week coming up with lots of people vying for 1st position in our contest. Some lucky fisherman is going to really enjoy the $2500 first prize and all they have to do is catch the biggest fish between now and the end of April. See you on the water. Say hi if you get the chance.

 

Submitted by George, Imagination Bassin Guide Services

Date Fished: 11/19/03
Water Temperature: 69
Water Clarity: 2-3 feet

Scott and I went out to do a bit of scouting on Monday. Water temperatures are dropping and we checked several locations around the lake. We found a consistent 69.4 degrees all around the lake including in the spillway area.

Our objective was to locate some of the gals that are approaching or in pre-spawn condition and success came after 2.5 hours of tracing known routes of transition. They are moving off the ditches and it won't be long before the fishing gets super hot. The south end is the place to be, plastics are the bait to use, and slow presentations are the tactics to use.

A frequent question is, "what type of bait should I use"? Some say live and some say artificial, so which would be the best? These questions are usually prompted because of the high cost of shiners, or the real desire to go with artificial.

The legitimate answer is that shiners have their time and place and artificial have theirs also. Our policy on this is simple: if weather dictates shiners we will recommend them, under all other conditions we will recommend artificial. Weather conditions that precipitate the shiner recommendation would be: High winds, and sudden cold weather. At no time will we tell you that you must use one bait or the other.

Another frequent question is, "what if I catch a big one", "how do I know how big it is and do I have to put it back"? If you get a big one while fishing with us, it will be weighed on a Boga Grip, measured, and photographed, and then released. We will not just measure the fish and then guesstimate its weight. Before the Boga Grip came on the scene most weighing devices were no more accurate than the measuring method, but the IGFA certified Boga Grip has removed the inaccuracies of on the water weighing. If you do catch a trophy it is kind of nice to know that the weight was actually real.

We don't come across the big gals every time out there but when we do we have a working camera onboard to record it for you. (That is we almost always do.) Monday we didn't and Scott's first fish of the day topped the scale at 4 ounces shy of 12 pounds. Heavily laden with eggs and well fed she hit a #164 purple/w lg. blue Senko as it hit the water. She hit hard and ran hard, most unwilling to come to the boat. Scott had to take her around the boat 4 times before she finally yielded and came to the boat. She is back out there waiting for the next angler to come along and present the right bait.

Weather conditions are varying greatly from one day to the next and wind has played upon us heavily as to how we fish. The humidity trough is still hanging in, (this is a wet weather belt that runs roughly from Tampa to Melbourne) but dryer weather and more stable conditions should be here soon. Come prepared for anything. Have the rain gear, warm clothing, sun protection, and don't forget the mosquito protection. We only have mosquitoes during dawn at the ramp but you don't want to get bit.

Remember, clean water, think upcoming spawn, use Senkos, spinner baits, hard jerkbaits, and think big fish. See you on the water.

 

11/13/03

The winds howled but the fish came. The last three days have seen winds in excess of 30+ miles per hour but that didn't deter the resolve of Gary Morgan and his friend Dave Taylor, Mike Nemerowski, and Bob Caras. With the predicted winds shiners were opted for, the spillway in the SE corner of the Farm was chosen for what protection it would give, and the bass were instructed to be there.
 
Day one Gary, Dave and Mike were on board and true to the forecast the winds blew hard but the bass cooperated fully. The bite was strongest throughout the morning and by days end 12-dozen shiner were gone. Gary scored the lead with this 6-pound bass for day one.

Gary scored no less than 4 fish that went 6 pounds on day one. The above 4 pounder came first thing to start the day and then the catch just got better.

Day two found us back in the same area again to dodge the wind. The lake was quickly turning to chocolate brown out in the open but the water was still pretty clean in the protected area of the spillway. Gary, Dave, and Mike were ready for another day of the same and we departed Middleton's Bait and Tackle with 12-dozen shiners to accomplish that task. The bite started a bit slower but before long yesterday's big fish record was broken as Gary checked in with this 8-pound beauty. She measure 24 X 17 and was a solid 8 on the Boga Grip.

Throughout the day the bite would come and go but it was much slower than yesterday. The morning and late in the day was best. We did try a trip out into the lake but one wave over the bow sent us racing back to the spillway to finish out the day. Late in the day the bite came back along the grass on the east side in the spillway area and by days end the 12-dozen shiners were gone. Mike took second place honors today with this nice 6-pounder.

Scott had a trip with previous customer and friend Frank Delucas and their results weren't quite as good. Frank lives down the road and by noon they called it a day to try again some other day.

Day three Bob Caras arrived and Gary and Bob followed Dave, Mike, and I in Gary's Triton. Gary had brought his boat and fished his way down from Mass. stopping at Wheeler, Guntersville, and Oconee. Shiners were in short supply and we had 6-dozen on board each boat as we headed for the spillway. This was the third day of high winds predicted and it would prove to be a day that the fish wanted to get ornery. Mike took the lead quickly catching several to everyone else's none. The breeze came up and the bite died. We decided to try elsewhere and headed to the NW end of the Marsh. Between the two boats today I don't think more than 30 bass were caught. Dave, Bob and Gary are out there today giving it a go as they end up the four day adventure in sunny, windy Florida.

Gary is leading the board for the $2500.00 big fish prize so far with Enrique in second place for the prize of rod and reel.

See you on the water. If your looking to fish this fantastic 6700 acre lake you can find it just NW of the town of Fellsmere. It is not on a map but you can get a look-see at the entire management area @: http://sjr.state.fl.us/programs/outreach/pubs/recguide/pdfs/bluecypr.pdf

 

 

11/7/03

Fish with Imagination Bassin Guide Services and win big!

Through the cooperative efforts of our partners and sponsors we are pleased to announce this fantastic opportunity.

Win $2500.00 for big fish caught by an eligible fisherman during the period of November 1, 2003 – April 30, 2004. All booked fishermen fishing on Imagination Bassin Guide Services boats are eligible.

Catch the second place fish and win: Personally engraved - Yamamoto 7’ Bait Casting Rod Mod III or Mod IV with a Shimano Chronarch 100 or 101 – retail value over $400.00.
 
RULES: No non-paying fishermen are eligible to be entered –No follow boat customers are eligible to be entered – Only fish caught on Imagination Bassin Guide Services boats are eligible. All decisions are the sole judgment of Imagination Bassin Guide Services.

Fish will be photographed, weighed on our Boga Grip, and measured. All photos will be the property of Imagination Bassin Guide Services.

All baits used will qualify and choice of baits is strictly the entrant’s choice (artificial or live).

All prizes could be won by the same entrant. The more you fish with us the more your chances are to win.

BONUS: Catch the big bass on a Yamamoto Senko and win a Yamamoto 7' Bait Casting Rod Mod III or Mod IV - your choice.

It's not often that one would call what we do work, but in order to keep up with the bass and their movements, work we must. It's a matter of going out and checking here and checking there to see what we can catch, and I don't mind telling you that all that casting and catching can be mighty wearing on the arms. However, it doesn't take many like this

to take your mind off the hardships and keep your arm working. As you can see from the background it was a bit cloudy and winds were down which was a pleasant change from the last few days. We have had some very windy days lately, and the last three days have been a bit wet for my tastes but we still had to get out there.

Top water was the answer and it certainly proved to be fun. Using Yamamoto 7X cuttails proved to be the best on top and on the bottom as we worked the areas in the SW of the Farm. It's amazing to watch the changes in the hydrilla with fluctuating water levels and the growth this plant maintains. However, if conditions aren't right for growth this plant can drop back just as fast and where we are finding the best bites is where the hydrilla has done the drop back.

A big key to success is thorough working of the water with the baits. Willy nilly casting leads to a lot of missed fish but positioning your bait systematically will produce. Of course it has been said many times, but it is the strongest point that I can make: "don't leave fish to find fish". We had several boats in the area but none stayed long enough to see the bite we found. Of course, knowing that you are on fish helps a lot.

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