Imagination Bassin Company Information

Some of our best times on the water are spent working with youngsters as they learn about fishing. A couple of years ago I was introduced to a young man that was being taught the love of fishing by his grandfather Bill Okeefe. Bill is very accomplished fisherman and you could sense his pride as he worked with and watched his grandson. We all want to leave a legacy to our grand kids and what better legacy then the love of fishing. This youngster not only showed the spirit of a fisherman twice his age but his handling of tackle went far beyond what you would expect from someone as young as he. Last year I had the opportunity of working with Ryan as he competed in the Treasure Coast Junior Angler Tournament. Ryan missed winning by 2oz. but with his drive and determination it was certain future results would be different.

On 7/31/2004 I again had the pleasure of taking Mike Edwards and his now 8-year old son Ryan. It was the day for the Third Annual IGFA Treasure Coast Junior Angler Tournament held out of Pelican Yacht Club in Fort Pierce. We headed to Ansin Garcia reservoir loaded with 6-dozen shiners and lots of enthusiasm.

We started at the Pump on the North end of the Zigzag canal and the action started immediately. Ryan did an excellent job handling the Bass and by 8:30am he had landed quite a few Bass including one that weighed 4.8 pounds. While the 4+ pound Bass was bigger than the one that won the tournament last year we felt that we needed a Bass over 6lbs to have a good shot at winning. The fishing slowed down in the area so it was time to make a move. We headed to the 1^st pump on the Zigzag canal and tossed out some shiners. After 30 minutes and only one hit it we knew it was time to try another location.

I headed to the south end of the pit and trolled the shiners along the hydrilla on the south edge. After a short while and only one miss we were on the search again. With time running out we we did a drift across one of the North West impoundments. Ryan managed one fish, but not the big one we where looking for.

With barely enough time to try one more spot I headed west of the pit and anchored up along a hydrilla line and a ditch. The action started immediately and Ryan was landing some nice Bass. Never letting up Ryan fished on looking for that lunker that could give him a win. With less than 5 minutes left all of a sudden there was a massive explosion and one of the shiners disappeared. Ryan set the hook as hard as he could and the fight began.

We knew this was the big fish of the day and had every confidence that Ryan was up to the task of landing the very important fish. After a few runs and jumps Ryan landed the big fish and the high fives began immediately. I put the Bass on the Boga Grip and she weighed just over 6 1/2 pounds. This not only gave Ryan a real good shot at winning but also the biggest Bass of his life. After a few pictures Ryan and his father where on there way to the weigh-in. Later that afternoon Mike gave me a call and let me know that Ryan won the Largest Bass category by a mere 2 ounces. His big lady weighed in at 6.70 pounds. Congratulations Ryan!!

Both Ryan and his younger brother Mathew are very accomplished anglers. This year the two youngsters each caught and released Blue Marlin and countless Sail Fish. They have landed most of the game fish many anglers dream about. The duo have had the opportunity to fish with there Grandfather from Costa Rica to Guatemala and the Bahamas. There love for fishing is refreshing to see, and with young fisherman like them the future of fishing is in good hands.

Matt Lane and his Father In Law Richard Ruck came fishing on the 22nd. They came armed with Senkos, (as we recommended) and raring to go. The morning had a real good bite with the bite slacking in the afternoon.

Andy Fang and his son Jonathan were out with Scott working the same general areas with the same pattern. I have the following report from Scott:

Today I had the pleasure of taking Andy Fang and his son Jonathan from Atlanta. We started the day fishing sporadic grass on the Stick Marsh and Jonathan got things going catching a nice 5.5lbs Bass. Fishing Senko’s in the sporadic grass produced some good quality fish up till11:00 when the wind picked up. Moving to the Farm we started fishing the sporadic grass North of the East/West ditch and East of the Eastern North/South ditch. The bite slowed down but with persistence Jonathan and Andy where able to catch a few more nice Bass. After a couple pictures of some Gators we called it a day at 2:45pm. Andy can be very proud of his son Jonathan he worked hard all day and was reward by catching the most and the biggest Bass of the day.

We hit the lake for a bit in the AM on the 23rd and found it a slow day. But even a slow day can yield decent fish as evidenced by the one below.

7 Pounds - caught off a grass mat with a Senko - watermelon

Scott had Joe Himrod and his son Aaron out on the 24th and fished both the Marsh and the Farm. Although none were huge they did get some good quality fish with a total for the day of about 30 fish. The sun got a bit vicious so the day was called at 2:30.

I had out Mike and Mitch Kuzma and we stayed on Marsh side for the whole day calling the trip at 2:00 due to the heat. Working Senkos did the trick and they ran through 30 Senkos by mid-day. No hogs jumped on board but a couple played for a short bit before jumping off.

Yesterday Scott and I hit the Marsh for 3 hours and came up with 20 bass with nothing to photograph. We headed for the air conditioning due to the heat.

This morning we called Don Willis to see if he wanted to share the boat but he was off for a trip to the doctor's. "Yippee" said Scott, "the fish are going to bite today." We headed out at daybreak to the Marsh and baited up with Senkos. Bass proceeded to jump into the boat:

1st lunker of the day - 8 pounds - off the grass with a Senko - purple

2nd lunker of the day - 7 pounds - off the grass with a Senko - cinnamon

3rd lunker of the day - 11 pounds - off the grass - watermelon 7X cut tail

4th lunker of the day - 13 pounds - 27.5 X 19.5 - off the grass - red Senko

5th lunker of the day - 7 pounds - off the grass with a purple 7X cut tail

Here's the keys to success: sporadic hydrilla, 5" Senkos and 7X cut tails jerked across grass and allowed to fall immediately at the edge of the grass and persistence on each and every mat. Working the grass from all angles yielded fish each and every time we returned to a mat. All the fish were caught within a relatively small area. The one other and most important was leaving Don AKA (The World's Worst Fisherman) at home. If you happen to spot him on the water it pays to give him a buck or two to move on. That said, because of his pathetic pleas we will have to take him with us tomorrow. Of course we will have to put a mask on him if we have any hopes of success.

See you on the water. Swing by and say hi if you get the chance.

The last five days on the Marsh/Farm have been so-so, however no day was bad. Just to reiterate: 11th - 38 bass with big bass about 6.5 pounds. 12th - 20 bass with big bass about 8.25 pounds. 13th - 37 bass with big fish about 6 pounds. 14th - 38 bass with the biggest about 8.5 pounds.

Chris Welcome holding an 8.5 pound lady that fell for a Senko off the edge of hydrilla. She was caught on the Stick Marsh off a small patch in the morning.

On the 15th we did not do as well with only 4 fish before calling it a day. However it was not before Chris struck again.

This gal was hauled off a patch of grass on Farm 13. The same technique of jerking a Senko through the grass and letting it fall accounted for the catch.

The average for those five 1/2 days of fishing is just over 27 fish per 1/2 day. That's not too shabby, but not up to our summertime expectations. Fish are being caught in the SW area of the Farm and the bigger bass are coming out of the matted areas. Jerk baits and buzz baits could produce a winner in there. North of the center E/W ditch there is patches of hydrilla and they will be producing better than the larger mats.

Dates Fished: 7/12 & 13/04
Area on 12th: Stick Marsh
Area on 13th: Farm 13
Weather: Early calm, heavy fog, light breeze: 12th
Breezy with clear skies: 13th
Water temps: 89
Baits used: Senkos, buzz baits, flukes

I went out yesterday for a 1/2 day trip with Kurt Douglas from Rangely, CO and his son in law Jim from Orlando. The weather was perfect for the pattern that we have been fishing. The wind was calm which allows us to spot the emerging hydrilla so expectations were high. We barely started fishing when a fog bank rolled in and obliterated the Marsh. However since we were already on location we were able to move from patch to patch. With the fog enshrouded waters the bite wasn't there as it had been but we were still able to manage some fish.

After the fog lifted the breeze came up and the last hour of fishing was a tad slow. We caught some good fish amongst the 20 or so that we boated but it was considerably slower than it had been.

Today when we hit the water the wind was blowing 10-15 out of the SW which took the Stick Marsh bite into the no-chance category. We decided to head south and check out some other areas on the Farm so we went to the SW below the center E/W ditch. There is a defined bank of hydrilla down there and history has found some pretty good fish there when it forms the way it is. Tossing our baits back into the mat and working them out soon brought us hits. The hit is exciting as they smash their way up through the grass but getting them out is the real battle. As they barrel their way back into the dense hydrilla they will many times slip the hook. Buzz baits and Senkos drew the strikes. It didn't take long before we had several boats in the area and hopefully they were having success also.

We then moved to the area between the center N/S and the east N/S ditches, just north of the E/W ditch. Working the patches of hydrilla produced sporadically. We called it by 9:30. Tomorrow we will be back out and hopefully not fighting the stiff breezes.

Date Fished: 7/11/04
Area Fished: Stick Marsh
Pattern: Areas of sparse hydrilla
Technique: Senkos jerked through the grass and dropped at edge
Weather: Cloudy and warm, calm winds
Water temps: 88

Heath Temple and Ole Jensen joined me today for a 1/2 day AM trip. The guys drove down from Valdosta, GA. for a bit of fishing and catching and they did a bit of both. The fish cooperated early on and then the bit dropped off for the last hour. We had a mix of both quantity and quality with Heath hitting the two biggest of the day.

It's nice to be young. The guys were driving back to Valdosta this afternoon. Total fish to the boat: 38. This pattern we are working works best with plenty of sun, but we really only had about 20 minutes of sunlight today. Also the early morning breeze hit a lot of the grass from us, but for a 1/2 day trip we did pretty good. Grass and Senkos = bass. Another key to the morning that we had was not leaving as the bite slowed down. Staying with the bass put several more in the bite during the slow period. Heath's last cast netted him one more for the count and came out of a grass patch that we had already hit several times.

See you on the water. Check out my homepage for the summer sale and get in on the action. You will get a good deal from both us and bass.

Jerry Wyles, friends, and employees came out for a day on the Marsh on the 7th. With two of them on my boat and two on with Scott we headed out to the Marsh looking for some of that Stick Marsh magic.

Prior to booking the trip Jerry did what any intelligent person does if they want to book with a guide. He got on the internet and phone and checked us out. If you don't find out who you are going fishing with prior to booking the trip and you have a trip that is a bust then the only one you can blame is yourself. Not all fishing trips with the best fisherman in the world is going to get you fish and inversely anyone can have a banner day by stumbling over the fish, but to up your odds of success, do your homework.

The morning started out for Jerry and his friends with the bass cooperating fully. The areas that we have been fishing produced as expected and the technique worked perfectly. Senkos jerked across hydrilla and dropping off the edge produced numbers and quality.

Mike followed up on Scott's boat with the next closely followed by Jeff with this fat lady.

As the wind came up we moved to the Farm side and continued with the same technique and pattern. There was one exception to the pattern in the form of a lay down stump that I have had two big bass off of over the last two weeks. Informing Jerry and Eual where to toss their baits we waited with bated breath as both worms landed on either side of the stump. The winner this time would be Jerry as the bite came within the first five seconds after the cast.

This lady gave Jerry quite the run for his money but with the steady nerves of a Pro Jerry worked her to the side of the boat. Over on Scott's boat Mike would land one more chunk for the day.

For both Jeff and Mike this was their first time bass fishing and they both did an outstanding job of keeping on the fish that they hooked. Eual never did land a big one but what he didn't have in big gals he made up for in numbers.

The pattern we are fishing requires that the wind not be blowing much at all. If the wind comes up the areas of grass that we are working disappear and can't be seen even when you are sitting on them. The adjustment for the wind is to move to the Farm and work the more apparent grass beds.

As the heat rose and the bite dropped off the crew opted for quitting time of 1:45 but all agreed the Marsh/Farm just can't be beat. Thanks guys for a fantastic day.

Yesterday we hit some new areas on the Marsh and found more areas of grass and more fish. We quit at 10:30 with over 30 bass. One thing to bear in mind when fishing this time of the year. The fishing will be fantastic and your attention from the heat and sun will be diverted, but don't forget the liquid and the sun protection.

See you on the water. Check my page for a special summer deal. It's right on the index page. Give us a call and get in on some of the best fishing for the entire year.

With or without clients we are always checking and fishing on the Marsh. We have this outstanding fishing because we are out there just about every day and are constantly keeping tabs on the fish. Today's trip was another successful foray on the Marsh and included a check on some of the areas of the Farm.

On the Stick Marsh side we checked the areas we have been fishing and caught a bunch of nice sized bass.

Senkos did the trick as usual and the bass played ball as they have been. The same technique that has been working for two months now worked today. Find grass, jerk the Senko through it, let it fall, and there's the bass.

We didn't stay as long on the Marsh side today. Instead we went back to the Farm and checked some of the areas north of the E/W ditch where the grass is scattered. We did note that the water was a bit dirtier than a week ago but we did find the bass in just about the same areas. We also ran back to check the spillway. With the rain that has been falling in the western side of Indian River country we thought perhaps it might be open. As evidenced by all the hyacinth that is out front of the spillway area they had opened it to clear it but it wasn't opened today.

Date Fished: 6/30/04
Weather: slight breeze - warm - partly cloudy
Water temps: 92
Air temps: 90's
Area fished: Stick Marsh
Baits used: Buzz baits, Zoom horny toads, rattletraps and Senkos

Today I had out Bill Loges for a day of fishing and it turned into a pretty good day of fishing. We worked all day on the Marsh side, (we did leave at about 1:30), and between the two of us we boated 40+ bass. We started in the grass inside the cut with Buzz baits and then moved out into the Marsh using Senkos. Until the breeze got stronger the bite was strong. For the last hour that we fished we didn't have but one hit as it seemed the wind locked the bass down. We caught good quality fish, but no giants for the trip.

Scott was out with Don Willis and they went directly to the Farm side. Working the hydrilla pads between the center N/S ditch just north of the E/W ditch proved successful. The bass came on several different lures. the best location proved to be the grass adjacent to the east N/S ditch on the west side.

Although the skies got threatening early afternoon they didn't start rumbling until 1:30, and even that was some distance away. However, with the bite getting thin, and about 40 bass already boated they decided to leave when we did.

Date fished: 7/1/04
Weather: Still - warm - light clouds
Water temps: 92
Air temps: 90's by 10:00 AM
Baits used: Buzz baits and Senkos
Area fished: Just east of Twin Palms

This morning was for Caitlyn, my oldest Grand Daughter. I promised her a day of fishing and we picked today. I awoke Caitlyn at 4:00 AM and she needed no prodding to get moving. Off we went, first to fuel the truck, and then to pick up Scott.

We started at daybreak with conditions that were ideal for having a youngster on board, but for the fisherman, many would say it didn't look good. The air was still and very warm at daybreak. We started inside the cut and other than two blow ups on the buzz baits there was nothing. We decided that it would be a good day to check the Marsh side out and idled out towards Twin Palms. At the first stop we hit nothing, and the same for stop two and three. On stop four the catching commenced.

By 10:00 the heat was intense and we had already boated 70 bass. The Senko was definitely doing its magic this morning. With Caitlyn on board we decided to call it a day. Her thumb was completely worn and the heat and reeling in fish had worn her out. Caitlyn had reeled 50 bass to the boat and was very pleased with her results. By the way, we did cast for her, and we did set the hook, but that little gal did all the rest, and for anyone who has fished the Stick Marsh side, they know that getting them to the boat is the hard part with all the wood that is there. She didn't lose a single fish to the wood.