To say that this last week was windy would be the understatement of the year. A high pressure ridge through the mid-Atlantic has been holding a southerly flow of high winds and made for some interesting conditions on the Marsh.

Most of our fishing has been with artificial baits and we have been concentrating on the Marsh. It appears as if a group headed north have stopped in the middle of the Marsh and it also appears as if some beds are being made out there. Based on the numbers and quality of fish we are seeing I would expect April to be an absolute  banner month. All we have to do is get the wind to stop and we are expecting that by Sunday.

David Fletcher and his brother Travis and friend David Foth came out for a day with shiners and Scott took them to the south end of the Farm. It didn't take too long before David Foth got into the 10.25-pound lady pictured below. She measured 27 X 18 and after weighing, measuring, and pictures she was on her way for another angler another day.

In the meantime big fish were being caught and lost on the Marsh side as Ed and Mark Mensh of Virginia were tossed about in front of the building winds. Throwing Senkos in front of the drifting boat proved to be a good choice, but we can't claim any big fish in the boat.

On the 23rd good friend and client Mark Lee of upstate NY came out with his Dad Fred, and for the second time in a row They got hammered with a very high wind day. Blowing out of the east at 25-35 MPH the wind made the artificial bite all but disappear. We called it a day  early on and hoped for better weather for the 24th.

In the meantime Paul Geary who was out with Scott and fishing shiners landed this 10-pound lady down in the spillway area. She was weighed, measured, photographed,  and released for the next lucky angler to catch. This gal also measured out at 27 X 18.

Ed and Mark Mensh were back out with us for the last two days and we opted to go to Ansin/Garcia to deal with the wind. Over the two days we had no big fish but we did have some real good numbers and the grass lines and fields kept the winds effects down for us. Of course the weatherman did tell us that we had 0% chance of rain yesterday and of course it did in fact pour all over us, but it didn't dampen spirits as the fish cooperated right through it all.

This April, I think, is going to be the big fish month of the year. Based on what we are seeing setting up for the upcoming spawn this should prove to be one of the best Aprils that we have seen. This spring as a whole should be one of tremendously good top water fishing and I would not be surprised to see it go well into the summer as it did back in 2000. The balls of shad fry all all over and they are going to do some amazing stuff for us and another month or so.

As for the present time look for a super plastic bite on the Marsh with spinner baits and rattletraps coming into play more and more as the month progresses. Don't hesitate to try top water baits throughout the day.

See you on the water. George and Scott/3/26/04

The Marsh has gone from the fishing stage to the catching stage and big fish were the subject of today's foray. The first to hit had the line through the wood that is so plentiful on the Marsh and the ensuing snap of the line was something that couldn't be controlled. According to Scott, whose line it was, there was simply nothing that he could do, but he further stated that she was the biggest fish he has ever had on in the Marsh. Perhaps tomorrow will be her day to grace these pages with her glorious picture, but for today she is resting from the sting of the hook and the pull of the line. Tony Phillips of Kingston, Tenn. and Gary were with Scott today. Late in the day the above scene would be repeated for Tony as one hit right at the boat and before he could react she broke free and ran for the depths from which she came.

I had Warren and Adam Tatter from Rochester, Ind. and for them the big fish today would pose for pictures. Warren had missed a real big one on day one and no one wanted to see that repeated. The first big fish came right at noon on a well placed Senko.

Falling for a 5" black/w large blue flake Senko, #021, this 10.5-pound lady put up a valiant struggle but the picture makes it obvious who won the battle. Pictures taken and weight gotten using a Boga Grip, this gal was released to carry on her contribution to the gene pool of this great fishery.

Not to be outdone, Adam, using a blue/black laminate, #904, made his cast after the picture session and came up with the next, hard hammering, hard fighting lady.

This gal was a close second, weighing in at 10-pounds even. How's that for back to back casts and catches? Adam's fish measured 26 X 18 and certainly will give him great memories of his trip to the Marsh. Once weighed with the Boga Grip and measured she was released to also add to the gene pool of the Marsh.

Getting big fish to the boat on the Marsh is no small feat. With the tremendous amount of wood below, keeping her head up without breaking the line is a careful blend of rod and reel management. One mistake and they are gone, and Adam made this a mistake free catch. Congrats on a job well done.

The weather is still acting up but the frontal passages are starting to lose some of that winter strength. Today's fish came as a high was pushing in.

Bait of choice over the last three days has been the Senko. Color has not seemed very important as long as the color was dark. With a 9.5, a 10, and a 10.5-pound fish over the period I don't think there is much room to doubt the power of the Senko or of our choice of the Senko as the proper bait to be presenting. We are presenting it T-rigged, no weight, and working it slow. The key is the dark colors, and the slow presentation. To help us keep things slow with all the wind that has been here we us drift anchors.

See you on the water.

This last week has to go into my record book as one the slowest that we have ever experienced on the Marsh. Back to back fronts tied in with spawning activity have made the fishing part more of a reality than the catching part for us.

However, yesterday we were greeted with a drastic change in activity as Dudley McDonald caught his biggest yet by landing this 9.5 pound beauty using a weightless T-rigged Senko. His first comment when she hit: I'm hung!

Following in his dads footsteps, Shane McDonald landed this 7+ pound lady using the same bait and technique. Although not a catch day that the Marsh/Farm is famous for, it was a very respectable day of 37 bass in the boat.

As we get into the end of March you will see things change to include much nicer weather and lots of big fish. The extreme frontal passages should be just about over, the post spawn blues, (as the period is called), are over and it's sun, bass, and fun for the rest of the year. April should be another banner month and then we should see a banner summer of top water action based on the balls of threadfin fry that we are seeing.

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

Available days left in March for the last minute plans:

1 boat: 25,26, 29, 31

2 boats: 17, 28

As previously reported, we finished out the month of February with Mike Hammer of New Jersey catching this beauty using "artificial bait". Senkos work well with good boat control.

The day before Mike Packard of Massachusetts caught this beauty, again using "artificial bait". The Senko again was the bait that proved to be the winner.

As we roll into March we again are dealing with wind and frontal passages and slower than normal bite. However, perseverance, the right bait, and the right location can be the answer for fish such as the the one caught by Bob Copeland of Florida. Again, the Senko proved to be the right bait to do the job.

You could argue that bait doesn't really matter, that location is everything, but I would have to say the proof has to go with the catch, and the Senko has been the bait that catches.

This Marsh has been busier this year and as I was fishing along the day before yesterday with over 20 boats all around us, it dawned on me why. The Toho drawdown has sent some of the people here that would normally be over there. Of course, I could be wrong but I also noted a dramatic increase in the number of shiner fishing. There are so many shiners being used in this area that it is getting almost impossible to get them. It seems many people are believing the hype that the only way to get a big fish on the Marsh is with shiners. I doubt that the people above would agree with that hype.

Yesterday the number of boats thinned out and we were able to fish the south end of the Farm with only a few boats in the vicinity. Being a weekend day the many locals that come out for some of the fantastic crappie were here in force, but the number of boats seeking bass were but a fraction of what has been here for the last two months. Oh, by the way, yesterday we had something between 20 and 30 bass to the boat, with the biggest being about 4.5 pounds.

I have noted some pretty good size balls of threadfin shad fry throughout the southern areas of the Farm. As they grow and gather into larger schools the top water busts will start. I would think based on what I am seeing that we are going to have a banner year with the top water action.

We are also finding bass moving in an out of the bedding areas on the Marsh. They will be there one day and then gone the next, but before long they will get serious and the catching will commence in those areas.

As the weather stabilizes over the next few weeks look for a transition from the Farm to the Marsh for many of the bass. For those remaining on the Farm, look for them to move out of the south areas to the ditches.

See you on the water. Say hi if you get the chance. When working plastics keep them slow!