May 2004

 

Submitted 5/30/04
George

Today was one of heat and fish. Scott had out Bob Copeland and his friend Brett for a day on the Farm and things had really heated up since Bob's last trip here, in both weather and cooperating bass.


Bob with a fantastic fish early on.

Starting in the same location that we have been fishing for the last week proved to again be the right move, and the Senko again proved to be the best bait of choice. One difference today was the fish that were found out in open water areas as opposed to being right on the edges of grass.


Brett with one of the about eighty that he boated today.

By days end, all on board were hot and tired after reeling in close to 200 bass. Another difference today was in bait size. The 7" Senko was more productive than the 5", or so it seemed. Key items remained being in the vicinity of grass, and using Senkos.

I took my grand-son Chris out until noon and we boated 40 bass by the time we quit. The 12 year old did a real good job but it was too hot to continue on into the afternoon.

We have openings if you want to get in on this bonanza. Give us a call.

If you are on the water and get a chance say hi.

 

 

Submitted by George
5/27/04

This morning three fishermen left the ramp at 6:45 AM with the sole intent of catching as many bass as they possibly could. This afternoon at 3:00 PM three fishermen arrived back at the ramp, tired, with worn thumbs, and sore shoulders after landing 250+ bass. You read it right, 250 plus.! Scott, Don Willis (The World's Worst Fisherman), and I had the best day fishing that I can ever remember. We kept count by keeping track of the baits used and I can tell you that not more than 20 bass were missed all day. These fish are taking the bait and keeping the bait. We also kept track of the gut hooked fish and not more than 5 fish were gut hooked all day.

I have had a lot of really good days on the Marsh/Farm. However, our best days have come either at the pump house or  at the spillway when the water was moving. With the best top water bite we have ever had in the past, we didn't do as well as we did today. This trip followed the one we had on the 25th with over 100 bass between Scott and myself.

We went out today with three primary baits. Buzz baits and Chug Bugs for top water, and Senkos for the bite we had on the 25th. Buzz baits accounted for 4 out of the 250 plus bass, and Senkos accounted for the rest. We did periodically try flukes and other types of baits but moved back to using the Senkos as we fell back in the catch rate. Working the Senkos over topped out hydrilla and letting it fall when it reached an edge proved to be the predominate bite today, however there were occasions where the bass would smash it in the heaviest areas of the hydrilla.

If anyone cares to do the math, 3 fishermen fishing for 8 hours, equals a total of 1440 minutes of fishing, divided by the 250 fish equals one fish every 5.76 minutes of fishing, or 10.4 fish per hour. This catch rate is phenomenal when compared to just about any place in the world. In addition to this I have included some pictures of the quality. We gave up trying to keep track of the fish over 4 pounds, but I can only estimate that more than 30% would have fallen into that category.

We owe this phenomenal day to two things. First, it is primarily due to the fact that Scott and I fish this lake extensively. With customers or without the only thing that keeps us off the lake is family obligations or breakdowns. Yesterday, for example, I had a hub on the trailer whose bearing completely stripped out and we spent the day getting a new hub and associated bearings. The second thing that we owe these last couple of days to is the phenomenal bait put out by Gary Yamamoto Baits, the outstanding Senko. No other bait out there would have done the job that this bait did under these circumstances. The weight, the fall rate, and the texture and salt all contributed to this outstanding day.


Scott and Don with almost twins that arrived at the boat at the same time.


George with one that came early on.


Scott with another great catch.


Don is one happy camper.

We tell everyone that has been out with us when we are asked. Summertime provides some of the best fishing on the Marsh/Farm for the entire year. When these fish hit their summer homes they usually stay put for a while and they can be found in very large schools.

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

To see more of the quality of the bass caught over the last two days and the rest of the month of may go to our website lunker gallery:

 

 

Submitted by George
5/20/04

The last 10 days in sunny south Florida have been a bit breezy, which at the very least made for difficult detection of the bite. Learning to fish grass and timber takes a bit of time as it is, but when you add 25 and 30 MPH winds to the equation you definitely need some time to get the feel for it. However be that as it may, all of our people faired better than average.

We have been working basically in the same area for the period, and the bite has been predominately plastic. As you approach the areas just south of the E/W ditch that splits Farm 13 you run into a mat of hydrilla that spreads across 1/2 of the southern end of the Farm. The hydrilla then drops and you have open water all the way to the south edge. It is along the southern edge of the mat that we have been finding our bass. The area holding most of the bass is between the center N/S ditch and the western N/S ditch. In the morning we have found a bit of top water and the best bait for that has been the Chug Bug. I have yet to have a blow-up on a buzz bait. Throughout the day we can periodically pick up a fish here and there on the top but for the most part our bait of choice has been the Senko.

Working the Senko ahead of the boat in a drift takes a bit of time to learn but it is not difficult. The Senko makes a perfect bait with its quick sinking characteristics and its outstanding cast-ability for conditions such as we have here on the Farm. The grass is anywhere from 2 to 4 feet below the surface and in that grass there are stumps, and open areas. As the Senko is slowly retrieved it will fall into the open areas or bump into a stump and both these places are very likely to hold a bass or two. In order to control our drift we us either one or two drift socks (anchors). Even with stiff winds the boat is slowed down enough to be able to effectively work the plastic. We are t-rigging the Senkos on a 4/0 hook, however you would probably find that wacky rigged baits would work also. The hook needs to be buried in the plastic and not Tex-posed. Any hook exposure will almost certainly result in hooked timber or large piles of hydrilla on the hook.

Senko colors: I tell everyone - anything dark!


Paul Schlotfeldt of Coonrapids, Minnesota holding a typical Farm 13 Senko bass.

Yesterday was the first time that I have had a chance to get out and do some scouting. I decided to work as much of the Stick Marsh side that I could and I was specifically looking for some top water action. I took Don Willis out because if he can catch a bass or two then I figure anyone can. We started in the NW corner I put 9 bass into the boat using a Chug Bug. Don sat in the back scratching his head and kept asking, "what's up with that". We worked an extensive area in the NW with both top water, spinner baits, and plastics but the bass we found were smallish and not too plentiful so we proceeded to work our way southward. With Don catching one more on a Senko we decided to test some areas on the Farm. We started to work the southeast corner below the intersection of the center N/S and the middle E/W ditch. We worked southward until we were boxed by the mat and only picked up one more fish. Beating my way over the mat we headed south on the center N/S ditch and then once past the mat headed eastward. Don finally scored with fish #2. It was a sparkling youngster not much larger than the Senko that it bit. We both picked up several in this area, but all small, so we moved over to the west of the center ditch and started drifting.

Around 12:00 we decided that this area was best left as we knew it had fish and headed back to the Stick Marsh side. One note here: (It is unsafe to run around on the Marsh side) now as the water is dropping quickly. The Farm is running their irrigation pumps at full tilt and they are pulling a lot of water out. BE CAREFUL! We didn't get too far into the Marsh side when we hit pay dirt.

Don scored first, and then again, and then again and produced this beauty. So far the smallest fish was a tad over 4 pounds and the biggest the gal above. I could hear Don muttering gleefully something about the shoe being on the other foot now. I cast my Senko and concentrated, knowing I could never live it down it Don ended up with the biggest fish.

As the picture shows, all of Don's hex signs and mutterings were to no avail as the right cast to the right place produced the winner of the day. Sorry Don - NOT! At 2:30 we called it a day. We had a fantastic day on the water, caught some fantastic bass, shared fantastic weather, and even  more importantly shared our time together doing something that we both love to do.

This morning it was destined that we head out and do it again. This time however I would have the great pleasure of doing it with two of my three sons. George Jr. just returned from two months at sea corralling wandering immigrants with the  US Coast Guard, and Scott was allowed out from his fatherly duties tending to his recently newborn daughter Cayla. We headed straight out to the Marsh side and it wasn't long before I nailed one on a Chug Bug. In the meantime Scott hit 3 in a row on a Senko. George Jr. just kept casting. I tied on a rattle trap, (crawdad) and that worked also as they were just as happy with that as they were with the Senko. The bass were all good sized, but no lunkers came our way until late in the day.

I am working on a real professional over-run in the background and George Jr. is holding a bass that was caught on the south end of the western N/S ditch. The snafu in my reel came from the interaction of my line with another's while casting and the claim was "accident". However I think they took me out of the action on purpose just so I couldn't have a crack at that fish. It was another great day on the water and particularly happy day for me as I was able to share it with two of my favorite people in the world. My 3rd son was busy working in that restaurant he runs in Lenoir, NC and I know if he sees the picture I'm in trouble. One of these days we will have the three of them out there and then hold onto your ears as the competition amongst them is very keen.

See you on the water. Say hi if you get the chance. By the way, you can book a trip if you want to as I would be more than glad to show you this great fishery. The top water bite will get stronger and if the water continues to go down it will get fantastic beyond belief.

 

 

 

Submitted by George
Water Temp: 76
Clarity: 2-3 feet
Air: low 80's
Weather: Partly cloudy - light winds -high barometer

John Grooms from Nashville and his uncle Bill Wesson from Jacksonville joined me yesterday on the Marsh/Farm. We started in the south end of the Farm working the edges of hydrilla mats. Chug Bugs and Senkos were the presentations but if the bass were there they weren't having any part of it.

If I can stress any point about bass fishing it would be simply that bass don't live by any rules. Based on the high barometer is seemed likely that they would be tight to the grass but as they have done so many times in the past they did the opposite. They had moved out into the open and we found them strung out along one of the N/S ditches.

With the wind out of the ESE for most of the day we crabbed our way from the south end of the ditch. Casting the Senkos into the ditch and then bringing them out over the edge we picked up several bass on each drift. The big bass for the day was just a bit over 7-pounds and Uncle Bill did the honors.

The Senko is an ideal bait for the conditions that we are fishing. The area has heavy grass and lots of wood about 3-feet below the surface. With its rapid sink rate it gets to the grass quickly and a slow retrieve keeps it there and allows it to fall into holes as it comes across them. If we used weight in the area the weight would constantly be getting hung in the weed and snagging a branch or stump.

I tried top water several times throughout the morning but today wasn't the day for it. However, I would advise that you have a top water ready at all times. The shad are starting to congregate and as they get moving the top water is really going to get hot.

The wind picked up at about 2:30 which put a halt to the bite, or so it seemed. We had a great day, on a great fishery, with fantastic weather, lots of biting bass, and great companionship. Thanks John and Bill, I look forward to our next trip together.

Scott will be back out fishing next week. Cayla and Mommy are doing great and all is well.

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

PS: A friend lost 3 rods out of his boat on the way down the road yesterday. If you read these pages and found them it would be great if you contacted me so that they could be returned. Thanks.

 

 

Submitted by George - 5/9/04
Water Temps: mid 70's
Air Temps: low 80's
Winds: Breezy
Barometer: high

The balance of last week was a bit slow. Kevin Conley from Dover Ohio arrived on the 3rd and spent the day with Scott on the south end of the Farm. Numbers wise they did pretty good, but the size avoided them except for the one below.
 

She came out of the deep grass and responded to a Senko that fell into her hole.

I had out Jeff and Jack Jacobs for their final day and then did well enough that if I had the next day open they wanted it. The big fish eluded them but we did some get some nice fish to 5 pounds and plenty to keep them interested. However I was booked on the 4th with Steve Pierce from Gainsville, Va. and we left the ramp with great anticipation and expectations. The wind held a surprise in store for us however and really made us work for the bass we got. Again the bite was good on the Farm, but size just never made it to the boat. Plenty of fish bit throughout the day but not the one we were looking for.

Scott had Kevin out for his second day and and the bite was tough for them. A twin to yesterday's fish did bite but unfortunately the wrong Senko got taken again today.


On the 7th Ron and Shannon Moore of Memphis, Tn. came out. This was Ron's 3rd trip seeking the lunker. The weather was fantastic but the fishing was slow. However Ron did manage and nice fish on the Chug Bug that made the day.

Ron missed a much bigger gal, or more correctly lost her to the heavy hydrilla that we were working around. There is not much you can do when a big one pulls you into the heavy slop and the extra hooks pick up 30-40 pounds of weed.

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

 

 

Submitted by George: 5/2/04


There isn't much to say about the above. It came out of the SW corner of Lake Washington as did the one below.

We had never been to Lake Washington so on the 29th we decided to give it a try. Lake Washington is located in Melbourne with the ramp located at the end of Lake Washington road. They have a fair 2 lane ramp and limited parking for trailers. One big plus is they have real water flowing bathrooms at the park.

For more information about the park and ramps: Lake Washington Park: 6000 Lake Washington Road, Melbourne. Boat ramps, airboat launch, St. Johns River access from Lake Washington, restrooms, pavilion, picnic tables, playground, fishing pier. Reservations: (321) 255-4307.

Not knowing anything about the lake we asked some of the guys putting in and they suggested that we fish the north and west shores. Another suggestion was to fish the canal that heads out of the south end of the lake down towards route 192. As we headed out we decided to see the south end of the lake first to have a look around. The lake is a big shallow oval without much in the way of cover from what we could see however we did find some wood and lily pads in the SW corner. The SW corner appeared to be a large flat of about 2.5 feet of water so we felt that if we found the break to deeper water we might find some decent fish. (we never got to it but the west shore appeared to be more of the same and worth looking at) We worked with spinner baits, top water, and Senkos. The Senkos paid off with the fish above. With the wind blowing hard out of the east and the clouds moving in quickly we opted for an early departure so we didn't get to fish all that much of the lake.

This is a lake where getting some local knowledge before launching would be well advised.

Breaking into the month Scott had out Bobbi Tolbert and his friend from Dora, Alabama. There first day out they had over 40 bass including about 15 early in the morning on top water baits. Their catch consisted of some nice bass up to 6 pounds with a couple that didn't make it too the boat that were probably bigger. Most of the fish caught came from the south end of the Farm between the center and west N/S ditch and most came on dark Senkos. There 2nd day wasn't as good with the same area producing less fish and smaller fish.

I had out Walt Wilson from Littleton, Colorado and his son Ollie who lives now in Boynton Beach, Florida for an interesting day of mixed catch. Walt is an aficionado of light tackle and spent the day throwing smaller baits that drew catches of bream and bass. It could have proved very interesting if he had hit a bigger bass as the light line would have made landing anything of size quite difficult with all the weed that is in the south end of the Farm. He did manage bass up to about 2.5 pounds however. We also managed a few on top water as the guys threw small torpedoes early on.

My next day started with returning customer Jeff Jacobs and his brother Jack. They arrived a bit late because of some messed up travel caused by the airline. Lost luggage and such made the start of their trip a bit tough but they were raring to go. We headed back to the south end of the Farm but missed the limited top water bit. I moved away from the matted areas early on and went to the south end of the west N/S ditch and we spent most of the day right there. Senkos proved again to be the best producer and we landed fish throughout the day up to 5 pounds. We managed a respectable day of 35 plus bass but the big gal was yet to come.

Yesterday we started again in the area between the center and west N/S ditch on the south edge of the mat. Not finding much that wanted to play with top water I moved to the north side of the mat and our first good fish hit a chug bug.

Unfortunately she was the last fish to hit top water. We managed a couple more out of this area and then went back to the south end of the west ditch where we had been yesterday, but today the bite just wasn't there. With the wind blowing from the SE,  I set up a drift that carried us from the end of the center N/S ditch and we hit fish immediately. However the wind was going to be unfriendly and we couldn't get the same drift twice. For that matter, the wind was moving about so erratically we couldn't even get a complete drift without changing directions several times over a matter of 15 minutes.

I moved us eastward and set up a drift to fish the area between the center and east N/S ditches. By this time the wind was blowing from the SW and each drift was producing fish. As early afternoon progress the wind moved back to the SE and by 2:00 it was coming directly out of the east. We noted a pretty good thunderstorm building out to the east which was probably the cause of the complete wind change. The change was going to work to our benefit and it wasn't long before Jack set the hook on a fast charging lady.

Measuring 26 X16.5 and weighing 9 pounds on the nose, this gal gave Jack quite a run for his money as she skimmed over the shallow submerged mat. As she got close to the boat she surged down into the grass but Jack kept his cool and used his rod to pull her up and out. After pictures and weighing she was released and with a powerful flip of her tail disappeared down into the mat.

At 2:30 with thunder and lightening spitting out of the storm to the east we headed for the ramp Safety is a key issue out here and lightening is not one of nature's phenomenon to play with. Jeff, Jack, and I will be back out there today to see if we can better that 9 pound mark, and I for one think we can.

See you out there. We have openings so if you have the chance we have the equipment. Give us a call. You just might get that fish of a lifetime. At the very least we will have a good day on the water.