Imagination Bassin Company Information

It was 6:00AM dark when I met Brian Graves from Leesburg, Va. for one of his many return trips to the Marsh. Brian likes the area and the Marsh so well that he bought a home in the area so that he can get here more often. It seemed the weatherman was going to be right about the wind as the treetops were swaying in the early morning hours.

Off to Middleton's we went for there was no question that shiners would afford the better opportunity with winds forecasted to be 20 to 25 and gusting out of the west. The stop was brief and it was off to a sunny but windy day looking for our formidable quarry.

Upon arriving at the ramp I noted that the pipes that dump from the Fellsmere Farms irrigation system into the Marsh were flowing and the current was really chugging. We were set to go with the first shiner in the water within 5 minutes of leaving the ramp and we never left the area until quitting time at 3:00PM. Although we were quick and at the ready early on the bass weren't but a bit of patience can be a big winner in this sport and we had the patience to wait out the bass through their period of reluctance.

From first shiner to last time flew and by 11:30 there were no more shiners and the count stood at 45 bass in the boat with the biggest being 5 pounds. Switching from live to artificial we rigged Carolina rigs tipped with Senkos. 17 bass fell for the allure of this Yamamoto bait with strong and positive bites. Around 2:30 we were given another 3 dozen shiners by a fisherman who didn’t use them. We spent the last ½ hour fishing shiners and boated 8 more bass giving us a total of 70 bass for the day. All the bass hit Carolina rigged shiners and Senkos on the edge of the current.

Scott

This last week has been one of steady bites for the most part on both artificial bait and on live bait. The bass are being found from the very north end of the Marsh right on down through the south end of the Farm. Plastics such as Senkos, spinner baits, buzz baits, and hard jerk baits have all been producing with plastics leading the way for the most caught bass. The traffic has picked up over the last two weeks and you can expect a full parking lot if you get here much later than 7:30.

On the Marsh side there have been bass located off the C54 canal, out in the NW palms, and in the area of twin palms. On the Farm side both the ditches and the southern and southwestern areas are producing both bucks and females, with a reported fish going at the 13-pound mark. Shiners are doing extremely well but are difficult to come by at this moment.

Weather conditions have still not stabilized but the cold has lessened with most days in the 70's. March should be a banner month with lots of large bass being caught. The spawn conditions will remain through the month and into April and the top water action should intensify. I would expect as the shad get more active that this will be the year of the top water bite. As the shad forage along the surface the actions is going to be dynamic.

We finished out February with 48 trips with clients and spent three out of the other four days searching. We still have openings in March so if you are of the mind give us a call.

This last week has been pretty consistent sans one day that the cold arrived on the 13th. Average catches have been running 25+ fish with the big fish of the week coming on a Senko. The predominate artificial has been the spinner bait and wood has played a factor in the location of the bass. Shiners have been doing well in the area we are fishing which has a combination of wood, grass, and cleaner water. Yesterday's trip with shiners yielded 30+, but no fish bigger than 5 pounds.

Consecutive days on the water cause memories to roll into a blur when you are having the good times and good catches that we are experiencing here on the lake that can only be called phenomenal. Whether using artificial bait or live bait, our least successful trip has yielded 27 bass and we have on most days gone over 80 for the two boats. Weather has continued to throw curve balls at us, but with some adjustment, in most cases the negative effects can be turned into positive results.

On the 7th Tom McKenna and party went with me using artificial bait, while Scott had out Mike Ramer and Lenny Mazur for a 1/2 day of live bait fishing. No picture fish were caught but good solid 3-4 pound bass were on the menu and although a bit stubborn on the bite, they would come out and play if enticed properly.

On the 8th and 9th I had out previous clients Chester Goble and his friend Allen and Scott had out George Cooper and party. It was two days of shiner fishing all around with the best day being the 8th for both boats. Best fish of the day was a toss-up between Allen and Chester so we got pictures of both.

The 10th and 11th brought Kent Crickard and party to the sunny south from upstate NY. The 10th was a beautiful day of sunshine and mild wind with the bass willing to play throughout the day. 6-dozen shiners disappeared from each boat as one after another was consumed by fat and hearty bass. The 11th dawned with mother nature throwing yet another of her cruel tricks at us. Temperatures in the mid to low 30's and winds to 25 MPH were the cause for a decision to be made to give Ansin/Garcia a try.

At least there we would get some protection from the wind and be able to work towards putting some good fish in the boat. Mark would lead the group with the most fish and the nicest fish. Although windy and cold in the morning, clear skies and warm sun made the day quite pleasant by mid-day.

It's 4 AM as I sit here writing this report and the temperature outside is 32. Hmmmmmm? I wonder if today will produce the over 10-pound bass for the guys today. You can bet that they will give it an honest try and who knows: perhaps, perhaps, perhaps. We still have some openings this month, not many but give us a call and perhaps you could be the next one hauling in quality bass in the sunny south.

Scott Duggan of Ruston, Louisiana does it with a non-weighted Senko. Working with his friend Dave Martin also of Ruston in winds that exceeded 25 miles per hour they proved that the right bait well placed in the right location can catch big bass. The pictured fish took the bait before it made it to the bottom and the fight was on. After a couple of trips around the boat Scott got her to the side and we hauled her aboard.

She leveled the Boga Grip at 8-pounds and set the tone for the day. The wind made many places very difficult to fish but we had a good time anyway and captured 13 bass, all on Senkos.

Scott had Dave Grigsby and Dave Wasdahl for day three and again using shiners they moved to the spillway. 50 bass made the trip to the boat with the biggest one just over 5-pounds.

This week the weatherman is telling us that the winds will be subsiding. Today will be the last of the big blow with winds dropping to as little as 5 knots for the balance of the weekdays. It should be another week of sun, fun, and big bass. You can't catch them if you are not here. Give us a call!

This past week we have had quite a fantastic time fishing with people from as far west as Oklahoma, to as far north as New Hampshire.

Christian Brand and Sam Curless from Fenton, MO joined Scott on the 31st for another trip on the Marsh, opting for some live bait fishing with outstanding results. Sam led the way with this beauty that held the Boga Grip steady on 9-pounds.

However, Christian wasn't far behind with his big one for the trip.

Chris and Holly Corum from Mountain City, TN spent the day joined me on yet another return trip working with artificial, and although we didn't get a giant to the boat, we did have a day of over 30 very respectable bass. Late in the day one giant gal rose for a spinner bait, but just wouldn't follow up for plastic even though she missed the spinner completely. We did get a good look at her however as she cruised by the side of the boat about 20 minutes later. At least we wanted to think that the 9-10 pound gal was the one that was just missed. Successful baits were white spinner baits, and T-rigged Senkos.

On the 1st Brian Graves from Leesburg, VA got together with his buddy John Cooper from NC for yet another of their many trips here to the Marsh. For their 1st day of three they opted to go with artificial bait and we had yet another successful day for two hard charging fishermen. John led the way early on with a fish on the first or second cast of a T-rigged Senko.

Brian would hang right in there however and produced another solid chunk to place in his memory book.

As with the day before the baits that worked best were the spinner bait and the Senko T-rigged with the Senko producing all but one fish. Christian and Sam joined Scott for day two of their trip and had pretty much the same results using shiners.

On the 2nd Brian and John decided to give the live bait a try so Scott and crew headed to the south end of the lake to let the shiners do their trick. They were not to be disappointed as the fish cooperated as the shiners lured bass after bass to the boat.

The morning started cool, but by days end it was t-shirt weather and clear skies.

Stanley Mclean from Merrimack, NH joined me on the 3rd for day one of his trip on the Marsh and we worked spinner baits and T-rigged Senkos with a successful days catch of 27 bass. Amy, Stan's wife had surprised Stan Christmas morn with a two day trip to the Marsh and day one made the trip and gift a super hit with Stan.

As you can see it was just a tad foggy out there and white spinner baits were jus the ticket early on to produce some pretty good chunks. Our first fish was caught in the first five minutes of the trip. As it cleared the Senko took the lead as the producer as the spinner bait bite waned.

Brian and John joined Scott for the last of their 3-day trip and again opted for live bait and the spillway end of the the farm. Today 50 bass would add to their impressive trip count and other than the fog the day was beautiful. David Grigsby and David Wasdahl returned for the 1st of a 3-day trip, so with the assistance of John Peace they headed out following Scott to the spillway area. Opting for live bait seemed the best choice based on weather reports and by days end it would bear out to be a good one. They managed 40+ bass between the spillway and the pump house on the east wall of the Farm.

Yesterday morning we awoke to winds of 25-30 miles per hour with gusts that were exceeding 40. Stan who was to go for day two decided that he didn't want to thrown artificial baits in that kind of wind and I agreed wholeheartedly so we headed back to the warmth of our quarters. David and David and Scott however decided to take some shiners and head to Ansin/Garcia and use the heavy grasses there for protection and production. The early morning sky was laden with heavy overcast but what the heck: Perhaps a day on the water would be better than a day in a motel room. Bundled up like foraying Eskimos, off they went for a grand day in "Sunny" warm Florida. 12 bass made it to the boat, with numerous pickerel and mudfish thrown into the lot.

It's 3:30am on the 5th as I write this and the wind is blowing but I am preparing to head out for yet another day of bass catching wonder. Dave and Dave will join Scott and I will have on board Dave Martin and his friend from Ruston, LA. Wish you were here! We have a few open slots this month so give us a shout.