Stick Marsh/Farm 13,  "There's Monsters In That There Marsh!"

Story & Photos  by Jeff Hord & Rocky Buchan & George Welcome

It's 8 o'clock pm; I'm sitting on the runway at Kansas City International Airport, wondering if my 1-hour storm delayed flight is ever going to leave KC! I've been planning and waiting on a trip to Florida for nearly 4 months, and the excitement level is now at it's all time high.

Stick Marsh/Farm 13 is my destination, and after reading the many reports for fishing Stick Marsh here on ODC, and after "In-Fisherman Magazine" projected Stick Marsh as the #1 potential "Trophy Bass" lake in America for the 2001 season, the anticipation of a real "Hawg," a double digit monster is now greater than ever!

I'd been in contact with George & Scott Welcome, of "Imagination Bassin' Guide Service." George told me to load up on buzz baits, and spinner baits, so KGS Custom Baits sent along some White Specials just for the "special" occasion. Along with a small sack of my staple bass bait, a 7-inch Red Shad Berkley Power Worm, I was off 1,250 miles on a Hawg Hunt.

Jay Michaelis, Rocky Buchan, and myself landed at the Orlando Airport about 11:30 pm, and were tucked in our rooms by 1:00 am, dreaming of the adventure waiting for us in only 5 short hours. OK, it WAS late, and planning wasn't at its finest, but when you're dealing with a couple of ol' boys with day gigs, well…we'll just leave it at that. I will say though, you can land in Orlando, get a rental truck and a bite to eat, and still be at the Stick Marsh within 1-½ hours.

The next morning we drove through 10 to 15 miles of orange orchards and irrigation canals, arriving at the Marsh about 6:20 am. We were supposed to be there at 6 bells, and when we did get there, we found George and Scott patiently awaiting. They were both anxious to get out on the lake because he knew he had been on some really nice fish just days before. Rocky and I jumped in with George on the 20-foot Nitro, while Jay climbed aboard the 20-foot flats boat of Scott's.

We headed out of the ramp area, and I immediately knew why they called the lake Stick Marsh. To jump a little ahead in this story, lets just say it was the first time I'd ever spent two entire days on a boat, and never left idle until 4 hours into the second day! Man is there a BUNCH of BRUSH!

"Where do you start?" "Every cast looks like potential bass heaven!"

George laughed, and said he had a couple of spots all picked out for us.

We began fishing in an area that looked just like the rest of the lake. I asked George "How deep is it here where we're fishing?" And he said "Three to four feet." This would become a reoccurring theme throughout the day, as I quickly found out that the rest of the lake really WAS just like this part of the lake.

Weaving buzz baits in and out of thousands of stick-ups, and it didn't take long before George hooked up with a Bighead, who exploded on his top water bait with fury. George hauled a 2 ½ pound Largemouth to the boat with very little hesitation. He added, "The one thing you don't want to do when you're fishing the Stick Marsh, is to mess around after you set the hook on a bass." With thousands of stick-ups in every direction, not to even mention the mounds of hydrilla throughout the lake, getting your fish into the boat is always an issue!

I was next. I too had a hook up with a top water fish, but it was quickly over as the bass shook his head in the air, and tossed my buzz bait back at the boat!

Rocky ducked, but continued fishing as he sure wanted in on some of this action of his own. It didn't take long for Rocky either, and he was hauling in a nice little Stick Marsh bass. I then looked over to Scott's boat where Jay and Scott were also hammering the bass. WOW! This is going to be an awesome trip!

It didn't take long for me to put on the good old standby, the Red Shad worm. First cast; first fish! Another nice, 2 lb. Stick Marsh bass.

"OK George, where's all the Hawgs I've been reading about?" I said. George said "Rocky needs to sing to call them in." About that time Rocky broke out into a Marshal Tucker tune, and I'm telling you, 2 lines into the song and George was hooked up, I kid you not! We all just laughed as George hauled in a bass and said "It works every time, doesn't it Rocky?"

Next thing you know, Rocky hooked into a fish, and this was a Hawg! Rocky battled the fish for a couple of seconds, then his line went limp. I believe Rocky's exact words were "Sh*@#! I had him!

We spent two complete days on the water, and had a lot of fun catching fish and shooting the breeze with George & Scott. George knows a lot about the history of the lake, and along with his son Scott, has been producing good fish off of it for years.

I could go on about all the fish we caught, but I think you'd probably rather just see for yourselves. That's why we filmed the entire outing, and will be putting it up for you to see in the very near future. Be sure to watch for that, you won't want to miss it if you're a diehard bass fisherman. This is truly one of the best lakes I've been on in a while, and I plan on returning ASAP!!!

George and Scott can accommodate up to 4 fishermen at a time, and if you are looking for a Hawg, be sure to consider Stick Marsh. There is a reason why "In-Fisherman" proclaimed it the #1 shot at a "Trophy" caliber bass, and I'd have to agree (considering where I've personally fished so far).

One last story before I leave you waiting patiently for the video show. I'll let you in on a little secret. I had the biggest bass of my life hooked up at the Marsh. You'll have to stay tuned for the video to see if I got her in or not.

Don't forget to give George or Scott a call if you're getting anywhere near Orlando. And if you're not going to be near Orlando, make it a point to figure out how you can get there!

George & Scott can be reached by phone,  at 772 532-7440. Or you can visit the "Imagination Bassin' Guide Services" web site. You'll probably want to visit the website (right before you decide to book a trip) because George has plenty of pictures of Stick Marsh Monsters!!!