Catch 22

In an effort to make our outings a bit more interesting for our clients we offer the following challenge. Any angler who successfully lands a bass measuring at least 22” or single handedly lands 22 bass or more during the day from our boat will be awarded a free Stick Marsh/Farm 13 BPGS T-shirt. This handsome T-shirt (a $12 value) is sure to remind you of the great day you had at the Stick Marsh every time you wear it.



Last week saw two buddies from south Florida came to the marsh in anticipation of a fun day catching some quality bass. Early indications were for a breezy chilly day following the passage of yet another cold front. With the wind blowing steady 10-15 from the WNW the fishable spots were limited but we were determined and undaunted. The boat handled the chop nicely as we clipped along across the chilly 57 degree lake and set up in the SE corner somewhat sheltered from the wind. After a short while the fish responded to the wild golden shiner dinner bell and provided us with a steady catch rate of quality 3-5 lb. largemouth throughout the rest of their day.


Dave and Mike braved the overcast skies and chilly temps which lasted till nearly the end of their trip. Each of them landed several nice bass and had ample opportunity for several more had the fish cooperated by hanging on a little tighter. We even had a nice double at one point which was very exciting.

These two anglers agreed that despite somewhat difficult conditions we managed to have plenty of action and accomplished our goal of having a fun day of fishing. This is always our goal at Bass Professional Guide Service. If this sounds like what you would like, please contact us toll free at 866-BASS-066 or send an e-mail to deanherdman@yahoo.com to set up a day on the lake and perhaps meet the challenge of our Catch 22.

Before the Front

This past week brought another series of cold front conditions into the Stick Marsh. It seems a little early for it to be this cool, but overall the weather has been ideal once the sun gets up and does its job for a couple hours. Passing fronts have been mostly dry of late and relatively absent of strong Northerly winds generally associated with their passage. It has made for some exceptionally fine days to be out on the lake.

When I went out Tuesday the weather was nice, about 75 with a light wind, but the water temp had dropped down to 63. I took out our old buddy J.Z. again, an annual friend who travels from St. Louis to Florida every year for Thanksgiving with family and takes a fishing day for himself when he comes. We met at the ramp around 10 and headed out.

Our first stop was the woody areas of the SW farm. Bites were slow and the water was kind of dirty so we moved to the spillway where our luck improved as we got into the early afternoon hours. We were fishing with shiners today and the bass were cautiously interested. The bass were biting more than we were catching but we still managed to land a few good ones. It was great to have John back and I look forward to seeing him again next year.

Up next were the Flack guys, Larry Sr. and his son Larry II. These two anglers enjoyed a relaxed and pleasant, 6 hr - 3 dozen, day. The front had arrived the night before, bringing lower temps for both the air and water. The day started breezy and chilly but quickly improved to become nice and sunny. I was shocked to see that the water had dropped to 57, a whopping 6 degrees lower than the day before. In spite of the drop, the bass were hungry for some shiners. We started off at the back lot, catching a few, and moved on around to the spillway about noon. The bites and catches really picked up as the afternoon wore on. The late start has been the way to go this month. The bass are far more active as the day warms up and we’ve been catching them in the later part of the afternoon.




The upcoming holidays are a great excuse to take a well deserved fishing trip to the marsh. We also offer gift certificates if you want to give the fisherman in your life a fantastic day of fishing. The bass are biting and the weather is great. Give me a call, toll free at: 1-866-BASS-066 or email me: deanherdman@yahoo.com . See you soon!

Personal Best

This past week I took a couple from Michigan on a half day charter. Michigan weather doesn’t permit much winter bass fishing so Nick wanted to surprise his girlfriend Shannon with a trip to the Stick Marsh while they were down in Florida. We met at the bait shop and headed down to the marsh for an afternoon of shiner fishing. The bass have been biting better later in the day so we got to the marsh around 11 and headed to the spillway right off.

The day was sunny and around 65 with a light north wind. To Nick and Shannon, this must have felt like summer after the cold Michigan weather because they were dressed in tees and shorts. After a few nibbles the first hour the bass began to attack the bait like they hadn’t eaten in weeks. Both Nick and Shannon caught their personal bests as far as big bass go. Those big bass earned both of them Bass Professional Guide Service t-shirts and bragging rights back home. Shannon had a reel problem at one point and still pulled in a big one by hand! It was great to see accomplished bass fishermen take such pleasure in the Stick Marsh experience.




Now’s the time to come to the Marsh to catch your personal best – 22” or better wins a tee shirt! Contact me at deanherdman@yahoo.com or call me toll free at 1-866-BASS-066. Have a great Thanksgiving!

Staycation

Thursday and Saturday were excellent fishing days at the Stick Marsh for any type of angler. Florida fall days can be awesome weather-wise, and last week was no exception. The water is hovering around the magic 70 degree number and the fish are biting. Julie and I took advantage of an extra long weekend and decided to treat ourselves to a staycation. We started off with a dozen shiners on Thursday and headed out to the marsh at about 9am.

The new owners of Stick Marsh Bait and Tackle told us that the fishing had been good with crappies (specks) running strong as well. We had a few light bites right away but no catches. We moved around the Stick Marsh and decided to head over to the spillway at Farm 13. The bass started to bite right away, starting with the first cast and steadily thereafter. The bass were scaling the bait but we kept on until we used up our shiners. We moved over to the bank area and switched to a Wave Worms Tiki stick 5” Senko type worm. About 10 minutes into it I had a 9 pounder on the line. I proceeded to catch 4 more bass, a 20 lb. limit all on the same worm, in the next ½ hour. Changed the worm and caught 3 more in the next 20 minutes. The bites and catching remained steady until about 4pm when we headed back to the ramp where we saw an angler with a 5 gallon bucket filled with catfish and bluegills.

Saturday saw us out a bit later. The fish seemed to be biting in the afternoon hours so we took our time. The road to the marsh was just graded so it was a nice smooth cruise. When we arrived, we found that the lot was nearly full. But people come and go so we found a spot and got on the ramp right away. As we were putting in the boat the guy on the other ramp said that he had already caught his limit of crappies and it was well before noon! We went straight to the spillway area and used the trusty Senko again.

In spite of the full lot, there were few boats to be seen. Bites started right off the bat, landing us a few small bass and a huge mudfish. We moved to the spillway itself and trolled along to the bank area. The bass had returned in our short absence and were biting with gusto. Even Julie managed to catch a big one! I say “managed” because she generally runs into trouble when setting the hook. We had another run of catching similar to Thursday’s blitz. I then switched to a Watermelon stick which proved to be a good choice. While we were catching on the bank we heard a whoop and watched a man fishing from above the spillway tunnel land a 10.5 pounder. We kept going until around 4pm when a big one broke the line and the sun was getting lower.

The bass are running and time is right to get some fishing in. Contact me by email deanherdman@yahoo.com or call us toll free at 1-866-BASS066 for a great day of fishing on the Stick Marsh.

Weather or Not

We don’t really have fall weather here in Florida. It’s generally in the 80’s, with a few mornings starting out chilly. Some days we only get into the mid 70’s but to those of you up north that probably sounds pretty warm. We had a record breaking cold snap that occurred for two nights running and yet the daily temperatures rose into the high 60’s or low 70’s. Perfect fishing weather if you ask me! The winds have been very strong as well but that hasn’t hurt the fishing.

In fact, this year fall fishing has proved to be enjoyable and traveling packs of bass are abundant. These guys are searching for bait pods and since they are feeding, they aren’t too hard to catch. The fish are beginning to fatten for the winter and some healthy fish have been caught. They seem to prefer live shiners at this time of year, as is evident in the number of bites and catches when they are used instead of spinner baits.




If it’s getting chilly up by you, try a day or two out in the Stick Marsh. That will fix whatever ails you! Contact me at deanherdman@yahoo.com or call me toll free at 1-866-BASS-066.

All Wrapped Up

We finally got together with Ace Digital Graphics and they did a fine job on the new boat’s wrap. After many days of going back and forth with designs and ideas, we settled on a look that is similar to the wrap on the truck. Our sponsors are very happy too!

The fishing has been great and it’s warmed up again after a cold snap. Well, a Florida cold snap so it was in the 60’s! This is a perfect time for you to get out there and get some fishing in! Send me a line: deanherdman@yahoo.com or give me a call on my new toll free number: 1-866-BASS-066 and set up a date to catch.

New Look

Fall is creeping in on us at the stick marsh. The subtle changes that earmark the coming of fall in Florida can be noticed by the slightly cooling temps especially in the morning. The bass population is beginning to gear up for yet another spawning season by aggressively eating.


In anticipation of the upcoming season, I have upgraded our equipment including a new boat on which we will be fishing. This new boat is a custom built 20’ Velocity Bullet. For those of you familiar with our old boat, this one is quite similar in style and performance with a few added features to make your fishing experience a better one. It’s a great ride, with comfort and performance in one stylish package. Now is the time to choose a date to come out and catch some bass. You'll enjoy the ride! Call me toll free at: 1-866-BASS-066 or email me at: deanherdman@yahoo.com


Keith and I had a great maiden voyage, landing a few hungry bass. We are also about to debut an upgrade on our website. Stay tuned to see a new look and more updated features and lake reports coming soon.

Moving Water, Biting Bass

Summer patterns continue to produce some excellent days at Stick Marsh Farm 13. These days the heat and afternoon thunderstorms will force most anglers to start at dawn and finish up early. Some searching will be needed to find the fish but once located its all good. If you are fortunate enough to be out there on a day when the water authority is moving water the bite is tremendous.

On a recent outing we found the spillway at the SE corner wide open and we proceeded to latch on to over 50 fish in a matter of 4 hours. These fish, mostly in the 3-5 lb. range were just inhaling senko type baits on seemingly every cast for a while until the flow slowed and the pipes to the left of the spillway were opened. This dirtied the water and shut them down but not before we had a plenty of action. For Stick Marsh first timer, Mike Krokrich, this was a day he will not soon forget and is excited that he has chosen to move to the Vero Beach area and will get to fish the lake a lot.

We also had good success with rattle traps and shallow cranks in various locations around the lake. A 75 fish day on your first time out there will spoil you fast but will also indicate that the reports of a dying fishery are greatly exaggerated. Give me a call toll free to book your day of fishing: 1-866-BASS-066 or email me at: deanherdman@yahoo.com.

Gators Galore

I will begin this report by apologizing for the length of time elapsed since my last update.

Computer problems have plagued my ability to utilize some of the photos on file and to be honest it has been slow. The fishing has not been that slow it is a shortage of anglers of late that has kept things quiet. In early May the Palm Bay area had a series of wild fires that all but shut down access to the lake and made for some uncomfortable conditions, hampering our ability to get out on the lake. That is behind us now and the fishing is very steady.


On Tuesday I took out two generations of the Pitts family for a half day trip that was very enjoyable. The nature on the lake was very active with an over abundance of gators plying the waters of the Stick Marsh. At times we could count at least 15- 20 all within a few hundred yards of the boat and witnessed some very aggressive feeding. It has been mentioned by some that these gators are eating all the big bass. As if this is something new and unusual. Let me just say that it was quite exciting to see a 10 foot alligator 3 feet from the boat munch a 5 pound catfish that was floating dead. We also watched in amazement as another large gator crashed the bank only to see a big bass jump several feet into the air to escape the jaws of this awesome predator and live a little longer.


All this gator action was a bit annoying to the senior Mr. Pitts who is a native of Tallahasee and a life long Noles fan! Undeterred the father and son fished 3 dozen wild shiners with good success and landed plenty of nice bass as well as a few other species. Once the shiners were exhausted we switched over to faster moving crankbaits and rattletraps and caught them equally as well.


Summer season is upon us and the crowds have left the ramp. The fishing is still great and the lake is basically yours. It is a bit warm out there but the breeze helps and you can always let the motor run to induce a cooling effect. As always the show that Mother Nature gives you at the Stick Marsh is well worth the price of admission. Come see for yourself, you won’t be disappointed. To book a trip, call me toll free at: 1-866-BASS-066 or email me at: deanherdman@yahoo.com

12 Hour Drive

Danny Paxton, of Richmond Virginia, loaded up a rental car and drove 12 hours with his son Chad and friends Bill and Marty to fish for two days at the Stick Marsh. It was a long drive but well worth the effort as these anglers boated nearly a hundred fish in two days. The weather was much nicer here than what they missed in Va. which was reported to be 35 degrees and sleet. All the fish caught were nice quality with a good number of them over five pounds including at least a couple in the eight pound range.





Danny and Bill were in my boat both days and had a real nice time pulling in fish after fish and just relaxing. Two days in two boats, this foursome had no problem finding enough fish to eat up 24 dozen wild shiners. All four knew how to set the hook which helped give them a success rate of better than 60% bite to catch ratio. They had a real good time and I look forward to seeing them again.

The fishing continues to improve as does the weather as of late. The post spawn fish are hungry for shiners and there still seem to be a few fish that have not yet spawned. The outside area of the SW corner of the farm has been doing well if the wind stays calm and the back lot area has produced lots of quality bites. Live bait or artificial does not seem to matter when the bite is on. If you have been wondering if the time is right, I would say yes it is. C’mon out and see for yourself. To book a trip, call me toll free: 1-866-BASS-066 or email me: deanherdman@yahoo.com . See you soon!

Jim and Steve

Last week on successive days the boat was loaded with Jims and Steves. On Wednesday Jim and Steve Bahrke, brothers from Wisconsin, came out for a half day of shiner fishing and enjoyed some nice conditions and good fun. After spending the previous day with his family at Disney, Jim was ready for a relaxing and enjoyable day on the lake. After an exhilarating ride across the lake in the Bullet Jim stated “that was better than any ride at Disney.”

The next day found Jim Nelan, his wife Charla, and their friend Steve Eckert, who was visiting from Ohio . The goal for the day was to simply have fun. That was easily accomplished as the weather was fine and the fish bite was steady. It was a real pleasure to have these friends out on the lake for the day, and help provide them with a quality experience and an enjoyable day of relaxation and nature appreciation.

The fishing has steadily improved as of late. Most days have seen plenty of hungry fish falling for our shiner offerings and the weather has been for the most part very enjoyable. If you’re ready to have a great day on the lake give a call to 1-866-BASS-066 toll free or send an e-mail to deanherdman@yahoo.com and set a date for a day of catching.

Dear Old Dad

I got the chance to give my Dad and his buddy Bob a day on the lake last week. We had a nice day to go fishing with warm weather and light winds. It’s always a pleasure to have Dad out for a day even if his fishing skills are not that of his boys. Bob was a true novice as he stated that he had never been fresh water fishing before. That being said, I believe that Bob now has a skewed idea of what bass fishing is all about. On his first outing he managed to boat two over 4 lbs. and a nice 7.5 lb that shot 3 ft. out of the water to inhale his shiner that just touched down. Nothing to it!

Kent Shortz and his buddy Pete, nicknamed the Admiral, also had a chance for a half day of fishing on the Stick Marsh. After a cool start the weather warmed nicely and these two friends landed a few quality fish to complete an enjoyable morning.

Continuing winds have made for some tougher days out there but the persistent and patient anglers will still manage to find quality bites. I am excited that the topwater bite is now just a short time away and I look forward to this with eager anticipation. Stay tuned for further updates on when this action gets going. Better yet check your calendar and choose an upcoming date to book your trip. When you are ready contact me by e-mailing to deanherdman@yahoo.com or call 1-866-BASS-066 toll free.

Hot and Cold

Up and down weather conditions during the past two weeks have yielded a mixed bag of fishing days. For the most part it has been warm and pleasant but we have not been able to get past the regular passing of cold fronts that push the temps back into the 40’s at night and highs in the 60’s during the day. Those up and down temps coupled with breezy days with winds from the north, which dirty the water, can shut down the aggressive bite for days and leave anglers scratching their heads as to what to try next.

Despite the occasional adverse weather days we still managed to feed several nice fish a day during the last couple weeks. The quality of the fish caught remains nice even if the numbers landed are down on occasion.



The fish remain in all stages of spawn at this time with more seeming to be heading into post spawn positions. Shiners are working well, with the local supply at times getting spotty, especially on the weekends which have been busy. The artificial bite has been working with darker colored worms and lipless cranks in the wooded cover. Keep in mind the cleaner the water, the better the bite.


The boat rested for a couple days this week to get a few minor repairs taken care of and now is ready to get back out there and chase down some fish. If you’re ready to get out there, contact me by phone toll free at: 1-866-BASS-066 or e-mail deanherdman@yahoo.com

New Gear

Last week I eagerly awaited the UPS man to visit me. He arrived with an 8 ft. PVC tube filled with new rods. Xmas in Feb.! I am pleased to announce that I have reached an agreement with Allpro rods of McMinnville, TN to become a member of their pro staff. The people at Allpro have been terrific, very courteous with prompt delivery and attention to detail. The quality of the rods is top notch and I look forward to enjoying their products for years to come. Check them out by going to www.allprorods.com. If you see something you like let me know and I will help save you 20%.

With new rods in tow it was off to the lake to give them a try. It was a dreary morning but Julie and I were not to be denied. We put on our Frogg Toggs and set out on our way. On the very first cast Julie caught a nice 3lb. largemouth. Nice start for Allpro! These rods are great, very light and responsive; the rod does all the work.

As the morning progressed we had a few more bites but the weather failed to improve causing my mate to want to bail. I took her home and returned after lunch to improving conditions and another half dozen bass up to 5 lbs boated on my new rods. The following two days saw increasing wind velocity from the north stirring up the water on Stick Marsh so I decided to have a look at Garcia. I convinced the staff at Stick Marsh Bait and Tackle to come out with me for the afternoon. We searched around and found some small fish in several places around the lake. It was a pleasant and enjoyable afternoon. The next morning I joined the locals in their weekly club tourney at Garcia. I only managed one keeper out of several fish caught on black and blue tiki sticks as the wind limited my ability to find much to work with. Garcia is a good alternative to fish when the Stick Marsh becomes difficult, with abundant cover and varied depths available it is a nice way to mix it up a bit.


The end of winter as we know it in Florida is near. Most of the spawning is now likely coming to an end for us here at the Marsh. The fish are hungry and the action is great. This is the time for you to get out there and find the catch you have been waiting for. Send us a line or give me a call toll free at deanherdman@yahoo.com or 1-866-BASS-066 and set up a date to catch.

Groundhog Days

Month one of 2008 is past us already. Is it me or does age just seem to make time pass faster? One day blends into the next and time marches on. January at the Stick Marsh saw a number of pleasant Florida winter weather days with just a few colder less pleasant ones. I’m not sure what the groundhog is forecasting where you are but February means warmer days and the end of cold snaps for us.

We had some good trips in January with consistent quality catching. What we lacked in numbers was made up for in average size.

Jimmy Skiles and his son Patrick visited for 4 days from Louisiana , and despite some less than perfect weather had a great time catching plenty of bass on shiners. These two anglers have been making an annual pilgrimage to Florida to bass fish for many years and continue to enjoy there time together on the water.


There were also some more local anglers out for some fishing like Mike Lally who drove over from Vero Beach for a morning and Joe Dove, who visited from the Keys for a day to have another try at a big one or two.

The fish continue to be in all stages of spawn and the water has been cleanest on the northwest side of the lake. Windy days after cold front passage continue to be problematic and can dirty the water for a time. Shiner fishing has been the most prevalent as of late but I plan to take a few days this coming weekend to throw some artificial baits and see what they eat.


If the groundhog suggests you are in for more winter, maybe you should try a day or two out in the Stick Marsh. Contact me at deanherdman@yahoo.com or call toll free 1-866-BASS-066.