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.