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!