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.