Finally Spring Has Sprung

Ah, at long last some enjoyable weather. After a particularly lengthy and cold winter season we have settled in to some nicer days. Water temps are now into the 70’s, daytime temps are regularly reaching into the 80’s and the scent of citrus blossoms fills the air.

The bass bite has improved, especially on days when the wind has cooperated. Good concentrations of bass have been biting in the stumps on the south shore of the farm. These areas can be a bit difficult to withstand when the wind blows like it did last week but I would expect that it will only be getting better with abating winds and warming waters. Soft plastic creature type baits and jerks have produced nicely as well as the always popular senko type worm. I’m hoping that the topwater bite will soon be on here as well.



Wild shiner anglers are finding some nice fish but it seems that plenty of patience is needed at times and the mudfish have been hungrier than the bass as of late. Still, it’s fun and relaxing fishing and as always the scenic natural beauty and serenity of this lake is unrivaled.







The boat is running great after some minor maintenance issues were corrected and I have begun to restock my tackle bag with a new assortment of quality baits after a burglary forced me to start over. Hoping to see some old friends come out of hiding and fish soon and as always I’m looking forward to meeting new ones who are excited to see if the Stick Marsh can produce a new personal best for them like it did for our new buddy Bill.

The Seed

February, 6 marks an important anniversary in my bass fishing career. It was on this day in 2002 that I landed the first of many largemouth bass. I never expected that day just how much of an impact that small fish would have on my future. Sure I fished a lot as a kid but I had lived my life on the ocean and had never really been exposed to fresh water fishing much. However we had just purchased a house on Lake Griffin and it was high time I got out there and explored the world of bass fishing.

Tony Kob, Sr. had long been telling me of the story behind the Stick Marsh and the day had come for us to hire a guide and check it out. Tony had a friend who had taken him several times before, his name was Hugh Crumpler, so we loaded up the truck and headed to Fellsmere for our day on the lake. In the early morning darkness, Hugh met us at the hotel and led us to the ramp and prepared for a day of wild shiner fishing. Things worked quickly and before you know it I had my first fish in the boat. I proudly displayed fish for the camera and thought to myself that was easy enough and pretty fun too. Fish number two in the boat and I prepared to have another photo taken, when I learned that you don’t need to photograph every fish we catch. Oh OK, I responded and dutifully returned the fish to the water. When fish number 3 came over the rail we measured and weighed it and I quickly returned her to the lake, nothing to this I thought. Hugh and Tony were all over me as to why I didn’t wait for pictures. “You told me we don’t take pictures of them all”, I exclaimed. Turns out I had just released a 25 “, 9.5 lb. trophy without the benefit of photographic proof. Who knew? I would $pend the next several years trying to match that catch on day one. Bass fishing became a serious obsession with me that day which would eventually lead to me actually living the life of a bass professional and purchasing that guide service from Hugh Crumpler when he decided to retire several years later.

A whole lot has happened between that day and the present but one thing has not changed and that is the fact that a day on the Stick Marsh fishing with friends can be one of the most exciting and fun ways to spend your leisure time. I have learned so much since that day and I really enjoy being able to share the experience with others. Fate or destiny? I don’t know for sure but the seed was planted that day and the tree has grown rapidly and strong. Eight years ago I could not spell Bass Professional Guide now I are one.

I invite you all to come out and enjoy the scenery and experience for yourself the thrill of a guided tour of the famous Stick Marsh Farm 13. There are plenty of good days still available so check your calendar and send me an e-mail to arrange your trip. Oh and when you catch that trophy fish of a lifetime I will be sure to get it photographed before you send it back to bite again.

Another Trip Around the Sun

Once again we mark another years passing with renewed hopes that this next year will be better than the last. For many that will not be hard to achieve as 2009 was not exactly a year to remember. Economic woes, health care debates, war on terrorism continued, etc. there is a whole host of things to be bothered by out there. My small piece of advice to anyone who cares is to be sure to take time to relax and enjoy life’s simpler pleasures. Appreciate nature more, get out and enjoy life before it passes you by. Have no regrets.

That being said I encourage any of you who have been contemplating a guided fishing trip to go ahead and book your date now. I still have a number of available days for you and yours to get out there and catch some nice bass. Florida winter weather is upon us but for most of you that means NICE. The arrival of cold fronts have brought the water temps down to the high 50's and those brisk and breezy bluebird days following the front can make the fishing a bit difficult. Nevertheless, it is still nicer here than most anywhere else in the country. The don't call it the Sunshine State for nothing you know.



Last week brought a mixed bag of fishing conditions. In general, I would sum it up as challenging. The cooler temps and NW winds tended to slow the bite and limit the fishable areas but as the temps warmed and wind direction changed the prespawn conditions improved. Wild shiner live bait seemed to be working best as I witnessed a number of good sized bass, 5lbs. and better fought to sumbission in the SE corner of the impoundment. Artificial bait catches were less active but a few fish did fall prey to plastic worms and the spinnerbait bite worked in the windier conditions. The baitfishes are plentiful and the bass are fattening in preparation for spawing so with some patience and a bit of favorable weather you will catch some nice fish.



I have high hopes for some double digit bass this year. A 10 in 10 so to speak and you can help me reach that goal, please contact me by e-mail dean@onecastaway.com to ask questions or arrange a date to fish. Best of luck to you in 2010 and I hope to see you at
the lake.

A Junebug Worm

A running joke amongst Florida tournament anglers when queried as to what you caught that fish on is to answer simply a junebug worm. The reliability of that answer should often be suspected but it is definitely used for a reason. Reason being is, it often is a color that really does work well here in our lakes. When in doubt toss one out, most often it will produce. My team partner Keith Bailey found this to be true on our outing yesterday when he landed 15 lbs. on 2 fish using a 5 inch junebug w/ chartreuse tip Tiki Stick.

Recent outings at the Stick Marsh have been somewhat less than spectacular and not what would be expected for this time of year. The weather has cooperated nicely but the fish seem scattered and not all that hungry. Many anglers that I have compared notes with have been finding it this way. The good news is that my after last outing I feel things are turning around. Water temps are in the the mid 60’s and the prespawn feeding period may be getting underway.

The day began as more of the same of late with a slow morning. My confidence and enthusiasm was getting low but things changed in the afternoon when Keith decided to rig up a Texas rigged worm on his new Falcon Cara flipping stick just to give it a try. After a half dozen pitches getting the feel of his new Ardent pitching reel I watched him load the rod and begin to fight what turned out to be his new personal best bass. First fish on his new set up, this trophy largemouth turned out to be 9 lbs even and his hands were shaking with adrenalin for at least 5 minutes after. A good sign of things to come, and to think he wanted to move to another spot just prior to his hook up. I said to him, “Let’s give this a couple more minutes.” Needless to say we stayed there the rest of the day.





The bite continued strong as the day progressed with both artificial and live bait producing well. The bite was not limited to bass only as we also hooked into several catfish, a few mudfish and a good sized chain pickerel. It just proves my point that whenever you are fishing the Stick Marsh no matter how elusive they seem the possibility of your biggest bass ever can be just one cast away. Nice job Keith!

Stick Marsh Prime Time

Finally a break from the heat, and it looks as though the summer season as we know it has ended. The calendar has moved to November and this spells better, more comfortable fishing in store for us here in Central Florida. I simply love this time of year. The brutal heat is no longer a factor and the fish are becoming eager to feed in anticipation for the annual spawn.



One sure sign of the season that I have begun to notice is the annual arrival of snowbirds. If you are unfamiliar with this species they are easily identified as they are generally a slower moving easily confused migratory species that flock to our area from November through late April. They tend to be white crested and wrinkled and feed in packs around 6am and again at 4:30pm. Though not usually aggressive I tend to give them plenty of space because they can be unpredictable.


If the quality of fish we caught in October is any indication of what is to come in the next few months we are in for some great bass fishing action this winter. Although we didn’t catch fish in great numbers of late we have hooked into some very nice fish on every outing. I believe the quantity was a direct result of the high water temps but that is abating and the big ones are definitely out there ready to bite. Many personal bests have been had by my clients recently with all of them going safely back to the water to be caught again.



So if you have been wondering when is the best time for me to go out to the Stick Marsh for some prime time largemouth bass fishing the answer is now. It doesn’t get any better than this so choose a day or two when you can relax and call me toll free anytime at 866-BASS-066 or send an e-mail to info@onecastaway.com for your reservation.

Oh and don’t forget that the holidays are just around the corner and our gift certificate is an excellent choice for that special angler on your list. Details are on our website: www.onecastaway.com.

Jersey Boys

Northerners have recently become all too aware that they may be in for a nasty winter seaon. Here it is mid-October and many areas have already seen some snow and cold temps. Their fishing season has rapidly come to its end. Well, here in Florida our season is just about to get underway for real. The weather has remained unseasonably warm with water temps still in the mid-eighties and daytime highs still reaching 90. It seems that this is about to change as the occasional cool front has reached us and personally, I can't wait for it to remain just a bit cooler. When the water temps get just a bit cooler we will be set for the fish to actively start to eat in earnest in preparation for another spawning season. I'm ready and there are some nice fish being caught of late that will be ready as well. The overall catch numbers aren't quite what I would like but the quality of catch lately has been superb. Many fish over five lbs. being caught on a regular basis.





Last week two friends from NJ decided that a road trip was in order so they loaded up the truck and headed down I-95 for a Florida fishing vacation. Driving through the night, these two traveled 18 hours to meet me for a day on the Stick Marsh. It was hot out there, 90+, but anything was better than the 35 and rainy weather they abandoned in Jersey. Jason, Anthony, and I spent all day long fishing hard with both artificial baits and some wild shiners and were rewarded with some very nice Largemouth bass as well as a few other species including a very nice blue catfish that went close to 10 lbs.





The Stick Marsh was the first stop for these two as they continued further south towards the Keys for a little salt water action as well. I hope they had as good a time down there as they did with me. You too can have a great time fishing in Florida this winter. All you have to do is contact us and we will get you set up to forget the miserable weather and enjoy some time in the sun. Please keep in mind that specific dates are best booked in advance to ensure availability. Who knows you may even get to handle the biggest bass of your life just like Jason and Anthony did. By the way we are only about an hour from the Orlando Int’l Airport and Jason says next time he is flying!

Velocity Bullet Review

It has been a year already since this boat went into service. So I suppose it’s now time for a review of its performance. Overall this boat has been ideal for my needs. It performs quite well, handles like a dream and is a very comfortable fishing platform. It did take a bit to get used to at first especially at the top end. However like a new pair of gloves once they are fitted to your hands the feel becomes like second nature.
Equipped with the Evinrude 200 HO this boat is very quick out of the hole and amazingly efficient in the mid range which is where I do most of my cruising. I’ve found that it is best cruising around 50-60 mph or 4500-5000 rpm. Any much faster than that and the experience for any passengers can become a bit too exhilarating. Top end is just under 80 mph and I find the hull to be a bit of a handful at that speed, not to mention that floating debris, wildlife etc. arrives in a hurry when reaching these speeds. The hull handles rough water quite well and is not what I would consider a wet ride at all.



The customizations that Velocity Boats installed on the 20’ Bullet center console hull are excellent. The three person seating is comfortable and another person is doable if they don’t mind sitting on the rod box while running. Fishing with four is still spacious and the storage space is adequate. The thing I probably like the most is the no carpet deck. This provides a nice look with ultra easy clean up and I have found that the non slip coating placed on the deck is just that. I am also very happy with the additions that I had installed such as the Humminbird electronics, Atlas jack plate and the Power Pole shallow water anchoring system.



Overall I am quite pleased and I believe that my customers are as well. Other than a few minor issues and certain idiosyncrasies specific to this boat it has been all that I expected and I would not hesitate to recommend this boat to anyone. It is a unique boat in a world dominated with cookie cutter hulls and that is something I really like. Call me if you would like to go for a ride.