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.

The Fishing Article

I had the pleasure of fishing with John Felsher and his son Daniel in November. John is the editor of Sport Fishing magazine and writes a weekly column for Florida Fishing Weekly. He sent in the story of our trip to FFW and it ran in their January 11th issue. I was thinking about printing some of the story's highlights with the photos but John beat me to it when he ran the article on his site yesterday.

Here's the link to the article on his site: http://www.johnnfelsher.com/ While you're there, be sure to check out his site - it has a lot of great articles about fishing, hunting and things of interest to sportsmen. It's a great time for bass fishing right now in Florida so call or email me to book your trip - Dean Herdman at 1-866-BASS-066 toll free or deanherdman@yahoo.com.

While We Were Out

As some of you may have noticed our website was placed out of action for a short time over the holiday season. Shortly before Christmas we had the misfortune of being repeatedly attacked by a group of hackers who were relentless in their annoyances. We have rectified the problem and restored the site.

During that time we had several successful trips out at Stick Marsh and we would like to post some pictures of the happy anglers and their LMB.

Currently the fishing has been very steady with most days producing at least 20 -30 bites. Notice I said bites as the hook up ratio has not been the greatest. The bites have been light at times perhaps due to the fact that the bass are bedding bass not feeding bass and are simply carrying bait away from the nest rather than eating it. The action is still there and the thrill of the bite should still excite anglers enough to be patient through the missed opportunities. Stick Marsh/ Farm 13 will still produce quality fish on nearly every outing.

Water temperatures have been in the high 60’s and the clarity is not bad in most areas. If the north winds blow hard then the south side does get stirred up a bit for a few days afterward however. In general we have had a mild winter season thus far and there have been plenty of enjoyable days out on the lake. C’mon out and see for yourself, it’s primetime! Give me a call toll free at 1-866-BASS-066 or send an e-mail to deanherdman@yahoo.com to arrange the fishing trip you have been longing for.