Grandpa Hooks a Toad

Last week Tom Gendreau loaded his son, Conner, and his Dad, Ray, into their vehicle and headed out from West Palm Beach to the Stick Marsh for a 6 hr. day of Bass fishing. Tom had contacted me about taking advantage of the summer shiner special, so we arranged to meet at the Bait Bucket at 6 am to load the bait and head out to the lake. Seven Year old Conner looked a bit sleepy but was anxious to check out the bait tanks and then get down to business.



The day looked promising as we positioned the boat at the spillway which was moving water rapidly. However we soon realized that the water supply that was coming in was of low quality and full of weedy debris that was surrounding the boat and making fishing difficult. After tangling with a couple large Gar and pulling in plenty of “salad” we decided to move out to the more open waters of Farm 13 in search of cleaner water and the thus far elusive bass.



We set up again just west of the pumphouse which was also moving water on this day. It was not long before little Conner had proudly reeled in a couple decent sized bass. In fact Conner was the man of the day as far as numbers goes as he proudly marked an x in the dust on my engine cover each time he landed a fish. By the end of their trip he had marked seven fish on his makeshift scoreboard. Conner did a great job on his own and could have marked a couple more had his luck held up.



Papa Ray, all the while had been quietly swimming his shiner and enjoying the show that Conner had been providing. Suddenly I saw his rod load up and the fight was on. After a couple of strong runs and a headshaking jump or two Ray calmly worked that fish to the side of the boat where we realized he had something really nice. The Massachusetts native had hooked the bass of his lifetime, a very nice 24” 9lb. bucket mouth.


Shortly after that, Tom hooked up with a couple nice fish in the 6 lb. range as well, showing that all these guys could fish. Three generations of Gendreau men set out for day on the water together and enjoyed every minute of it. Great job guys, I enjoyed it too!

Summer Shiner Special

Summer is here and the time is right for fishing in the heat. The inflow pipes have been open, moving water into the lake raising levels and making navigating much better. The fish remain very cooperative these days. We have had several very successful days of fishing lately. No true giants but plenty of action in the 3-5 lb. range with a few larger ones sprinkled in to keep it exciting. The rule of summer in my book is to get out there early to beat the heat and the thunderstorms. In the summer more often than not a half day is what people want, but 4 hours isn’t quite enough to thoroughly enjoy the experience. Keeping this in mind, I have gotten together with Sarah Savage of the Stick Marsh Bait Bucket to arrange for a 6 hour summertime wild shiner special. Sarah has been doing a great job making sure that she has all the quality bait & tackle that I have needed to ensure good fishing for my clients.






Here’s the deal, for $300 you and a friend (50 more if you have 2 friends) can meet me at the Bait Bucket at 6am where we will load the Velocity Bullet’s oxygenated livewell with 50 wild shiners and some ice for the drink filled cooler. Then we will head out to the lake and catch fish until 12 noon. After that you are on your own to relax in the AC somewhere and brag about the awesome fishing you just had.
Imagine the cool morning air rushing past your face as the boat hauls across the lake to a spot where the largemouths are awaiting their breakfast of shiners. The thrill of watching those balloon festooned wild shiners get nervous then devoured near the top by the hungry bass. The smile on your face posing for pictures on the www with the huge fish you just wrestled onto the boat. Not to mention the competitive juices that will flow when you angle for the bragging rights of the day by out fishing your fishing buddy. The best word to describe it is FUN. Best of all, you don’t have to be a pro to go out and catch some nice bass using this technique anyone can do it and I’ll supply everything you need.




Catch us if you can! Send me an e-mail, give me a call, or drop by the Bait Bucket and arrange for your trip today. It’s a great time to get out and enjoy the lake.

Shiner Bite Stays Hot

Seasonal changes are here again at the Stick Marsh; increasing rain events are beginning to have an affect on the levels of water in the impoundment. It is more than welcomed as the low levels were beginning to take their toll on my nerves not to mention my hull and lower unit. I am more than ready to see a return toward normal levels and some continued running water situations.


The wild shiner bite continues to be very steady. Last week our party of three had no problem staying busy for their half day trip with at least 50 bites resulting in more than one double and some very nice bass over 5 pounds. After a short learning curve on proper hook set technique, Mike and company settled in to a fine morning of bass catching. Rapidly approaching storm clouds chased us to the dock and made the end of their day a bit soggy as the increased idle zone in the marsh allowed the rain shower to catch up with us. They insisted that the day was still great and getting a little wet was well worth it.


This is the time of the year to get out there early to beat the heat and get in some quality time before the afternoon storms end the day short. I have found though that the bite this time of year is very steady and some of our highest catch counts come about during this part of the year. I am hoping for the tropical season to bring much needed rain but not too much at once if possible and of course I wish everyone a safe summer of enjoyment. I want to go fishing with you whenever you are ready to go so give me a call and set up. We will catch 'em for sure!

Unusual Double

Despite recent heavy rains in the area the lake levels remain dangerously low. Utmost caution should be practiced in running about on the lake. If you don't know your way about the Stick Marsh side of the lake you may find yourself in a world of trouble. It is nearly impossible to make it over to the east canal without bumping into stumps at this time. You must go slowly or you will pay the price. Hopefully the rains will continue and the levels will begin to rise.

Two trips last week found the wild shiner bite to be very steady. In fact, the live bait probably beat out the artificial in the same area 15 to 1. The first day we went out with only two dozen shiners and they were gone in about an hour. We soon realized that the bass really preferred the taste of those shiners as our catch count was drastically reduced once we had to switch to artificial baits. We did have limited success with spinner baits and jigs with trailers, but plastics just weren't cutting it.

In a most unusual scenario, an angler on my boat, Shannon, was throwing his spinner bait into the same vicinity as some shiner fisherman from another boat about 50 yards away. Suddenly, both anglers were fish on. Realizing that he may have crossed lines with other angler, Shannon gave way to the other allowing him to reel the catch to his boat. Upon landing the bass he saw that the lines were not crossed but the the fish had actually eaten both the live bait and the spinner bait, which was firmly lodged into the corner of the fish's mouth. After unbuttoning his hook the other angler dropped the fish overboard with the spinner bait still in and Shannon fought the fish back to our boat. Now that was a double of a different kind. That must have been quite a ride for that greedy bass.

The next day we would be much better prepared for the live bait catching as we went out with five dozen shiners. Buddy and Dave had an excellent day on the lake after an early morning downpour. A very steady day of bites ensued with most in the 2-3lb. range and a few topping 5lbs. A few gar in the area were also partial to the baits for a while with a couple really big ones making it all the way to the side of the boat. Unfortunately, the largest bass of the day snapped the line in my face at the side of the boat just before I could lip it. All in all, judging from the raw skin on my thumbs after two days of catching, we had plenty of bass that did make it on board. The fish are out there; call me if you want to go catch them.

Family and Friends

Last week being spring break for the school kids, we had the opportunity to take out a couple of families as well as some old friends. Due to the fact that the trips were a bit larger in numbers I arranged with Capt. Kob to use the Team Infotrac boat which is a 22' Sea Pro center console. This boat allows us to take up to 5 passengers comfortable whereas the Velocity Bullet really only seats 3, myself included.

The weather was a bit crazy for the second week of April. A late season cold front moved in on Monday afternoon making for very breezy westerly wind conditions and quickly falling temperatures. The winds continued to howl on Tuesday and Wednesday, with gusts in the 40+ mph range, causing us to reschedule Tuesday's trip for Thursday. It actually dropped into the 40's during the night and daytime highs never reached 70 for a couple of days straight. This caused the water temps to drop back into the mid 60's, and was likely the reason for a small slowing of the bite. There were still some decent fish caught but it was bit slower than it had been and the bigger ones proved to be more sluggish and elusive. We still managed to get more than 10 bites on all half day trips using large wild shiners and most of the fish were in the 2-4 pound range.

This being sunny Florida it warmed back up quickly and everyone had an enjoyable time catching fish and catching up. I always say that the best day is mostly about the company you keep and the chance to be outdoors enjoying nature at its finest. Whether it is with family or friends, a day on the lake is always a treat with all kinds of things to see and experience all the while knowing that another chance at the big one is one cast away.

I hope everyone enjoyed the Easter holiday and if you are like me you are ready for some smashing springtime top water action to begin at the Stick Marsh Farm 13. Send me an e-mail or give me a call and we can set up a time for you to get out there and catch a good time.

Sweetness

This past week on the lake can be summed up in one word: SWEET! The weather was near perfect, the water temp was right around 70, and the air was filled with the perfume of the surrounding citrus fields in full bloom. It was a bit breezy, which can hamper the number of available spots a bit, but if you got out early and positioned yourself correctly, it was game on. The fish were healthy, hungry, and for the most part, cooperative, as we landed quite a number of good sized aggressive fish on live wild shiners.

I always strive to ensure that my guests are well treated, have quality equipment, and above all, have a fun and memorable experience. This week's visitors were no exception to that as was evidenced by the smiling faces that I saw when they were showing off their catches for the camera and ultimately their friends and family. Also the fact that Larry Flack Sr. and Jr. were making their second trip in 4 months leads me to believe that I am providing a service that they really enjoy.

I believe that there is more to this game than just catching fish. It's about nature appreciation, quality relaxation with friends and family, fresh air and sunshine, and maybe your biggest bass yet! When everything comes together and you get all of these things in one day that to me is sweetness.

Changes

It’s been a while since my last post and I thank you for being patient. As you may have noticed, we’ve updated our website and I have been trying to navigate it. We have been trying to update it for some time now. The designer we originally contracted was unable to handle the task, so after many months of delays, excuses and aggravation, we found a designer who did a great job. We hope that you like it too. I’m still working on getting the rest of my photos up so please bear with me as I learn the ins and outs of the new site.
Speaking of changes, the weather down here in Florida went from record lows to record highs for this time of year overnight. We have finally settled into our spring weather, with the water at Stick Marsh reaching its magic temperature of 70 degrees. The bass are venturing out and they are a hungry bunch!
I had the pleasure of taking out another Dean and his grandson Austin for a day of fishing. We started out at around 9:30 and Austin caught a personal best bass that won him a BPGS tee shirt. He nearly caught a small alligator too but that’s another story! The bites were hot and cold but when they were biting, they were mobbing us.

The next day was beautiful and I took out a father and son team. We went later in the day and spent about 6 hours fishing the Marsh. They had some nice catches and we snapped a few photos. I hope that this whet your appetite for a day of fishing on the Stick Marsh. The weather and water temperature are perfect for landing that big bass that you’ve been dreaming of.