ARM 13 / STICK MARSH FISHING REPORTS
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19 May 2007
We had the chance to take our young friend, Tyler Bray, out on one of our North Carolina lakes for a day. A cold front had gone through and the bass were pushed back off their shallow water spawning positions. So, we decided to target the big white crappie.
White crappie differ from the black crappie species a little. The white crappie have a much lighter body coloration, with the tendency to show some vertical striping. The white's body is slightly more elongated, while also not being quite as tall. The white's snout also protrudes forward a bit more. In general, their sizes are about the same, with the white crappie having a slight edge. The records are 4 lbs. 8 oz. for the black and 5 lbs. 3 oz. for the white. Whites tend to stay more in open water and sparse cover areas. Blacks, while also an open water schooling fish, stay more shallow than the whites and like thick shallow cover at times. Their preferences for food are generally the same and they both make great fish fry material!
Tyler and I proved, once again, that the cinnamon, w/chartreuse tail PERFECT Jig works great just about everywhere in the Country. We did switch off to the Gray Ghost and the chartreuse, w/blue tail for awhile. But, the catch rates were about the same. The cinnamon/chartreuse is just our 'confidence' color.
Working some wood features, we went 6-8 casts without even a missed strike. I was very close to moving to another location when Tyler got the first big crappie. Then, he caught a second fish. That pretty well told us the location had crappie and what we had to do was narrow it down to a couple of 'sweet spots'. We also had to adapt to one other peculiarity and that was the feel of the strike. The crappie bit so softly that is felt like the lure simply brushed something. Not one first hit the jig with authority.
When we finished up, the livewell had a good limit in it and our Memorial Day fish-fry was now a sure thing!!
12 May 2007
Lots of things have happened since the last formal fishing report was published: lower water levels, wildfires, early tropical storms, good fishing, poor fishing, Kentucky spotted bass, smallmouth bass, ----.
Some urgent family business moved us out of Florida early. And, after settling the business, we went on to our North Carolina mountaintop. And, from the looks of things, leaving Florida early actually worked out well for us. But, not worth a hoot for most in the Sunshine State.
There were a few wildfires here and there just before we departed. Now, they seem to be as many fires going as there are McDonald's burger bins. Stan Daniel reported that the big south Georgia wildfire, coupled with the season's first tropical weather system and it's counterclockwise winds, has put so much smoke into the peninsula that it is becoming a health hazard.
That 'sub-tropical' storm in the Atlantic brought high winds into the state for days on end, tearing up the waters and making fishing and boating all but impossible. Being a low-pressure system, its counterclockwise wind flow brought those strong winds in at the state from the north. As Stan says, any wind direction with an 'N' in it spells wipeout for the Stick Marsh, as well as most local waters. Tropical disturbances usually have a lot of rain to dump and, boy, do we all need that! But, this turkey storm hasn't brought a drop. All the rainfall has been on the east side of the storm and is just filling the Atlantic more.
With the lack of rainfall, Garcia Reservoir is now too low to launch and very hazardous to navigate. So, it is arguably no longer a viable backup for the Stick Marsh.
Water levels are now where both impoundments are becoming either inaccessible and/or dangerous. Accordingly, the airboaters just about have the waters all to themselves. Due to the shallowness of the ramp area and the levees of the farm area, Garcia is basically inaccessible to anything with a gasoline motor. The small boats usually don't have trim on the motors and can't get them up high enough to operate the shallows. Boat that do have trim are normally too large and pull too much draft. Add to this the many submerged levees out in the Garcia impoundment, many of which are now right at the waterline or exposed, and there are navigation hazards.
The Stick Marsh/Farm 13 impoundment is dangerous to negotiate anywhere within its bounds. It is especially bad from the ramp to the first easternmost canal. Idling is the only safe way to get to the still-navigable east and south canals, but the motors will still take a beating. Running above a slow idle is dangerous and risks capsizing (small boats) and/or impact damage. The most dangerous scenario is the stump just under the waterline and the smaller boats. Small boats passing over these obstructions are easily tilted to one size and, depending on speed and weight distribution within the boat, may be easily tipped over. It is extremely important that small boats NOT be overloaded!! Swimming is difficult due to the dense wood underwater. You DO NOT want to wind up in the water.
Farm 13 was a fully cleared row crop farm. As such, with all the timber removed, it is safe too run-- except:
At the south end where the submerged logs and stumps are
Where the submerged levees border the numerous old irrigation canals. Many of these levees are now very close to the surface, some as close as six inches. The boater MUST know where the canals and levees are and then which are extremely shallow; and
Along the western levee, where a 50-100 foot section of old timber remains extend out to the east. Steer clear of that western edge.
There have been a number of accidents and some drowning in the Stick Marsh/Farm 13 impoundment over the years. Some were weather-related, so clear out quick when summer storms approach. Most, however, involved collisions with submerged objects. I every case where death resulted, there were no life jackets. That speaks for itself.
The fishing reports written below are somewhat few, mainly due to poor water conditions. I try to be very open and honest with potential clients about whether they will have the opportunity to catch fish, or not. I usually ask them a specific question right off the bat: "What do you want to fish for and what are your expectations?"
If they tell me a giant bass is the primary goal, then I eliminate Garcia and evaluate the Stick Marsh/Farm 13 conditions. If the high winds have dirtied the waters badly, I advise them against spending the money to try it. Personally, I don't like to fish unless there is an expectation of an excellent trip. I would rather the client come back another time than have a bad fishing experience when conditions aren't 'right'. So, we cancelled a number of trips in April.
