8am Sunday-
My best friend Bart, my wife Tricia and I began at an area that has been good to my guests recently in the mid-westish side of the Stick Marsh.
We started throwing Berkley Frenzy and Bomber crankbaits that run about 5 feet deep. The water here is about 6-6 1/2 feet full off pepper tree and wild fruit tree brush plus the occasional palm stump, about 65 % of the wood cover is about 3-4 feet down and grass is sparse for now. Our efforts were occasionally rewarded with a 2-4 lb. fish but I wasn't exactly busting backflips on the deck or anything. We all agreed contact with the wood was essential but after 4 hours we only had 9 fish and several jump-offs and log-hangers.
I love pulling crankbaits through the stumps and brush and it was the original plan for the day but the ditches of Farm 13 were starting to sound pretty good and "I think I know where their might be some fish in the farm" I said as Tricia lashed out at me "you THINK you MIGHT know where SOME fish are ?" are you a guide or what ? then Bart says" yeah, what's the deal with that ? See I had thought I was a husband and a friend today, my bad.
NOON-
Somewhere in Farm 13 on a ditch towards the SW corner dragging carolina-rigged Martian Baits in several colors we found those fish and left a bouy trail that formed a lop-sided triangle that we retraced for four hours with c-rigs and Berkley Frenzy pops putting together a collective 35 fish including Barts 5 lber. shown above.
What baits where ?
In the sticks I believe any crankbait that runs 4-5 feet in firetiger or chartreuse will get bit, wood contact is highly recommended and I suspect a slow-rolled gold colorado bladed spinnerbait bite is also prevalent.
On the farm there is a plethera of baits that will work depending on your location in the farm, we fished relatively off-shore on a old irrigation ditch that drops to 10 feet in the middle, 4.5 feet on the bordering levy's and the adjacent flats are 7 feet.
1/2 oz.carolina-rigged Martian Bait "fatso's" hopped with 3-4 feet of 30# flourocarbon leader in watermelon worked best with 12/50 Power Pro braid as the main line.
They will not bite what you don't throw.
"stick martian"
Randy Sanders
www.BASSTRIPS.com