 |
|
| My friend Steve !! From Ft Pierce |
|
|
| 3-29-08 16iN!!!! |
| EVEREST BORKOSKI!!! FEB 08 |
|
|
| GREAT CATCH GREAT CUSTOMER!!! |
Welcome to our web site!
Thanks for visiting
|
|
 |
|
 |
 |
|
|
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Dec 1 update!!!
1 December 2007  Well, well. We managed to locate some of the giant crappie in Farm 13! But, it is difficult to do and they may not be in
that location the next day. In addition to the crappie being in these locations, they are also teeming with giant bluegill
and shellcrackers. These two that Stan Daniel is holding weigh about 2.2-lbs. There are no eggs yet. These are just BIG crappie!!each.
Now,
here is what we found and how we did it.
If you read our last fishing report (25 Nov.), we wrote the following, “The
only ‘constant’ we noted was that most of the crappie came near a levee of a north/south canal (no one in particular, just
near any levee).” This week, we decided to see if this levee relationship had any merit.
We took some minnows and
the reliable PERFECT Jig and headed over to the north end of the Farm. Our first trial was along the northern half of the
center submerged north/south canal. We kept the boat just outside the levee and dragged the minnows, while also tossing the
cinnamon, w/chartreuse tail, jig parallel to the levee. After 45 minutes, we had caught two small bluegill on the jig and
a channel cat on a minnow. We decided to switch tactics slightly and positioned the boat INSIDE the trace of the canal. Again,
we dragged the minnows and tossed the jig down the deeper water inside the canal. Again, we didn’t do much of anything.
Moving
to a location more up towards the north end of that canal (there is a big log lodged right at the north end, so be careful
in that area), we started our drift inside the canal again. This time, I began pitching the little PERFECT Jig up ON TOP of
the levees on each side of the canal. The deeper water of the canal still produced nothing with the minnows. BUT, all at once,
the jig starting being eaten by huge crappie and bluegill! Then, there was a huge shellcracker that went on it. Taking stock
of what was happening, it appeared that the fish were hitting the jig as it bumped the shallow top of the levees (the water
is presently 4-5 feet deep over the levees). They occasionally hit the jig when it was just in a slow ‘swimming mode’, but
the strikes increased dramatically when the jig was allowed to bump along the bottom (sort of like a slow, steady Carolina
Rig).
What you need to understand at this point is that the tops of the submerged levees are very hard and very clean.
This is because of two things: 1) For years, these levees were on an active farm and dry and they baked in the sun for years;
and, 2) The wind-induced water currents wash back and forth across these levees, pushing silt and other residue off into the
deeper adjacent water. If you will recall, this is precisely why shellbeds grow on high spots – water currents keep them free
of silt/sediment so they won’t smother.
I pulled the minnows in and then positioned the boat right on top of the eastern-side
levee. This allowed me to cast the jig straight down the levee, keeping it in the productive zone for the entire retrieve.
It was awesome fishing. Just plain fun. But, I was catching maybe one crappie for every dozen big bluegill/shellcrackers caught.
In one location was seemed to have a bunch of fish present, I anchored the boat so I could feed minnows out under bobbers
on top of the levee. That reduced the bluegill action and tripled the crappie catch. Plus, it eventually provided 8 nice channel
cats, too. I culled crappie for awhile and then headed in to clean fish.
 That night, I called fellow guide Stan Daniel about what I had found. It did not take much arm-twisting to get him to meet
me at the ramp the next morning. (Stan is an excellent bass guide. But, he also just loves to catch those crappie and bluegill.
That’s something to look for when searching for a great guide – someone who truly LOVES to fish. Don’t forget that).
When
we got down on the levee area, we found zillions of bluegill still ready to zap a jig. There were lots for small ones that
day. But, there was also a LOT of giants, along with some truly stupendous shellcrackers. A couple of the shellcrackers actually
weighed 1.5 lbs. on my scale. That B-I-G-G-G-G! One was as large as my hat. Another went from 3-inches BELOW Stan’s fingertips
to well above his wrist. Awesome.
 We had to work at isolating the right section of levee. But, we finally go a couple of markers down on either side of a concentration
of big crappie. Six of the bunch we caught went 2-lbs, or better.
Yesterday, I took Lou Daniels to catch some of these fish. We started very slowly. There were lots of small fish,
but the giants appeared to have thinned out. Of course, we had been there filling the freezer for two days and that may have
had something to do with it. Lou and I moved to the south on the center canal, nearly down to the big east/west canal. Working
back north, we still did not find the big mass of giant fish. There were lots and lots of small ones all along the canal levee,
however. We switched over to the next submerged canal to the east of the Farm. There were lots of fish there, too, and we
managed a few more crappie. Finally, we moved to one of my reliable crappie spots. Stan and I had fished it the day before
with very limited success. But, this day, the crappie were stacked in there and we limited in about an hour.
Such
are the trials and tribulation of fishing. Can we catch those fish exceptionally well tomorrow? It is hard to say. They are
definitely using those levees, but you have to search them out. The way I see it, it takes precise boat control and an ability
to fish the jig in the appropriate manner. It is not a haphazard ‘cast it out and they just jump in the boat’ thing. You must
be very deliberate about the approach. Once you find them, though, it’s ‘Katie, bar the door!’
Looking at Garcia,
the waters have cleared well and that canal from Garcia to the Farm 13 spillway is fishable now. The big blockages of dead
vegetation mats are still there, but all the loose floating debris is gone. Bass will go foe shiners near pad fields and when
dragged over submerged grass. They will also go after the soft jerk bait, especially when rigged ‘wacky style’ and fished
over submerged grass. Lake Washington, west of Melbourne, continues to produce lots of crappie to those drifting minnows or
trolling jigs and Beetle Spins. Stan Daniel went to Lakes Kissimmee and Hatchineha recently and noted lots of big crappie
at 8 feet over grass growing at 10 feet. They were reported easy to catch by drifting minnows over the submerged grass
|
|
We are excited that you are visiting our web site. Our company is here to provide unique adventures for any occasion.
On this site you'll find information about our activities and facilities, along with descriptions of our special getaway
packages. We hope you will find all of the information you are looking for about our recreation company.
|
|
| ANTHONY BORKOSKI!!! WAY TO GO!!! |
|
|
| VISiTED US FROM OHIO!! GREAT CATCH FEB 08 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
Please get in touch to offer comments and join our mailing list.
|
November 13, 2007 - Tuesday
 |
Fishing Stick Marsh with jim porter
Current mood:  calm
Category: Sports
4 November 2007
 This report will cover the fall turn-on of smallmouths and spotted bass in the North Carolina reservoirs and the present fishing
situation in Florida.
It was a long time coming, but fall conditions finally made it to NC. After an unseasonably
warm summer in the NC mountains, an unseasonably warm introduction to fall came along. Normally, it is expected that the summer
disappears and fall starts in September. This year, it did cool down a bit around 10 September, but it never did get really
cool until around 20 October. That was a 1.5-month delay, with the cool down being very gradual. The question we consider
is if 'global warming' is a reality.
 The gradual cool down, though, did wonders for the fishing in the high reservoirs such as Hiawassie, Burton, Blue Ridge, Nottley
and Chatuge. With the waters very low due to local drought conditions, we were able to target good structure easily. The blow-down
seen in the picture (now 40 feet out of water!) was a great location for both smallmouths and largemouths back in May and
June. Now, it is a bit too 'shallow' for them.
 The gradual weather cooling caused a similar gradual transition of the fish to their fall feeding binge patterns. Smallmouths
and Kentucky Spotted Bass all go on a major feeding spree when the high reservoir waters cool to 65-70, and it continues until
the water gets down to 50 degrees. There is a LOT of surface action, as the baitfish school out over deep water and the bass
coming to pick them off. We saw 20-30 bass in 4-5 hours normally. Most were 1.5 to 2 pounds on the average. But, we did run
across a few 3-4 pound fish. Our best lure for the breaking fish was a fluke rigged with a treble hook trailer. We would never
miss a strike when using the treble add-on hook. Fishing out over 40 feet of open water meant we'd never run a chance of getting
hung up, so the treble was great.
The next best lure was, remarkably, the Swimming Worm. We found the bass were chasing
the baitfish up onto shallow flats and bars adjacent to deep water. So, we figured the bass must have been holding just off
the flats over the deeper areas and waiting for the baitfish to come by. We simply ran the Swimming Worm at about 4-5 feet,
very slowly and parallel to the drop from the flats to the deep zones. It worked great.
 Returning to Florida recently (and when the NC temperature got below freezing a couple of mornings in a row!!!), we found
a late tropical storm cum Hurricane named Noel heading at us. Talk about not being able to win. But, a high pressure pushing
a good cold front into Florida steered Noel out to sea. We did have about 6 days of rain and 30-40 MPH winds from Noel. However,
it turned out that the east and northeast winds were from directions that did not mess up the Stick Marsh/farm 13 badly. We
had a guide party scheduled for Friday, 2 November, and it was 'iffy' as to whether we could make the trip safely and effectively.
 We pre-fished on Tuesday and Thursday, finding the winds horrific, but the water not too dirty. Working some sheltered areas,
we actually did very well.
Any ideas that the numbers and sizes of bass in
the Farm 13/Stick Marsh impoundment have been depleted are just untrue. Stan Daniel recently took our old regular customer,
Bill Molen, from Florida's west coast. Bill brought his Father-in-Law, Russell and said he wanted Russell to 'catch the giant
fish'. Stan and the bass cooperated beautifully, with 30+ bass being caught, including Russell's 11 lb. 4 oz. giant!!
On Tuesday, we only hooked 12 bass. We used the Swimming worm as a slow 'sreach and tease' lure and then a deep Fat
Free Shad in front of the pump station. One minute it was blue skies and the next another of Noel's rain bands moved through.
But, you could see the rain coming, so it was easy to grab a FroggToggs and stay dry. The rain and low light at times messed
up some of the pictures (see the one where the orange rain suit is saving my skinny tail from being washed away!!) we tried
to take with the automatic timer, just not having enough light to focus properly. On Thursday, we caught well over 20 bass
(with a 7 and an 8-pounder at the top end) and then about 40 crappie (PERFECT Jig, Hot Momma color). With high hopes, we advised
our party members, Bob Clark and Mike Esposito, that we were optimistic about a successful trip. They were ready to go, rain
or shine, so it was decided we'd give it a try.
Friday found Tropical Storm Noel at near hurricane strength, but turning
away from Florida and out into the Atlantic Ocean. That was the good part. The bad part was that the 3-40 MPH winds shifted
to the NW and North and blew straight down into the Stick Marsh and the farm 13 impoundments. The winds also blew out our
successful fishing location of the previous days. On top of that, it dirtied the water terribly.
Never give, the man
said. So, Bob, Mike and I ventured out into the 3-foot swells and pounding wind to try and harelip a bass. Fishing in the
brunt of the wind, we managed 3 fish. What a bummer. Dirty water, getting beat to death by the wind and waves, and no fish.
What luck!! The only protected place left was the 'Back 40', the shallow area to the north of the boat ramp and along the
canal that carries water to the exit gate of the impoundment.
 We got a bit drenched by the high waves and winds running back to the ramp area. But, we found the back 40 reasonable stable.
With all the summer rains, the impoundment is now full of water and the back 40 is at normal level. Trying to recall where
certain brush piles and structure features were in the Back 40, we laid out two anchors and floated shiners over where we
though the fish might be. I still say I am the luckiest fisherman I know! The first place we stopped turned a pot load of
bass, up to 5-pounds!! It was like a feeding holiday, with bass chasing and blowing up shiners all over the place. Those surface
blow-ups are what really make shiner fishing great! Talk about falling into it and coming up smelling like a rose. Bob and
Mike burned up nearly all the shiners in that one location.
We tried a couple of other locations in the back area
to no avail.
 Then, we went to what Stan Daniel and I reverently call 'The Mudfish Hole'. This mucky, shallow 'nothing' of a spot has turned
a LOT of big bass for Stan and I when the main impoundment waters were muddy. It saved many a fishing trip for us. We don't
know why the bass are there at times, but it always seems to turn a good one, or two (sometimes a LOT more, too!). Mike had
maybe five blow-ups on his shiner, but never had the fish take the bait sufficiently to get hooked. Mike had some chase his
around and not take the shiners, too. I suspect they were catfish or mudfish. But, their surface blow-ups sure looked like
bass. Eventually, Bob got one to take his shiner. It was not a giant bass, but we were happy with whatever we caught this
rough day.
When the dust finally settled (and the rains passed on), Bob and Mike had managed enough action and fish
caught to use up five dozen shiners. When we looked back at the day, there were actually a LOT of bass caught. One went five
pounds and the rest 3-4 pounds. Not bad at all for a storm day with high winds.
2:18 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment - Edit - |
|
Contact us for your speck or bass trip today!!! For best results, give them plenty of sun, frequent watering, and regular fertilization.
|
|
|
