It's been a wonderful week. Excellent guide trips on Wednesday and Thursday at Stick Marsh and Farm 13 that included some excellent sized fish. Eight pounds was the largest. Fished a tournament on Toho on Sunday . Gary Clark and I went to Garcia on Monday.
Wednesday I took my clients to the Spillway. We arrived at the Spillway and had it to ourselves until about 10:00 AM. We were catching lots of bass and already had the eight pounder caught, photographed and released. We also caught a bunch of really nice catfish. The bass bit wild shiners and tubes.
On Thursday I took my clients to the Spillway again, This time we were the third boat to arrive and my top spot from the day before was occupied. We selected spot number three and proceeded to find bass right away. One of our first bites was a bass literally right under the boat - maybe beside it. Action was steady and consistent. We caught some catfish - not as many as the day before. Most of the bass were of very good quality.
When one of the boats moved we moved in and started to produce on tubes. We caught a bunch of bass on tubes. The bass, again, wanted the wild shiners and the tubes. A boat with Indianna numbers which was across from us caught two ten pound bass.
Sunday was a day for me to go fish Toho. The tournament was won with 9.24 pounds. Yes, five fish less than ten pounds total. Big fish was 5.45 pounds. The folks at Toho are complaining about poor fishing. I had one bass bite. It was a small one and it jumped off.
Gary Clark came over Monday, today, and we fished Garcia. We started at 7:00 AM and finished at about 1:45 PM. We caught 21 bass on CCTBs, real Chatterbaits and one on a Spinnerbait. EVERY fish was caught on Chartruce and White. When I switched the color of my CCTB I never caught another bass and Gary kept on slaying them. We were using ¼ ounce lures. In a previous report I go into detail about the fishing method for this lure.
The fish are in the grass flats at Garcia. Every grass flat has bass. Some more than others. The bass are grouped. Not schooling - just when you catch one - there will be a couple more close by. So….fish the flats with CCTBs and when you get into one - keep fishing the area. Then drift an area real close and then repeat. If you don't catch any - change the drift.
There are beds visible in the grass flats. I did not see a fish on any bed. I saw a minimum of 20 beds today. Lets see….Beds- more beds than the last time I fished. Bass in the shallows - more and larger than last time I fished. The bass must be moving into the shallows at Garcia to eat and spawn. That means more are coming.
Now, I am assuming that the bass at Stick Marsh should be doing the same thing as the bass at Garcia. They are only a canal and a Spillway apart. I don't know it because I've been doing well at the Spillway. I may know more by the end of this week.
WATER LEVELS: I have received several questions about water levels at Stick Marsh and Garcia.
Stick Marsh- this summer the water was higher than any Summer I can remember (15 summers). Usually, by this time the water is fairly high. (People who only fish the lakes in the winter think what I think is high is normal.) Any how, right now the water level is low for winter. Not low - but - low for winter. I believe this will make the fishing much better. And starting very soon. In fact, probably started.
Garcia is low. The water is flowing out. Garcia is fishable and will be for awhile. Just be careful. Saying that - I skidded the bottom today. "Skidded" means the skag of my outboard dug into the bottom and slowed my boat. It is like putting brakes on your boat and coming to a reduced speed much faster than you anticipated. Back to the water level: The level of the water in Garcia is determined by Federal Regulations. The lake can only be so high or so low at certain times of the year. All this is based on Endangered Species - birds. I do not remember the exact water levels or the time of year - just that the regulations exist and determine highs and lows at specific times of the year.
I made a map and sold a map of Garcia at one time. The regulations were summarized on the map. Stick Marsh Bait and Tackle in Fellsmere, FL may have a copy as may Middletons's Fish Camp on Blue Cypress Lake. I have long since been sold out.
Contact me Hugh@HughCrumpler.Com or give me a call 321-722-3134 and YOU could be next!
