One of my favourite places to go fishing is on the Farm. That would be Stick Marsh / Farm 13 in central Florida. This 6700 acre impoundment was originally created to filter farm runoff before the water entered the St. John’s River. The fish were stocked by Florida Fish and Wildlife to act as a barometer for the health of the marsh. They figured if the fish died it would be time to drain and dredge the Marsh and start over. Since the Marsh was created there has not been a fish kill from runoff in the St. John’s River nor has there been one at the Marsh. The growth rate was so phenomenal that the FFW decided to make this a 100% Catch and Release Bass fishery. It has one of the highest catch rates in Florida and also one of the highest probabilities of nailing one over ten. I don’t have one that big this year but have caught several over the years including one that tipped the scales at 11 lbs 7 ounces. The only thing bigger than that was a 7 or 8 foot alligator that chomped on a 10 inch Berkley Power Worm a couple of years ago. That definitely caused a bit of consternation in the boat when it popped up with his head on one side and his tail on the other. And no, I didn’t try to lip it.
My trip away is almost over and I have been talking with guests for this season’s shows. I have an opportunity to do a spring Salmon show out of Taxis River Outfitters if I can reconcile the schedule with Shawn’s other series. We don’t usually shoot in April and he is very busy with another show this time of year. It will be fun if it all comes together, I haven’t had a fly rod in my hand for a few years so it might be entertaining from multiple perspectives.
The photos are a couple of the fish we caught on the Farm, a beautiful sunrise as we ran across and one of the local gators who came over for a look at us.
Recent Comments