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(Indian
River County):
Florida
fishing the St. Johns
Water Management Area (SJWMA), known to most
anglers as the Farm 13/Stick Marsh, is a
6,500-acre impoundment located along the east
coast of central Florida in northwest Indian
River County.
The Stick Marsh/Farm 13 was created in 1987 and opened to the public
around 1991.
Water depths range from 4 to 8
feet. Boaters unfamiliar with the area are
heavily advised to navigate to fishing locations with
extreme caution due to the number of man-made
and natural hazards, like stumps that this place presents. Facilities include
a double lane concrete boat ramp, air boat
launch site, restroom and paved parking lot.
Closest towns/cities are Melbourne, Palm Bay,
Vero Beach, Sebastian and Fellsmere. No gas,
food or bait available on site. Popular
sportfish include largemouth bass, bluegill,
redear sunfish, black crappie and several
catfish species.
Stick Marsh fishing for trophy largemouth bass
are still on
in a hot weather pattern, meaning good catches are still
possible for those who can adapt to the changing
conditions. As most bass fisheries, the first light
will likely have the most success before the
morning sun intensifies. Many local anglers
prefer the late evening bite, especially after
the thunderstorms have dissipated, as the best
time to fish for bass. As midsummer approaches,
look for bass to be distributed widely
throughout the reservoir, oriented to the
shallow tops of underwater levees and woody
structure along the western and southern
shorelines. The intersections of the submerged
north-south drainage canals in Farm 13 should
also hold good numbers of bass. During the onset
on the rainy season, anglers should also key in
on water control structure outflows, as bass
will school up in these areas to feed, often
generating a strong bite.
Angler surveys conducted between January and
April 2007 of this year did indicate a
noticeable drop in effort, catch and success for
all sport fish including bass. This time of
year, the diet of largemouth bass typically
consists of threadfin and gizzard shad.
Artificial lures that imitate shad, including
top-water, shallow-running, and deep-diving
crankbait, should be anglers’ best bets. As
always, golden shiners are the live bait of
choice for anglers searching for trophy bass,
followed by plastic worms.
Black crappie (speckled perch) fishing can be
rewarding this time of the year for those
anglers willing to seek them out. Look for them
in and around deep-water structure, such as in
Ditch 7 or along the drop-offs of underwater
levees and ditches. Small jigs (1/32 and 1/8
ounce) with twister-tail or tube style tails and
minnows should be productive in deep water and
along grass lines. Bluegill and redear sunfish (shellcracker)
will be found feeding and spawning along the
perimeter levees and tops of submerged levees.
Live crickets, worms, and grass shrimp will be
the baits of choice, followed by beetle spins,
and small jigs. Catfishing on this reservoir is
usually quite good, with traditional baits and
methods all being productive.
Fishing Guides
 If you want to catch
big fish and fish where big fish are! Stick
Marsh - Farm 13 is prime waters for the trophy
largemouth bass fishing. Many catches in the
10-pound range are taken each year. Come join us
for the trip of a lifetime. You have earned it!
Our fishing guides are hand picked from the best in
the area, so you don't have to. They have fished
these Central Florida waters for no less then 20
years. During this time our team have developed
there skills and experience necessary to provide
you with that fishing trip of a life time. In
order to insure your trip will be a safe and
memorable trip, all of our guides are insured
and US Coast Guard licensed captains.
Not only will you fish with a professional guide, all of our trips
include: Fully equipped Bass boats, fuel and
tackle. Everything you need for that trip you've
been waiting for. The only thing you will need
to have is a
Florida fishing license.
Corporate trips are welcome and very common for
us, because of our size. We can accommodate your
fishing needs from one to hundred. We also can
provide everything from breakfast and box
lunches to a southern BBQ to end the day.
View Stick Marsh - Farm 13 in a larger map
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More great links to information on
StickMarsh / Farm
13,
http://myfwc.com/fishing/forecast/ner.html#farm_13 |
