BEST PLACES TO FISH
Bass can be found throughout the Stickmarsh, but certain areas within the lake provide better action than others.

Regardless of where you fish on the Stickmarsh, moving water affects fish behavior. One of the most predictable times to catch bass here is when water is actively being pumped into the lake. If you're fishing when this occurs, get to the inflow area quickly because the bass bite is probably already happening there.

The problem with the inflow bite is that there's no announcement that the pumps are going to be running. Thus, anglers never know when these inflows will occur. You should be aware, however, that the pumps are often turned on during periods of heavy rain.

It won't take you long to find the first Stickmarsh hotspot. As you put in at the lake's only ramp, check to see if water is being pumped through the inflow pipes next to the ramp. If so, don't leave without spending some time casting around the moving water created by the inflow. Bass tend to gravitate toward current, and are usually in a feeding mode at those times.

Other productive areas on the Stickmarsh can be found on the southwestern corner, which is noted for vast expanses of spawning areas that the big females seem to prefer. The northwestern corner is also a very prolific location for big bass, and a favorite among regular Stickmarsh anglers.

Perhaps no area is more famous on this side of the lake than the Twin Palms area, which rates as one of the most consistent places on the lake to catch quantities of bass.

The spillway on the southeastern side of the lake's Farm 13 portion may be the most productive point to fish on the entire complex, particularly when there is water running in. According to guide George Welcome, there have been trips when, under ideal conditions, a single boat has hooked over 300 bass in a single day.

"The average bass runs between 2 and 4 pounds with some stretching into the 7- to 10-pound range," he added.

Another area to monitor for inflowing water is at the pump on the east levee. When the water starts flowing in, bass really stack up at this spot. Again, current is the key.

Before the area was impounded, the present-day lake bottom was actively farmed. The Stickmarsh originated as a citrus grove and Farm 13 started as a thriving radish farm. The important part of this history lesson comes in the form of irrigation ditches, which were once vital to agriculture and now important to anglers.

This maze of ditches embedded in the lake bottom acts just like creek channels in large reservoirs. Bass lurk along the hydrilla-lined edges of these ditches and use them as travel corridors to move throughout the lake. The ditches are some of the most predictable locations to encounter big Stickmarsh bass under a variety of conditions.

The fact that these trenches are lined with forage-packed vegetation serves as another plus. It's not uncommon to witness the water erupt as waiting bass ambush prey that gets flushed from ditch-line vegetation. Once bass start busting on flushed bait, they are extremely susceptible to lures.