Imagination Bassin Company Information

Jeff Williams from Tampa and Larry Nemeth from North Hampton,Pa. joined me on 3/25/06 and we worked Ansin/Garcia on day one of their trip with artificial baits. The winds blew hard but they still managed to catch a few. On day two, 3/26/06, it was decided to get a look at Blue Cypress but again wind made for a difficult day. Again they caught a few, but neither lake gave up a big one.

Chris Jacobus & Leonard Meyers from Orange Park, Florida joined Scott on 3/26/06 for a day on the Marsh with high winds. A strong cold front blew in and presented Scott and crew with some very tough conditions so they decided due to the cold temperatures and high winds that shiners would give them the best chances at catching some bass. They started the day in front of the pipes next to the ramp. Chris and Leonard landed a couple nice bass right away. They moved to the spillway on the Farm and missed a couple bass then the bite shut completely off. They ended the day in the back lot hoping as it warmed up the bass would turn on. Unfortunately the bass never cooperated and Chris and Leonard only caught a couple of bass up to 5.5 pounds.

Brooks Austin from Green Bay, Wisc. and Scott left the ramp on 3/27/06 at 6:30am with 4 dozen shiners in the boat. They headed to the back lot and anchored the boat in an area that has been producing for us for the last 2 months. It did not take long for the action to start and Brooks did an excellent job landing the bass. By the end of the day Brooks landed 22 bass of which only two of the bass where under 5 pounds. They had steady action most of the day and the quality of bass caught was outstanding.

Tom and Joanne Jefferson from Sucasunna, NJ went with Scott on 3/28/29/06: Tom and Joanne spent both days fishing with Scott on Garcia. They had beautiful weather and decided to spend the two days fishing artificial baits. The majority of bass where caught on Senkos fished in and around lily pads and hydrilla. They never came across any big bass but plenty of bass between 1 and 3 pounds provided plenty of action. They covered a lot of water in the two days of fishing but most of the bass where caught in the north impoundments.

Grif Pitchen and friend Donna came from Atlanta, Ga. on 3/28/06 for a combination trip of shiners and artificial. Small bass and a slow bite were the results as we worked on Garcia. Winds that have been plaguing us made Garcia the more desirable location, but the high pressure that accompanied the winds kept the fish in a lethargic state.

Matt Bennett and Len Carmona from Melbourne, Fl. came on 3/29/06 - working a combination of Senkos and Rattle Traps around stumps paid off with the big fish of the day coming in dead on 9 pounds.

On 3/30/06 Ken Mahoney Somerville, SC. and his daughter Mary Ella from Orlando, FL. came for a day of artificial. Senkos worked around wood produced plenty of fish but the big one avoided capture.

On 3/30/06 Joe Justice and his son Charles from Winnabow, NC. met Scott and went for a 1/2 day trip with shiners and the results were very good.

On 3/31/06 Steve Taylor and his dad Larry from Jacksonville, Fl. came out with me for a day of artificial and the bass cooperated big time. Lots of 3, 4, & 5 pound bass made it to the boat throughout the day. Senkos accounted for all the fish as we banged deep into the wood to get them to bite.

On 3/31/06 Scott took out Joe and Charles Justice for another half day with shiners.

Although the bite dropped a tad the fishing was still good and the results very good.

That's the March wrap-up. Artificials have done well in the back lot, and in the central south end of Farm 13. In the heavier wood of the two areas the bait of choice has been Senkos. In the more open areas the Rattle Trap has paid off big time. To get on the fish you only need to go to the south end of Farm 13. To catch the fish you need to go slow and cover the areas thoroughly.

The back lot is getting very low, and we are seeing some tussocks. If you fish that area be careful you don't get hung on the mud. More and more wood is showing in the south end so be careful down there. Be sure to get off plane early enough that you don't encounter one of our famous pieces of wood.

As the water levels drop we expect to see a resurgence of hydrilla. April is anticipated to be a strong month. See you out there.

On the 7th I had out Travis Morgan and friend Jason from Hurricane, West Virginia for a day of shiners on the Marsh. Par for the course this year, the Mother Nature threw curve ball at us and limited our locations to fish. The back lot was the choice and the fish cooperated enough to give us an empty bait well by days end.

On the 10th Scott had out regular customer Frank Delucas and they worked shiners in the back lot. Frank fits into a Mr. Who's who category on salt water using fly rod, but when he comes to the Marsh he just loves the action the shiner fishing provides.

On the 11th I had out Carl Bird and friends from Statesboro, Georgia throwing artificial on Kenansville. The action started good in the morning and then slowed to a crawl, picking up late in the day again with spinner baits. Senkos produced the most fish. Big fish for the day was 5-pounds.

On the 12th and 13th Scott and I had out Tom Chessler from Anchorage, Kentucky, his son Ben, and friends Kyle and Blane. Shiners were the order for the first day, and artificial for the second.

Kyle holding one to remember his trip to the sunny south.

The guys found out quickly that shiner fishing is not the lay-down method of bassin that so many claim it is. It's real easy to miss those strikes and takes some getting used to.

Day two was artificial bait on the south end of the Farm and Senkos were the bait of choice on this foray.

Tom and son Ben.

On the 14th Scott had out Frank Rose from Bayville, New Jersey using shiners in the back lot. Frank was down for the week for one of his many repeat trips to the Marsh.

Frank Rose

Frank didn't get that 10+ this trip, but he swears he is going to do it the next time he is here.

On the 16th I had Ron Moore from Memphis, Tenn. and we worked artificial in the south end of the Farm. This trip for Ron was really a tough one as the fish just wouldn't cooperate. Between the frontal passage and the wind the fish just couldn't be coaxed into biting. Unfortunately Ron only had the one day this trip and the one day just wasn't going to do it.

On the 17th and 18th Scott and I had out George Bock and friends from Chattanooga, Tenn. Shiners were worked in the back lot mostly with a short time spent in the south end of the Farm. This is an annual event for George.

George Bock

On the 19th I had out Bill and Doug Payne from Murray, Kentucky throwing artificial on the Farm. Scott had out Danny French and friends from Jacksonville and Palm Bay, Florida throwing artificial and shiners. Bill and Doug are veterans of the Marsh so they knew things would be difficult with yet another front pushing its way through the area. We caught them using rattle traps and Senkos, but the numbers were down and size was also.

Scott's people also only had moderate success using the same baits. When will the wind ever go away?

On the 20th, 21st, and 22nd, I had out Gary Morgan from Maine, and friend Dave throwing artificial and shiners on Kenansville and Blue Cypress Lake. On the 21st Scott had out John Pruett and friend from Huntsville, Alabama throwing artificial on the Farm. After the wind and fronts arrival things were slow on the Marsh which was to be expected.

Over on Kenansville the bite was a bit better and using Senkos Dave was able take the lead with this nice bass.

Dave Taylor

The 21st called for winds gusting to as high as 35 so shiners were the option, Kenansville the destination, and Blue Cypress where Gary's 6+ gal came from.

Gary Morgan

After the hard winds of Tuesday the destination chosen for Wednesday was a combo of lakes Kenansville and Blue Cypress. Late Tuesday someone missed a big fish and hopes, although faint, were that she might be waiting in her home on Blue Cypress. Senkos started the day on Kenansville and the bite was decent but waned by 10:00. We moved over to Blue Cypress to finish out the day. The big fish of the day wasn't the monster of yesterday and she fell for a Horny Toad jerked through the grass. Since the wrong rod found the fish no picture was taken.

The 18 trips have kept us hopping, leaving little time for fishing reports. Over the last couple of weeks as you can see catching has had its ups and downs The passage of new cold fronts is an event that we have been able to count on occurring about every third day, and wind has been an almost constant companion. With the water in a constant state of aggravated turmoil it has been very difficult to put together a solid bite in any particular location. Couple the weather with the spawning activity and the constant movement of the bass in the bedding areas and you can readily see the difficulty faced in catching big numbers. However, even though the numbers have been down, size has been available on just about every trip. A few burps by the anglers have been cause for some anguished moments as the big gal was missed or slipped away.

As we depart the heaviest part of the spawn the big gals will again become very active as they feed to recover from the spawn. Over the next several weeks the numbers will go back up and size will be a common player. Top water is an event of any day now, and the fish will spread from the Farm side into the Stick Marsh.

Yesterday both boats were out with John Fleming and crew. The guys are down for a convention in Orlando and mixed it a day of fishing. Artificial were the order of the day and 34 bass succumbed to Senkos and other plastics. Unfortunately the bite didn't yield the "big One", however they achieved that on the last trip here. All and all a beautiful day of weather, some not so bad fishing, and great day of friendship.

On my boat were the Schoonmakers from Accord, NY. Veteran fishermen they were ready for whatever the Marsh had to offer and kept me entertained throughout the day.

We have a few opening left. Give a shout and share the boat and the fish of this outstanding lake with us. See you out there. Say hi if you get the chance.

To tell you that the fishing is really good is okay: to show you is 100% better!

To get in on this kind of action you only have to call us. Baits for today's outing came from the Yamamoto Bait Co. No other bait was needed to get the fish moving. Fished weightless at first and then adding 1/4 ounce weight as the wind picked up was the way to go. Veggies were holding the fish and the Senkos drew them out.

See you on the water. We have a few openings in March and of course further down the road into April/May.

The first day of March the weather was beautiful and the fishing fantastic. It was a day of combination fishing - some live bait, and some artificial. Tim Cutter came for a second day and brought his friend Jim Covert with hopes of catching the big one. The big fish of the day came on a watermelon/black flake Senko - all 9-pounds of her.

Crystal clear skies and winds of 5-13 were the weather order for the day and with baits in the right spots, big fish were the result.

A day of fantastic weather, fantastic fishing, and fantastic friendship. See you on the water. Say hi if you pass by. We do have a few openings this month so give us a call.