arul Posted June 14, 2009 Posted June 14, 2009 So, with some mixed advice from the forum, I decided to take my trusty Indian River flatback Canoe onto Stickmarsh/Farm 13. I have never been there before, but my buddy moved to Sebastian, and has been itching to have an adventure, off we went. Forecasted winds were 6 mph SW, when we showed up to the ramp at 6:30 am, it was more like 15 mph. :-/ :-/ We puttered around the ramp/north end, and couldn't get anything going, so we made a break for it along the eastern canal edge, heading south. We thought we could find a cut in the berm that bisects Stickmarsh from Farm 13, right there along the eastern side, but no....it looked liked we had to go another 3 miles west to the 1 and only cut into Farm 13. :'( :'( Waves were about 1-2 foot chop at this point, and we were somewhat blocked from the heavy wind, so we figured- what the heck- we had gone this far might as well try to poke our nose into Farm 13... About 1/2 way down the berm we came across a good looking wood hut/shelter. There was an area where the berm sloped out and skinnied, so we checked around for gators, saw none, then just carried the canoe over the berm. This was no small feat, as the trolling motor, fiberglass canoe, battery, gear all weighed a ton. But we managed. Once we were able to get into Farm 13, we puttered around trying to find the main channels/ditches, to no avail. About 1/2 mile from the shelter I smelled something burning. :o Looked down and saw the alligator clip from the trolling motor melting the clip insulation at the terminal! :'( :'( I guess the rickity thing hadn't had to work that much before. Oh well- we had ores, and what the heck, we had come all this way- so- might as well start paddling... I learned I could run the trolling motor on medium for about 2 minutes until it got hot at the alligator clip. Then I would cut it, let it cool, and paddle. We did this the rest for the day and probably paddled for nearly 8 miles! By this time, we had been on the water for 4 hours, and made about 20 casts... :'( BUT ALAS, we saw something fishable, 1/2 way down the eastern berm was a mythical outflow structure. It was still over a mile away, but we had come ALL THIS WAY- no point in turning back then. TADA! :D The winds went slack, we made it to the area, and pulled up the canoe along the concrete reinforcement of the berm to take a breather. The control structure was closed, so there was no current flowing... :'( I casted out, and THUD! I landed this big girl. A little Later, I landed another big one! ONLY 2 BITES ALL DAY, BUT I MADE THEM COUNT! As we were anchored offshore casting into a dropoff, we saw a few gators 100-200 yards away. One gator was huge, and the folks on the forum weren't fibbing- the gator was near 15-18 ft. He really wasn't that interested in us, until I started throwing the Xcalibur 1knocker around... :-/ At this point the water was GLASS, and I am sure that he heard that 1 knocker, and was interested, because he immediately started heading our way to inspect. I switched to the worm, and he started swimming away. I switched back to the Rattler, and he turned right back around towards us. Well, I decided to put the lipless away at that point, because I think it was attracting the gators more than the bass.... ;D Wind started picking up, and afternoon was upon us, so we headed for LOOOONGGGGG paddle home. - and eventually made it back to the ramp. Needless to say, we were never in danger, and felt totally safe with the water. (though our prep and research was a big factor) The Only problem was not having a motor, paddling for miles and miles, and spending only 1.5 hours of a 7 hour fishing day actually fishing. Thank GOD I actually had something to show for the effort. I sure won't be going out there again until I get a real boat and motor someday... or hire George Welcome for a guided tour... ;D Quote
BassinNewbie Posted June 14, 2009 Posted June 14, 2009 What a fishing story!! great read!! and ........to end it all with a great catch!!! wow!! how much did she weigh???? Quote
arul Posted June 14, 2009 Author Posted June 14, 2009 Thanks- One was about 5-6 lbs. I think the big one was about 8-9 lbs. Though I wish I had a good scale, because I may have hit the 10 lb mark-but I'll never know. Next purchase will be a good scale, so I am never again left in the dark after catching a PIG like that... Quote
bigfish88 Posted June 14, 2009 Posted June 14, 2009 HAHA! Straight troopin man, great story and NICE PIGS!!! Quote
GLADES Posted June 14, 2009 Posted June 14, 2009 Glad you made it back safe and sound. Nice bass and pic's. The weather was definately in your favor. The marsh can get real ugly when those Tstorms come rolling in. Quote
stunning Posted June 14, 2009 Posted June 14, 2009 Just think, if you had puss'd out. you would'nt have caught those fish! Way to stay tough! Oh and nice pigs. Quote
Super User South FLA Posted June 15, 2009 Super User Posted June 15, 2009 Cool, man! Glad you stuck some PIGS! You are one DEDICATED ANGLER! Quote
rboat Posted June 16, 2009 Posted June 16, 2009 Great story and what a great couple of bass. If you don't mind, what were they hitting? Quote
Super User roadwarrior Posted June 16, 2009 Super User Posted June 16, 2009 Well, no doubt those are some mighty fine fish. However, I think you were in great danger whether you recognized it or not. If you try this again, at least be sure someone responsible knows where you are and when to start worrying. Beautiful fish and great pics! BTW, Even though George Welcome has named some of the local gators, they have NOT been domesticated. 8-) Quote
arul Posted June 16, 2009 Author Posted June 16, 2009 You are right Roadwarrior. Though everything went smoothly, there is always an inherent danger or risk, and I would not recommend our actions to anyone unless they are experienced and have a fully prepared float plan and contingency plan in place. (which we did) We were very cautious and prepared, and took the necessary precautions to make a go of it. The gator thing was concerned us a little going in, but my buddy who is an expert handler and runs Gatorland in Kissimmee assured us the gators posed no real threat, and I received a private message from a respected individual that gave us enough confidence to give it a go. Also, our cells had perfect reception out there. However, although it was a good adventure and memorable experience, it is one I won't be repeating without a more powerful boat. (need to start saving up $) It was just REALLY hard work, and at the end of the day, we weren't able to spend much of our time actually fishing. Too much paddling- not enough fishing.... Quote
George Welcome Posted June 16, 2009 Posted June 16, 2009 A bit further than I recommended, but then I canoed the length of the Glades many times when I was a tad younger. About gators: When a gator sees a man all he/she can envision is boots, pocketbooks, belts, and there tail getting eaten. Man is about the only predator for a gator and they know it. Out here in the wild, away from hand fed areas, gators are the first to run away in a confrontation. Man is not a part of gator's food chain. In the glades I have fished with gators lying within short distance from the canoe. As for naming the gators: there's too many of them on the Marsh/Farm to name, but I have had a few of the big ones that I have repeatedly gotten great pictures of. One in particular has laid on the same bed for several years now, and sneaks back into the water if you get too close. Quote
Daniel My Brother Posted June 16, 2009 Posted June 16, 2009 What a great read! Thanks for sharing. Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.