GENERAL FISHING CONDITIONS at Stick Marsh

Stick Marsh / Farm 13, is a 6,500-acre impoundment located along the east coast of central Florida in northwest Indian River County. Water depths range from 4 to 8 feet. 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. Popular sportfish include largemouth bass, bluegill, redear sunfish, black crappie and several catfish species. This water body is noted for its excellent bass fishing due to the special no harvest regulation on largemouth bass. It is one of the top 10 trophy bass spots in the state.

This is the time of year when the majority of trophy bass (10 pounds or greater) are caught and released by anglers in this well-known impoundment. When fishing in the cooler water typically found in east-central Florida during winter and early spring, anglers can expect largemouth bass to follow traditional patterns associated with spawning, staging near the canals and submerged drainage ditches which provide some protection from strong wind and wave action, then moving into the shallower edges and flats to spawn.

Traditional spots to catch staging and spawning bass are in the north flow-way, the submerged Ditch 7 levee, and the northwest corner (the palms) of the Stick Marsh. Popular spots in the Farm 13 section include the water control structure, submerged levees or road-beds, and the flooded timber in the flats south of Ditch 13.

During this quarter, black crappie should be concentrated in Ditch 7, Ditch 13, the north flow-way and in other submerged secondary canals. However, with the absence of hydrilla, specks may revert to the more traditional behavior they exhibit in central Florida lakes.

Best bets for these tasty panfish are minnows and/or small jigs (1/32-1/8 oz) in twister tail or tube styles. Jigs in green, pink, brown, salt and pepper, or chartreuse seem to be the hot colors to try for specks. Crappie anglers should troll or drift open water areas in canals or try jigging and casting in what remains of the vegetation edges. Bluegill catches typically slow down this time of year but one can still expect fair numbers to be caught by crappie anglers.