# Stick marsh, look what followed me home



## henryos

Congratulations on your catch, Tom. Glad to see Captain Ron's old gheenoe is still being put to good use.
The unidentified fish are cypress trout and not suitable as table fare. As a neighborly gesture I will be glad to take them off your hands and properly dispose of them. Just keep them on ice until I get there.


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## Florida_Boy

It really makes people like me want to pull their hair out when you catch a trophy bass on a crappie jig. I don't know how much time and money I've spent using the "correct" trophy bass lures and never caught one.


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## TomFL

> Congratulations on your catch, Tom. Glad to see Captain Ron's old gheenoe is still being put to good use.
> The unidentified fish are cypress trout and not  suitable as table fare. As a neighborly gesture I will be glad to take them off your hands and properly dispose of them. Just keep them on ice until I get there.


I'll be a sport and taste-test them alongside the cooler of catfish that came home with the "cypress trout". 

Lemon-pepper catfish.....

Henry, by the way thanks for making the pickup at BPS for me. Almost every fish I caught today was on those rods!


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## TomFL

> It really makes people like me want to pull their hair out when you catch a trophy bass on a crappie jig.  I don't know how much time and money I've spent using the "correct" trophy bass lures and never caught one.


I can assure you that there was absolutely no skill involved in that catch whatsoever, it was pure luck. I'll be the first to admit that I really should not have been able to land that fish. 

Right place at the right time I guess.

He was hooked absolutely perfectly in the bony part of the upper lip with a #4 hook, I needed pliers to get it out. You can barely see the tube jig stuck there in his lip, just under the reel. 

-T


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## Brett

> He was hooked absolutely perfectly in the bony part of the upper lip with a #4 hook, I needed pliers to get it out. You can barely see the tube jig stuck there in his lip



What you can't see is the crappie that had the jig first! Gulp...burp...  

there Florida Boy, that make you feel a little better?
it makes me feel better! tube jig and 6 lb line, hah...


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## HaMm3r

Holy Crap...pie!!!  Now that's a bass! [smiley=1-beer.gif]

I'd be impressed if it was caught on fly. Oh wait...scratch that, I'm impressed as hell!  ;D
[smiley=z-respect.gif]


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## Florida_Boy

I don't believe this. I just looked at a different forum for Northeast Florida and there is a picture of a kid about 15 years old in a suburban neighborhood with a bass that looks 12-13 pounds. He says he caught it on 6 lb line on a crappie jig also. I don't believe this. I guess I need to go out and get some crappie jigs. And some hair plugs.


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## Guest

Nice bass! But as word of warning, the FWC will give you a ticket for even keeping a bass out of the water to take a pic. They told me that they must be released immediatly, or it's ticket time!


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## TomFL

> I don't believe this.  I just looked at a different forum for Northeast Florida and there is a picture of a kid about 15 years old in a suburban neighborhood with a bass that looks 12-13 pounds.  He says he caught it on 6 lb line on a crappie jig also.  I don't believe this.  I guess I need to go out and get some crappie jigs.  And some hair plugs.


There was an FWC volunteer at the ramp asking each angler what they caught/lost etc. When I told him about the bass and that I had a pic of it, he said congrats on it (I do know the "release immediately" law, but nothing was said about it). Anyways, a couple came up to me while unloading the boat and asked to see the pic. When I showed them they thought it was great, they were die-hard bass people. Said they fished one day last week and caught 21 bass, with more than half of them over 8lbs. One 12 and one 14lb'er. 

Me, being the village idiot that I am, neglected to ask them what they used for bait. 

So for all you bass fisherman out there, now is the time to hit the stick marsh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

-T


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## Gramps

Geezo Peetso Tom! That is a great day! I have to get up there!


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## Canoeman

WOW, what a day. You only needed that one fish to make it worth your time.


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## HaMm3r

> Nice bass! But as word of warning, the FWC will give you a ticket for even keeping a bass out of the water to take a pic. They told me that they must be released immediatly, or it's ticket time!


Is that speculation again, or do you actually understand the law this time? : Not trying to be an a$$, although I'm  probably being one anyway, but this is the guy who started guessing that it was illegal to transport live bass when it isn't.

Be proud of your catch Tom, share those pictures and ask FWC directly if you have any doubts. Just don't listen to the uninformed.


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## TomFL

> Nice bass! But as word of warning, the FWC will give you a ticket for even keeping a bass out of the water to take a pic. They told me that they must be released immediatly, or it's ticket time!
> 
> 
> 
> Is that speculation again, or do you actually understand the law this time? : Not trying to be an a$$, although I'm  probably being one anyway, but this is the guy who started guessing that it was illegal to transport live bass when it isn't.
> 
> Be proud of your catch Tom, share those pictures and ask FWC directly if you have any doubts. Just don't listen to the uninformed.
Click to expand...

I can't comment either way as all I know is the written law says "must be released immediately". 

I will add, however, that the stick marsh bait and tackle is loaded with pictures of recent catches there, naturally mostly bass. All with the person's name and date. If it was truly illegal to the letter of the law, FWC would have no problem writing tickets. 

Not to say they won't, or that it's perfectly legal to hoist the fish on deck for pics, but it's worth mentioning. 

-T


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## B.Lee

[smiley=1-laugh.gif]

[smiley=1-computergeek.gif]

http://floridafisheries.com/rules.html

*South and east of the Suwannee River (see map): black bass less than 14 inches in total length must be released immediately. *


That fish is not even close to 14", and was happy to pose for a pics.  No mention in the article about tickets either, that would be incorrect too, although I'm sure there is some room for officer interpretation for those createns out there.


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## Un-shore

"Freshwater fish may not be taken by use of firearms, explosives, " [smiley=1-sobbing.gif]


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## TomFL

> "Freshwater fish may not be taken by use of firearms, explosives, " [smiley=1-sobbing.gif]


We used to do a "funament" that was held every year at the cogeneration plant in Indaintown on FPL property. Great fishing in there, but we always had to sign a waiver that we would not use firearms or explosives to catch the fish. 

There is no way the powers that be invented that without someone actually doing it first and saying "well there was no rule stating we couldn't" 

-T


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## Brett

[smiley=bomb.gif]    You gonna talk, or you gonna fish?


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## Un-shore

Lets fish! [smiley=2gunsfiring_v1.gif]


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## TomFL

> Lets fish! [smiley=2gunsfiring_v1.gif]


You're gonna need a bigger bhote

[smiley=bigun2.gif]


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## Brett

> Lets fish! [smiley=2gunsfiring_v1.gif]
> 
> 
> 
> You're gonna need a bigger bhote
> 
> [smiley=bigun2.gif]
Click to expand...


You ain't goin' to need no stinkin' bhote...

                  [smiley=bandit.gif] 

Wid alla 'dees, ain't goin' to be no agua lef' in da' lake!


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'prolly no feeshes either!


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## Guest

> Nice bass! But as word of warning, the FWC will give you a ticket for even keeping a bass out of the water to take a pic. They told me that they must be released immediatly, or it's ticket time!
> 
> 
> 
> Is that speculation again, or do you actually understand the law this time? : Not trying to be an a$$, although I'm  probably being one anyway, but this is the guy who started guessing that it was illegal to transport live bass when it isn't.
> 
> Be proud of your catch Tom, share those pictures and ask FWC directly if you have any doubts. Just don't listen to the uninformed.
Click to expand...

 Just telling you what a FWC officer told me , and you can take it any way you like! Maybe they have a new officer that doesn't sit up on the dike with binoculars looking for folks that don't "immediatly" release the bass, like the one I spoke to did. Take it for what it's worth. Sorry to offend you.
And I agree, it's a great mess of fish!!


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## Green_Hornet

Nice haul!
I have been to that pond at FPL and let me tell you the biggest fish and biggest aligators I have ever seen live in there!
I met a couple of commercial fisherman in Port Salerno a quite a few years ago, before the net ban, and they had some firecracker looking things that were used in California to scare the Sea Lions off the docks. Like a waterproof M80. They said they chucked them in the water and scooped up the stunned fish. Glad they have a law against that sort of thing.


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## HaMm3r

As of late, I've sort of had a "bone to pick" with all the supposition surrounding fishing regulations and people's loose interpretations of them. So, this thread nagged at me until I once again went directly to FWC to find out the real stance of photographing fish in Stick Marsh.

Here's my question to FWC...


> Customer 02/04/2009 02:15 PM
> I am planning to fish for black bass in Stick Marsh, and was told that I cannot take pictures of my catches prior to release. I realize that bass cannot be kept in that area, but I would like to better understand what "immediate release" means and whether or not it is legal to photograph a bass before immediately releasing it.
> 
> Thanks!


And here's FWC's response...


> Response (OED-ML) 02/05/2009 05:05 PM
> You are encouraged to photograph your catch. Try to photograph it along side the boat in the water if possible, handle it carefully and return the fish to water alive an unharmed.
> 
> The most important rules for catch-and-release fishing, whether the release is voluntary for conservation or required by bag or size limits, are to land the fish quickly, handle it carefully and return it to the water as soon as possible. Circle hooks help reduce the instance of fish swallowing the hook or damaging their gills, and flattening or filing away the barb helps with hook removal. Attempt to remove the hook with the fish in the water. If it is necessary to lift it, avoid gaffs or landing nets (especially those with knots), and gently hold the fish with wet hands. Avoid squeezing too hard and keep your hands away from the gills. For bass, it is okay to grab the lower lip, but don't force it down or hold the fish out horizontally by the lower jaw. Keep the body supported. If the hook is deeply embedded, cut the line. The hook will dissolve (bronze hooks break down more quickly than stainless steel and are desirable for this purpose). When you return the fish to the water, don't throw it back. Gently place it in the water facing into the current and allow it to revive before releasing. One special note -- even if the fish dies accidentally, you cannot keep a fish that is illegal to possess (e.g., due to size or bag limits).
> 
> For more information on catch-and-release go to http://myfwc.com/marine/resources_publications.htm and http://myfwc.com/fishing/docum/release.html.


You see that? *You are encouraged to photograph your catch.*

Can't be any clearer than that, can they? ;D So, let's see some more of those monsters Tom!


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## TomFL

Awesome, thanks for posting the regs right from the FWC. Much appreciated. 

Weather permitting I should be at the stick marsh Friday and Saturday. As I'm typing this, I'm eating some lemon-pepper catfish . 

Last night was italian-breadcumb style crappie. 

Good eats!!!!!

-T


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## Guest

Alright, you win, I was just trying to save you some grief. Go fishing, have fun, and I guess I'll stay the hell out of here, 
Mods, please delete my profile as I do not want to offend anyones feelings, and so I say adios!! ;D


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## OSWLD

> Nice bass! But as word of warning, the FWC will give you a ticket for even keeping a bass out of the water to take a pic. They told me that they must be released immediatly, or it's ticket time!
> 
> 
> 
> Is that speculation again, or do you actually understand the law this time? : Not trying to be an a$$, although I'm  probably being one anyway, but this is the guy who started guessing that it was illegal to transport live bass when it isn't.
> 
> Be proud of your catch Tom, share those pictures and ask FWC directly if you have any doubts. Just don't listen to the uninformed.
Click to expand...

For some reason i read 'don't listen to the uniformed'. i don't know i'd read it that way :

But great day fishin, thats for sure. a suprise bass is always good!


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## TomFL

OK so today's trip was a lot less eventful. I forgot my gloves and it was so *&%^#@*$^ cold I actually couldn't use my hands to put the minnows on the hook. OUCH!

Water temp was 48-49 degrees. 

Tally for the 1/2 day: 2 runt specs and a coupla cats. It was so slow out there I was beginning to wonder how the minnows would taste fried. Heck I've eaten fried okra, they can't be worse, right?

Tomorrow should be a better day. I hope. 

-T


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## HaMm3r

At least you got out there! 

If it makes you feel any better, I hooked up with my biggest bass on fly ever, today at lunch. Only problem was it was foul hooked right beside the dorsal fin.  I tried to fight it as gently as possible, but my 10lb fluoro tippet didn't stand a chance and snapped once it got its head turned away from me. :'(


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