Submitted by Andy W.

Date Fished: 12/27/2004
Water Temperature: 54
Water Clarity: 6 inches

Scott, George, Hugh and Jim are right....Without the grass (which will be back) fishing on Stick is very much changed and tough without local knowledge on where to go and what to throw.

I was fortunate enough to have the wife give me a yard pass from visiting the in-laws the for 3 days on the Marsh. MAN....Talk about WIND...Must have been steady in the 20's with gust approaching 40's first part of the morning finally "settling" in to just a steady 20 after lunch. I fished the back lot to get out of the wind as much as I could...."Nary" a bite for me...which was a first (Giving you a run for the title Don - WWF) on this great fishery.

With the wind “dying” to a calm 15 – 25 for the next day – 12/27 – I knew I needed to venture to the Farm side no matter the weather. Well I did….almost cost me too…As I found the N/S – E/W canal intersection I threw out a buoy and “attempted” to fish.. 3 waves over the bow and one almost knocking me in, I figured I need to find safe harbor to fish…… After chasing the buoy around for 15 minutes I hit the gas….Bammm….BBbbbaammmm…..coming from the motor…. I thought “Stumps? No, I’m to far North for stumps”..Feather into the throttle again and hear a bearing squealing its arse off…Oh no!!! Lower unit!!!...I shut her down to 1K rpm’s and “limped” back toward the cut. A blazing 4.5 MPH…. For those that know the rim canals and how they are with the wind out of the north, it was an adventure to say the least on the trip back. After getting the boat back on the trailer (nice 2-hour tour of the rim canals) I inspected the lower unit……Boy’O’boy….When the bearings let go it cracked the entire left side of the lower unit all the way through the skeg(sp) and partially up the right side (I’ll post pictures tomorrow on Other Topics Page). Honestly, I don’t have a clue how the damn thing held together for the ride back…..I’m glad I had brought a couple of beers with me though…:-)

I did run across Scott W. in his “Safe Harbor” leisurely flipping shiners and slaying the fish. All his clients and he were missing was one of those island drinks with the little umbrellas in it. They were that cozy, comfortable, out of the wind and doing what I failed to do….CATCH FISH (even worse, I Didn’t Get A Bite!!!). As the commercial says, “Those Guys Are Good!”

On a serious note, I re-learned something I should have been practicing on this day (and will religiously in the future)….WEAR YOUR PFD!!!! That little adventure on the ditch intersection was as close to a “Life Flashing in Front of Your Eyes” as I have had in quite a while…55 degree water, 25 mph wind, high seas and me dressed like I’m going ice fishing is not a good mixture even with a PFD, stupid without one – which I was….

Andy W.

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