The fishing on Lake “O” has improved some over the past week and I have been catching a fair number of bass on most guide trips. The grass is making it a little tough to fish in most areas but the fish are there you just have to talk them into biting and then get them out of the heavy cover. There have been bass from the Monkey Box to Pelican Bay but you will have to look for them. The water level is at 13.97 above sea level and still dropping slowly which has started to make some areas a little to shallow to run your boat in, just be careful when shutting down or getting on plane in some areas. The main lake still remains muddy at best but you don’t have to go to far back into the grass to get to clean water. I have seen beds from Moonshine to Bay Bottom, some are from last month but some are new and I have seen fry and fingerlings in a number of areas. This lake will be the most awesome fishing lake in the future.

   Most of the bass my clients and I have been catching have come from the thick grass and clean water. This is some of the hardest fishing since the vegetation is so thick that we are limited to what lures that you can fish in it. I have had the best success on a Gambler Flappin Shad, Zoom Super Fluke, and a Lake Fork Hyper Freak. The Flappin Shad has been the best lure to get these bass to come up out of the thick weeds and eat. I rig it on a 5/0 wide gap super line hook and attach it to fifty pound test PowerPro braided line. I like to throw it on a Deep South 7’ 2” Frog Rod that has a lot of backbone to get the fish out of the weeds, I use a high speed Abu-Garcia Revo STX reel to finish out this combo. The Lake Fork Hyper Freak is a new bait by Lake Fork and has really good action as a flipping and pitching bait, the flat tail really moves when it drops in the water. I fish the Hyper Freak on a Deep South Flipping Rod that is 7’11” and extra heavy action with fifty pound test PowerPro braided line. I’m sure other lures will work but this is what has been working for my clients and me.

   Bay Bottom, around Ritta Island, the West Wall, and from Uncle Joe’s Cut to Moonshine are all areas that I have caught fish in the past couple weeks. No the fish are not everywhere but if you cover some water throwing the Flappin Shad you will catch some fish and usually there are more than one fish in the area. Some days I go out and catch a good number of bass and than some times I don’t catch as many, but the look on a clients face when a bass comes up and grabs the Flappin Shad and leaves a hole in the water is worth all the time you spend locating these bass.

   The crappie fishing is improving a little but it is still slow at best. Try up around Bird Island as this is where the best chance to catch them now. The bluegills are still biting and a cricket fished under a float in Uncle Joe’s Cut is a good place to start. I would like to let everyone know that the FLW Series tournament will be held on Lake Okeechobee out of Clewiston on 28^th to the 31^st of January. Bring the kids over for the daily weigh in at Roland Martin’s Marina on the first three days with the final weigh in being held at Wal-Mart on the 31^st.

Product of the Month

I would like to let you know about a new product called BTS (Bow to Stern). BTS is an all surface protectant that you can use from one end of your boat to the other. It works great on the outside to keep water stains, scum lines and road grime from sticking to your boat. It works equally as well on the seats and dash to keep mold and mildew from starting. Spray it in your storage lockers to keep them from getting mildew. It has the highest UV protection that you can get and it does not leave you boat oily feeling like some other products. Another use is to use it on your vehicle and bugs and road grime just hose right off. I’m not usually impressed with many products but I am with this one. Check this product out at www.btsproducts.com or contact me if you want to try a bottle of this amazing protectant.

Wow the bass fishing on Lake Okeechobee has improved almost overnight and seems to be getting better every day. We are still getting some cold fronts moving through the area and it does affect the fishing but it only seems to make it tough for a day. The bass are moving in off the main lake toward the shallow clean water to spawn and we have been catching some bass off the beds. The water level is at 14.03 feet above sea level and still slowly dropping from the farms pulling water out of the lake for irrigation. As slow as this fall started out I was a bit worried about the bass fishing this year but if the past couple weeks is an indication as to what the winter will bring the fishing should be great.

   Fishing with artificial lures has been as good as if not better than fishing with wild shiners, I have been suggesting both for my clients and we end up throwing artificial lures more than we shiner fish. I have been catching bass on a variety of different lures but something that you can fish overtop of the vegetation has been the key to more bites. I have been using a Gambler Flappin Shad and a Gary Yamamoto Swimming Senko to get the most bites, but you can also flip a Lake Fork Hyper Freak or throw a weightless Senko and get bites. The next hardest thing to do is to get the bass out of this thick vegetation and into the boat, I try to go to the fish once we have it hooked and usually we get them in the boat before we lose the bass. I have been covering a lot of water and fishing kind of fast until I locate a bass and than I will fish this area very thoroughly because I will usually catch a few more bass in the same general area. I have been catching more fish on the Flappin Shad and Swimming Senko but I have had bigger fish on the Lake Fork Hyper Freak. You will want to use heavy line like the PowerPro braid that I use or the new fluorocarbon line that Lake Fork is now selling that you can get in heavy thirty three and thirty nine pound test.

   The areas that I have been fishing are scattered from the Monkey Box to South Bay with clean water being the only thing that I really have had to have. Bay Bottom has been producing tournament winning sacks of bass the past couple weeks but fish are being caught up on the shoal and the East and West Walls. The key is to look for clean water and to fish areas that have been traditional spawning areas in the past. Even though we are off the full moon I have been seeing and catching bass off the beds. This is very encouraging to see that the lake is healthy enough that we are seeing lots of bass beds this early in the year. The crappies are still a little tough to catch here at the south end of the lake but we are catching good numbers of bluegills.

   I would like to thanks everyone who has followed my column for the past couple years. I really appreciate the e-mails and kind words at the marina, boat ramps, and out on the water. I hope everyone has happy and prosperous New Year.

Bite of the Week

I would look for clear to slightly stained water at the south end of Okeechobee and cover a lot of water until I located some fish. I would throw a Gambler Flappin Shad or Swimming Senko until I found the bass and than work the area good with a Lake Fork Hyper Freak. For bluegill try crickets in Uncle Joe’s Cut.

The bass fishing has been a little tough the past couple weeks here on the Big “O” as cold front after cold front moves through South Florida. The lake level has been slowly dropping and has the lake level at 14.18 feet above sea level. I know we all wanted to see water back in Lake Okeechobee but the fishing has been tough since the water has filled the lake back up and no one seems to know why it has been so tough to catch bass. But that is why we call it fishing, it seems like we were so use to catching big numbers of bass the past couple years with the water being so low that now when we do catch a few bass it isn’t enough.

   Some of the bass that we have been catching have been in areas that have very clean water but the main lake and the outside grass line has very dirty water and the wind has kept it that way. Some of the areas that do have clean water are around Ritta Island, the East Wall, West Wall, and from Cochran’s Pass to the Blue Hole. Most of these areas have clean water back in from the outside grass line. Look for areas that look healthy with some green on the vegetation and any signs of bait fish moving around. You will not be able to go into any of these areas at any given time and catch bass, you will have to cover lots of water and look for them.

   My bait selection has been pretty small the last couple weeks with a swimming Senko, Zoom U-Vibe Speed Worm, and a Zoom Horny Toad being my main baits. I have been fishing the Swimming Senko and the Zoom U-Vibe Speed Worm with a one sixteenth ounce screw in sinker, 4/0 hook, and on twenty pound test fluorocarbon line. I fish the Zoom Horny Toad on a Deep South heavy action frog rod rigged with fifty pound test PowerPro braided line. The key the last couple weeks seem to be to cover as much water as possible and keep your bait in the water. Another lure that my clients have caught a few bass on is a Gambler Flappin’ Shad fished over top of the grass. Most all of the areas that I have been fishing have pretty thick vegetation and it limits you to the type of lure that you can use. Be sure to use a good heavy action rod like the Deep South Rods that I use or you will have a hard time getting the bass out of the heavy grass.

   I have also been fishing at the Sawgrass Recreational area and have been catching bass but most of them are small. It is a little different scenery than fishing the lake and is a little easier to catch bass which is great for the kids. Try fishing a Senko wacky style and Zoom Flukes in green pumpkin and watermelon colors and you should be able to catch a good number of bass in the canals. A few crappies are being caught on the lake at Bird Island and around Uncle Joe’s Cut. The numbers of crappies have not come in off the lake yet but if you just want a few to eat it shouldn’t be any trouble to catch enough on some minnows. If you are still looking for that perfect Christmas gift I do have some of the Deep South “Mark King” Shakey Head Rods and gift certificates available, just contact me at www.markkingfishing.com. I want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and try not to forget what the true meaning of Christmas really is about.

Bite of the Week

With the bite being slow I would start fishing around Ritta Island and work my way toward Cochran’s Pass fishing any water that looks good and also covering as much water as possible. I would rig a frog, swimming Senko and Zoom U-Vibe Speed Worm and just go fishing. For a few crappies to eat try Uncle Joe’s Cut with minnows.

Lake Okeechobee is a mysterious lake these days; the bass are here one day and darn hard to find the next. The water level is right, the water color is right, the water temperature is getting right, yet the bass seem to be a little hard to locate on a consistent basis. I had a couple good days last week where we caught some nice fish but we had to work for them. But with the full moon just around the corner we should have bass in on the beds like we did last month. The water level is at 14.66 feet above sea level and that is just about right going into winter here on Lake Okeechobee. We have some great grass growing almost everywhere on the lake, from pepper grass, eel grass, to hydrilla and it is keeping the water clean in most areas.

   Some areas that have been producing the bass that my clients and I have been catching are the East Wall, West Wall, Ritta Island, Long Point, and Coots Bay. The wind has been blowing a lot here so fishing out on the lake side of these areas is almost impossible. The water color back in the grass has been really good with it being clear in most areas. Out on the lake the water looks muddy from the wind blowing almost everyday, but it is fishable in some areas. With the bass being so unpredictable from day to day I’m not sure that the majority of the bass have moved in from out in the lake yet. There is some larger shad moving around out in open water and these bass may be chasing them around and not moving into the grass yet. The only problem is that with the wind blowing so much the lake is muddy and it will be hard to locate these bass that are off the grass in open water. You might be able to find some fishable water out in the open water if the wind slows down some and a Spro Aruka Shad would be the perfect bait to locate these bass. This outside grass will also be a great place to catch bass on wild shiners as they move toward the inside grass from out on the lake.

   For most of the areas back in the grass I have been using a Lake Fork Hyper Worm rigged weightless, I just throw it out and slowly swim it across the grass. I have also been pitching a Lake Fork Hyper Freak rigged with a half ounce weight in to the holes in the grass. Junebug and green pumpkin have been the best colors for me the past few weeks. I have been throwing both of these baits on Gamma Edge 100% Fluorocarbon line in 20 pound test. The grass that I have been fishing is pretty thick and I have been going to the fish when you catch them not even trying to pull them through the grass, it is just too thick. The new line of “Hyper” soft plastic lures by Lake Fork are awesome baits to add to your bass fishing arsenal, they have a wide tail that has great action in the water and are loaded with garlic and salt to make the bass want to hold on. And of course I have been throwing all my lures on the new line of Deep South Rods (www.deepsouthfishingrods.com) that were designed by fishermen for fishermen. They are the most sensitive rods I have ever used and are assembled with quality Fuji components. Try one of my signature series shakey head rods that I helped design to fish a shakey head rig with a baitcasting reel not a spinning reel.

   The  brim are still biting good and most reports that I have been receiving are that you can go out almost any day and catch all you want. Be sure to check out my new site at www.mybassclass.com for all the newest bass fishing information.

Bite of the Week

I would start fishing the open water off Long Point or Ritta Island and move into the grass looking for bass. Throw a Spro Aruka Shad as a search bait to locate the bass in the open water and than switch to a Lake Fork Hyper worm in green pumpkin color fished weightless over top the grass and let it sink into the holes in the grass.

September has proven to be somewhat a tough month fishing here on the Big “O”. For most to go out and catch a couple fish a day has been good. The bass have been really scattered out, you may catch one or two fish in an area and than you have to find another area to catch them in, this is true even with wild shiners for bait. The water has slowed down flowing into Lake Okeechobee and has even gone down some in the past couple weeks to 14.95 feet above sea level. I believe that the water just needs to cool down a little and the water needs to clean up in some areas from the dead and dieing vegetation. As long as the wind isn’t blowing too hard to dirty up the water I have had good success on the outside grass line but when the wind blows and dirties up the water on the outside you need to move back in the grass. And this is where the trouble locating fish starts, I have found a few open water holes back in the grass and you can sometimes catch a bass or two out of them but for the most part you will put some time in to catch a few bass back in the grass.

   The bass that my clients and I have been catching have been on worms and craws fished along the grass. A ten inch worm like the ones I use from Lake Fork Trophy Lures in junebug color fished with a 3/16 ounce weight on twenty pound test fluorocarbon line has been one of my best producing lures. A Swimming Senko would be my next choice for lures, fished weightless on a 4/0 Gamakatsu wide gap hook also attached to the twenty pound test fluorocarbon line. I swim the Senko through the grass till I get to an open hole in the grass and then just stop it and let it fall in the hole, if no bites just continue swimming it. The frog bite has slowed down but I’m still catching a few and most of them are really good fish. The Snag-Proof Bobby’s Perfect Frog in black has been the best color and frog for me to use back in the real thick grass like almost all of the grass is. The fishing has been slow so you will want to really slow down and fish real slow to get the bites.

   Some of the areas that have been good are Long Point, Ritta Island, Coots Bay, West Wall, and around Observation Island. It depends on the wind as to which areas will be the better ones. Try to fish the outside grass line first and move in grass farther as you try to locate the fish. I have heard of a few bass being caught back in the grass all the way against the hard line but the water quality is not very good back in with the dieing vegetation. There does seem to be a lot of bait back in the grass moving around so it is just a matter of time before the bass will be there also. By mid October the bass should really be moving in to the grass and feeding for the fall migration into the spawning areas.

   In tournament news the Wal-Mart BFL was held last weekend out of Okeechobee with Alex Picos from Davie Florida winning with a two day total of 38.14 pounds, second place was Brandon McMillan from Belle Glade Florida with 38.08 pound for two day. The bass are out there as the tournament results show but they are a little bit hard to find for now.

   The bluegill fishing has still been great with most of the bluegill being caught in the rim canal and dynamite holes. My neighbor and fishing guide Joe Payne has been catching a limit of bluegill on almost every trip out. A cricket fished under a cork is the best bet to catch some nice bluegill but a Bettle Spin will also work.

Bite of the Week

I would start fishing the outside grass line at Observation Island, Ritta Island, or Long Point and than slowly work my way back in the grass. Throw ten inch worm, swimming Senkos, or frogs and really fish areas thoroughly. Look for water that is not to dirty and does have a little wind blowing on it. For bluegill try some of the dynamite holes south of Clewiston with crickets.

September is flying by here on Lake Okeechobee and the fishing has been really good as the water level continues to rise. For some though the fishing has been a little tough as they learn to fish in the grass of Okeechobee all over again. The bass are not everywhere and you will not catch a lot in one area but when you do find them you will be able to catch a fair number in the general area. With the water level at 15.15 feet above sea level it is no problem to go almost anywhere as long as you can get through the grass. I have been catching bass from above Cochran’s Pass to Kramer Island. The wind seems to have a lot of affect on where the bass are positioning themselves. If the wind blows pretty hard the bass are back in the grass more but when the wind lays down or just blows a little the bass are more toward the outside grass line. Most of this depends on if the wind is pushing the bait back into the grass or if they are hanging out on the edge of the grass.

   Some areas that have been good the past couple weeks are both sides of Ritta Island, Long Point, Coots Bay, and around Observation Island area. Where I go depends on the direction of the wind, I like it to blow straight in against the grass if possible. Another thing to watch for is the dirty water, the harder the wind blows from out on the lake the dirtier the water on the outside of the grass is going to be but as you move farther back into the grass the water will clean up and almost get to clear. I know everyone hates to fish in the wind but this is where the bass will be waiting to ambush bait that the wind pushes in to them. I use my Power-Pole to hold the boat on the outside of the grass and cast back into the grass a couple feet and work my bait out toward open water. Without a Power-Pole you could use an anchor but it would be a long day fishing a grass line for a couple miles if you have to pull the anchor all day, with the Power-Pole all I have to do is use the trolling motor to move me down the grass line and hit the remote to deploy the Power-Pole and I’m fishing. They are expensive but it is one piece of equipment that is on my boat that I couldn’t do without.

   I have been catching bass on both artificial lures and wild shiners. The wild shiner fishing has been really good and all you need to do is find an area that the wind is blowing straight into the grass and anchor out a casting distance away and throw the shiners just of the grass line and give it some time and you will catch some nice bass. As for artificial lures I have been using topwater frogs and 10” worms for the most part. The Bobby’s Perfect Frog made by Snag-Proof has been producing better than any other top water baits I have been using and black seems to be the color to use. The other lure that has been working best is a 10” worm made by Lake Fork Trophy Lures in junebug color. Remember we are now fishing in the grass again and you will need to use braided line like PowerPro, I use thirty pound test for worms and fifty pound test for frogs. Some other lures that have been working are a Johnson Silver Minnow spoon, Lake Fork “Live” Magic Shad, and Heddon Zara Super Spook. Most of the bass that we have been catching are from two to six pounds but I have heard about some bass over eight pounds being caught this past week. Don’t be afraid to keep trying different areas till you find the one that is holding fish that you can catch.

Bite of the Week

I would start at Long Point throwing a 10” worm on the outside of the grass and than work my way back in the grass throwing a Snag-Proof frog. I would than move to Ritta Island or Coots Bay and do the same thing till I found some bass. If you want to throw wild shiners fish the outside of Coots or Long Point depending on which way the wind is blowing. Move back in the grass only if the wind is blowing to hard to fish the outside edge of the grass line.

I’m writing this as tropical storm Fay is approaching the Lake Okeechobee region and everyone has their fingers crossed for lots of rain. The lake level has already come up to 11.34 feet above sea level before this storm so with Gods grace we will get a good amount of rain from this storm. The fishing on Lake Okeechobee has been improving the last couple weeks as some eel and pepper grass has stated to pop up in some areas. The grass is just in patches but for now that is great and it should spread quickly with the clear water that is in most areas that I write about on the south end of the lake. The bass are relating to the small patches of eel grass and my clients have been able to catch a couple bass out of each patch before you need to move on to the next patch of grass. Also with the water level getting up high enough to once again get back into the main grass line in most areas the bass seem to be also heading to these areas.

   Most of the areas from Kramer Island to above Observation Island have some type of grass starting to grow and a few fish to be caught in most of these areas. A shakey head rig and Carolina rigged worm have been the most productive techniques as of lately. But I have been getting my frog rod and heavy flippin rod ready as these bass will be in the grass real soon. I have been fishing a shakey head rig in the eel grass patches with great success, my shakey head rig consist of a Giggy Head jig made by Gambler Lures and a new worm made by Lake Fork Tackle called a Hyper Worm that has great action. On the Carolina rig I have been using a Gambler Ace and a Lake Fork Ring Fry. Darker colored worms like junebug, black-blue, blue bruiser seem to be the best colors to use. I’m still catching a few fish on a swim bait and they are usually bigger bass but you may throw a swim bait all day for just a few bites.

    I really excited about the amount of rain that we are receiving from tropical storm Fay and can’t wait to get out on the lake and see how far back in the grass that we will be able to get. I will be getting a frog rod ready to use along with a heavy flippin stick to fish back in the grass. My rig for fishing frogs consists of a Deep South 7’2” heavy rod, an Abu-Garcia Revo reel spooled with fifty pound test Power-Pro line. The Abu-Garcia Revo reel that I use for fishing a frog has a high 7.1 gear ratio so that I can get a Gambler Cane Toad up on top of the water and can keep it there. I use two types of frogs a soft plastic Cane Toad made by Gambler baits and my favorite type of frog made by Snag Proof that will not sink and can be worked very slow over vegetation. I like to use the Bobby’s Perfect Frog made by Snag Proof Lures when I want a frog that will not sink and that I can add a rattle when I fish over heavy cover, when you stop this frog the legs will pulsate. But if you want to fish a frog fast over top vegetation than a Gambler Cane Toad is the bait I turn to.

Bite of the Week

There will be a lot more area accessible after tropical storm Fay passes by and you should be able to fish areas like the East Wall, West Wall, and around Observation Island. There has been a good deal of eel grass popping up in various areas, you just have to get out and look for it. I would fish a shakey head rig, Carolina rig, frog, and a texas rigged worm to search out these bass. Look for areas that have clean water that does not have too much of the tea colored water in it.

As the dirty water continues to flow into Lake Okeechobee from the farms surrounding the lake the fishing has gotten a little tough if you can’t find clean water. Yes we needed water in the lake but this red or tea stained water that is flowing and being pumped into the lake does not have much oxygen in it and has the bass scrambling for good water. The lake level is at 10.34 feet above sea level and still rising everyday. It seems to be one of those deals where do you want dirty water or no water! The key to finding bass the past couple weeks is to find clean water and bait, the clean water is a little easier to find than the bait fish.

   Some of the areas that the water still seams to be ok are the shoal north of Uncle Joe’s cut, Norman’s channel, and the pipeline area. The shoal does have more water on it than it did a couple weeks ago but it is still very shall to fishing it in a bass boat. Norman’s channel and the pipe line that runs from the water tank that is out the Clewiston channel to an area between Coots Bay and the East Wall. The water in the pipe line area is clear and you just need to look for the rocks that cover the pipe. On a weekend it is easy to find the pipe line because there is a string of boats on it, but even then they are still catching bass. At Norman’s channel you want to fish the edge of the channel and up in the shallower water also, you should find the fish if you keep looking around in this area.

   My bait selection has changed some from past months to where I’m throwing a swim bait a lot more especially if I see bait jumping or bass trying to eat them. For soft plastic swim baits try a Lake Fork “Live” Magic Shad in both the 4.5 and 5.5 sizes. For hard plastic swim baits I have been using the King Shad made by Strike King. As for what color to use I have been using shad colored soft and hard plastic swim baits. The other thing about fishing swim baits is the fact that the strike is viscous and braided line and a rod with a lot of back bone is needed. I have been using thirty to fifty pound test Power Pro braided line and a 7’11” Deep South Flipping rod.  My next lure of choice would be an shaky head jig, I use a Gambler Lures ¼ ounce Giggy Head jig but there is a great variety of different jig head on the market now. Just try different ones until you find the one that works best for you, the one made by Gambler Lures has been a great jig for my clients and I to use. One the best feature is the fact you can get it with a 5/0 hook so that you can use large soft plastics with it and still get a good hook set without the worm being in the way and the fact that the hook is bigger and stronger it won’t bend when you get one of these trophy Lake Okeechobee bass hooked up. I have been using a variety of different soft plastics the past few weeks from 10” worms to 4” tube baits, but the straight tailed 6” worm is still the best producer by far. The bite on wild shiners has been very slow with it being tough to use up a couple dozen. My suggestion to clients is to use artificial lures and save the money that they would spend on the wild shiners.

   The bluegill bite has been good as we come off the full moon and the bluegills are on the beds. The key here is the same as the bass fishing, find fish and you will catch them. The shoal has a good number of active bluegill beds on it and would be my choice, just remember that the water is still very shallow and this area is dangerous. Crickets are still producing best but a Beatle Spin will work almost as well. Good luck and hope to see you on the water this week. Now is a great time to pick up some of that trash we all see on the water, lets all help clean up Lake Okeechobee.

Bite of the Week

For bass I would concentrate on areas that are safe to get to and have clean water, Norman’s channel and the pipe line would be my choice. I would take three lure a swim bait, a shaky head rig, and a top water lure. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different soft plastic worms on a shaky head jig, the bass will let you know what they want by the way they bite. For bluegill just drift the shoal area till you find some active beds and then throw a cricket under a cork over the bed. If you prefer not to use crickets throw a Battle Spin with a black trailer. Please don’t keep more bluegill then you plan on eating, save some for others and for next year.

The water level is dropping fast on Lake Okeechobee with the level at 9.44 feet above sea level and the fish are starting to move out of the shallow water areas just as fast. Fishing this past week has been a hit and miss deal, one day you catch the fire out of them and the next you struggle to catch just a few. As the water drops the bass will move to deeper water areas and then they will be easier to pinpoint but for now they are roaming around between the shallow water and the deeper water. If you get out early in the morning the bass are up on the shallow flats till the sun gets up and then they disappear. After the sun gets up the rim canal and channels have been holding enough fish to keep your interest. I was even able to catch a few good bass this week on wild shiners in the dynamite holes.

   Some of the areas that are producing well for bass are the Clewiston channel, Norman’s channel, the pipeline from Coots Bay out to the water tank, the rim canal, and the dynamite holes. As this water continues to drop the bass will move to deep water areas like the channels. A great area to fish is the shallow water next to the deeper water as long as the water is not too dirty. As I mentioned earlier the bass have been eating wild shiners in the dynamite holes and out on the lake, try sitting in the shallow water and throwing the shiners in the deeper water. I have been using both shiners fished with a cork float and free runners without a cork. For now the smaller shiners seem to be working better than the big ones. As for artificial lures topwater and soft plastic worms are the way to go. A Lil’ Zip made by local lure maker Sam Griffin or a Bomber Torpedo in a small size are working great for topwater, and like I have said before they work just as good all day as they do in the early morning hours. As for soft plastics the shaky head rig with a straight tailed worm and a Zoom Super Fluke fished with a 1/16 ounce screw in sinker will both catch some nice bass. I have been using a 3/16 ounce Gambler Giggy Head jig instead of the 1/4 ounce now that the wind has slowed down and as to what color worm, try any dark colors. Some of my favorite colored worms are black, junebug, black-grape, and black-blue. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different worms like a 10’ worm or a Senko, both will work at certain times. When I fish a Zoom Super Fluke I like to fish it on a 4/0 wide gap hook and a 1/16 ounce screw in bullet weight. My favorite colors for Flukes are watermelon-red, baby bass and green pumpkin. Another thing to consider is the water color where you are fishing, if it is clear and the wind isn’t putting much of a ripple on the water than you may want to move out toward deeper water and on windy or cloudy days the bass will be up on the clear shallow flats. Also consider your fishing line and use fluorocarbon line in the clear water as these bass can get line shy in the shallow water. If you like to use braided line then just tie a fluorocarbon leader about 24” in length to the braided line and you shouldn’t have any trouble.

   I have been seeing a good number of bluegill beds out on the lake in the shallow water areas I mentioned above. There are bluegills on some and others seem to not have any bluegill even around them, you just have to look for the active beds. Crickets under a cork would be my bait choice but a Beetle Spin with a black and yellow trailer will also get the job done.

   With summer here you want to remember to take lots of water out on the lake and drink it throughout the day not just when you are thirsty. Sunscreen should be applied before you even leave the dock in the morning and reapplied throughout the day, even on cloudy days you will get burnt without sunscreen. I like to use a sunscreen made by Smartshield that is oil free and eco-friendly so I don’t worry about getting it on my fishing line or in the water. One other item is sunglasses; wear them all the while you are out on the water. I have wore cheap glasses in the past and my eyes would hurt like a tooth ache all night but since I started wearing a good quality pair of sunglasses like Costa Del Mar glasses my eyes feel as good after a day on the water as they did in the morning.

Bite of the Week

I would start out fishing the pipeline in the morning with topwater and a shaky head rig and move toward the Clewiston channel as the sun got up overhead. If you want to throw some wild shiners than I would head to one of the deeper dynamite holes and sit in the shallow water and throw the shiners to deeper water. For bluegill try the pipeline area and also out Bear Beach channel. There are still a few bass in the rim canal but they seem to be scattered out so don’t expect to sit in one spot and catch a lot of bass.

You want to catch up to 30 plus bass a day?  Then Lake Okeechobee is the place to be now if you like catching bass on artificial lures. The main lake is clearing up daily as the wind has finally giving us a break and the bass are almost everywhere in the shallow water flats looking for something to eat. My clients have enjoyed a great couple weeks fishing out on the lake from the pipeline area to the shoal. Most of the bass are in the two to four pound range but we have had a fair number of fish over seven pounds. I’m fishing in water that is two feet deep or less and these bass are fighting like they are monster bass, this is what makes this so much fun to see the rod bent double and these bass out of the water like they are tarpon. The lake level is at 9.78 feet above sea level and has stayed pretty steady this week with the rain we received. It hasn’t been enough rain to fill the lake but enough to keep the farmers fields wet so they don’t take our water.

   If you’re going to be out on these flats areas fishing for bass you will not need too many different kinds of lures. Most all the fish that we have caught the past week or two have been on a shaky head rig or a lipless crankbait. Everyone gets tired me talking about a shakey head rig but when you take out two clients for six hours and they catch over fifty bass with a 7.12 pound bass to anchor the catch why would I want to use anything else. On windy days a lipless crankbait does work pretty well, I have been throwing a Spro Aruka Shad in both the 75 and junior size. The blue and green shiner colors seem to be the better colors, but any color with a shiny chrome finish should work. Spro has gone the extra mile on the finishes they are putting on the Aruka Shad, they are comparable with the high dollar Japanese lures at a fraction of the cost. My shakey head rig hasn’t changed much for the past six months, a Gambler � ounce Giggy Head jig and a dark colored straight tailed worm like a Gambler Sweebo or a Zoom Trick worm. On days when the wind doesn’t blow at all then a 3/16 ounce Giggy Head may work better. A few other lures that work from day to day for me are a 10” worm and swimbaits both hard and soft plastic.

   The areas out on the lake that I have talked about are very shallow water areas and for the most part you can not run your boat into these areas on plane. You should plan on doing a lot of idling and running your trolling motor most of the day while you fish these areas. The pipe line that runs from the water tank to an area off Coots Bay, the outside of Bare Beach channel, the area from the outside of Uncle Joe’s cut up to where the mouth of Cochran’s all have fish but are also very shallow and dangerous areas to be right now. There are lots of bluegill beds in these areas and the bass are roaming around eating till they look like little footballs, some are as big around as they are long. There are still fish in the rim canal and a few in the Clewiston channel from the locks at Clewiston out to the water tank.

   The bluegill bite has been good for some and not so good for others. There are lots of beds in all the shallow water areas that I talked about bass fishing above. Crickets would be my bait choice with Beetle Spins being my second choice. A lot of the airboat folks are getting out and wading around in the shallow water catching good numbers of bluegill.

Bite of the Week

My first choice for bass would be the pipeline area and I would throw a Gambler Giggy Head jig in � ounce size and a dark colored Gambler Sweebo worm attached. My next choice would be the shoal as long as the wind isn’t blowing too hard. But if you want to be safe with your boat that stick to the rim canal and you should be able to catch a good number of bass. For bluegill try the flat in front of Coots Bay or the rim canal and dynamite holes with a cricket under a cork float.

Picture of Mike Squillace from the Ft. Lauderdale Florida area with a bass that weighed 7.12 pounds caught on a shakey head. Picture by Mark King

The wild shiner bite for bass slows down a bit on Lake Okeechobee but the artificial bite is still on. And by on I mean that you can catch bass on topwater to shakey heads and anything in between. The bass have not really wanted to eat wild shiners since the record setting cold front came through two weeks ago, but they will still eat an artificial lure like it’s their last meal. The lake level has drop slightly to 10.35 feet above sea level but that is still over six inches more than it was last year at this time. The rim canal and dynamite holes are still getting a lot of attention but the main lake has started producing bass and bluegills in good numbers. As long as the wind doesn’t blow to hard the main lake should continue to clean up more everyday.

   Some of the areas that are starting to see clean water out on the main lake is out from Coots Bay, East Wall, West Wall and up on the shoal. I’m not telling you can run into these areas with your boat I’m just saying that the water is clean and very fishable if you want to idle in on the big motor or use your trolling motor. As you are in these areas you will notice vegetation growing on the bottom, please treat this as if you were fishing a saltwater flat and don’t tear it up with your props. We need all the vegetation to grow on the bottom of Lake Okeechobee as we can get, as this is what will keep our waters clean and filter out the dirty water. The rim canal and dynamite holes are also getting clearer by the day and should continue to do so as we head into summer. My clients and I have been mostly concentrating on the humps and ridges in the middle part of the rim canal.

   The shakey head rig is still my number one choice to catch both numbers and big bass. That’s not to say that we are not catching our fair share on topwater and crankbaits also. As the wind slows down I have started to use a 3/16 ounce Gambler Giggy Head jig in place of the 1/4 ounce size, the key is to maintain contact with the bottom and the 3/16 works great when the wind isn’t blowing to hard. My worm colors for the shakey head have not changed with darker colors like junebug, black, black-blue being my favorites. As far as crankbaits are concerned a lipless crankbait like the Spro Aruka Shad in blue shiner or wild shiner would be my choice. The blue shiner color on sunny days and the wild shiner color on cloudy overcast days. For topwater I’m using a small pop-r type lure and either a Lil’ Zip or Lil’ Richard both are a prop type bait made by local lure maker Sam Griffin. The topwater lures and Spro Aruka Shad will work great out on the flats areas like out from Coots Bay and the East Wall. I have also had some success on these flats with swimbaits both hard plastic and soft plastic.

   The bluegill bite has also been picking up since the cold front came through and good sized ones are being caught both in the rim canal and out on the lake if you can find clean water. If you like to use live bait than crickets will work best and if artificial lures are your choice than Beetle Spins and Rooster Tails would be my choice. There have bluegill beds out in front of Coots Bay and in the rim canal that I have seen but I’m sure there are a lot of other places to find them also.

Bite of the Week

I know I keep telling you rim canal every week but that is the place to be and my clients keep catching big fish and good numbers of bass. Artificial lures would be my choice this week as they seem to be working better than wild shiners. Target the humps and ridges in the middle of the rim canal with a Gambler Giggy Head jig and a straight tailed junebug worm. For bluegills try out in front of Coots Bay if the wind isn’t blowing and if it is than head to the edges of the rim canal.

Picture of Jake Bension with a 9.7# bass caught on a wild shiner. Picture by Mark King

The water level in big Lake Okeechobee continues to rise and the fishing also keeps getting better. The lake level is 10.50 above sea level and that is six inches higher then it was last year at this time. Everyone keeps talking and reporting about how bad Lake Okeechobee is well I’m here to tell you that the fishing is great and the Good Lord has provided us with enough water to maintain a good lake level for the vegetation to grow back and for the fishing to continue to be great. All anyone wants to report about is the bad news, how about coming over and reporting about some of the good things. I know enough about the press we know that all they are going to report about are the negative things.

   My clients have been catching around twenty five bass on most outings and some real nice ones over seven pounds are also being caught. Oh did I mention that the artificial lure bite is as good if not better than the wild shiner fishing. I’m still catching most of my bass on a shakey head rig but topwater and crankbaits have also been accounting for a good number of fish. My shakey head rig has not changed for the last four months it consists of a Gambler Giggy Head jig fished on twelve pound Berkley fluorocarbon line with a straight tailed worm like a Gambler Sweebo worm, darker colors have been working best. For topwater I prefer to use small Poppers and small prop type baits like the ones I use that are made by local lure make Sam Griffin. Sam’s baits are all wooden plugs that sit in the water just right and have great action. Sam also does a great job of custom painting his lures. As far as what crankbaits that I have been using the past few weeks both are made by Spro lures. The Spro Aruka Shad lipless crankbait has been bait that I have been using to crank the humps and ridges in the rim canal. And the Spro Little John crankbait has been what I have been using to work along the rip rap on the levy side of the rim canal. The only other bait that has been working for my clients and I is a Lake Fork “Live” Magic Shad fished real slowly over the humps and ridges in the rim canal, this swimbait has great action that can really get the bass fired up. Try some of the 4.5” or 5.5” size in golden shiner color and you will see why I like these baits. They have also been working great for inshore saltwater fishing; Bass Pro Shops can’t keep them in stock.

   The areas that I have been fishing have not changed much in the past few months. The humps, ridges, and rip rap in the rim canal has been the better places to be, but don’t count out the dynamite holes or out on the shoal north of Uncle Joe’s if the wind allows you to get there. Remember the lake is still low and you will want to be very careful running around anywhere out on the lake itself. The bluegill bite has real turned on the past couple weeks and some real nice ones are being caught. The rim canal seems to be the place to be and crickets are the bait of choice.

I fished my first IFA Redfish tournament last weekend in Jacksonville and just wanted to say that the IFA is a class act. I have fished a lot of bass tournaments around the country and they don’t even compare to how the IFA runs a tournament. Everyone is friendly from the tournament officials to the anglers and the meeting, boat launching and weigh in just runs real smooth. Now if I could just figure out how to catch some redfish!

Bite of the Week

For bass the rim canal is where you should be fishing, anywhere for Moorehaven to Belle Glade you should be able to catch fish. Look for humps and ridges in the rim canal and if that doesn’t work for you try fishing along the levy side with both soft plastics and crankbaits. If bluegills are your fish of choice get some crickets and fish them under a cork in the rim canal and you should be able to get a limit.

What a great couple weeks it has been here for fishing on the Big “O”. With Christmas over the folks from up north are making the trip to sunny south Florida to catch some nice bass. And Lake Okeechobee has been producing some nice ones for sure and the number of bass being caught on almost every guide trip has been great. Most of my clients are enjoying a day of catching at least twenty bass with most catching more. Oh did I mention that we are also catching some nice ones from the five to nine pound range!  Yes the crappie fishing here on the south end of the lake has been good also, with good numbers of big crappie being caught almost daily.

   The bass the past month have been eating artificial lures as well as they have been eating wild shiners. On a typical guide trip we will use five dozen shiners in about three hours and then go catch just as many fish on artificial lures. Most of the bass that I have been catching are on soft plastic lures. I have been using a shakey head rig which consists of a 1/4 ounce Gambler Giggy Head jig with a Gambler Sweebo worm on it. The other soft plastic lures that I have been using are a Texas rigged Lake Fork Lures “Ring Fry” with a 3/16 ounce sinker. I use tungsten sinkers made by Lake Fork Trophy Lures for the simple fact that they are smaller than lead sinkers and they are harder then lead so you are able to feel any contact that they make with rocks or other structure. The colors that I have been using on my soft plastics are darker colors like junebug or black-blue. If fishing a worm is to slow for you than you might try throwing a Little John crankbait or an Aruka Shad lipless crankbait, both are made by Spro Lures and have been working good for me and my clients. Crankbait colors need to be natural colors or something with a gold finish. When the wind doesn’t blow we have had a topwater bite on a Pop-R and a small prop bait like the one I use called a Lil’ Zip made by local custom lure maker Sam Griffin. The topwater bite seems to be all day on cloudy days and early morning or late afternoon on sunny days.

  The areas that I have been fishing mostly have been the rim canal both ways from Clewiston and the dynamite holes from Clewiston to Belle Glade. On days when the wind doesn’t blow too hard the area out in front of Coots Bay and the East Wall has been good. Try throwing a swimbait on this flat area like a Lake Fork “Live” Magic Shad or a Strike King “King Shad”. The rim canal has been the best place to catch good numbers as well as bigger fish. A client from the Atlanta Georgia area last week had two seven pound bass within two casts of one another on soft plastics in the rim canal. You will need to key in on deeper water and steep banks in the rim canal with the soft plastics and look for shallow humps and ridges to throw crankbaits and