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.

 

 

 

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 to 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 topwater on.

   The crappie bite has really turned on since the cold fronts that South Florida has been receiving the past few weeks. Most are being caught in the rim canal both directions from Clewiston and out around Bird Island when the wind isn’t blowing too hard. Minnows and jigs are both working great. The ones that they are catching in the rim canal are coming from the lake side not the dyke side. The FLW Series tournament will be in Clewiston the week of the 21^st of January and there should be some awesome bags of bass weighed in. With the water level at 10.09 feet above sea level there won’t be a lot of boats fishing out on the main lake but there are still some big fish being caught in the rim canal

 

Picture of Zachery Taylor from Wauchula Florida with a 6.15 pound bass. Zachery won a donated trip from me by catching the biggest fish at the Bass Pro Shops kids day at Ft Meyers store. The Ft. Meyers store has kids day the first Sat. of every month, come out and win a free trip guide trip with me

The first cold front of the year for south Florida had everyone scrambling for coats and gloves this past week, but the bass fishing continues to be awesome. Hope everyone had a great Christmas and Happy New Year. The past couple weeks has been great bass fishing here on the south end of Lake Okeechobee with most of the bass coming from the rim canal. And the rim canal has been busy with the guides, pleasure fishermen and the FLW Series anglers who are here practicing. Even with all this pressure the fishing has been great. Most of my clients are enjoying days catching around twenty to thirty bass with at least one good one over six pounds.

   Wild shiners have been the bait of choice for both numbers and larger bass but that’s not to say that the artificial bite isn’t almost as good. Even with the cold front coming through the area we were still able to catch a few nice fish on shiners. The rim canal and dynamite holes are still the better areas to catch bass from Moorehaven to Belle Glade. Areas to key in are the points especially if the have rocks on them, and any other drop offs or structure in the rim canal. The dynamite holes and the other cuts that that go to the lake from the rim canal are also good spots to try. Some of the artificial lures that have been working the best for myself and my clients have been texas rigged Senkos, shakey head jigs (Gambler Giggy Head) rigged with a four to six inch straight tailed worm, Lake Fork swim bait, and a small Pop-R type topwater bait. It seems to take a day with cloud cover to get a topwater bite but when you do it last all day long. The Lake Fork Trophy Lures swim bait called a “Live” Magic Shad has been working great in the rim canal around any structure you can find. Color choices for the Senkos and worms are junebug and black-blue, watermelon-red was working good till this cold front came through and muddied the water up. The key after this cold front has been to fish slow and in the deeper water.   

   The lake level is at 10.20 feet above sea level and has been holding its own for the past couple weeks. We have been getting a few rain showers that have been keeping the fields around Lake Okeechobee moist and this is good news for the lake, the farmers won’t need as much from the lake right now. The water temperature has been in the fifties since the cold front but it is slowly warming back up. One good thing about the colder water temperatures is the crappie bite will really turn on. Not that the crappie bite hasn’t been good but it will surely improve with this cooler water. Most of the crappies are being caught in the rim canal and some in the dynamite holes. The size of the crappies being caught is making up for the small numbers that most are catching.

 

BITE OF THE WEEK

The bite of the week would be in the rim canal from Moorehaven to Belle Glade. I would look for ridges and humps in the rim canal and I don’t just mean along the edges. Try idling down the rim canal and watching your fish finder looking for drop offs and humps, these are the areas to key in on. Soft plastics would be my bait of choice with Senkos and straight tailed worms on a jig head. Try along the edges of the rim canal if you’re looking to catch a few crappies, minnows would be my bait of choice

Clewiston----- what a great couple weeks my clients and I have enjoyed on the south end of Lake Okeechobee. We have been catching bass from seven to ten pounds on almost every guide trip with a good number of three to five pound fish also being caught. One trip last week produced five bass over nine pounds with the biggest one weighing in at 10.2 pounds. Wild shiners are the bait of choice if you want to catch one of these big bass or if you are out to just catch a good number of bass. On most guide trips I can go through ten dozen shiners if the client is willing to pay for that many shiners at $20.00 a dozen. The artificial lure bite is almost as good with one over eleven pounds and two over ten pounds caught during the toys for kids tournament a week ago. If you do find bass in an area you can stay there and catch them till you’re tired of catching them. And the media says that Lake Okeechobee is low and in such bad shape environmentally that it is hardly worth fishing here, my clients would be more than happy to tell them how wrong they are. John and Cindy Venable from the Lake Amistad area said that they thought Lake Amistad was the best lake that they had ever fished on till they came to the world famous Lake Okeechobee and caught five over nine pounds in one day.

   The rim canal, dynamite holes, and the flat in front of Coots Bay and the East Wall are the areas that are producing the best here on the southern end of the lake. As far as what artificial lures that have been working best all I can tell you is what I have been using and what has been working for me and my clients. A lipless crankbait like the Spro Aruka Shad that I throw most of the time has been working great out on the flats in front of the East Wall and out toward the fish attractor that is marked with an orange barrel. In the rim canal and dynamite holes a worm like a Gambler Ace or a Lake Fork worm in a darker color. Both of these I have been fishing on ten pound test line and with an 1/8 ounce sinker also made by Lake Fork Trophy Lures. There have also been some bass caught on swim baits, I use a “Live” Magic Shad made by Lake Fork but there are many different ones being made at the present time. The water in the rim canal and the dynamite holes has been very clean and with the water level slowly dropping most of the areas will remain clean all winter long. The lake level is at 10.18 feet above sea level and dropping ever so slowly. Most of the areas that we have been fishing are still accessible at this time but you will still want to be careful running your boat in some areas of the lake.

   The snowbirds are catching some crappies everyday either in the rim canal or in the dynamite holes. There should also be a few crappies in Uncle Joe’s Cut and out the Clewiston channel. Minnows and jigs are the way to go if you’re looking to catch a few crappies. I want to wish everyone Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.

 

Picture attached of David Lowe from Ft Meyers Florida with two nice Lake Okeechobee bass.

Wow what a great week on Lake Okeechobee this past week. The bass fishing has really improved by the day with good numbers and bigger bass being caught almost every day. How does three bass over seven pounds caught in one day and then a nine and seven and a half pound bass caught the next day sound. And as the press reports how low the water level is and how bad the fishing is on Lake Okeechobee, my clients have a different opinion.

   The lake level has been at 10.3 feet above sea level for the last few weeks and with little change expected for the next few weeks. Most of the bass that we have been catching have been in the rim canal or close to the rim canal. The water in the rim canal has been very clear and has been loaded with bait fish. This is the reason that the rim canal has been the place to catch bass and the wind doesn’t really affect it one way or the other. Wild shiners have been bait of choice to catch the bigger bass that the Big “O” is famous for. I have been using from five to eight dozen shiners on most guide trips so you do the math on how many bass we been catching. The artificial lure fishing has also been good, but most of the bass caught on artificial lures have been in the two to three pound range. A straight tailed worm like a Gambler Sweebo or Gary Yamamoto Senko have been the baits that have been working best for my clients and myself. They can be fished on a Gambler Giggy head jig or texas rigged with as smallest weight as possible. But the real key to fishing the rim canal is to use small eight to ten pound test line, preferable fluorocarbon line. With the water in the rim canal being so clear these bass are pretty spooky of fishing line and trolling motor noise. I have also been catching a few bass on topwater lures like a the Hydro-Pop made by Spro Lures, it’s a great little popper type lure. I have also had some good luck the last couple weeks on the swim baits made by Lake Fork Lures, the “Live” Magic Shad is great to fish along the rocks and on points. The smaller Magic Shad in the 3.5 size have been working better than the larger ones, try the golden shiner or magic shad color. I have also caught a few bass on a Rapala Shad Rap in the SR7 size and the natural colors.

   The water is cooling off and the fishing has improved as we head into the winter season. Yes the bass may be a little harder for some to locate and getting out to traditional areas on the lake to fish may be impossible but the bass haven’t left the lake for better waters, they are still here and looking healthier than ever. The crappie bite has also been improving on a daily basis. I see crappie fishermen catching a few almost everywhere from Uncle Joe’s Cut to South Bay area of the rim canal and most of the dynamite holes. Minnows and jig are working best according to what the marina at Roland Martin’s Resort has been selling to customers.

As we’re heading toward the Thanksgiving holiday the fishing on the Big “O” continues to improve. The water temperature has been dropping with the cool weather that we have been having for the last couple weeks. And the water level has been staying around 10.35 feet above sea level without much change. The wind has let up a little from what it was the past few weeks and most areas have clean water in them.

   The rim canal has been the place to be for the past week or so if you want to catch bass. I don’t mean just good numbers of bass but also big bass like the 10.4 pound bass caught in the HT3 tournament over the weekend. My clients have enjoyed catching a good number of bass with a few bigger ones over six pound on most trips. Wild shiners and artificial lure are still working equally well, but most of my client’s larger bass have been on shiners. When I say the rim canal I mean most of the rim canal, from above Moorehaven to Belle Glade. The water is very clean in the rim canal and will stay that way even when the wind blows as it always does here on Lake Okeechobee during the winter months. Some key things that you should look for when fishing the rim canal are drop offs, rocky points and rock banks. There has also been bass around some of the cuts that go from the rim canal to the lake or at least used to go to the lake before the lake level got so low. Another thing to keep in mind is to slow down while fishing these areas and if fishing with shiners stay in an area and let the shiners work around for a while, don’t get in a hurry to move to another area to quick.

   Some of the artificial lures that have been working well the past week or so have been mostly soft plastic baits. A Gambler Lures Giggy Head jig in 3/16 or 1/4 ounce size with a Gambler Ace, Senko, or any kind of a straight tailed worm has been working best for me. A Carolina rigged Senko has also been catching a few bass. But the key to fishing artificial lures now seems to be to use as light a line as you can. Eight and ten pound test line will get you twice as many hits then if you were using heavier line. I know that sound light for line size for Lake Okeechobee but you are fishing open water in the rim canal and if you check your line for bad spots often you shouldn’t have any problems. There have been a few bass schooling in different areas, but it just hasn’t been very often that you find them. If you are fortunate enough to be close when they do come up schooling, throw a Rat-L-Trap or a Lake Fork Magic Shad swim bait. You will enjoy catching these bass till they quit schooling usually about ten to fifteen minutes. Most of the bass that the tournament anglers and guides have been catching the past few weeks have come out of the rim canal. There is some adjusting to do to fish the rim canal compared to the main lake and grass that so many are familiar with, but the rewards are well worth it. A few crappies are starting to be caught at this end of the lake with Uncle Joe’s Cut being the best place that I have heard of.

   In local tournament news HT3 Outdoors held there American Series tournament on November 11^th and 12^th in Clewiston. Jeff Edgerly won 1^st place with 21.02 pound with a three fish limit per day. Jeff also had big bass that was 10.43 pounds. Troy Olivier was second with 20.07 pounds with a three fish limit both days. Congratulations to all that participated in this tournament. Bass Busters will be hosting the 17^th annual Toys for Kids tournament December 2^nd in Clewiston. The entry fee is $50.00 per team plus two new unwrapped toys. For more information on this event go to www.bassbusterflorida.com or call Chris Fickey at 941-232-9539.

 

BITE OF THE WEEK

 

I would definitely concentrate on fishing the rim canal because that is where most of the bass are being caught. As for bait wild shiners would be my first choice but artificial lures have been working just as well. If the wind isn’t affecting the area that you are fishing try a Gambler Ace rigged texas style with a 1/16 or 1/8 ounce bullet sinker. My color choices would be junebug or blue shadow. A Gambler Giggy Head jig in 3/16 ounce size with a straight tailed worm would be my next choice fished on eight or ten pound test line. For schooling bass make sure you have a swim bait like a Lake Fork Magic shad in the color they call magic shad. If you are targeting crappies try Uncle Joe’s Cut with minnows.

Cooler water temperatures and fall approaching have the bass on Lake Okeechobee starting to move in toward traditional spawning areas. Now will they be able to get to these areas will be the question. But not to worry they will still find places to spawn even if the have to stay out a little from the grass they will still spawn. But that’s not for a month or so right now they are just on the move hunting bait to eat and get ready for the winter months. My clients this past couple weeks have enjoyed some good days catching bass on both wild shiners and artificial lures. We were able to catch an 8 ½ pound bass on shiners and a couple around six pounds on soft plastic lures.

   The lake water level has been steady at around ten feet above sea level for the past two weeks and looks like it may stay there for awhile. We all need to quit looking at this drawdown of Lake Okeechobee as being such a bad think. The lake bottom has started growing some good vegetation up to two miles offshore and there are areas that the water is crystal clear that were nothing but muddy water last year. The bass are still here they just aren’t in the tradition areas that we are all so used to catching them in. Try fishing out in the open water and looking for little differences in the bottom contour. On some lakes a drop off or hump could be many feet of difference but here on Okeechobee with such shallow water a drop off could be six inches. Try looking for small rock piles or piece of wood that hurricane Wilma put in the lake. These are the things that hold bass out in the open water where most anglers don’t fish. This drawdown that Lake Okeechobee is going through is a positive thing and when the water does return to normal level our lake will be better than ever. Some of the key things that you should look for when fishing open water is where you have a color change in water color. Look for water that is clean or just stained a little, muddy dirty water is not the place to be when looking for bass on Okeechobee. Before you jump on the press bandwagon and badmouth our lake try fishing in the open water, I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

   Last week I had the pleasure of guiding Lanier and Elizabeth Bryant from Adairsville Georgia and she told me when I met her at the marina that all she wanted to do was catch an eight pound bass. Now I knew this was going to be a challenge with the conditions we were faced with but as lady luck would have it she put an eight and a half pound bass in the boat on the second day. They were a wonder couple to fish with and I’m glad that I could help make Elizabeth’s dream come true. Wild shiners and artificial lures have both been working good but I think if you are looking to catch a trophy shiners are the way to go. Soft plastics are my choice for artificial lures with the shaky head jig still working the best for me and my clients. Swimming Senkos have been working in the shallow clear water along with topwater lures when the wind isn’t blowing to hard. Some of the better areas to try are the rim canal, the ship channel out from Clewiston, Bear Beach channel, the Airport Hole, and the dynamite holes south of Clewiston. Try to keep in mind that you want to fish where the water is clear to slightly stained in color.

Capt. Mark King can be contacted at 863-983-9950 or at www.markkingfishing.com

 

BITE OF THE WEEK

 

The bass have been biting good out the ship channel from Clewiston on wild shiners and shaky head jigs with a junebug Gambler Ace on it. My next choice would be the rim canal both north and south of Clewiston, fish the rocks with a Zoom Fluke and a wacky rigged Senko. You can also catch a few on topwater and jerkbaits along these rocks. Bear Beach channel has been producing quite a few bass on Flukes, Swimming Senkos, and topwater lures. If the wind isn’t blowing to hard there have been a good number of bass in the Airport Hole that have been hitting topwater lures and swim baits like the Lake Fork “Magic Shad” that I use. The bluegill bite has been slow but a few are still being caught but most are being tight lipped about where they are catching them. 

 

The fishing continues to improve as we head into our fall pattern here on Okeechobee. We have been having some better days catching bass, but there seems to be no rime or reason to what works best. One day you can take out some wild shiners and catch a boat load of fish, and the next day you can’t even catch a single bass in the same spot. I guess this is why they call it fishing not catching. The water level is still slowly rising with it at 9.85 feet above sea level as of October 1^st. The water continues to remain clear out into the lake for miles and we are still seeing some vegetation growing on the bottom. As the water temperature drops a little into the mid 80’s the bass fishing should get better every day.

   Some of my clients enjoyed some great bass fishing last week catching a good number of fish in the two to five pound range. Wild shiners were working best but we did catch some on topwater lures, crankbaits, and soft plastics. The key seems to be in the right place at the right time. I have not been seeing many schooling bass like we should be seeing this time of the year, but there is plenty of bait swimming around for this to happen. I have still been catching bass out the main channel about two miles out from Clewiston. Wild shiners are working best but a 10” worm rigged texas style or a Gambler Sweebo worm rigged on a jig head will catch you some bass. Try to fish along the channel throwing your bait up in the shallower water and drag it into the deeper channel.  Another place to try in this same area is around the islands with deeper water on the ends, the bass have been holding here especially when the wind is blowing across them. Around these islands a Carolina rigged Senko or crankbait would be my choice.

   The Airport Hole and Norman’s channel at the south end of the lake have been producing a fair number of fish. Topwater lures like a Lil’ Richard made by local lure maker Sam Griffin or a Heddons Tiny Torpedo have been working good all day long. I have been catching bass in these areas using a swim bait by Lake Fork Trophy lures called a “Live” Magic Shad in the 3 ½ inch size. The fish in this area seem to want a smaller bait that is closer to the size of the live bait swimming around in this area. A few bass have been being caught in the dynamite holes south of Clewiston but it has been slow in these areas. The bass that are holding in the Bear Beach channel have been receiving a lot of fishing pressure lately and the bite has slowed down. This seems to be a good area to go to during the week but come the weekend there are to many boats in here to catch fish like we were. One of the things that I do when fishing in here is not run the trolling motor to much, even though my Minn Kota trolling motor is very quiet I try to run it on a low speed and not turn it on and off to much. Topwater, small crankbaits, and Swimming Senkos would be my choice in the Bear Beach channel.

   The Rim canal has been holding bass all summer but they seem to be on the small side, with most being two pounds at best. But these bass are a lot of fun to catch and you don’t have to worry about the shallow water like you do out in the lake. A Gambler Giggy Head jig in ¼ ounce size has been my go to bait to fish this area. You can put any kind of soft plastics on it that works good for you some of my favorites are a Berkley Gulp 5” Sinking Minnow and a Big Stick by Gambler Baits. Dark colors like black, junebug and black-blue have been my go to colors in this darker colored water. Don’t pass up any of the cement pumping station in the rim canal as they usually hold bass and they are normally a little bigger fish.

   Some of the resent tournaments on the lake have been tough for some but nice bass are being caught. The Super Bucks tournament held on September 22^nd and 23^rd resulted in a $10,000.00 check for John Burke and Jim Hurlock with a winning to day total of 42.64 pounds. Brad Sievert had big bass of the tournament that tipped the scales at 9.64 pounds. The BFL Super tournament held on September 29^th and 30^th was won by Brian Prowant from Moorehaven Florida with a winning two day total of 22.03 pounds good for a check worth $3,967.00. On the co-angler side John Guttuso from Delray Beach Florida walked away with the winning check worth $2,334.00 for a two day total of 17.07 pounds of bass.

   The brim fishing continues to be good here around Clewiston. Local angler Bob Frieg reported catching a five gallon bucket full of nice sized brim more than once last week. Crickets fished under a cork float are the bait of choice. Some of the areas that you may want to try are the dynamite holes, the rim canal, and out in open water around the water tank and the islands along the main channel from Clewiston.

Capt. Mark King can be contacted at 863-983-9950 or at www.markkingfishing.com

 

 

Bite Of The Week- If you want to fish with live bait I would concentrate on the main channel out of Clewiston. Go out a mile and a half and anchor up and throw shiners into the channel itself. Don’t be afraid to move further out or in if you don’t get bit. For an artificial bite I would try the Airport Hole, and the dynamite holes with deeper water. For bait choices topwater lures with a propeller on them, Lake Fork swim bait in the smaller size and a shakey worm rig with a darker colored worm. The islands closest to the water tank on wind days with a Carolina rigged Senko or Lake Fork Ring Fry. For brim get some crickets and fish the rim canal and out around the water tank.

The fishing has been improving as the month of September flies on by, and with October just around the corner better fishing and cooler weather is on the way. The lake level has been staying steady at around 9 ½ feet above sea level in spite of the rain and water that has been flowing in from the Kissimmee river. The bass have been starting to school up and the water continues to get cleaner farther out into the lake, with some areas as far out as three and four miles and you can still see the bottom. Some of the better areas to fish for bass are the Bear Beach channel, around the islands out the Clewiston channel, the Airport Hole, Norman’s channel, and the rim canal both north and south of Clewiston. The Bear Beach channel has been pretty good now for a couple weeks, the key is to go out far enough that the water is still clear and not run the trolling motor to much as to spook these fish. I have been throwing a Gambler Ace in watermelon-red and bluegrass color, rigged weightless with an Owner 4/0 wide gap hook. I have also been using a Yamamoto Swimming Senko rigged the same way, this seems to work better when there is no wind and you need to get a little more action out of your bait. If you happen to be close when these bass come up schooling in this area you need to have a swim bait, spinnerbait, or a topwater lure ready on the deck of the boat to cast to them. A Carolina rigged Ace has also caught a few good bass in this area the past week, try to use as light of weight sinker as possible. Fluorocarbon line is also a must in this shallow clear water, it is almost invisible in the water to the fish and most have good abrasion resistance that is  needed fishing in these areas. Around the islands out the main channel from Clewiston the same baits have been working, but the 3 ½ inch swim bait made by Lake Fork Trophy Tackle has been accounting for the most of my client’s fish. Another lure you might want to try in this area is a big worm at least 10” in length, I have been getting reports from other anglers that the bigger worms have been producing the best for them.

   The Airport Hole and Norman’s channel are on the Pahokee side of the lake and you will want to be very carefully in this area as there are a lot of big rocks in some pretty shallow water. There are some big bass that hold this time of the year in this area, try fishing a crankbait or a jerkbait and if that doesn’t work than you will need to throw a worm or Senko. If you get a good map it will show these areas and it will also show you where the deeper water that is safe to be running a boat, please be careful in this area there is a lot of underwater hazards.

   When fishing the rim canal I would try to fish along the rocks and would start out with a jerkbait or crankbait and if that doesn’t work try using a Giggy Head and a Big Stick worm both made by Gambler, junebug and watermelon-red would be my colors of choice. Most of the bass that I have been catching in the rim canal have been around two pounds with an occasional larger one. The bite here seems to last most of the day even on those days when it is real hot and the wind doesn’t blow.

   Resent results for a Bass Busters tournament held on Lake Okeechobee out of Clewiston on Sunday September 16^th netted a first place win for the team of Terry Garrels and Steve Lake of Clewiston who brought a five bass limit of 22.76 pounds to the scale with an 8.73 and 7.14 pound bass to anchor there limit. Second place went to Asa Godsey and Mark Lee both of Clewiston with a five bass limit of 17.07 pounds. Most of the bass were caught on plastic worms, spinnerbaits, and crankbaits.

Capt. Mark King can be contacted at 863-983-9950 or at www.markkingfishing.com

 

BITE OF THE WEEK-Bare Beach channel would be the better place to start in the morning hoping to catch a few bass on topwater or soft plastics and this would be a good place to catch a few schooling bass. The Airport Hole and Norman’s channel would also be a great place to start in the morning and probably be able to catch bass all day long, this would be a great place to catch a big bass. The islands out the Clewiston channel and the rim canal would be my next choice with soft plastics and crankbaits.

    

Clewiston-----As we head into September we could sure use some water in the big Lake Okeechobee. The water level is staying steady at around nine and a half feet above sea level and only goes up or down a very little on a daily basis with the little amount of rain we are getting. The bass are still biting it has just not been all that easy to go out and catch a boat load of them. My clients and I have been catching more bass on artificial lures than on wild shiners the past couple weeks, even though Kay Donnely of Nashville Tennessee did catch a nice eight pound bass on a shiner last week. Most of the bass that I have been catching are in the one to three pound range, just haven’t been getting a lot of them at any one time. I have still been catching most of my bass on a Giggy Head jig with a Lake Fork Ring Fry in watermelon-red and blue bruiser colors. Some of the other lures that have been working are a Gambler Ace and Sweebo worm rigged wacky style with the hook in the middle of the worm, a Pop-R topwater bait and a jerkbait like a Rapala Husky Jerk or a Lucky Craft Pointer Minnow. While the wild shiner bite has been extremely slow at best, there are still a few places to catch some bass on them as long as you are patient enough. The main channel from Clewiston out to the water tank is still holding a few fish but not like it was, I believe these bass have scattered out looking for bait. The islands along this main channel have been holding some bass in between them early in the morning and then they just disappear. The rim canal around Uncle Joe’s Fish Camp has been producing some smaller bass along the rocks, this is a place that works all day long and if you use a Giggy Head jig and a new Gambler Big Stick in junebug you shouldn’t have any trouble catching some. The Football Field and the other dynamite holes south of Clewiston have a few bass roaming around in them, the key is to try and find the some bait moving around.

   The HT3 Executive Bass Tour made its final stop in Clewiston last week and local angler Harlan Griggs walked away with a cool $6000.00 for a two day total of 17.40 pounds and second place went to Tim Fellers with 15.76 pounds for a $3500.00 check. The HT3 Tour is a great tournament trail with good paybacks and is run like most of the larger tournament trails but is affordable for most to fish. Another tournament that is coming to Clewiston is the Super Bucks Tournament on September 22^nd and 23^rd with a guaranteed $10,000.00 for first place. More information on these tournaments and others coming to the area can be found at Roland Martin’s Marine Center in Clewiston.

   My best bets for this week would be the islands along the Clewiston channel early in the morning, I would start with topwater and than move on to a jerkbait and finish up with a Lake Fork Ring Fry on a Giggy Head jig as the sun got up overhead. I would then move to the Rim canal and fish the rocks on the dyke side from Uncle Joe’s toward Clewiston with a Gambler Giggy Head and Big Stick. From here I would try the dynamite holes and the mouth of any cuts that go from the rim canal to the lake, try a Carolina rigged worm or Rat-L-Trap. Good luck and tight lines.

Capt. Mark King can be contacted at 863-983-9950 or at www.markkingfishing.com       

The water continues to rise and the bass are scattering everywhere on the Big “O”. The water is coming up slowly from the rain and what water they are letting in the Kissimmee river, Harney Pond canal, and Fisheating creek, the level is at 9.54 feet above sea level as of August 20^th. The fishing has been a lot tougher the last week as the bass are moving around more chasing bait into new areas that did not have much water in them two or three weeks ago. The shoal islands along the main channel going out of Clewiston have been holding a few bass that can be caught on topwater early in the morning, I have been using a LIL’ RICHARD made by Sam Griffin and a Japanese pop-r type bait called a Rico made by Lobina Lures. Some of my clients have also been catching them on jerkbaits like a Lucky Craft Pointer or Rapala Husky Jerk. After the sun gets up some of these bass move back to the channel and can be caught on a worm, I have had good results on a Lake Fork Trophy Lures “Baby Ring Fry” and a Gambler Ace both in watermelon-red or green pumpkin color. The key to fishing this area is to try and find the bait and that is where you will find the bass and with the water level coming up a little the bait is moving out of the channels and roaming around more. The rim canal from Clewiston up to Moorehaven is looking real good and clients that I had last week did pretty good throwing a Gambler Ace on a ¼ ounce Giggy head jig and a Lake Fork “Baby Ring Fry” rigged texas style with an 1/8 ounce sinker. One thing that I will suggest that you do is to use a good quality fluorocarbon line like the new Trilene 100% Fluorocarbon line that I’m using. Fluorocarbon line is almost invisible underwater and with the strength of fluorocarbon line you can drop back in line size so that the fish will not be able to see it in the clear water. Since we are not fishing in the grass at the present time you should be able to back down in line size to ten pound test and not have any trouble landing most bass. The Football Field and the other dynamite holes south of Clewiston have been producing some two and three pound bass on worms, the Giggy Head jig has been working best for me with either the Gambler Ace or the new Gambler Big Stick that is a larger version of the Giggy Stick.

   Fishing with wild shiners has also slowed down some, but is still worth your while to try. Most of the bass that we have been catching on the wild shiners have been in the two to four pound range with an occasional five pound fish being caught. I have still been doing my best on shiners in the main channel between Clewiston and the water tank. Just anchor your boat about a casting length distance from the channel and cast a shiner under a cork to the edge of the channel and let the shiner swim around till a bass decides to grab them, be patient it has been slow. Another area that I have had reports of some of the guides from the north end of the lake fishing is the rim canal from Moorehaven up to sportsman’s cut, this part of the rim canal has a rocky bank in many areas and the water has been fairly clear. I would try a 7A Bomber in firetiger color, Lucky Craft jerkbait, Spro Aruka Shad in blue shiner color, and if none of these work switch to a worm like a Gambler Ace or a Lake Fork Baby Ring Fry in watermelon-red color. Some of the better areas will be the points especially if the have rocks on them.

   The bluegill are still being caught around the Clewiston area, but most of the bluegill fishermen are being pretty tight lipped about where they are getting them. I do know they are catching some in the dynamite holes and the rim canal but I think that there is a better concentration out in the lake around the water tank and toward the lakeside of Uncle Joe’s Cut. Crickets and Beetlespins are both working. It summer time and extremely hot out there on the water so don’t forget to bring and use a good quality sunscreen like the brand I use called Smartshield and bring and drink lots of cool water throughout the day.

Capt. Mark King can be contacted at 863-983-9950 or www.markkingfishing.com

Clewiston-----Finally the water is starting to flow into Lake Okeechobee and the water level has rose to 9.45 above sea level and still rising. With the water coming up and the water temperature at near 90 degrees everyday the fishing has gotten a little tough. Even though the water has only come up about six inches it has the fish swimming for areas that they previously could not get to. Some of my clients are still catching them good on wild shiners in the main channel out from the locks at Clewiston but the fish have been a little smaller with two to three pound bass being the norm. There is still some schooling fish out here swimming around and if you happen to be close enough when the come up feeding almost any topwater or crankbait will catch them. I have been using the Lake Fork Trophy Lures new 3 ½”  “Live” Magic Shad in the golden shiner and magic shad color, the new 3 ½” size is close to the size bait that these bass are chasing and these baits have so much action that they really do look like they are live. I’m still catching a some bass on the Spro Aruka Shad and a 200 series Bandit crankbait in the Clewiston channel when the wind blows and gets the bait fish stirred up. Now that the water level is rising the bass seem to be spreading out and are not so concentrated in the channels. Faster moving baits will cover more water to locate these bass and then you can slow down and catch them on worms and other soft plastics. I have also been catching a few bass in the Football Field and the other dynamite holes south of Clewiston, a Gambler Ace rigged on a ¼ ounce Giggy Head jig has been working great for me in bluegrass and watermelon-red color. One of the keys to fishing soft plastics this time of the year when the water temperatures get so hot is to fish as slow as you can and then fish even slower, the bite will be real subtle with most times you will just see your line moving off slowly.

   If this water continues to rise and we do pray for that the bass will continue to move toward areas that now have grass growing in them, when this happens the fishing will continue to improve daily. Even though a lot of the water that is flowing into Lake Okeechobee is the water that we refer to as black water or water that is run off water from the agricultural industry at this point it is better than no water at all and if it flows in slowly the lake should be able to withstand this inflow of highly nutrient water without getting a bad algae bloom. The bluegill are still biting in a lot of different areas including the rim canal, Bare Beach, and many other areas south of Clewiston, with most being caught on crickets and Beetle Spins. My next door neighbor who is also a guide, Joe Payne reported a great day catching a good number of bluegill and crappies yes I said crappies last week.

   I just returned from Hot Springs Arkansas where the FLW Championship was held last week, winner Scott Suggs from Bryant Arkansas pocketed one million dollars for first place. This is the first bass tournament in history to pay out one million dollars to the winner and you could really tell from the intensity from both the anglers and the fans in the stands. FLW Outdoors named after Ranger Boat founder Forrest L Woods said that they would be stepping it up even more next year, can you even imagine fishing for over a million dollars. There were a number of new products at the FLW outdoor show that I will be reviewing for you in the next few weeks.

Capt. Mark King can be contacted at 863-983-9950 or 863-677-0983 or at mark@markkingfishing.com

Clewiston----- The summer rains are finally starting to put some water into Lake Okeechobee even if it is just a little at a time. The lake level is at 9.19 feet above sea level and ever so slowly creeping up. The fishing here at the south end of the lake continues to be good for both bass and bluegills, with early morning being the best time to be out on the lake. The wild shiners are still your best bet to catch bass in the two to five pound range and a few bigger ones up to ten pounds still being caught from day to day. My suggestion to catch a few bass on wild shiners would be to get a couple dozen at least and go out the Clewiston channel toward the water tank and anchor your boat just out of the channel and throw a shiner about two and a half feet under a cork float out into the channel. One of the keys to catching these bass is to be patient as they are just moving around from the flats to the channel looking for bait and they will find your shiners if you just wait for them. We have been keeping plenty of good healthy shiners at Roland Martin’s Marina along with any other fishing supplies you might need. As far as catching these bass on artificial lures it has slowed down some with the water temperature up over 85 degrees, but if you get out early there has been some schooling bass chasing bait in the Clewiston channel. My clients have enjoyed catching some of these schooling bass on topwater baits like a Heddon Torpedo and a Spro Dawg, crankbaits have also been working great on these schooling fish. As far as plastic baits that have been producing for me the last couple weeks the Magic Shad swim bait made by Lake Fork Trophy Lures in any of the natural colors and a Gambler Ace in watermelon-red color. Clients have also been catching a few bass on 8” worms like a Charlie Worm in red shad color and a Lake Fork worm in blue bruiser color, both of which are fished with an 1/8 ounce bullet sinker and a 4/0 Owner “J” hook. Be sure to fish the plastic worms as slow as you can and then slow down some more, the bite will be real subtle and most times you will just see your line moving off in a different direction slowly. Some other areas that you might want to try are the dynamite holes and the mouth of any of the cuts that go into the lake south of Clewiston. The Rim canal north of Clewiston has also been producing some bass on a regular basis, try running a crankbait like a Bomber 7A in firetiger color along the rock ledges toward Moorehaven and north of there, this is also a great place to fish a Gambler Giggy head jig with a small straight tailed worm.

   The bluegill have been being caught from the dynamite holes south of Clewiston, the rim canal and out on the lake around the Bare Beach channel and on the pipe line that runs from the water tank to Clewiston. Crickets would still be your bait of choice but Beetle spins have also been working well. I would like to congratulate Jim Medlin and John Supley on there win in the Bass Busters Gold Tournament on July 22 with a winning weight of 17.20 second place went to some good friend of mine Kenny McAuther and Mark Baldel with 16.33 pounds, good job to all. Bass Busters will host a two day tournament in September on the 22^nd and 23^rd that will pay the winner $10,000.00 for more information contact Chris Fickey at 941-232-9539. The condition of the lake continues to improve daily with water slowly rising, the water conditions real good, vegetation growing and some of the lake being dredged to get rid of the muck that is on the bottom. As long as we keep getting some rain and the lake keeps rising I believe that Lake Okeechobee will be back at the top of the list for Best Bass Lakes in the United States soon.

Capt. Mark King can be contacted at 863-983-9950 or www.markkingfishing.com

Clewiston-----Well were finally getting some of the desperately needed rain to the Lake Okeechobee region and the lake level is slowly going up with the level at 9.03 feet above sea level. The other great news is that with the low water level and the water clearing up so good that we are starting to see some shrimp grass growing here on the south end of the lake and hopefully the eel and pepper grass will follow. Mother nature has started the healing processes here on the Lake and hopefully it will fill back up slowly and let the habitat for the fish grow back slowly and the water quality will continue to improve. The bass fishing continues to be great with twenty to thirty fish days being the norm especially on wild shiners. With the water being so clear an early start in the morning is a must if you want to have a better chance to catch some bigger bass. Most of the guides have been using up five dozen shiners in about four hours and than you can still catch a few on artificial lures until the sun gets up overhead and then the fishing slows down fast. Most are still fishing the same areas like the main channel from the locks at Clewiston out onto the lake, the rim canal both north and south of Clewiston and the dynamite holes. The main channel has been the best area to catch some nice bass, only we are fishing farther out from Clewiston as the water continues to get clearer. Some of the lures that have been working good for me the past couple weeks are a Spro Topdog topwater lure, Gambler Super Stud in watermelon-red color, and a Gambler Ace in both watermelon-red and bluegrass color. I have been rigging the Super Stud and the Ace on 4/0 Owner “J” hook and an 1/8 ounce bullet sinker. Another lure that has been working good for me is the Lake Fork Tackle “Live” Magic Shad swimbait, just throw it up in the shallow water and reel it slowly back toward the channel and hold on. Try them in a couple different colors and I think you will see why I like them so well. The Rat-L-Trap bite has slowed down quite a bit, but I think this will change and they will start hitting them again soon. I have seen a lot of baitfish swimming around me the last couple weeks and this just reinforces what I’m saying about mother nature taking care of the lake in her own way. I have also been catching some schooling bass that have been feeding on this bait, if you see them feeding on the baitfish just throw a topwater close to them and it won’t be long before you will catch a bass. The key to fishing the main channel out to the water tank is to work your baits along the edge of the channel, once the sun gets up high in the sky most of the bass will position themselves in the deeper water right at the edge of the drop off.

   I would like to congratulate Val Osinski and Byron Childers on there win in the Bass Busters Super Bucks Tournament out of Clewiston where there two day total of 38.01 pounds was good enough for a check worth $5000.00. Val is the owner of Gambler Lures and Byron is the national sales rep. It’s no surprise that they used Gamblers new Giggy Head jig with a black Sweebo worm. Till next time good luck and tight lines.

Capt. Mark King can be contacted at 863-983-9950 or at www.markkingfishing.com    

Clewiston-----Summer and the fishing continue to heat up on the Big “O”. With temperatures in the 90’s and the water temperature almost the same, the bass fishing is heating up almost daily. On most guide trips the past two weeks the bass have been eating wild shiners as fast as you can throw them in the water, and the artificial bite has been equally as good. Most bass have been in the three to five pound range with a few big one mixed in like the 9.1 caught Saturday by Scott Gallerani from Boston Mass. With the rain that we have been getting the lake level has been staying steady around 8.91 feet above sea level, which is great to not have the lake going down more everyday. Most are still fishing out the main channel from Clewiston toward the water tank, one thing to keep in mind is with the wind not blowing as much the water is cleaning up more each day. And as you go out toward the water tank you will want to key in on water that is a little stained. Usually the farther out you go toward the middle of the lake the dirtier the water is so look for the areas where the dirty water is mixing with the clear water. The channel has been working so well because these bass can lay in the deeper water then go up on the flat to chase bait when they are hungry. My choices for artificial baits for a couple weeks now have been a Berkley 7” worm in tequila sunrise color and a Gambler Ace in bluegrass color both fished on a 4/0 Owner wide gap hook and a 3/16 ounce tungsten weight. The key to fishing these worms is to fish slow and I mean real slow. My next lure choice would be a Spro Aruka shad in blue shiner color and a Lake Fork Tackle “Live” Magic Shad swimbait, both of these lures have been producing great when the bass are up on the flats feeding. I have been very impressed and pleased with the results from the Lake Fork swimbait, it is about as real looking and swimming as you can get and the bass have been eating them up here on Okeechobee and at the Everglades. Some other areas that you might also want to try are the dynamite holes south of Clewiston, the Football Field, the Bare Beach channel and the rim canal north of Moorehaven. Some baits other than the ones I have already mentioned that you may want to try in these other areas are a crankbait, Carolina rigged worm, a shaky worm rig and a topwater like a Zara Super Spook or a Heddon Torpedo. If you decide you want to fish with wild shiners take at least five dozen and that will only last a couple hours. Whether fishing with live bait or artificial lures you will want to try and get out as early as possible because by noon the fishing slows down and the heat is more than most can bear. The bluegill fishing has still been pretty good around the Bare Beach channel and around the shoal islands along the Clewiston channel, be sure to take along lots of crickets. Remember during these hot summer months to be sure and take lots of cold water to drink and a good sunscreen like Smartshield Sunscreen to avoid that nasty sunburn. Yes the ramps in Clewiston are very usable since they dredged out the canal to the locks. Tight lines and hope to see you on the lake.

Capt. Mark King can be contacted at 863-983-9950 or at www.markkingfishing.com .   

Clewiston-----I have a lot of good news to report on the conditions of Lake Okeechobee at Clewiston, first we have been getting enough rain almost everyday that they are not pumping much water out of the lake for the surrounding agriculture. The lake level is at 8.96 feet above sea level and has been staying close to this level on a daily basis the next good news is that the city of Clewiston has dumped some stone on the ramp that is on the inside of the dike and have made it good to use for now and the South Florida Water Management District has dredged the channel from the main ramps in Clewiston out to the locks to a depth of five or six feet. Now everyone should be able to get there boats in the water to take advantage of some of the great fishing that the few of us that have been able to get our boats in the water have been enjoying. I know I have said some things in the past about South Florida Water Management but my hat is off to them for getting in here and taking care of this channel that was in desperate need of some dredging.

   The wind has finally let up and the areas that we were fishing a month ago are starting to clean up great, another week of little to no wind and the water will be back to being clear again. Some areas to concentrate on are the main channel from Clewiston out to the water tank, the rim canal south to South Bay and north up to Moorehaven. When fishing the rim canal some of the key areas that I look for are rocks and where the rocks end and it turns to sand, this change in structure will usually hold bass. These areas are great areas to throw a crankbait, some of the ones that have been working for me and my clients are a Bomber 7A in firetiger color and a Spro Aruka Shad lipless crankbait in gold shiner color. A couple other places that have been good are the football field and the dynamite holes south of Clewiston, these have been great areas to get out the wind and still catch good sized bass all day long on both wild shiners and artificial lures. A few other baits that I have been using are Zoom Super Flukes in watermelon-red color and the Gambler Ace in bluegrass and watermelon-red color. I have been fishing both of these lure weightless with a 4/0 wide gap hook and the key is to fish them as slow as you can stand it. I do have another lure that I want to mention and that is a new custom crankbait by Gambler lures, I have been catching some nice bass since I received a few of these baits from Val Osinski owner of Gambler Lures and was very impressed with the fact that they are hand made and hand painted from balsa wood with a bill made from circuit board material. You need to get a couple of these crankbaits and give them a try. The bluegill fishing has been still going strong both here on the lake and down at Holiday Park in the Everglades. The Bare Beach channel and the rim canal around the cut that goes out the Bare Beach channel are the areas that I am hearing that have been pretty good and don’t forget to take lots of cricket for bait.

   Bass Busters will hold it’s Silver and Gold Series team bass tournaments on June 16 and 17 with the Super Bucks tournament being held on June 30 and July 1 and this tournament has a guaranteed $5000.00 1^st place. You can contact Chris Fickey for more info at (941) 232-9539.  

Capt. Mark King can be contacted at 863-983-9950 or www.markkingfishing.com  

Clewiston----- What a great couple weeks we have had here on Lake Okeechobee. The fishing has been the best it has been for over six months, and the lake level just continues to go down. With the water level being so low it has concentrated the bass in areas that have deeper water such as channels and dynamite holes. I have been using up to ten dozen wild shiners and still coming in early on guide trips this past two weeks and the artificial bite has been just as good. Most of the bass have been good sized with three to five pound fish being the norm and quite a few seven and eight pound bass being landed  all week long. Most of the bass that clients have been catching on artificial lures have been caught on chrome and blue Rat-L-Traps, Gambler Super Studs in watermelon-red color and a Gambler Ace rigged on a jig head like the ones I use from Gambler Lures called a Giggy Head. This is called a shakey head rig and has been winning tournaments all over the United States, the key to this rig is to let it settle to the bottom and move it real slow and just shake the rod ever so slightly and the bass will pick it up and swim off with it, most strikes are light and you will just see the line moving. Another key to fishing this shakey head rig is to fish it in clear water it doesn’t work real well in stained or dirty water. Some of the areas that you will want to concentrate on are the dynamite holes south of Clewiston and the main channel from Clewiston out to the water tank. Try to fish the drop offs in both the dynamite holes and the channels and if you can find any structure you will want to concentrate on these areas. The channel out to the water tank has also been the place to throw shiners, try to find a drop off along the channel and look for anything different like rocks or a small cut and these will be the best areas to set up and shiner fish for bass, try to use floater rigs if the wind allows. The water on most of the lake including the areas that I have mentioned has been clear to slightly stained when the wind blows, which is perfect for shiner fishing.

   Now on to the biggest problem we have right now and that is with the water level at 9.34 feet above sea level and still dropping we are running out of places to launch our boats fast. The main ramp at Clewiston has just enough water to get your boat in and idle out to the locks, that is if the wind isn’t out of the south or they are not pulling water out of the lake through this channel at a fast rate or you may not get through this channel with your boat. The city of Clewiston started to dig this channel out two weeks ago but were told to stop by the South Florida Water Management District. We need help to try and get this channel dug out so that we can use these boat ramps, this not only effects the guides and our clients but also there will not be any tournament in town which will affect all businesses in town including gas stations, restraints, motels, marinas and tackle shops. If anyone has any suggestions on how we can get South Florida Water Management to let us fix our ramps and canals out to the lake this would be a great help to the community and everyone who enjoys beautiful Lake Okeechobee and it’s waterway. Most all of the guides including myself are still working and catching good numbers of bass almost everyday, if you want to fish the lake and are afraid to bring your boat let one of us take you out for an enjoyable day on Lake Okeechobee.

Capt. Mark King is a full time guide and tournament angler working out of Roland Martin’s Marina and Resort in Clewiston Florida and covers the Lake Okeechobee region for Florida Fishing Weekly. You can contact me at 863-983-9950 or www.markkingfishing.com  

Clewiston----- The water keeps getting lower and the fishing keeps getting better here on the Big “O”. With the lake level at 9.66 feet above sea level almost every area that you can get into has pretty clean water and lots of bass. The bass seem to be getting use to the water being low and have moved to the channels and deeper water and if you can find some structure in the deeper water you will have a ball catching bass till you get tired of catching them. Some of the cuts and dynamite holes south of Clewiston are still producing some nice bass along with the Football Field. It’s easy to see now with the water low that this dynamite hole looks like a football field. I’m still catching most of the bass that I catch on artificial lures on Rat-L-Traps and Gambler Super Studs a bait that resembles a Zoom Super Fluke, chrome with a blue back color for the Rat-L-Trap and watermelon-red color for the Super Stud. Some of the better fishing this past week for me has been out the main channel from Clewiston out to the water tank. You should try to fish the drop off on either side of the channel where it drops from two feet down to deeper part of the channel. Most of the hits are right on the edge of the drop off. These areas have also been great places to throw wild shiners and if you can find some structure along this channel you can sit there and catch dozens of bass with some real nice ones being caught almost daily. Uncle Joe’s Cut is also still producing a few quality bass the only trouble up here is that the fishing pressure has been great and the bass are a little harder to come by than they were. Overall I would say the fishing the past couple weeks has been better than it has been all winter and it seems to be getting better every day. Another area that deserve some attention is the rim canal I have had reports from guides and  a few local anglers that I have talked to say that they have been catching bass from Moorehaven to Southbay . I know the low water level has been scaring off a lot of folks but as long as you stay in the channels and rim canal when you are running the outboard motor you shouldn’t have any trouble. I did talk to Sam Griffin a lure maker from Moorehaven and he said that the ramp at Moorehaven has plenty of water to get your boat in and he also said that the middle ramp will be the one to use through the drought.  The only thing that you really should be mindful of is the wind, if we get a strong south wind it pushes the water north and can drop the water level in the Clewiston area up to six inches. The bluegill fishing here on the south end of the lake has been good with good numbers coming in every day. Most are being caught in the rim canal on crickets.

Capt. Mark King is a full time guide and tournament angler guiding out of Roland Martin’s Marina and Resort in Clewiston and covers the Lake Okeechobee region for Florid