Lake Okeechobee Fishing Report, brought to you by Mark King,
Lake Okeechobee fishing guide.
April 28th, 2008
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.
April 15th, 2008

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.
April 1st, 2008
A
happy April Cates from Rockport Texas with a bass she caught on a
shakey head worm rig. Picture by Mark king
We have all heard the
words “should have been here last week the fish were really
biting”, but this is not the case on Lake Okeechobee as the bass
just keep biting week after week. The water level has come up a
little to 10.25 feet above sea level and the wind has slowed
down some the past few days. Most of the water in the rim canal,
dynamite holes and out on the shoal has really cleaned up to the
point you can almost call it clear. All these conditions have
added up to lots of bass being caught from Moorehaven to
Pahokee. Most of my clients the past couple weeks have really
caught a lot of bass on artificial lures from sunrise to mid
afternoon. It is great to see almost everyone catching bass from
guides to weekend warriors and since the bass are scattered out
no one is fishing on top of each other.
Most of the bass are
still being caught in the rim canal but they are not on just the
humps and ridges now, they are along both the lake and levy
sides as well as the points. They can also be caught on
crankbaits, topwater, or soft plastics. Of course the shakey
head has been my top producer in both numbers and big fish. Tie
on a ¼ ounce Gambler Giggy Head jig with a Gambler Sweebo worm
or Ace and you can’t go wrong. Remember that with the water
clearing up that you should use fluorocarbon line; it is almost
invisible in the water and has great strength. I have been using
the new Trilene 100 % Fluorocarbon professional grade and I’m
really impressed with all of its qualities especially the low
memory feature that makes it great for use on spinning reels.
The crankbaits that I have been using with great success the
past couple weeks are the Spro “Little John” and the Spro Aruka
Shad lipless crankbait. Spro makes a great quality crankbait
with a finish that is as good as Japanese lures costing twice as
much. The topwater bite has been spotty but we have been
catching a few everyday either on a Pop-R or a buzzbait, both
are great on overcast days. A lot of the bass that we have been
catching are in the two to four pound range which is a lot of
fun to catch especially when you can catch over thirty a day.
And yes we are also catching some bigger ones up to eight or
nine pounds but were just not catching them like we were on
every trip. But who wouldn’t enjoy catching twenty bass over
three pounds in one day. Want even more of a challenge bring
your fly rod and hook into some of the bass that fight like fish
twice their size.
The crappie bite has
slowed down to almost nothing but the bluegill bite is starting
to heat up. Try getting some crickets and fishing in the rim
canal toward Belle Glade and you should be able to find a good
number bluegill. Remember to not take more bluegill out of the
lake than what you are going to eat or everyone will be
complaining that they can’t catch any fish next year. And if you
see someone keeping too many fish or bass that are not the right
size that don’t hesitate to call the FWC, the number is on your
fishing license. The future of our fishery might just be in your
hands Think About It!!!
Bite of the Week
I would start in the rim
canal with topwater lures early in the morning and than go to
soft plastics on a shakey head jig as the sun gets up overhead.
Fish the levy side of the canal or the humps and ridges in the
middle. For bluegill try fishing a cricket under a cork along
the lake side of the rim canal.
March 17th, 2008
Picture
of Randy Cameron from Creede, Colorado with a nice bass caught on a
fly rod. Picture taken by Mark King
Lake Okeechobee
is hot, once again this past weekend it took a five bass
limit over twenty five pound to win a tournament. Most all
of the guides here at Roland Martins Marina and Resort have
been catching good numbers of bass and some big ones on both
wild shiners and artificial lures. Bass Busters silver
division held on March 15th was won by Brandon
McMillan and Ron Veale with 28.56 pounds and the Gold
division held on Sunday the 16th was won by Jimmy
and Brandon McMillan with 26.51 pounds. It took over twenty
pounds to get in the money both days. Big bass on Saturday
was an 8.07 pound bass caught by Skip and Beth Simmonds and
big bass on Sunday was caught by Val Osinski weighing in at
8.72 pounds.
The lake level has been
coming up just a little with all the rain that we have been
getting around the lake for the last couple weeks. The lake
level is at 10.19 feet above sea level which is not a lot
below what it was last year at this time which it was 10.88
feet above sea level. If we can continue to get the rains
that we have been getting to hold us over till rainy season
here on the Big “O” the fishing should be great all summer
long. We need a tropical storm to fill the lake back up to
normal level this summer and to let the natural healing
process continue here on our great lake.
The rim canal was the hot
spot for this past month and I don’t look for much to change
for next month. Most of the bass have gone to a post spawn
mood but sometime throughout the day they will eat and when
they do be ready to catch some fish. The bass in the rim
canal have been moving from the humps and ridges in the
middle to both the levy and lake sides of the canal. The
artificial lures that have been working best for my clients
and I are still the shakey head rig using Gambler lures
Giggy head jig and a straight tailed worm like a Gambler
Sweebo worm and if the wind is really blowing I have been
using a Lake Fork Trophy lures 8” worm in a darker color. I
have also had a good topwater bite that has been lasts all
day long. Try throwing a pop-r type lure and work it slow
along the edges of the rim canal. If the wind is blowing
hard down the rim canal a crankbait will catch some nice
bass along the levy side. I have been throwing a Bomber 7A
or Bandit 300 series crankbait in firetiger or rootbeer
color. Randy Cameron a fly fishing guide and client of mine
from Colorado had a great day catching bass on a fly rod
using a saltwater popper this in spite of the wind blowing
twenty to thirty miles an hour.
The crappie bite has been
slowing down quite a bit the last couple weeks. The crappies
that most have been catching are being caught in the rim
canal and out the Clewiston channel toward the lake. Minnows
under a bobber and jigs are working about the same. A few
bluegills are also starting to be caught.
Bite of the Week
The rim canal would be my
choice along with the dynamite holes if bass are what you
want to catch. You should only need three baits a shakey
head rig, consisting of a Gambler ¼ ounce Giggy Head jig and
a dark colored worm attached, a white Pop-R, and a Bomber 7A
crankbait in firetiger color. For crappies try out the
Clewiston channel before you get to the main part of the
lake with jigs.
March5th, 2008
Picture
of Owen Sizemore from Richmond Virginia with a 7.7 pound bass his
first bass ever on soft plastic baits.
The fishing
continues to be great here on the Big “O” with bass being caught by
everyone. Yes I said that almost everyone has been catching bass
both on artificial lures and on wild shiners. Last week my clients
were still using from eight to ten dozen shiners a day and it wasn’t
taking a day to use them up, more like four hours. Most of the bass
that we have been catching are in the two to five pound range, but
don’t count out the bigger ones. Most of the guides have been
reporting of catching some nice bass Capt. Jim Taylor had one over
ten pounds this week and Capt. Mike Balon had a couple nice ones
over eight, both Jim and Mike guide out of Roland Martin’s Marina
and Resort. The cold front that moved through the area the end of
last week did have a small affect on the bass but they were back to
normal this week. The fishing here on the south end of the lake
seems to be much better than it is at the north end as some of the
guides from the Okeechobee area are making the trip to Clewiston
every day.
The rim canal
and dynamite holes are the place to be with wild shiners and
artificial lures. Fish are being caught both ways in the rim canal
from Clewiston, but most are fishing around Uncle Joe’s to
Moorehaven. You can anchor up on almost any point or cut into the
lake and catch bass on shiners. If artificial lures are your choice
than any humps, ridges, or steep banks can be fished with a shaky
head rig or a Carolina rig and should yield a good number of bass. I
use a ¼ ounce jig head for my shaky rig with a Gambler Sweebo worm
attached in junebug or watermelon red color. The darker colors seem
to work best on most days especially if it is cloudy or the wind is
blowing, on calm sunny days try the watermelon red color. Other
lures that have been working good are crankbaits, lipless
crankbaits, and swimbaits. I like to throw the Lake Fork “Live”
Magic Shad swimbait in golden shiner color most of the time, the 4.5
size seems to work the best for me. If you have never fished a
swimbait before get some and give a try, they are a big fish lure
that will catch the ones that almost rip the rod right out of your
hand. It’s best to fish this or any other swimbait on braided line
so that when a bass hits the lure it almost sets the hook itself.
The lake level
is at 10.08 feet above sea level and still holing its own. The rains
that we have been receiving are not normal for this time of the year
on the lake, but the Good Lord is watching out for the Big “O” and
is keeping the fields wet so that the sugar farmers don’t need as
much water from the lake. Lake Okeechobee is an awesome fishery
right now and has been all through this pull down of the water. Yes
I know everyone wants to go out on the lake and fish but we have all
learned to fish different than in the past and look at all the bass
that most everyone has been catching. When this lake does get filled
back up to normal level it will again be called the most awesome
lake in the United States. But in the mean time learn to fish the
structure in the rim canal and you will become a better more
versatile fisherman.
The crappie
fishing has slowed down as the water continues to get warmer. Some
are still catching specks in the rim canal and out the channel from
Clewiston on jigs as well as minnows.
Bite of the Week
The rim canal
continues to produce better than anywhere on the lake. Try fishing
both directions from Clewiston looking for structure like drop-offs,
ridges, humps especially those with rock on the top of them. There
has also been some bass along the rip rap on the levy side of the
rim canal, look for steeper banks. I would fish with a shaky head
rig 75% of the time and throw a crankbait the rest of the time. Try
to use darker colored worms and shad colored crankbaits. For
crappies try fishing out the main channel from Clewiston with jigs.
Feb 19th, 2008
The fishing here on the
Big “O” couldn’t be better, with big bags of bass being caught
in tournaments and even more being caught by guide clients on
wild shiners. When I say we’re catching a lot on guide trips I
mean I have been using up to ten dozen shiners in less than a
half day. The artificial lure bite has been awesome too with a
good number of two to five pound bass being caught all day long.
Bass Busters tournament held February 17th out of
Clewiston saw big limits of bass come to the scales. Winners
Dave King and Joe Payne from Clewiston weighed five bass for a
total just over thirty pounds. And the media just keeps writing
about how bad of shape that Lake Okeechobee is in. The lake
level is 10.12 feet above sea level and still holding its own.
If we could just keep getting the once a week rains that the
good Lord has been blessing us with the lake level may not drop
too much.
Everyone is still
fishing in the rim canal for the most part. Both directions from
Clewiston have been good, but most boats have been fishing up
around Uncle Joe’s. The humps, drop-offs, and ridges in the rim
canal have been the place to catch bass. The rip rap along the
levy side of the rim canal has also been holding bass,
especially from Moorehaven to Clewiston. The dynamite holes have
also been good from day to day but the rim canal has been the
most productive area. Wild shiners would be my bait of choice if
you are looking to catch numbers of bass or that lunker of a
lifetime. My favorite way to fish is with artificial lures and
this past couple months has been just great here on Okeechobee.
The shaky head worm is still my bait of choice as it has
produced more large bass the past couple months than any other
lure. My favorite jig head for the shaky head rig is a Giggy
Head made by Gambler Lures and you can use almost any kind of
worm with it from a finesse worm to a ten inch worm. My favorite
soft plastics to use on a shaky head jig are a Lake Fork Ring
Fry, Gambler Sweebo worm, and Berkley Shaky worm. Worm color
doesn’t seem to matter as long as it is a darker color like
junebug, black, or black-blue. Some other lures that have been
working are the Spro Aruka Shad lipless crankbait and a bandit
200 series crankbait in rootbeer/chartruse color. I have also
been catching a few bass under the right conditions on a
swimbait like a Lake Fork “Live” Magic Shad or a Strike King
“King Shad”.
The crappie bite is
still going strong here on the south end of the lake. Most are
fishing in the rim canal both east and west of Clewiston, but
the area around Uncle Joe’s has been outstanding. Another area
is out the Clewiston channel before you get to the main lake,
but this area depends a lot on the wind. Jigs and minnows are
the weapon of choice but most report that jigs are working best.
BITE OF THE WEEK
Fish the rim canal if you
want to catch big bass and good numbers of bass. I would throw a
shaky head jig with a Lake Fork Ring Fry attached. Color
selection would be junebug or black-blue. Concentrate on humps
and ridges in the rim canal, best if covered with rocks. For
crappies the rim canal around Uncle Joe’s and out the Clewiston
channel toward the lake.
Feb 5th, 2008
Picture of Butch Fulks from
Sistersville West Virginia with a seven pound eleven ounce bass
caught on a Lake Fork Trophy Lures worm.
The past few weeks on Lake
Okeechobee has been pretty busy with the FLW Series tournament
and normal winter fishing. The news reporters keep reporting
about how bad it is on the Big “O” but FLW angler JT Kenney from
Port Charlotte Florida has a different story to tell, after
winning the FLW Series tournament with a four day total of sixty
eight pounds and thirteen ounces. JT’s four day limit of twenty
bass netted him a $100,000.00 payday with a $25,000.00 bonus
from Ranger Boats. It was a pretty busy week with most of the
tournament anglers fishing in the rim canal, but you could still
go out and catch some nice bass for clients. The lake level is
still hovering around ten feet above sea level but reports in
the news are that the farmers are going to start pumping lots of
water out of the lake real soon. It’s too bad that Big Sugar has
the right to pump all the water that they want out of this lake
after all the bad things that they have pumped into this lake
over the years.
The rim canal has been
the hot place to be the past few weeks for the tournament
anglers, guides, and crappie fishermen. The water has remained
clean and the wind doesn’t seem to have to much affect in the
rim canal as compared to out on the lake. Yes I know JT Kenny
and second place winner Jimmy McMillan caught most of there bass
out on the lake, but the rest of the one hundred and ninety
eight boats fished in the rim canal and the rivers. For most of
us it’s not worth tearing up your motor or boat to get to the
places that this tournament was won.
The humps, drop-offs,
points, and rip rap banks in the rim canal have all been holding
bass. Drop shot rigs, shakey heads, crankbaits, and Carolina
rigs have all been working depending on the areas that you are
fishing. On the humps and drop-offs a shakey head and drop shot
rigs have been my weapon of choice. On the points try a Carolina
rig or shakey head and on the rip rap a crankbait works best
especially if the wind is blowing parallel to the rocks. Some of
the lures that I have been using are a Berkley Frenzy crankbait,
Gambler Giggy Head jig with a Berkley Shakey worm, Lake Fork
Trophy Lures 8” worm, and a Senko on the Carolina rig. The
colors that I have been using for the soft plastic lures have
been junebug, black-blue, or any darker colors. Crankbait colors
that have been working for me and my clients are firetiger and
shad colors depending on the water color. On cloudy overcast
days and when there is a fog in the morning topwater lures like
a small Pop-R or Heddon Tiny Torpedo has been great to catch
some bigger bass. The bass that we have been catching have
varied in size from two to nine pounds with two to four pound
fish being the average.
The crappie bite has
been good lately here at the south end of Lake Okeechobee. The
rim canal, dynamite holes, and main channel out of Clewiston
have all been producing some nice sized crappies. Small jigs
have been working as well as minnows for most. Now that we are
finally seeing some good numbers of crappies being caught here
on Okeechobee please only take what you are going to eat, there
is no need to go out and catch a limit every day of the week and
then wonder next year why you can’t catch any crappies.
Bite of the Week
For bass I would
concentrate on the rim canal both directions from Clewiston,
paying close attention to your depth finder looking for any
humps, drop-offs, or ridges. Fish these with a Gambler Giggy
Head jig in 1/4 ounce size rigged with a Berkley Shakey worm in
a dark color. When the wind blows try a crankbait or carolina
rig with a dark colored Senko. For crappies I would fish the
main channel out of Clewiston at the first bend and the rim
canal both directions from Clewiston.
Picture of Butch Fulks
from Sistersville West Virginia with a seven pound eleven ounce
bass caught on a Lake Fork Trophy Lures worm.
January 23rd, 2008
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 21st
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
January 7th, 2007
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.
November 26th, 2007
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.
November 12th, 2007
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 11th
and 12th in Clewiston. Jeff Edgerly won 1st
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 17th annual Toys for
Kids tournament December 2nd 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.
Oct 14th, 2007
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.
Oct 1st, 2007
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 1st. 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 22nd
and 23rd 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 29th and 30th 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.
Sept 17th, 2007
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 16th 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.
Sept 2nd, 2007
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 22nd and 23rd
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
August 20th, 2007
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 20th. 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
August 7th, 2007
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
July 30th, 2007
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 22nd and 23rd
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
July 10th, 2007
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
June 26th, 2007
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 .
June 11th, 2007
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 1st
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
May 15th, 2007
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
May 01, 2007
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 |