FISHING REPORT OVERVIEW
Lake Okeechobee fishing has been particularly excellent this past week. A few consecutive days of sunny skies and warm to hot air temperatures has the lake’s temperature on the rise. At the same time the winds have been moderate in strength giving the Big O a chance to settle down and clear up. Add to that declining lake levels and it all points to some quality springtime fishing. In Highlands County the same is true for the shallow water lakes while the deeper lakes are experiencing dramatic water temperature variations between the cooler deep water and the rapidly heating shallow water areas. Recent trips on the lakes show there was a lot of bedding activity going on in the shallows and then they were vacated. This could mean an end to the major push in breeders or just a changing of the guard and another wave of activity will soon follow.
For this weekend, the fishing is too good to pass up, so get out early but be sure to keep your eye on the clouds and your Weather App and get off the lake before it gets nasty.
WEATHER OUTLOOK
A fast moving cold front will be pushing through the area just in time to mess up our weekend plans. Though the timing may change, at the moment the front looks to push through starting late Saturday afternoon with high winds and thunderstorms and continue through most of the day on Sunday. Friday will be the best day of the weekend. Morning lows will be in the mid 60’s with the afternoon high approaching 85°. Winds will be light to moderate from the south at less than 10 mph. The skies will be partly cloudy and there is only a hint of a passing shower. Saturday the temperatures will be about the same with a morning low in the mid 60’s and reaching 85° during the afternoon. Winds will start calm out of the SE but shift to the SW as the front approaches and increase to 10-15mph and higher during thunderstorms. By 4:pm the chance of rain will increase to 40% and then to 70% later in the evening. Near Lake Okeechobee the chance of rain will be 70% by mid-day Saturday. On Sunday morning the storms will still be around and the winds might start calm at 5-10mph but will quickly increase from the WNW at 15-20mph by mid-morning. Sunday night the skies will clear and the temperatures will drop to a morning low in the low 50’s. The barometer has been low the past few days and will continue to fall during the weekend. As the front clears on Sunday night the barometer will quickly start to rise as the cool air settles in. Friday’s sunrise will be at 7:28 and set at 7:33. The moon will be 80% reflective and rise at 3:36 pm and set at 4:17am. The full moon occurs next Wednesday. The AM:Major on Friday will occur at 8:34am while the PM:Major will occur at 8:59pm. Remember to add approximately 45 minutes per day for subsequent activity periods. This weekend it will be best to get outdoors early before the rains set in.
WATER LEVELS — 03/18/2016
Lake Okeechobee: 15.32 ASL ↓ 0.29-ft, Temp 75°
Lake Istokpoga Arbuckle Creek @ DeSoto: 3.9-ft ↓ 0.1-ft
Fisheating Creek @ US 27: 3.56-ft ↓ 1.19-ft
Fisheating Creek @ Lakeport: 15.20 ASL ↓ 0.80
Peace River @ Zolfo Springs: 6.10-ft ↓ 0.69-ft
Kissimmee River @ S-65E: Head 21.08-ft, Tail 15.45-ft, Flow 573 CFS
Caloosahatchee River
Moore Haven Locks S-77: Head 14.74-ft, Tail 11.04-ft, Flow 3887 CFS, 7-day avg 3,895 CFS
Ortona Locks S-78: Head 10.63-ft, Tail 3.25-ft, Flow 3457 CFS, 7-day avg. 3,394 CFS
W.P Franklin Lock S-79: Head 3.10-ft, Tail 1.89-ft, Flow 4435 CFS, 7-day avg. 4,379 CFS
Lake Okeechobee Locks
St Lucie Lock S-80: Head 13.43-ft, Tail 0.33-ft, Flow 1865 CFS, 7-day avg. 1,955 CFS
Port Mayaca Lock S-308: Head 15.34-ft, Tail 14.19-ft, Flow 1669 CFS. 7-day avg. 1,577 CFS
Lake Okeechobee South End
Slim’s Fish Camp, Belle Glade; 561-996-3844: The south end of the lake is reporting good action on bass, crappie and even bluegils. However the size of the fish are inconsistent. There are a lot of dinks being caught for both bass and crappie but with patience some nice sized fish are in the mix. There have been a fair amount of 8’s 9’s and 10-lb bass being brought to the boat. Shiners are still the top producer but artificials are making a respectable showing. Topwater plugs in the early morning and late afternoon hours have produced some nice fish. Plastics swim baits and crank baits like rattletraps have been producing in the grass beds. As for areas, all through the south end from Ritta Island, past Grassy Island and into Pelican Bay have all been very active. The key is to locate clear water which seems to come and go on a day by day basis. Over the past week fog has been an issue keeping boaters off the lake until 9 or 10am. If you venture out on the lake in the thick fog, throttle it down!
Roland Martin Marine Center, Clewiston; 863-983-2128: The east and west walls still remain a bit slow but the areas to the south are doing well. Wild shiners are still the primary bait though artificials are on the rise. Paddle tailed swim baits like the Big Ez are consistent producers. Bluegil action is one the rise with crickets being the bait of choice.
The Bait Shop at Harney Pond, Lakeport; 863-946-0170: The Bait Shop at Harney Pond reports quality springtime fishing is here. There are plenty of bass around and quite a few in the 8-lbs class. A few tipped into the 11-lb class. The recent west winds helped to push a lot of the dirty water out of the bay and the water clarity has improved considerably. Wild shiners are now available and the bass are feeding hard on them. Since the lake temperature is up, the artificial bite has also been improving. Spinners and paddle tailed swim baits are doing really well. The Crappie bite still remains strong though their sizes have diminished. You’ll need to catch 4 or 5 for every keeper you take. The areas of eel and pepper grass have been good starting points for both bass and crappie.
Lake Okeechobee North End
Garrard’s Bait & Tackle, Okeechobee; 863-763-3416: Lief reports the bass bite has been pretty active on both shiners and artificials. Areas from Indian Prairie to Tin House Cove to King’s Bar have been consistent producers. Artificials during the day include spinner baits and speed worms while topwater prop baits have been producing very early in the morning. The Speck bite remains steady with jig fishermen still bringing in some nice sized fish. Little Grassy Island still remains a good starting point for Speck fishermen. Bluegils are showing up more consistently though they are not on the beds yet. Crickets are the bait of choice.
Highlands County
Admiral’s Cove, Lake Placid; 863-465-0982: Ed reports fishing has been steady in the lakes in southern Highlands County. A few 8-lbers were recently reported out of Grassy Lake and some nice post spawn fish have also been reported at other nearby lakes. With the fish in a post spawn stage, they’re feeding up on shiners and swimbaits. The Crappie bite has slowed a bit with reports of full creels coming in less frequently.
Performance Marine, Lake Placid, 863-465-2814: The bass in the deep water lakes have pulled of the shallows and are in post spawn staging areas. Look for brush piles, grass beds, and drop offs where bait can congregate. Use your electronics to isolate changes in water temperatures. In the shallow lakes, search for deeper water just outside the shallows that hold submersed vegetation. Swim baits, cranks baits and spinners are the artificals of the day.
Lorida Bait & Tackle, Lorida; 863-655-2323: Scott reports the bass are staging in their post spawn areas in the open water. Look for grass beds and hydrilla patches. Good catches have been spotty. Wild shiners remain the bait of choice. Spinners and swimbaits are working well in and around the grass beds. The Speck bite has dropped off a bit and being replaced by an increasingly active Bluegil bite. Catfish remain very active with nightcrawlers the primary bait. The outflows at the spillways haven’t been very strong as of late so activity there has slowed down some.
Caloosahatchee River
Miller Bait & Tackle, LaBelle; 863-342-8264: The Corps continues to push water to the coast though the volume has slowed somewhat. The Franklin Locks still moves the most volume of water. Fishing still remains slow though pockets of shoreline vegetation are returning and holding some fish.
IN CLOSING
The bass fishing in Okeechobee was very good this week if you concentrated on post-spawn areas. If you were still searching for bedding females then you probably had a tougher time. This is not to say the spawn is over, it’s just that activity in the shallows was down this week. I would still take a run into these areas just in case there is another wave of fish to come in. We do have a full moon approaching next week. With warming lake temperatures the artificial bite is coming back. Topwater lures are producing in the early morning and in the late afternoons. With the sun up 12-hours these days, the evening bite is becoming more fun. During the day time, swim baits, spinners and crank baits all have been showing signs of life. Unfortunately the weatherman is predicting some rain and possibly thunderstorms starting late Saturday afternoon and continuing into Sunday so get your fishing in early before you get shut down. Tight Lines.
