Lake Okeechobee’s water level has been hovering around the 12.5 ft mark mainly due to the afternoon rain showers and less water being pulled from the lake. Bass fishing with both live-bait and artificial lures has been tough but the better timeframe to fish has been early in the mornings until about noon then again late afternoon/ early evening.
The bream bite is mainly pre-spawn and typically the week of a full and new moon is the key time to catch them off the beds with live small red worms or crickets. This is a good time of year to catch fingerling catfish fishing in the Kissimmee River. You can catch them with the same tackle and bait as bream. If you’re targeting fingerling catfish and/or bream in the river or a canal a good place to look for beds would be on the edges preferably with a hard, shelly bottom, each bluegill bed will be small and round/located next to another bed.
Bass fishing especially in deeper water areas like the river and canals is very popular this time of year when temperatures become hot. You’ll find bass located on points, cuts, ledges typically early morning and late afternoon timeframe. Lures to try are mid-depth running crank baits in shad and bluegill patterns; C-Rigs tipped with finesse-style lures; some top water worked along the edges early am and again late pm and big worms. Plastic lure colors: junebug; redbug; white; crawdad (summer colors like green-pumpkin or watermelon).
Please use caution when boating out on the big O. Water level is still good but there are areas on the lake that are shallower than others and normally have a rock bottom so raise your motor and jack plate as you are coming off plane. If you want to learn the lake, do some fishing, and just get familiar with navigation I am available to take those type trips. Plan your next trip now with Capt Angie for the upcoming bass/ crappie spawn starting in November. Sponsor Equipment: Mercury; Lews; GLoomis; Bullet Weights; BnM Poles; Real Magic; MidSouth Tackle; Gill; Maui Jim; Road Runner; Gene Larew; Pradco Brands and Power- Pole.
