By Capt. Angie Douthit
Fishing on the big O has been steady and consistent for the bass bite with lures and live bait in and around the lake’s grass edges and pockets. For the crappie bite, both lures and trolling with minnows have been catching limits of 25 crappie per person per day, 10-inch limit.
The Kissimmee River and canals can be the safest area to fish on windy days when fishing the lake becomes challenging. There’s always the next day when boating conditions are safer. Jigging for crappie in the shallows with lures can be very productive and provides lots of fun for everyone, ranging from youths to grandparents. A quick 5-minute lesson is all it takes to feel that “thump,” and arrangements can be made for cleaning fish for my customers to take home. Just inquire when booking your trip.
I want to mention the water level on Okeechobee; please use extreme caution when running your boat. Please come off plane on the outside grass line/edges, then troll or idle to the inside area you want to fish. The lake level is not as high as it was last year, and a lot of Okeechobee has a rock bottom. I see a lot of boaters running where perhaps they don’t know that the rock is just inches below their boat’s lower unit. …the time will soon approach where you’ll have to do that anyway, so why not start exercising boater safety now?
Areas that bass and crappie are biting: the Shoal; outside points of the Monkey box; north/west side of Dupree bar; some spots around Dyess ditch; outside/mid areas around Horse Island and Indian Prairie; parts of Tin house; 2nd-4th point; Buckhead area; some areas on Kings bar/Grassy. The water on the east side is clearing up, and I’ve been told there are a few areas from J&S to Nub and Slough where fish are being caught, so on a calm wind day, you may want to venture over and check it out.
Lures for bass include worms, frogs, swim jigs, and spinnerbaits on windy days, and flipping/pitching in colors: Junebug, redbug, white, golden shiner, Okeechobee craw, and tilapia. Lure colors for crappie: orange, chartreuse, pinks, greens, and white.
To book your next fun day of fishing on Okeechobee for bass and crappie, call me at 863-228-7263 and be sure to check out my website at http://www.southfloridabassfishing.com, which is current and up to date with customer information and their catches, trip pricing, hotel accommodations, a toll-free number to purchase a fishing license, etc. I am booking trips to fish Headwaters Lake. Just inquire when calling me
