Lake O’s water level is holding just over 12 ft. July will be tricky when fishing on the lake because the bottom is rocky. If you plan to fish Okeechobee, stay with the safe option in the Kissimmee River, canals and deeper water located on the south-end. If you plan to fish the lake, use extreme caution and look out for those Florida afternoon storms. When water levels drop, there are fewer hiding places for the fish.
Folks planning trips in the summer should hire a professional guide. A pro guide will gear the trip towards customer’s capabilities and comfort level so the fishing experience will be productive and educational. They know where fish hide during low water. When booking a fishing trip, if you’re not feeling “the right vibe” then that guide is not for you. When communicating – Capt. Angie prefers a good old-fashioned phone conversation. It is important to her to find out what anglers want out of the trip: big bass, numbers of bass, rods, tackle, lure selection and more can be focused on during the day to help anglers take away new skills. Capt Angie gears the trip around customers’ needs or wants. Live bait early then finish with artificial lures? Or just focus on lures for the day?
Biting now are bass and bream and the crappie bite normally starts back up in November. Live shiners work best first thing in the mornings for bass before the water temperature gets hot. For the bream bite crickets, small red worms and beetle spins work best. Bass lures that are producing bites are: swim jigs; swim baits; frogs; hard top-water lures, flipping/ pitching creature-style lures; big worms/senkos. Areas to try: hot spots along the Shoal; certain areas around Dupree bar and the Monkey box; Worm cove and some areas around Horse Island, Tin house and some spots on Kings Bar, Hendry Creek and around Taylor Creek area.
