One of the most frequently asked questions a fishing guide receives is, “when is the best time to fish Lake Okeechobee?” The answer most often is that there is never a bad time to fish Lake Okeechobee; some days are just better than others. The big lake has a tremendous amount of bass, and you can always find fish that are willing to bite, but pinpointing a single day is nearly impossible.
If you are a panfish angler that likes to catch bluegill or shellcracker, then spring and summer are your prime times for catching. Panfish can be caught most days, but the full moon periods are when they can be found in large schools near their spawning areas. The fact that they are gathered together in large numbers in a specific an area makes catching them easier. Panfishing is great for beginning anglers that may want to learn some angling basics and enjoy some fast action. As table fare, bluegill or shellcracker freshly filleted and fried are delicious.
The water temperature in the lake is near 80 degrees, which means that the bass are feeding daily. The North end of the lake has many different areas that are holding large schools of fish. The outside vegetation lines around Buckhead Ridge and Grassy Island are holding large numbers of small fish. If you can find a mixture of native vegetation, odds are it will be holding bass. Topwater baits, flukes, lipless crank-baits, swim baits, and flipping or pitching type plastics are all drawing strikes.
While many anglers are fishing the outside edges of the lake, others are delving behind the first line of grass and finding openings in the grass where fish are holding, too. Many times we have found a mother lode of panfish while we were bass fishing in these extreme skinny water areas. We simply mark the spot on our GPS and return later to harvest the fish, or share the info with others so that they may go in and catch them.
The average catch rates for shiner fishing trips have been impressive; 40 to 60 fish can be caught in a morning when they are biting. Many anglers have become so spoiled by the incredible numbers of fish they have been catching, that a morning catch of 15 to 30 fish leaves them disappointed. Big bass are still in the mix, normal size bass may bite where you are fishing everyday for a week, and then the next time the spot is visited big bass seem to have taken over, only to revert to average fish again the next day. Go figure!
FORECAST BY: Capt. Mike Shellen
Shellen Guide Service
Phone: (863) 357-0892
Email: sjmike7@aol.com
www.OkeechobeeBassFishing.com
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