by Capt. Angie Douthit
Lake Okeechobee bass and crappie fishing has been on fire and will continue to bite well through March and April…yes, still spawn time for both. Areas of the lake that have been attracting lots of boats are the Shoal area; around Dyess Ditch and some spotty areas around Dupree Bar; around the point of Horse Island and both sides of Indian Prairie Canal and on up to the Tin House area; 2nd point and Buckhead Ridge; some spots around Kings Bar; Grassy; the Kissimmee River around the mouth of the river area; out front of the Pier; Government Cut itself; Hendry Creek and J & S areas over on the east side. That pretty much covers the entire lake except for on the south-end around Clewiston. Some lures to use for bass have been the chatter bait tipped with a white skirt; some soft-plastic jerk baits rigged weedless; worms/senkos; some hard top-water lures such as a Devil Horse; Zara Spook (smaller sized one); flipping/pitching creature-style lures such as Beaver’s and Crawdads. For the Crappie bite, both live-minnows and jigging with plastics in the grass have been producing. Days where you get your limit quick and other times, you really have to slow down the presentation and they make you work hard for the bites..but that’s fish’n. Areas for Crappie to try have been around where you’ll find bass as well. The month of March is a good time to start targeting the Shell crackers (red ears) that will be moving in the shallows for their spawn time of year to begin. When fishing for the bream, crickets/red wigglers (small worms) rigged on light spinning rod/reel and tackle works best. Typically, the Shell crackers will start to move in first before the Bluegill but lots of times you’ll catch both if you’re targeting one or the other. I have some open dates for March and April still available for bass, crappie and the bream. I can accommodate groups with another guide boat to help if needed. I want to thank my Sponsors for all their support throughout the year: Mercury Marine; Lews; G-Loomis; BnM Poles; Mid-South Tackle; Lakeport Bait & Tackle; Maui Jim sunglasses; Bullet Weights; MegaStrike; Gene Larew; Pradco Brands; Gill; Toho Marine; Caymas boats but most of all, My Customers !! To book your next fun-filled day fishing Lake Okeechobee call me at 863-228-7263 check out my website for the most up-to-date fishing reports, hotel accommodations, guide rates, customers and their catches and etc. www.southfloridabassfishing.com
