FISHING REPORT OVERVIEW
With warming temperatures, dropping lake levels and clearing water, the bass fishing on Lake Okeechobee is turning on. Solid fishing is being reported on all sides of the lake and in a variety of conditions such as in the lily pads, grass beds, hydrilla pockets, and in the channels inter-connecting the deeper water with the shallows. The artificial bite is also picking up momentum. So if you have been waiting for conditions to improve well now is the time to get out there.
WEATHER OUTLOOK
This weekend is shaping up to be another roller-coaster ride with a low pressure front coming through the area on late Saturday and lingering through Sunday. The barometer will begin to fall on Wednesday afternoon and will continue to fall until the front arrives late Saturday afternoon. Once the front passes expect to see morning temperatures in the mid to low 60’s next week with highs reaching only into the mid to upper 70’s. With little chance of rain next week it looks like we’ll be in for a gorgeous work week but we’ll need to get through the weekend first.
This Friday will start with temperatures in the upper 60’s and near 70° around Lake Okeechobee. The day time high will top out at 90° and there will be a chance of a late afternoon thunderstorm starting around 4:pm. The winds on Friday will start light from the SE and work their way around to the SSW at 10-15mph by the time the storms arrive. Saturday will start in the low 70’s and reach the mid to upper 80’s by mid-day. Winds in the morning will be light and out of the S but will develop a more SW component and increase to 15-20mph as the front approaches. Areas to the north and west of Lake Okeechobee such as Highlands and Hardee counties will see the chance of rain increase first. The south end of Lake Okeechobee will see the best chance of rain late Saturday evening. Sunday is shaping up to be the wettest day of the weekend. The chance of rain will be 50% or greater through most of the day but drop below 20% by the time you’re ready to fire up the grill at 5:pm. After the front passes winds will shift to the NW and work their way to the NE by late Sunday night. In areas north of the lake, the winds will be moderate at less than 10mph but around Lake Okeechobee they should be remain at 10-15mph on Sunday. By Monday the skies should clear, day time temperatures should rise to the upper 70’s and the winds should remain below 10-15mph. Great weather for the work week and a nice send off for all those snowbirds leaving our great state. On Friday the sun will rise at 7:13 am and set at 7:40 pm. The moon will rise at 2:43 am and set at 8:42pm and will on the wane at 39% reflective. We’ll have a New Moon next Thursday the 7th. The AM:Major for this Friday will occur at 7:03am while the PM:Major occurs at 7:29pm. For this weekend add 50 minutes to each consecutive day for the approximate time of the next Major feeding period. With the AM:Major and the PM:Major occurring at sunrise and sunset respectively, these should be extra strong activity periods. For this weekend the best bet would be to pack your rain gear, keep an eye out on the horizon, and consult your weather app frequently.
WATER LEVELS — 03/30/2016
Lake Okeechobee: 15.06 ASL ↓ 0.05-ft
Lake Istokpoga: 39.33 17 ASL↑ 0.16-ft
Istokpoga Canal S68: Head 39.32 ASL, Tail 31:98 ASL, Flow 516 CFS
Arbuckle Creek @ DeSoto: 4.10-ft ↑ 0.33-ft
Fisheating Creek @ US 27: 2.69-ft ↑ 0.01-ft
Fisheating Creek @ Lakeport: 15.25 ASL ↑ 0.03-ft
Peace River @ Zolfo Springs: 7.86 6.20-ft ↑ 1.66-ft
Kissimmee River @ S-65E: Head 21.07-ft, Tail 14.90-ft, Flow 1967 CFS
Caloosahatchee River
Moore Haven Locks S-77: Head 14.86-ft, Tail 11.09-ft, Flow 2763 CFS, 7-day avg 2,238 CFS
Ortona Locks S-78: Head 10.75-ft, Tail 2.99-ft, Flow 2900 CFS, 7-day avg. 2,327 CFS
W.P Franklin Lock S-79: Head 3.02-ft, Tail 0.85-ft, Flow 3867 CFS, 7-day avg. 3,076 CFS
Lake Okeechobee Locks
St Lucie Lock S-80: Head 14.24-ft, Tail 0.64-ft, Flow 1467 CFS, 7-day avg. 1,186 CFS
Port Mayaca Lock S-308: Head 15.05-ft, Tail 14.38-ft, Flow 1070 CFS. 7-day avg. 873 CFS
Lake Okeechobee South End
Slim’s Fish Camp, Belle Glade; 561-996-3844: Due to challenging weather conditions the Big Bite has been off. There are plenty of smalls being caught in that 2-5lb range with occasional 6-8 lbers but no real trophy bass are being brought in. Strong wind conditions have also kept many of the anglers off the water so that might have something to do with it as well. The shiner bite still remains your best bet though warmer water temperatures is bringing around the artificial bite especially in the early morning. Specks and Bluegill are still there for the taking when you can find a weather window to get to them. This weekend’s south to southwest winds should produce favorable conditions for the side of the lake.
Roland Martin Marine Center, Clewiston; 863-983-2128: This past weekend was a great weekend on the lake. The Marine Center held its first qualifier of the 2016 season and they fielded over 100 teams. There were over 11 teams with 20+Lb bags and it took 25.40-lbs by Jesse Mizell & Jett Dexter to bring home the top prize of $ 5,000. The fish were on the move so fishing the hydrilla pockets and deeper channels proved to be the winning strategy.
The Bait Shop at Harney Pond, Lakeport; 863-946-0170: Ed at the Bait Shop reports fishing has turn up a notch or two this past week. The water in the bay continues to improve while the water level continues to drop. The bass have responded nicely to these changes and we’re probably seeing bass move out of the back waters as the water level continues to drop. The action around the lily pads has been nice with anglers using topwater and spinner baits. In other areas like Cochran’s Pass and the eel grass outside the Pass, jerk baits and swim baits have been productive. Over the past week there was one 11.2-lb bass and quite a few 8+-lb bass weighed in at the Bait Shop. As for Specks it looks like the school holding onto Bird Island is starting to break up with the fishing moving into the weeds. This past week there was a nice Speck bite just outside Dyess Ditch on both minnows and jigs. Bluegills are beginning to be seen on the beds and some nice 13-inch bronze heads where bought in. There are also plenty of 9-10 inchers out there. Crickets are the bait of choice for the Bluegills. It won’t be too long before the Bluegills move into the canal with Specks right behind them. If the weather holds this weekend should be another solid fishing weekend.
Lake Okeechobee North End
Garrard’s Bait & Tackle, Okeechobee; 863-763-3416: Lief reports the bass bite is coming on strong especially with wild shiners. As the water temperatures rise the artificial bite is also picking up though these fish are a bit smaller in the 3-5-lb range. Active areas include Tin House Cove, back side of Eagle Bay, and down through Harney Pond. For the morning bite, topwater plugs are doing well as well as spinners, chatter baits, and Rapalas. As the day gets longer, the bite changes to speed worms, senkos, and swim baits. The Speck bite remains solid with minnow and chartreuse and silver colored jigs producing well. Bluegills are being taken though somewhat spotty with crickets being the main bait. The steady temperatures have improved the fishing through-out the lake.
Highlands County
Admiral’s Cove. Laker Placid; 863-465-0982: The bass bite has remain consistent over the past week. With steady temperatures more fish are coming back into the shallows. Shiners remain the most productive but topwater frogs and swim baits skimming at the surface in the early morning are producing some nice sized fish. With the fish on the move, search for bottom structure that channels the fish between deeper and shallow water areas. The Speck bite has be tapering off of the past few weeks but a new moon is coming next week which should improve the bite.
Performance Marine, Lake Placid, 863-465-2814: The bass bite has picked up a bit since the last set of storms blew through the other week. Numbers aren’t great but the sizes are. In the deeper lakes crank baits on the brush piles and drop-offs are being productive. In the shallows you need to balance both the time of the day and the weather conditions to have any luck with the bigger fish.
Lorida Bait & Tackle, Lorida; 863-655-2323: There has been a noticeable drop in the number of fishermen coming to Lake Istokpoga, the snowbird exodus is on. For those targeting Specks the bite is getting scattered and fewer are being caught. Bluegills and warmouths are becoming more common with crickets and worms being the primary baits. Bass fishing has remained steady with a lot of smaller fish being taken, typical range is in the 1.5-3 lb class though there are still plenty of 5-6 lb class members being taken. Most of the bass action is in the grass and hydrilla patches. Jigs with creature trailers are working well in these areas. The S68 spillway has increased its flow this past week with today’s flow being 516 cfs which means catfish, panfish, and bass action should be good in the moving water. Recent rains have also increased the inflows of Arbuckle and Josephine Creeks so these will also be good places to check out.
Caloosahatchee River
Miller Bait & Tackle, LaBelle; 863-342-8264: Recent rains have added to the river flow as well as an uptick in the flows from Lake Okeechobee. Fishing on the river still remains good. The Snook fishing remains steady at the spillways and along current eddies. The stripe bass bite remains active with shrimp, dead or alive being the preferred bait. Bluegills are being taken on crickets.
IN-CLOSING
For the next few weeks we should be in the peak of spring fishing. Cold fronts are being replaced by cool fronts which will give away to plan old low pressure fronts which will bring little change in temperature. So get out and enjoy this time of year for the summer heat is not too far away.
