FISHING REPORT OVERVIEW
It’s a full moon weekend, will the fish be biting this weekend? Find out from the local experts in this week’s Okeechobee Fishing Report!
This weekend has all the indicators for a great weekend of fishing. The moon will be full on Thursday and into Friday; a weak low pressure front is pushing through on Friday but the barometer will continue to fall into late Sunday under fair skies and moderate winds; all this leads us to believe it should be a great weekend to go fishing. How often to you get to fish a falling barometer under sunny skies with light to moderate winds, not often. With warm air temperatures and low amounts of rainfall, lake temperatures are on the rise and overall conditions are stabilizing which are making for happy and hungry fish. There is plenty of baitfish fry in the shallows so submersed vegetation should be a good starting point for most anglers. Spring fishing is in full swing so take advantage of this time of year.
If you’re looking for a tournament next week, check out the 1st Annual Skip Byrant “Hook’em & Burn’em Tournament on April 30, 2016 at C. Scott Driver Boat Ramp. Entry Fee is $80.00 per boat and there will be a Chili Cook-off on the same day. For registration info contact Captain Gary Bell at (863) 634-1145. The Skip Byrant Memorial Fund was established in honor of Officer Skip Byrant who died in the line of duty on November 8, 1991. Proceeds from the Fund go to the families of law enforcement/firefighters in their time of need.
WEATHER OUTLOOK
A low pressure front will be moving through on Friday bringing with it a chance of thunderstorms on Friday followed by clear and sunny conditions on Saturday and Sunday. Being a weak trough, barometric pressure will continue to fall after the front passes and will bottom out on Sunday evening. As the front approaches on Friday, the winds will shift from the southeast to the southwest and should remain below 12-15mph except during periods of storms. On Saturday winds will remain moderate between 10-15 mph and slowly shift to the west and eventually NW as night approaches. On Sunday the winds will return to the East in the 10-15 mph range. Temperatures will remain somewhat consistent with morning temperatures in the low to mid 60’s and rising into the mid 80’s during the daytime. On Friday sunrise will be at 6:51am and set at 7:51pm. The moon will be full on Friday and will rise at 8:26 pm and set at 7:17am on Saturday morning. The AM:Major for Friday will be 12:01 am and the PM:Major will occur at 12:57pm. Add roughly 45 minutes to the major activity cycles for each consecutive day.
WATER LEVELS: 04/21/2016
Lake Okeechobee: 14.56 ASL ↓ 0.27-ft Temp 82°
Lake Istokpoga: 38.99 ASL↓ 0.21-ft
Istokpoga Canal S68: Head 38.97 ASL, Tail 31.92 ASL, Flow 498 CFS
Arbuckle Creek @ DeSoto: 3.50-ft ↓ 0.30-ft
Fisheating Creek @ US 27: 1.11-ft ↓ 0.51-ft
Fisheating Creek @ Lakeport: 14.74 ASL ↓ 0.05-ft
Peace River @ Zolfo Springs: 5.50-ft ↓ 0.54-ft
Kissimmee River @ S-65E: Head 21.08-ft, Tail 14.20-ft, Flow 2297 CFS
Caloosahatchee River
Moore Haven Locks S-77: Head 14.16-ft, Tail 10.98-ft, Flow 3987 CFS, 7-day avg 2692 CFS
Ortona Locks S-78: Head 10.90-ft, Tail 2.90-ft, Flow 3109 CFS, 7-day avg. 2,338 CFS
W.P Franklin Lock S-79: Head 2.94-ft, Tail 0.76-ft, Flow 4089 CFS, 7-day avg. 2,961 CFS
Lake Okeechobee Locks
St Lucie Lock S-80: Head 13.66-ft, Tail 2.13-ft, Flow 1691 CFS, 7-day avg. 1,173 CFS
Port Mayaca Lock S-308: Head 14.43-ft, Tail 14.31-ft, Flow 1396 CFS. 7-day avg. 957 CFS
Lake Okeechobee South End
Slim’s Fish Camp, Belle Glade; 561-996-3844: The lake continues to drop and is now around 14.56-ft above sea level. Though still too high to force the fish out of the backwater areas, the more it drops and the warmer the temperatures get the better the artificial bite becomes. The south end was on fire last week and the steady eastwardly breeze has kept the water clear. Spring fishing is here and the bite is on. As for panfish, the Bluegill bite remains strong and as the babies begin to hatch, change you bass lure colors to match the hatch.
Roland Martin Marine Center, Clewiston; 863-983-2128: Bass fishing on Lake Okeechobee remains steady when you find clear water. The shiner bite has been strong and the artificial bite is improving with chatter baits and topwater producing in the mornings. As water temperatures rises and water depths recede, the bass bite should keep getting better.
The Bait Shop at Harney Pond, Lakeport; 863-946-0170: The Bait Shop at Harney Pond reports the bass bite has been good along the edges of the Harney Pond area and towards the North Shore. There are plenty of smaller bass in the under 3-lb class being caught. Chatter baits, top water plugs and frogs, spinners and jerk baits are all catching these aggressive fish. There are still some spawning females in the area so don’t be surprised if you find some bedding fish. The crappie bite has slowed but there are still some being caught. Bluegills and catfish remain in high gear.
Lake Okeechobee North End
Garrard’s Bait & Tackle, Okeechobee; 863-763-3416: The bass bite continues to improve for artificials. Steady weather has provided some consistent patterns for the fish. The area from the North Shore up through Indian Prairie and onto King’s Bar has been producing decent fishing. Steady eastwardly winds have muddied up the water some so for best results look for clean water. Chatter baits and spinners have been producing in the morning and Senkos and swimbaits in the afternoons as the fish go deeper in the vegetation. Crappie fishing has gotten spotty though some nice sized specks are still being brought in. Bluegills are very active along the edges of the weeds.
No Bad Daze Bait & Tackle, Okeechobee; 863-484-8126: Tyler reports the bass bite has been strong on the northeast side from Nubbin’s Slough to J&S locks. Pitching the grass with Senko style baits has been doing the trick. Reports indicate the fish are in the 3-4 lb class with a few up to 8-lbs being caught. Start at the edges in the morning and move deeper into the grass as the day heats up. Pumpkin w/red and green w/red seem to be the preferred colors. As for panfish, Bluegills are the most active though there are still a few reports of guys limiting out on specks with jigs being the prefer method. Shellcrackers are still yet to be sighted in good numbers.
Highlands County
Admiral’s Cove, Laker Placid; 863-465-0982: Bass fishing in the shallower lakes has been consistent. With lots of small forage fish in the shallows, look for the bigger bass to come into the shallows to feed. There are also lots of smaller bass hanging out in the shallow water vegetation and they can be quite aggressive. Spinners, plastic worms, chatter baits, and swim baits are doing well.
Performance Marine, Lake Placid, 863-465-2814: Fishing in the deeper lakes around Lake Placid has been very active. Some quality fish are being brought in. It seems each lake has its own special day when the big bass are very active. A few days ago it was Lake Josephine and the next day it’s Lake June. All the lakes have plenty of small bait fish in the shallows and with it still being early in the year the weed beds are still very fishable. In a couple of months the weeds will be thick and harder to fish. Timing the arrival of the big bass in the shallows for feeding is the challenge. Once they are there the bite turns hot. Spinners, jerk baits, swim baits can all be used in these old growth patches.
Lorida Bait & Tackle, Lorida; 863-655-2323: Bass fishing in Lake Istokpoga was been very good as of late. Some nice 8-lb plus fish are being caught. Steady eastwardly winds have pushed muddy water into the west wall area but there is still clear water around the islands and north side of the lake. Catfish and Bluegill remain very active. The lake is showing signs of new vegetation growth so the mats will begin to fill in. The Istokpoga Canal spillway (S68) is releasing just under 500 CFS so catfish, panfish, and bass should all be attracted to the moving water.
Caloosahatchee River
Miller Bait & Tackle, LaBelle; 863-342-8264: The Corps continue to push water to the coasts though there is more pulsing than previously weeks. Snook fishing has been real good as the waters continue to flow. Bass fishing on the river continues to improve and as river bank vegetation begins to emerge, bass will seek these areas out for cover. We haven’t had much rain as of late so when it does rain, head to the nearest culvert for some nice action.
IN-CLOSING
With the weather turning warm with little rain, most of the lakes and waterways have had a period of very stable conditions which has improved fishing considerably. The shallows are teeming with these year’s hatchings so predator fish big and small are coming into the shallows to feed. Right now it’s a timing thing, hit the time tight and you’ll have a great day of fishing.
