OVERVIEW
This weekend should be a great weekend for fishing. With the weatherman predicting a long steady period of warm temperatures, the fish should have adjusted from last weekend’s cold snap and getting back into their pre-spawn and spawning cycles. Speck fishing has improved both in fishing duration and quality of fish taken. Lake Okeechobee, the Kissimmee River, and the lakes in Highlands county all report good numbers. With the full moon this weekend, it could be a fantastic Speck bite. Bass fishing on the north side of Lake Okeechobee remains consistent while the south side is showing signs of improvement with a few females coming to the beds.
WEATHER OUTLOOK
The long pattern of unseasonably warm temperatures is setting up this weekend that will carry onto the New Year’s weekend. Through-out the region daytime highs will be in the mid 80’s and nighttime temperatures will cool off to the low 70’s. Typically our highs are in the mid 70’s and lows in the low 50’s. The barometer will be on the rise through late Saturday after which it will begin to fall and usher in a 30% chance of passing showers on Monday. Winds will be mostly out of the ESE to SE and each day they will start off light and peak at less than 15mph by mid-afternoon. On Christmas Day the fishing am:Major will be at 10:55am and the pm:Major will occur at 11:23pm. Remember to add approximately 1-hr for each consecutive day’s Major events. Sunrise on Friday will occur at 7:09am. This is also a full moon weekend with Friday’s moon set to rise at 6:11pm.
Water Levels: Dec 23
Lake Okeechobee 14.77 ASL ↓ 0.02-ft temp 74.6
Lake Istokpoga 39.30-ft ASL ↓ 0.10-ft
Arbuckle Creek @ DeSoto 3.95-ft ↓0.06-ft
Fisheating Creek @ US 27 4.14-ft↓ 0.59-ft
Peace River @ Zolfo Springs 6.42-ft ↓ 0.13-ft
Kissimmee River @ S-65E Head 21.20-ft, Tail 14.29-ft, Flow 584 CFS
Caloosahatchee River
Moore Haven Locks S-77: Head 14.69-ft, Tail 11.35-ft, Flow 694 CFS
Ortona Locks Head S-78: 11.20-ft, Tail 2.92-ft, Flow 467 CFS
W.P Franklin Lock S-79: Head 3.09-ft, Tail 2.51-ft, Flow 1094 CFS
Lake Okeechobee Locks
St Lucie Lock S-80: Head 14.05-ft, Tail 0.65-ft, Flow 0 CFS
Port Mayaca Lock S-308: Head 14.84-ft, Tail 13.96-ft, Flow 0 CF
Lake Okeechobee South End
Slim’s Fish Camp, Belle Glade; 561-996-3844: Jim reports fishing is improving after the last cold spell and blow. Wild shiners and flipping artificials seem to producing quality bass. Females are starting to be caught in pre-spawn holding areas in the area around Belle Glade. Nighttime Speck fishing continues to strengthen with minnows being the preferred bait. NOTE: The tackle shop will be closing noon on Thursday for the Christmas Holiday and will reopen at 6:am on Saturday morning. So if you’re planning on fishing over the holiday, get your bait before they close on Thursday afternoon.
Roland Martin Marine Center, Clewiston; 863-983-2128: Plenty of fish being caught around Clewiston though mostly male fish with the big females yet to show up in numbers on the beds. Senkos in black and blue, BigEZ’s and Flukes in dark red-copper hues are working best. At the moment, the Marina will have regular business hours on Christmas Eve, will be closed on Friday for Christmas, and then return to regular business hours on Saturday.
The Bait Shop at Harney Pond, Lakeport; 863-946-0170: Ed from the Bait Shop at Harney Pond says they are tearing up Specks between Bird Island and Horse Island. They are bunched up in the clear water so look for clean water before setting your lines. The Specks have been running a good size with many in the 16-inch+ range. One lucky fishermen brought back a 19-inch Speck that weighed in at 2.13-lbs! Female bass are beginning to show up around the pepper grass beds near Bird Island. The early morning bite is a topwater bite and then changes over to flipping and jigging. There are also plenty of male bass in the 4-6 lbs range being caught with wild shiners being the best bait. The Bait Shop will maintain regular business hours through the entire holiday week, including Christmas Day making them one of the few places that you can get live bait on Friday.
Lake Okeechobee North End
Garrard’s Bait & Tackle, Okeechobee; 863-763-3416: Lief reports that last weekend’s cold spell didn’t really bring too many changes to the lake, just not long enough. The bass being caught remain mostly males with an occasional female in the mix. Wild Shiners are still out performing artificials. Those using artificials are starting the day with BigEzs and Flukes and then switching over to flipping with Senko style baits. Speck fishing in both the lake and the river remains strong with minnows being the preferred bait. For the Christmas Holiday, Garrard’s will have regular business hours on Thursday and Saturday and will be closed on Christmas Day.
No Bad Daze Bait & Tackle, Okeechobee; 863-484-8126: Speck fishing has been good on the drift in Lake Okeechobee as well as in the mouth of the Kissimmee River. Reports of 2-lb ‘slabs’ are frequent. Minnows, chartreuse jigs, and some tubes are the most common baits. Bass still seem to be mostly males and in the 4-6lb range. Wild Shiners are the most productive bait though crank baits and flipping baits have had a good showing. For the Holidays, the shop will be closing at noon on Thursday, remain closed on Friday, and reopen on Saturday with normal business hours.
J&S Fish Camp, Okeechobee; 513-252-149: Ed at the J&S Bait & Tackle Shop has reports of increased Speck activity along the NE side of the lake. Bass fishing has remained unchanged with mostly small males with an occasional Trophy Catch eligible fish being caught. For the Christmas Holiday, the bait shop will be closed on Friday though Thursday and Saturday will have normal business hours.
Highlands County
Admiral’s Cove, Laker Placid; 863-465-0982: Ed reports minnow and jig sales are up this week which means Crappie fishing is improving. Lake Istokpoga and the lakes near Lake Placid are all reporting a good Speck bite. Bass in the shallow water lakes still remain scattered. Admiral’s Cove will have regular hours on Thursday, be closed on Christmas Day, and will reopen on Saturday with regular business hours. Ed is telling us he will be carrying wild shiners come the 1st of the Year so stop-by on your way to the lake for your bait and some strong cup of Cuban coffee.
Lorida Bait & Tackle, Lorida; 863-655-2323: Scott reports excellent Speck fishing on Istokpoga with some really nice size slabs being brought in. Reports are coming in the Specks are in the shallows and the females are filled with roe. Minnows are the primary bait though brown and chartreuse jigheads are also producing fish. For bass, they remain scattered and the recent cold snap chased what fish were in the shallows back out into the lake. Besides live shiners, guys fishing with frogs and flipping Senkos, BigEzs, and fluke style baits have been boating some nice sized bass. Catfishing in the creeks, canals, and Kissimmee River remains steady with stink baits and night-crawlers doing well. For Christmas Day, the bait shop will be closed though Thursday and Friday will have regular business hours.
Performance Boats Bait & Tackle, Lake Placid: The guys at Performance B&T say the deep water lakes in the Lake Placid – Sebring area are having a great Speck bite. Big bass still remain on the brush piles or holding to structure while young juveniles in the 1-3 lbs range are out in open water chasing schools of bait. Use you electronics to locate the bait and you can have a field day catching and releasing these smaller fish. We’re approaching the 2nd half of a two week weather pattern so stabilized temperatures should bring out the best in local fishing. The bait shop will be closing early on Thursday, will remain closed on Christmas Day, and then reopen on Saturday with normal business hours.
Tale Tales Bait & Tackle, Avon Park; 863-452-2248: Specks and catfish are the words of the day. The lakes in Highlands County are coming alive with quality Specks. Red Beach Lake, Lake Sebring, Arbuckle Lake are all very active. Minnows are the primary bait. Catfish remain very active in the local creeks and lakes. Bass fishing remains active though large females still remain scattered. Tall Tales is be closing at noon on Thursday, remain closed on Christmas Day and then reopen with regular hours on Saturday. So if you plan on Speck fishing Thursday night or over the Christmas Holiday, stop in before they close on Thursday.
Caloosahatchee River
Miller Bait & Tackle, LaBelle; 863-342-8264: The Corp continues to pulse water through the locks at a reasonable rate. Last weekend Moore Haven was moving approx. 1,500 cfs, Ortona was pushing 2,100 cfs and Franklin was pushing 2,500 cfs. Since moving water attracts fish, the river has seen an uptick in all species of fishing. The Army Corp posts that scheduled releases will continue over the coming week so this should be a productive weekend on the river. The bait shop will be closing at 3:pm on Thursday, remain closed on Friday, and then open with normal business hours on Saturday.
IN CLOSING
Coastal Angler – Okeechobee wishes you and your family a very Merry Christmas. After all the presents, pies, and cookies, it’s time to break-out that new fishing gear. Mother Nature is providing us some great weather this holiday weekend so pack up the boat, grab the kids, and have a wonderful time on the water.
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