Summary
Another weekend and yet another weather front is to play a dominate roll in this weekend’s fishing. When venturing out this weekend you’ll need to have a Plan A, B, and C prepared for the changing conditions. High winds and some rainy periods may cause you to shift gears a few times this weekend.
Weather
Another high pressure cool front will be moving through the area starting on late Wednesday and Thursday bringing periods of rain and then increasing barometric pressure with strong winds through the weekend. The front isn’t very strong so it will stall-out somewhere south of Lake Okeechobee and turn into a stationary front and oscillated north and south. As moisture and energy ride the front, showers will develop making it a wet weekend on the Big ‘O’. Winds will be out of the NE and should be approximately 15-mph on Friday, in excess of 20-mph on Saturday, and back to 15-mph on Sunday. The AM-Major on Friday will be around 6:00 am while the PM-Major occurs around 6:20 pm. These are great times for they occur within an hour of sunrise and sunset.
Water Levels
Lake Okeechobee: 14.66-ft ASL ↑ 0.15-ft, Surface Temp 73.5
Lake Istokpoga: 39.30-ft ASL ↑ 0.03-ft
Arbuckle Creek @ DeSoto: 4.00-ft ↓0.04-ft
Fisheating Creek @ US 27: 4.49-ft ↑ 0.72-ft
Peace River @ Zolfo Springs: 7.08-ft ↑ 1.00-ft
Kissimmee River @ S-65E: Head 20.91-ft, Tail 14.27-ft, Flow 964 CFS
Caloosahatchee River
Moore Haven Locks S-77: Head 14.31-ft, Tail 11.03-ft, Flow 450 CFS
Ortona Locks Head S-78: Head 10.84-ft, Tail 2.91-ft, Flow 473 CFS
W.P Franklin Lock S-79: Head 3.10-ft, Tail 1.43-ft, Flow 1010 CFS
Lake Okeechobee Locks
St Lucie Lock S-80: Head 14.11-ft, Tail 1.41-ft, Flow 0.00 CFS
Port Mayaca Lock S-308: Head 14.48-ft, Tail 14.11-ft, Flow 0.00 CFS
Lake Okeechobee South End
Slim’s Fish Camp, Belle Glade (561-996-3844): With steady winds, lake conditions have been tough this past week. Guys going for bass find themselves deep into the weeds in search of calmer waters. When you find yourself in these conditions, look for changes in vegetation and pockets leading to deeper water. Start at the channel or trail entrance and work your way into the weeds. Here the fishing trend is pitching and flipping. Those few that are going out have caught mostly 4-lb fish with a few 6’s in the mix.
Roland Martin Marine Center, Clewiston (863-983-2128): Mike Krause Jr. reports the bass bite has remained somewhat steady through this past week’s windy periods. Most are smaller males though an occasional 6-7 lb fish is brought onboard. Female bass have yet to return to the beds in large numbers. Start in the early morning at the entrance to Ritta Island with swimbaits or flukes. Then as the day progresses move to the heavy mats and reed heads and switch to pitching and flipping. Primary colors remain black/blue and some watermelon red. As for finding Specks, some are being found in Uncle Joe’s Cut in around 6-8-ft of water. Water quality in the Cut needs to be right for them to be there. Minnows and jigs are the primary baits for these Specks.
The Bait Shop at Harney Pond, Lakeport (863-946-0170): The guys at Harney Pond Bait Shop report the bass and Speck fishing has been hit and miss as of late. The strong east wind continues to stir up the water so finding clear water is a good starting point. Bass are hitting shiners pretty hard south of Bird Island into the entrance of the Monkey Box. Patches of eel grass and pepper grass are holding smaller male fish. Artificial baits have been slow but swim baits and plastic worms have been attracting feeding fish. Specks are being found in the passes though they are somewhat scattered. Minnows are the primary bait for these fish. The moon is on the waning quarter so Speck fishing should be picking up through next week.
Lake Okeechobee North End
Garrard’s Bait & Tackle, Okeechobee (863-763-3416): Lief reports the shiner bite has been great though the artificial bite still remains off. Those fishing with shiners are catching some nice 7 & 8-lbs fish while those fishing with artificial remain in the 2 to 5-lb range. Best artificials remain soft plastic worms, Senkos, and swim baits. The NW area of the lake is where most of the action has been which is King’s Bar down to Indian Prairie. Speck fishermen having been having a rough go due to the wind. Night fishermen can still venture out into the lake for some drift fishing but mid-day Speck fishermen are having to find calmer waters. The Kissimmee River remains active for both Specks and catfish. For the Specks, minnows and jigs in chartreuse and grass shrimp brown have been doing the best.
No Bad Daze Bait & Tackle, Okeechobee (863-484-8126): Tyler reports Specks have been the major activity this past week. Minnows and a Peanut-butter & Jelly colored jig have produced well. With the wind, Speck fishermen have to go out either early in the morning or late afternoon as the wind and lake settles down. Those bass fishermen following the same schedule have been doing well both on shiners and soft plastic worms. There has been a nice uptick in the number of 6 -8 lb fishing being caught. With the Henry Creek lock being closed, there has been a build-up of weeds which has been attracting some nice bass. Catfish also have been active in the creeks and canals and night-crawlers and stink baits have been producing good numbers.
Highlands County
Admiral’s Cove, Laker Placid (863-465-0155): Steady winds have kept many of the pontoon boaters off the lakes. Those getting out early are finding Specks to be scattered but once you find them the quantities and their sizes have been nice. Minnows and jigs remain the standard baits. Bass fishing on the smaller wind protected lakes remains steady.
Lorida Bait & Tackle, Lorida (863-655-1781): Scott from Lorida Bait reports the wind is keeping most fishermen off Lake Istokpoga or at least making their trips shorter than usual. Minnows are selling well which translates into good Speck fishing. Catfish are also being caught in good numbers in the creeks and rivers such as Arbuckle Creek, the Istokpoga Canal, and the Kissimmee River. Night-crawlers seem to do the best here. Bass fishermen have been having a tough time with the winds on Lake Istokpoga and those reporting catches report mostly small fish in the under 5-lbs range. Soft Plastic, creature baits, and jigs seem to attract the most attention.
Performance Marine Bait & Tackle, Lake Placid (863-465-2814): The folks at PMB&T report Specks in the lakes around Lake Placid and Sebring are active when you can get out there to get them. The wind has been calming during the late afternoons and evening hours so this remains a good time for both bass and panfish. When the winds kick up like they may this weekend, there are plenty of smaller lakes in Highlands County to launch and be somewhat protected from the wind and waves.
Tale Tales Bait & Tackle, Avon Park (863-452-2248): Rob at Tall Tails just returned from a Thanksgiving deer hunt in Georgia and he bagged a nice buck, see the posted picture. As for the fishing in the Avon Park area, not much has changed. Temperatures remain unseasonably warm so most of the bass being caught are in the deeper lakes and offshore due to the winds. This means you need to get out early before the winds drive you off the lake. The Speck bite in Lake June is still going strong while other lakes remain scattered.
Caloosahatchee River, Miller’s Bait & Tackle, LaBelle (863-342-8264): River inflows have been somewhat limited this week so bass have moved off the channel and into or near the streams and oxbows. With water temperatures still remaining high, it still feels like summertime patterns on the river. Slow and slower for you presentation. Snook are still present at the Ortona and Franklin locks
In closing, the fish are out there but moving and searching for clearer water or areas where the wind has driven the bait into. In these windy conditions, you just need to know where to look or run and gun until you find them. On another note, this past weekend I was on Lake Istokpoga and noticed a major change in the Lily Pads. Their leaves looked as if they were sprayed with shriveled ends and a reduction in mass. But they weren’t sprayed, this is the beginning of their annual winter die-off. These newly opened up areas are great places to start looking for bass and panfish. So be on the look-out for these areas while they last.
So good luck this weekend!
