Okeechobee Fishing Overview
It looks like the weatherman is going to be nice to us boaters this weekend. Clear sunny skies and light to moderate winds should make for an enjoyable boating weekend. However, Mr. Bass might be a little reluctant this weekend. A cold front will be pushing through the area on Wednesday and Thursday which will cool off the water temperatures once again. We’ll have to wait a day or two to see how much the water temperature drops but we know from the past few weeks that anything in the mid 50°s won’t be good for the bass bite. In addition, water levels are still rising on the Big O so the mantra for this weekend should be to look for clear water and fish slow. As the day warms up you can begin to move into the channels that lead to the shallows for the fish should also be searching for warmer waters.
WEATHER OUTLOOK
The weather outlook for this weekend is looking pretty good though the morning temperatures will be a bit chilling. Friday morning lows will be in the mid 40°s and climb to 70° by mid-day under sunny skies. Saturday and Sunday will be just about the same. During this time the barometer will remain in a somewhat steady pattern. Winds on Friday will be light out of the SW at less than 10mph. Through the weekend winds will shift in a clockwise pattern and be mostly W to NW on Saturday and finally ending up in an ENE direction by Sunday. Throughout this period winds should remain at less than 15mph. Chances of rain will be minimal throughout the entire weekend. On Friday sunrise will be at 7:02am and will set at 6:12pm. The AM: Major will occur at 2:26am and the PM:Major will occur at 2:52pm. Remember the periods advance approximately 1-hr per day. A quarter moon will rise at 9:54am and set at 10:45pm. All-in-all it’s shaping up to be a very nice weekend weather-wise.
WATER LEVELS: 02/12/2016
Lake Okeechobee: 16.36ASL ↑ 0.11-ft, Temp 60°
Lake Istokpoga: 39.34 ASL ↑ 0.06-ft, Temp 57°
Arbuckle Creek @ DeSoto: 4.8-ft ↓ 0.2-ft
Fisheating Creek @ US 27: 5.99-ft ↓ 0.35-ft
Peace River @ Zolfo Springs: 11.94↑ 0.05-ft
Kissimmee River @ S-65E: Head 20.90-ft, Tail 16.06-ft, Flow 5517 CFS
Caloosahatchee River
Moore Haven Locks S-77: Head 15.99-ft, Tail 11.33-ft, Flow 6520 CFS, 7-day avg 5,750 CFS
Ortona Locks S-78: Head 10.62-ft, Tail 3.34-ft, Flow 6918 CFS, 7-day avg. 7,117 CFS
W.P Franklin Lock S-79: Head 2.84-ft, Tail 1.60-ft, Flow 9555 CFS, 7-day avg. 9,751 CFS
Lake Okeechobee Locks
St Lucie Lock S-80: Head 13.60-ft, Tail 2.48-ft, Flow 5117 CFS, 7-day avg. 4,443 CFS
Port Mayaca Lock S-308: Head 16.45-ft, Tail 16.09-ft, Flow 3108 CFS. 7-day avg. 2,633 CFS
LAKE OKEECHOBEE – SOUTH END
Slim’s Fish Camp, Belle Glade; 561-996-3844: Jim expects the nice weather this weekend to improve overall conditions. Water levels are still up so you have to go further into the grass to find the bigger bass. Clean water is being found but it depends on the direction of the wind. At the moment it can be found in the Grassy Island area. For the bass, the wild shiner bite still remains the best bet for the larger females. Unfortunately with this high water and changing conditions as of late, wild shiners and been tough to catch so supply is limited. The artificial bite has picked up over the past few days with flipping and pitching into the grass and reeds producing some nice catches in the 5-7 lb range with a few 8’s in the mix. Crappie and Bluegil fishing has been steadily improving as well. It looks like a good weekend to fish so take advantage of it while it’s here.
Roland Martin Marine Center, Clewiston; 863-983-2128: Rising water, strong winds, and changing temperatures have tempered the bass bite. Both the wild shiner bite and the artificial bite has been slow. Best bet is to search for pockets of clear and/or moving water. Also look for blown-n cattails and reeds that are laid down. It might be tougher to punch through these provide nice cover for sheltering bass. Also just a reminder that the BFL Tournament is this weekend out of Clewiston. There will be 230 or so boats headed out of Roland and Mary Ann Martin’s so recreational fishermen should stay clear during the early morning take-off and keep in mind that there will be a lot of run-n-gun fishermen on the lake this weekend.
The Bait Shop at Harney Pond, Lakeport; 863-946-0170: The Bait Shop at Harney Pond reports plenty of smaller bass are being caught on wild shiners and artificals when you can find clean water. Fisheating Creek is still pushing high volumes of water into the lake and high winds have stirred up the open waters of the lake so finding clean water has been a challenge. You need to get off the main channels to find the clean water. When you do there are 6 & 7 lb females still with roe and plenty of bucks to be found. Spinner baits such as a white Hildebrandt spinner or a mouse color War Eagle have been consistent producers. As for Specks, windy conditions have made it difficult to get out to Bird and Horse Islands but the Specks are still there if you can get there. This weekend the winds should cooperate so it might be a good time to get out there. It’s a quarter moon this weekend so don’t expect any help from the man-in-the-moon.
LAKE OKEECHOBEE – NORTH END
Garrard’s Bait & Tackle, Okeechobee; 863-763-3416: The folks at Garrard’s report the bass bite has been slow due to low water temperatures and windy conditions. The bass remain scattered so one day you can catch a nice 8-lber and the next day just some 4’s. The artificial bite has been slower than the shiner bite. The good news is their tanks are full of shiners so there are plenty to go around unlike the tight supply at the south end of the lake. Specks remain very active and are taking both minnows and jigs along the grass, the river, and on the drift. Clean water can be found and that is where you’ll find both the bass and specks. Until the water temperature stabilizes, the afternoon bite appears to be stronger for both the bass and the specks.
No Bad Daze Bait & Tackle, Okeechobee; 863-484-8126: Tyler reports the bass bite has been off as of late. Shiners are producing but not like they should be for this time of year. High and dirty water with fluctuating temperatures are probably the main issues. Specks remain a strong bite with minnows and jigs both producing nice catches. Brown tube jigs seem to be the preferred jig of the week. The grass beds out by Henry Creek Lock seems to be a new area of Speck activity. With light winds out of the west to NE this weekend should help clear the water and make it an enjoyable weekend.
J&S Fish Camp, Okeechobee: Speck fishing out in the grass just outside the locks is doing well and so is the side Rim Canal. High water levels have pushed the fish deeper into the lake side grass. The bass bite has improved some though still being impacted by the dirty water. Look for bass in the cattails and reeds when cooler temperatures are present.
HIGHLANDS COUNTY
Admiral’s Cove. Laker Placid; 863-465-0982: Bass fishing has slowed somewhat due to the rough conditions on the lakes. Those going out in the afternoon after the waters warmed up a bit are doing better than the early morning anglers. The Speck bite remains good with minnows being the primary bait.
Performance Marine, Lake Placid; 863-465-2814: Finding a consistent bass bite has been difficult. Mostly dinks, under 4-lbs, being caught in the shallows. This weekend should offer some stable water conditions and the movement of the bas should increase. Specks remain very active on both minnows and jigs. There have been a few reports of shellcrackers starting to show up and they are taking red worms and crickets.
Lorida Bait & Tackle, Lorida; 863-655-2323: When the weather cooperates the bass fishing has been improving. When the lake water temperature drops into the 50°s after a cool front it takes a day or two for the fish to acclimate. This past Sunday the Tampa Pro Bass Club held a tournament on the lake and there were plenty of 5 and 6 lbs bass taken. The Big Bass was a 9.5lb bruiser. The winning bag weight was over 20-lbs so despite windy conditions the bass are cooperating. Dark colored jigs and swim baits are the productive artificals. Speck fishing has been fluctuating with the water conditions. The light winds predicted for this weekend should held produce an active bite. Catfish are very active in the spillways off of 621 & 721. Big juicy nightcrawlers and stink baits are the preferred baits.
Tale Tales Bait & Tackle, Avon Park; 863-452-2248: Bass fishing in the Avon Park area is picking up with females in the pre-spawn and bedding mode. The pre-spawners seem to be holding off shore just outside the grass lines. They are taking live shiners and artificals that are presented deep. Specks are also biting well with minnows the preferred bait.
CALOOSAHATCHEE RIVER
Miller Bait & Tackle, LaBelle; 863-342-8264: The Corps is releasing large volumes of water from Lake Okeechobee. All three spillways are very active. In the fast moving water you’ll find big catfish holding to bottom eddies and structure. At Franklin Locks a few snook are being taken on live bait and artificial stick baits. Bass are staying off the current and can be found in the oxbows and Lake Hicpochee.
Upper Peace River
The Peace River had a major pulse of water this past weekend and peaked at 13-ft on Monday at Zolfo Springs. It has been on a steady decline since then and is now at 11.94-ft and falling. Bass and snook should be responding favorably to the slowing currents and putting on their feed bag.
IN-CLOSING
If the water temperatures remain somewhat steady during the passing of this week’s cold front, then this weekend’s fishing should be good. Real good if you can find clear water on Lake Okeechobee and Lake Istokpoga. Expect the north end of Lake Okeechobee to pick up momentum as the winds die down and leave behind cleaner water. It will be a while before order is restored at Fisheating Bay. Highlands County lakes should also be very active this weekend.
