OVERVIEW
The first few weekends of the New Year have been tough fishing weather. High winds, cold temperatures and rain has made it hard on the fish and the fishermen. This weekend offers a break in sloppy weather and should be taken advantage of. Sunny skies and light winds should warm up the local water temperatures so look for the fish to return to the shallows and be on the feed.
WEATHER OUTLOOK
The rain that has been soaking the entire region these last few days should be over by Thursday evening. Behind it a moderate high pressure ridge will pass though providing us clear skies and somewhat cool temperatures on Friday with a morning low of 54° and an afternoon high of 65°. Winds will be out of the NW at 10-15mph. Conditions only get better the reminder of the weekend. Saturday starts off with a chill in the air with temperatures around 42° though they will rise quickly into the upper 60°s under bright sunny skies and variable winds under 10mph. Sunday will be more of the same with morning temperatures in the mid to low 50°s and climbing into the low 70°s under partly cloudy skies. Again winds will be light and variable with a SE component. On Friday sunrise will be at 7:10am and will set at 6:01pm. The moon will be on the wane this weekend coming off a full moon this past Monday. On Friday the moon will already be up at midnight and set at 11:41am. The AM:Major for Friday is at 3:09am while the PM:Major occurs at 3:31pm. Remember to add approximately 1-hr to these events for each consecutive day thereafter.
Water Levels – 01/28/16
Lake Okeechobee: 15.54 ASL ↑ 0.44-ft Temp 60°
Lake Istokpoga: 39.37 ASL ↑ 0.13-ft, Temp 61°
Arbuckle Creek @ DeSoto: 4.50 ↓ 0.55-ft
Fisheating Creek @ US 27: 6.00 ↓ 0.2-ft
Peace River @ Zolfo Springs: 12.19 ↑ 0.90-ft;
Kissimmee River @ S-65E: Head 20.92-ft, Tail 15.73-ft, Flow 3366 CFS
Caloosahatchee River
Moore Haven Locks S-77: Head 15.54-ft, Tail 11.64-ft, Flow 0 CFS
Ortona Locks Head S-78: 11.40-ft, Tail 3.51-ft, Flow 1717 CFS, 5-day avg. 1353 CFS
W.P Franklin Lock S-79: Head 3.12-ft, Tail 1.95-ft, Flow 5576 CFS, 5-day avg. 3991 CFS
Lake Okeechobee Locks
St Lucie Lock S-80: Head 14.74-ft, Tail 2.13-ft, Flow 1874 CFS, 5-day avg. 740 CFS
Port Mayaca Lock S-308: Head 15.75-ft, Tail 15.11-ft, Flow 0 CFS. 5-day avg. 0 CFS
Lake Okeechobee South End
Slim’s Fish Camp, Belle Glade; 561-996-3844: Rainy conditions impacted not only the fishing but the local community as well. Fields are flooded so there is a lot of back pumping into the local canals. This is probably a condition seen through-out all of central and south Florida. Lake levels have jumped over a foot these past 10 days and is expected to continue in the coming days. Speck fishermen venturing out in the lake are still limiting out but little to report from the bass fishermen. The bright side is that the forecast for this weekend looks great and everyone should take advantage of it. If bass fishing, finding clear water should be the key this weekend.
Roland Martins Marine Center; 863-983-2128: Despite less than ideal conditions, those venturing out are finding good numbers and some nice sized bass (8-lbs plus). Shiners remain the preferred bait for the bigger fish. Conditions are changing daily so it’s good to keep your options open.
The Bait Shop at Harney Pond, Lakeport; 863-946-0170: Weather conditions have been tough these last few days though Speck fishermen going out to the Bird Island area have been doing well both in size and quantities. Last weekend’s full moon brought some nice sized female bass onto the beds and there were good reports of 8-10lb fish being caught. Unfortunately this heavy rain has filled up the streams and the canals flowing into the lake with plenty of red water, tannic acid, and low oxygen levels which have chased many of the fish out of the canals, rivers, and Fisheating Bay. Catfish seem to be loving these conditions and have been very active. It will take a few days for the water to clear so this weekend stay out on the edges and avoid muddy waters.
Lake Okeechobee North End
Garrard’s Bait & Tackle, Okeechobee; 863-763-3416: Not many people were out bass fishing on Lake Okeechobee over the past few days so there is little to report. Prior to the rains, the bass bite started rebounding after being shocked by the crash in lake temperatures. During the cold spell the lake temperature dropped to around 54° but has since been climbing back up. This weekend with nice weather expected, look for warmer and cleaner waters for a better bite. Speck fishing remains a very strong bite.
No Bad Daze Bait & Tackle, Okeechobee; 863-484-8126: Tyler reports very few guys have been targeting bass due to the weather conditions. However Specks remain a strong bite with minnows the preferred bait. Sunshine bass, aka stripe bass, have been showing up in numbers around the Nubbins Slough area. Also the locks at Henry Creek have finally reopened after months of closure. Everyone is expecting warming lake waters and a sunny forecast this weekend to bring on a great bass bite.
J&S Fish Camp, Okeechobee: Once this weather front clears and warm temperatures return, things should improve quickly on the northeast side of the lake. With fewer inbound water sources entering the lake on this side of the lake, major influxes of dirty rain water have less of an impact on fishing in this area. Bass and speck fishing should be great this weekend.
Highlands County
Admiral’s Cove. Lake Placid, 863-465-0982: Ed reports Specks are still doing well especially near the full moon. Live bait such as minnows are the preferred bait for Specks. Bass fishing has been so-so though you can still catch’em during the breaks in the weather.
Performance Marine 863-465-2814: The bass bite on the bigger lakes in Lake Placid – Sebring area has been ho-hum. Fluctuating water temperatures have kept the Bass on the move from deeper water to shallower water. The 4 -8-ft of water seems to be the sweet spot. At these depths, crank baits and swim baits have been effective. Speck fishing remains strong and now some Shellcrackers (Redear Sunfish) are being to be taken in numbers. Red worms seem to be the best bait for this panfish. Lake Istokpoga remains murky which is impacting the bass bite.
Lorida Bait & Tackle, Lorida; 863-655-2323: Scott reports water conditions still remain murky and cold. This weekend’s sunny skies, warm temperatures and light winds will help to clear up the water. Specks still remain the primary target fish with bass fishermen staying clear of a rough and dirty lake. As the lake’s temperature rises so too will the bite.
Tale Tales Bait & Tackle, Avon Park 863-452-2248; It was a slow week for bass fishermen. Speck fishermen still are doing well. Good weather forecasted for this weekend should bring all the bass fishermen out.
Caloosahatchee River
Miller Bait & Tackle, LaBelle, 863-342-8264: The weather has kept most anglers at home. There is a lot of standing water in the local fields that is ending up in the river so the lower locks are pushing a lot of water. This heavy inflow brings muddy water which makes the bass bite a more reactionary bite. They also seek calmer waters so oxbows will be good hunting grounds. There has been reports of a nice Sunshine Bass, aka Stripe Bass, bite going on around the Ortona Locks. Stripers will hit shiners as well as shiny artificials. With faster moving water, the larger opportunistic fish such as Snook and Tarpon can be found on the down river side of the locks.
IN CLOSING
It’s been a tough January with one weather front after another. This weekend is a reprieve from this winter slop and should be taken advantage of. The time for fishing is now, the chores can wait until the rains return.
