FISHING REPORT OVERVIEW
With the Memorial Day weekend here, make it a memorable weekend. Just be safe on the highways and waterways. Pack extra patience for dealing with the idiots you may come upon. Recent heavy rains has made fishing spotty. In areas with little rain the water quality remains good. In areas with heavy rains, rising streams and rivers have brought silt and low oxygen levels to the lakes. Find clear water and you’ll find good fishing.
WEATHER OUTLOOK
As the recent high pressure system moves off to the east, expect to see the return of afternoon showers and occasional thunderstorms for the entire holiday weekend. We’ll see the greatest chance of rain on Saturday afternoon with percentages ranging from 60-80%. The rest of the weekend will have the seasonal 30-40% chance of rain depending where you are at. As the High Pressure ridge moves east, the barometric pressure will continue to fall with it bottoming out late Tuesday afternoon. Winds will be a bit breezy on Friday at ENE at 15+mph and then simmer down to eastwardly at less than 10mph with periods of light and variable winds. However near thunderstorms the winds will increase considerably so be careful. Temperatures will be warm this weekend with morning lows in the low 70’s and highs in the mid to upper 80’s with the ’feel like’ temperatures in the 90’s. The nights will be sticky and humid. On Friday sunrise will be at 6:30am and it will set at 8:10pm. The moon will rise at 12:10am and set at 11:32am. It will be waxing and be at 71% reflective. The Friday am:Major will occur at 4:31am while the pm:Major will occur at 4:57pm. Add approximately 50 minutes for the following days. This should make for a nice holiday weekend on the water as long as you keep an eye out for thunderstorms and wear plenty of sunscreen.
WATER LEVELS: 02/1262016
Lake Okeechobee: 14.38 ASL ↑ 0.73-ft, Temp 80° am
Lake Istokpoga: 38.40 ASL↓ 0.38-ft, Temp 80° am
Istokpoga Canal S68: Head 38.39 ASL, Tail 32.13 ASL, Flow 1901 CFS
Arbuckle Creek @ DeSoto: 5.2-ft ↑ 1.9-ft spiked at 6.0-ft
Fisheating Creek @ US 27: 4.77ft ↑ 0.27-ft spiked at 5.0 ft
Fisheating Creek @ Lakeport: NR ASL
Peace River @ Zolfo Springs: 8.00-ft ↓ 2.88-ft, spiked at 11.0-ft
Kissimmee River @ S-65E: Head 21.15 ft, Tail 14.44-ft, Flow-8252 CFS
Caloosahatchee River
Moore Haven Locks S-77: Head 14.48-ft, Tail 11.23-ft, Flow 705 CFS, 7-day avg 288 CFS
Ortona Locks S-78: Head 10.65-ft, Tail 2.77-ft, Flow 2452 CFS, 7-day avg. 2,352 CFS
W.P Franklin Lock S-79: Head 3.20-ft, Tail 0.76-ft, Flow 1717 CFS, 7-day avg. 4,050 CFS
Lake Okeechobee Locks
St Lucie Lock S-80: Head 14.11-ft, Tail 0.97-ft, Flow-499 CFS, 7-day avg. 796 CFS
Port Mayaca Lock S-308: Head 14.27-ft, Tail 14.10-ft, Flow 387 CFS. 7-day avg. 237 CFS
Lake Okeechobee South End
Slim’s Fish Camp, Belle Glade; 561-996-3844: The water has come up a bit and this has pushed the bass deeper into the grass. Anglers finding clear water are doing ok along the edges in the early hours and having to go deeper into the grass and mats during the afternoons. Wild shiners remain the best chance of landing quality fish though artificial baits are still productive. Panfish such as bluegills and Bream remain active and catfish are ever present. This long weekend should be an outstanding time on the water.
Roland Martin Marine Center, Clewiston; 863-983-2128: Water levels have jumped with the recent rains and the slowing down of lake releases so some bass have taking the opportunity to venture back into the trails while some have been pushed offshore. So it’s a hit and miss bite right now. If you find schooling bait you’ll find schooling bass. For artificial baits, Senkos and swimbaits are working well. As for panfish, plenty of Bluegills still being caught with crickets the primary bait. It should be a busy holiday weekend on the water so be safe on the lake.
The Bait Shop at Harney Pond, Lakeport; 863-946-0170: Ed reports the creeks and rivers are flowing strongly with water from recent rains and the water managers sending water south from points up north. All that fresh water and sediment has a tendency to push the fish further out into the lake. Best bet is to look for color changes in the water to find stable oxygen levels. Bass are still holding in the eel grass and pepper grass beds south of Horse Island up to Bird Island. In the morning toss spinner baits and topwater baits over the grass and then drag swim baits through the grass as the day gets longer. Wild shiners are also an effective bait to drift these grass beds with. If the winds allow you, get out to the shoal islands for these have been productive. However strong eastwardly winds will drive you off of them quickly. Bluegills are still pretty thick though they have been moving with this changing water. Tilapia are around the Dyess Ditch area and they are very active. Though considered vegetarians, they will take crickets and worms. Last week one happy angler brought in a 5.5 lber while fishing for Bluegills. As for Shell Crackers, they still remain very scattered. The key phrase for this weekend is ‘water quality’. Find good water and you’ll find plenty of fish.
Lake Okeechobee North End
Garrard’s Bait & Tackle, Okeechobee; 863-763-3416: Larry reports the shiner bite has been real good. There are a lot of reports of 40-50 bass per outing on wild shiners with some nice 6-7lbs fish being taken. If you want to have a 40 fish outing expect a hook up ratio of 50-60% so you’ll need to take 8 dozen shiners with you to reach those numbers. The artificial bite has been a topwater bite in the morning and a flipping and jigging bite in the afternoons. The point off of Little Grassy Point, the lee side of King’s Bar and down towards Tin House Cove have been consistent producers. The Kissimmee River has been flowing real strong and the lake level has come up ¾ of a foot so expect to see lots of moving water. Fish the eddies. Catfish are loving this flowing water. Garrard’s has also just brought in a new supply of Freedom Tackle’s (www.freedomlures.com) jigheads which have the unique ability to swap out the hook and provide a free swinging motion for a more life-like presentation. Give them a try.
J&S Fish Camp, Okeechobee; 772-597-4455: Terri reports the Corps have cleared the lock of vegetation this past week so boaters have been able to get out onto the lake. They are finding lots of Bream and Shell Crackers in the grass beds to the north of the locks. Some large female bass are also in these grass flats. Being on the opposite side of the lake from the Kissimmee River and Fisheating Creek, water clarity on the NE shore remains good. Plenty of catfish are also being caught.
Highlands County
Admiral’s Cove. Laker Placid; 863-465-0982: The shallower lakes on the south end of Highlands County are in summer mode. They heat up quickly during the day time and cool ever so slightly if the nights are warm and humid. Since most are localized with very little inflow, they will vary greatly when heavy rains come. So one week they can be low and the next week they can be high. During high periods don’t pass up freshly flooded grass shorelines. As for panfish, they have been active and bedding in the shallows.
Performance Marine, Lake Placid, 863-465-2814: Geoff reports the dep water lakes in the Highlands are still in transition into summer mode. There is still a big difference in water temperatures from the shallows and the deeper pockets of the lakes. Fish the shallows in the morning and during overcast periods and move to the deeper parts during the heat of the day. When in deep water use your electronics to locate brush piles, ledges and schools of bait. When bringing bass up from the colder deeper water, boat them quickly and release them quickly for the warmer surface water will make it harder for them to recover.
Lorida Bait & Tackle, Lorida; 863-655-2323: Lake Istokpoga is hit or miss this time of year. So big weigh in bags are being brought in but on the same day others are having a hard time locating fish. The water is getting very warm and changes temperature rapidly during hot sunny days. So fish shallow and on top during the morning and try some of the shaded areas in the afternoon. The spillway on CR 621 is pushing a fair amount of water so expect fishing to be good at the spillway. Catfish, panfish and bass will all be attracted to the moving water.
Caloosahatchee River
Mickey’s Bait & Tackle, Moore Haven, 863-946-3100: After recent heavy rains a lot of runoff has been emptying into the river downstream so the discharges from Lake Okeechobee have slowed. Without the current near the Moore Haven Lock the Snook have turned off and catfish have filled their void. Bass fishing has picked up a bit as the water flow has diminished. On Lake Okeechobee near Harney Pond and Lakeport, the water is pretty muddy and bass fishing has slowed down. You’ll need to either find clear water or fish with lures that create vibration when the water is chocolate colored.
Miller Bait & Tackle, LaBelle; 863-342-8264: The spillways at Ortona and Franklin are very active. Lots of runoff is draining into the river from recent rains. Spillways, streams and culverts are attracting lots of fish and attention. Snook are still plentiful at both locks and bass are near the culverts and oxbows.
IN CLOSING
Recent rains has streams, rivers, canals and Lake Okeechobee on the rise. The new water does lower water quality near the mouth of these sources. On Lake Okeechobee your best chance to find clear water is on the south side, the top of the lake, and the north east side of the lake. Find clear water and you’ll find good fishing.
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