FISHING REPORT OVERVIEW
This weekend is shaping up to be another great boating weekend but for those of you combining camping with fishing or a little 4-wheeling, be mindful of any flames, sparks, or heat sources in areas south and west of Lake Okeechobee. Though Wednesday’s cold front brought much needed rain, the counties of Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Hendry, Glades, and inland Collier County continue to be in a Fire Watch issued by the National Weather Bureau. Over the next few days relative humidity will be low and with plenty of dry fuel in the fields and moderate winds expected, any fire that develops is likely to spread rapidly. So be mindful of ignition sources. The good news is that this is a New Moon weekend with the New Moon rising Friday morning at 6:43am making this a great fishing weekend.
WEATHER OUTLOOK
With the passing of the cold front and the arrival of a reinforcing cold front, the weekend weather looks outstanding. Morning lows on Friday will be in the upper 50’s with day time highs only reaching the upper 70’s under sunny skies. On Saturday the morning lows will be in the low to mid 50’s with day time highs reaching 80°. Sunday will be slightly warmer with morning lows in the upper 50’s and day time highs in the mid 80’s. The barometer will be on the rise while humidity levels will be low. On Friday sunrise will be at 6:40am and set at 7:57pm. There will be a New Moon on Friday so reflectance will be 0% and the moon will rise at 6:43am and set at 9:11pm.
Water Levels: 05/04/2016
Note: USGS datalinks are unavailable at the time of this report.
Lake Okeechobee: 14.38 ASL ↔ 0.00-ft
Lake Istokpoga: 38.76 ASL↔ 0.00-ft
Istokpoga Canal S68: Head 38.76 ASL, Tail 31.69 ASL, Flow 0 CFS
Arbuckle Creek @ DeSoto: 3.1-ft ↓ 0.1-ft
Fisheating Creek @ US 27: 1.25-ft ↑ 0.35-ft
Fisheating Creek @ Lakeport: 13.84 ASL ↓ 0.9-ft
Peace River @ Zolfo Springs: 4.71-ft ↓ 0.35-ft
Kissimmee River @ S-65E: Head-NR, Tail-NR, Flow-NR
Caloosahatchee River
Moore Haven Locks S-77: Head 13.52-ft, Tail 11.18-ft, Flow 622 CFS, 7-day avg 2,128 CFS
Ortona Locks S-78: Head 11.14-ft, Tail 3.02-ft, Flow 1624 CFS, 7-day avg. 1,782 CFS
W.P Franklin Lock S-79: Head 3.17-ft, Tail 2.30-ft, Flow 2002 CFS, 7-day avg. 2,456 CFS
Lake Okeechobee Locks
St Lucie Lock S-80: Head 13.98-ft, Tail 0.96-ft, Flow-NR CFS, 6-day avg. 733 CFS
Port Mayaca Lock S-308: Head 14.47-ft, Tail 14.10-ft, Flow 253 CFS. 7-day avg. 655 CFS
Lake Okeechobee South End
Slim’s Fish Camp, Belle Glade; 561-996-3844: This past week has seen some hot weather and steady breezes so fishing has slowed down a bit. The bass bite is good in the early morning but you need to be fishing at first light before the sun comes up. During that time the bass are very aggressive and taking topwater frogs, poppers, and spinner baits but once the bite stops, the action slows down and you’ll have to work for your strikes. As the day progresses look for deep pockets and holes or good cover and fish deep. Depending on the strength and direction of the wind you may need to search a bit to find clean water but that time will be well spent. Catfish and Bluegill fishing remain strong. It’s a New Moon weekend so if the winds cooperate, it’s a good weekend to be on the lake.
Roland Martin Marine Center, Clewiston; 863-983-2128: Fishing has been good these last few days. Water levels still continue to drop and bass are coming out of the backwaters. This past weekend the B.A.S.S. Nation’s Florida High School Series State Championships were held here and it took over 23-pounds to win the tournament. A true testament to the quality teams and the fishing venue. The artificial bait bite continues to improve as the water temperature continues to rise. Topwater in the early mornings producing some nice size bass while Senkos and jigs produce in the later hours.
The Bait Shop at Harney Pond, Lakeport; 863-946-0170: Ed from The Bait Shop at Harney Pond reports the bass fishing has been pretty good as of late. Anglers heading to Bird Island and the Shoals have been catching schooling bass in the 4-5 lbs class. These have been aggressive feeders taking spinners and swim baits in the shallow waters and crank baits in the deeper waters. Recent rains in the Palmdale area will be draining through Fisheating Creek and Harney Pond Canal which will flush bait fish and other food into the bay so before venturing out from the area check out the mouths of these feeder streams. Bluegill action continues to be hot with large beds being spotted all through the area. Crickets are the mainstay for these panfish. Shellcrackers still remain somewhat scattered but their numbers are increasing. Use red wriggler worms for these panfish. Also being caught are Myan Cichlids. Often mistaken for Oscars these fish are being caught right along with the Bluegills and are preferring crickets. Dyess Ditch by Twin Palms Resort had a nice run of Cichlids this past week with some fish in the 1.5 lb range. Catfish remain ever present.
Lake Okeechobee North End
Garrard’s Bait & Tackle, Okeechobee; 863-763-3416: Lief reports fishing remains steady and there is a real strong bite just before sunrise. The artificials continue to improve with topwater and spinners in the morning and jigs and soft plastics in the later part of the day. The Northshore area continues to produce large numbers of mid-size fish in the 2-4 lb range. Bluegills remain very active and feeding well on crickets. Shellcrackers are showing up more but are still scattered. Catfish are real active in the Kissimmee River.
No Bad Daze Bait & Tackle, Okeechobee; 863-484-8126: The boys are reporting a very strong bass bite yesterday during breaks in the rain. The bass where hitting swim baits hard. JuneBug colored and baits in the darker greens were producing well. Those getting out early are finding good topwater action with spinners, frogs and chatter baits. As the sun climbs during the day switch up to Senko style baits again in dark green colors. Bluegills remain active in the creeks, Rim Canal and outside in the lake. Shellcrackers are becoming more prevalent and are being taken in the grasses from Nubbin Slough to J&S Locks. Red Wiggler worms produce the best for these panfish. After the recent rains, stop by every culvert and stream you see with increased flow. You’ll find a wide variety of panfish and nice size bass.
J&S Fish Camp, Okeechobee: Terri from J&S Fish Camp reports bass are being caught in the grass fields just outside the locks. Soft plastic worms and Senko style worms are producing well. Bluegills are active and taking crickets both in the lake and in the Rim Canal. The bass bite has been slow in the Rim Canal though the early morning bite remains the best time. Don’t forget the J&S Fish Camp bait shop is now holding live bait and wild shiners.
Highlands County
Admiral’s Cove. Laker Placid; 863-465-0982: Recent rains have given the local lakes a nice spike in fresh water and fishing activity. Bluegills remain the most active panfish being caught these days though we’re beginning to see more Shellcrackers. The shallow water lakes are getting pretty warm in the late afternoons so fish early or late for bass. Topwater baits are working well in the early mornings but change to plastic worms and slower moving plastics during the afternoons.
Performance Marine, Lake Placid, 863-465-2814: The deeper lakes are stabilizing and the bite is in the shallows in the early morning and offshore during the day. Schooling bass are being found off the ledges and brush piles. With recent rains look for more activity near flowing streams and culverts.
Lorida Bait & Tackle, Lorida; 863-655-2323: Scott mentions that the bait & tackle shop will be entering summer hours in the coming weeks. He will not be selling live bait through the summer period. He’ll still be available for artificial bait, terminal tackle and accessories though you’ll need to meet him at the General Store first. Fishing on Lake Istokpoga remains good though scattered at times. There seems to be a late bass spawn taking place so large females are in the shallows as well as plenty of buck bass. Steady winds has stirred up the water so finding clear water can be troublesome. Recent rains should make the mouth of Arbuckle Creek and Fisheating Creek active places.
Caloosahatchee River
Mickey’s Bait & Tackle, Moore Haven; 863-946-3100: Tom reports Bluegill and Shellcrackers are showing up in the Caloosahatchee and the canals in the Lakeport area. Catfish are plentiful and feeding aggressively. Snook are biting well at the locks in Moore Haven. The Bomber Magnum Long A series are producing well with the go-to colors being Chartreuse-Silver, Purple-Black, and Mother of Pearl. If targeting bass use a smaller sized Bomber.
Miller Bait & Tackle, LaBelle; 863-342-8264: Recent heavy rains in the Moore Haven area is injecting runoff into the river. If you’re fishing the river be sure to check out the flowing culverts and heavy flowing streams for they will be fish magnets. Snook are still biting strong at the spillways and Bluegill and Shellcrackers are beginning to show up in numbers. Bluegills are taking crickets and shellcrackers are taking worms and minnows. Big catfish are also attracted to the flowing water so go down deep it you are looking for some nice catfish fillets.
Peace River: Prior to the rain the river has been low and bass and snook where holding up in the deeper pockets of the river. This made them aggressive and made for great fishing. Anglers were catching snook right off the docks at Canoe Outpost in Arcadia. In the river smaller lures and baits work better than the big magnum lures you would use inshore or on the ocean. It will take 2 or 3 days for the flow spike to pass and water levels to stabilize. Until then fish near culverts and incoming feeder streams and where logs and river turns create eddies where bass and snook will sit and wait for food to come their way.
IN-CLOSING
The recent dry spell was broken by a brief but strong period of rain which makes every flowing culvert or stream a fish magnetic. Get out now before the flows subside. The only down side could be the cool morning temperatures might reduce the otherwise active morning bite.
