WEATHER OUTLOOK
The weather outlook across south-central Florida will be pretty much the same for this weekend. Morning lows will be about 65° and daytime highs around 85°. Through-out the weekend, steady eastwardly winds will bring fast moving clouds and occasion rain showers. These clouds are low lying clouds which mean thunderstorm activity will be low. Friday morning will be mostly sunny with less than 10% chance of rain except around Clewiston where the chance of rain increases to approx. 25%. Winds will start in the morning from the NNE at less than 5-mph and increase through the day to around 15 mph and shift to the ENE. Saturday is just about the same in all areas and on Sunday the chance of rain will lessen.
On Friday the moon will rise around 4: pm and set at 3: am and will be approaching full moon which occurs on Tuesday. On Friday the morning Major Feed is around 8: am and the afternoon Major is around 8:45pm. Add approx. 1-hr to the time periods for each following day. All-in-all it should be a good weekend to get on the water until the winds kick up.
WATER LEVELS
- Lake Okeechobee: 14.71-f ASL (Above Sea Level) ↓0.09-ft
- Lake Istokpoga: 39.36-ft ASL ↓ 0.17-ft
- Arbuckle Creek @ 4.25-ft
- Fisheating Creek @ US 27: 5.14-ft, ↑ 0.09-ft
- Peace River @ Zolfo Springs: 7.89-ft, ↓ 3.43-ft
Lake Okeechobee South End
Slim’s Fish Camp, Belle Glade: Jim reports only the few and the brave have been venturing out into the open water of the lake. Steady E to NE winds at 15-20 mph have been keeping many fishermen off the lake. Typically conditions are favorable during the early morning but by 10: am the winds begin to pick up and drive the boats off the open water and into the canals and trails. Those guys venturing out are finding a good bite but the majority of the fish are in the 2-3lb category. Shiner fisherman are getting a few bigger ones but nothing of great size. Specks continue to be available in the canals with minnows the primary bait. Catfish remain active with worms and stink baits working well.
The Bait Shop at Harney Pond, Lakeport: The Big ‘O’ is looking good on the western edge. More bass are probing the shallows and the numbers of 4-5-lb ‘buck’s being caught are increasing. Water remains dirty as the wind is tearing up the grassy areas and creating islands of floating cattails. Right now the extent and location of this floating vegetation and debris changes according to the direction of the wind. Much of it has been pushed south but will return once the winds shift back again. Specks are still biting with 14 to 15 keepers being the norm for an early morning run. Minnows and chartreuse jigs seems to be the preferred color on the lake while tiny 1/16 oz white jigs are doing well in the Kissimmee River. Catfish remain active with 15-20 being the average for an outing. Stink baits and night-crawlers being the preferred bait. With water levels remaining higher, in the 14.70-ft range, the early part of the spawning season should be off to a good start.
Lake Okeechobee North End
Garrard’s Bait & Tackle, Okeechobee: Larry Wright reports that since the water came up and the winds picked up the artificial bite has been tougher than normal. They’re still catching them but you have to work harder for the bites you get. The winds has stirred up the water so you have to hunt for clean water to get out of the sand and grit. Shiner fishing still remains the best bet.
No Bad Daze Bait & Tackle, Okeechobee: Despite the winds, those venturing out into Lake Okeechobee have been rewarded with some nice fish. The early morning bass bite has been excellent with top water frogs. In the afternoon those fishing with shiners are still catching 20+ fish per outing. Specks remain active and the larger fish have not arrived in numbers as of yet. Down on the east side of the lake larger specks are being caught at Port Mayaca on small spinner baits.
Highlands County
Admiral’s Cove, Lake Placid: Fishing has slowed down a bit from last week, probably due to the windy conditions and the lakes nearby are shallower than some other area lakes. Get on the lakes early in the morning and fish deep. Specks and bass are still holding deep so use your electronics to find them.
Performance Marine Bait & Tackle, Lake Placid: Jeff at PM-B&T says the fishing in the deeper lakes remains good and getting better as the water temperature falls. Recent tournaments on Lake June have brought 3-fish weights of 14+-lbs to the scales with Big Fish at 8.78-lbs. 14-lbs might not sound like a lot but that’s an average of 4.5-lbs per fish. Most of the bass and speck activity have been in the 10-ft to 18-ft depth range. Plastic worms rigged in a Carolina or Texas style are producing the best results with pumpkin seed, black glitter, and june bug being some of the preferred colors. Speck fishing is getting better with large fish finally showing up in numbers. They are still deep and taking minnows. In Lake Istokpoga the bass bite is improving though you need to search for clean water since the winds have stirred up the bottom and the sediment has re-suspended itself. Jeff reports that the bass being caught on the lake are looking much heathier than those caught during the summer. Their bellies are starting to fatten up and their shape and color are improving. It’s a good sign for things to come this winter.
Lorida Bait & Tackle, Lorida: Scott reports the Specks are still biting and remain on the smaller size. Minnows and green fuzzy jigs have been producing the best. The water level have stabilized but the winds have kept many fisherman off the lake. Those that do go out in the early morning have been catching a few nice sized bass while flipping jigs though the fish remain scattered. Medlock jigs are the jig of choice for this lake.
Tale Tales Bait & Tackle, Avon Park: Rob tells us the speck bite is doing really well and their size has improved. They’re being found in 20+-feet of water so you’ll need a depth sounder to locate them but when you do they light up your screen. The bass have been biting as well and they are catching some larges one really close to shore. Both Lake Arbuckle and Lake Adelaide have been producing a good number of quality bass with live shiners. The catfish bite has really picked up as well. Some quality numbers are being brought ashore from the lakes in the Highlands & Polk county-line area. Big thick night-crawlers is the preferred bait.
Caloosahatchee River
Miller Bait & Tackle, LaBelle: Crappie fishing has picked up in the river especially east of Ortona Locks. Minnows seem to be the bait of choice. Elsewhere bass fishing has been improving further up river all the way up to Moore Haven.
Note: This past Wednesday I took a run with my kayak on the Istokpoga Canal launching from the St Rd 98 boat ramp and headed north to the Kissimmee River. Water flow in the canal was low so the bite was slow. I only caught a few bass in the 1-2.5lb range. The interesting part of the trip was when I reached the Kissimmee River I noticed some construction taking place on the river just north of the intersection of the Istokpoga Canal and the river. It appears that the State is building an earthen berm across the western fork in the river which dead-ends approximately 2 miles upstream. No doubt this is part of the continuing Kissimmee Restoration Project. I’ll have to do some research to determine the extent of this part of the project.
Looking for an Okeechobee Guided Fishing Trip?
If you’re looking for Okeechobee fishing guides, check out CAM Okeechobee’s contributing guides and captains for a great way to experience Florida’s best bass fishing. These guys will do their best put you on the fish and, with a little luck, hook you up with a trophy bass.
About the Weekly Lake Okeechobee Fishing Report
The Okeechobee Edition of Coastal Angler Magazine publishes fishing forecasts every month in our print edition and on our website. We have decided to that monthly information is just not enough, so we are now supplementing our website with a new Okeechobee fishing report each and every week. Check our home page or follow us on facebook to get the latest report!
Have a great weekend, it should be a good one!
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