Welcome to the May issue of Coastal Angler Magazine’s Okeechobee edition. The Winter of 2015 has all but disappeared and it seems we leap-frogged right into Summer. The lakes are quickly heating up and the eastern and western sea breezes will soon be competing against each other in the form of afternoon thunder showers.
First I want to make a quick shout-out to some new readers. This past April we started our expansion into DeSoto and Hardee counties, so for the folks in Arcadia and Wauchula, welcome aboard. I would also like to invite you to visit our new website at www.CoastalAnglerMag. com/Okeechobee. Though still a work in progress, our goal is to provide you with more timely local information than a monthly magazine can offer.
Now back to this month’s local happenings.
For hunters, we’ve entered into the summer doldrums and have to wait for the Fall hunt. Now is a good time to scout your leases and favorite hunting grounds for active trails and food plots. Don’t forget to take your trail cams so you can build a solid database to work from come the Fall hunt. To keep your marksmanship honed, visit one of the many local shooting clubs and ranges.
For fishermen, the bass will be in post-spawn mode and replenishing their depleted energy reserves so the fishing will be good. Warming waters mean the bass will be more aggressive and top-water action will be hot. Pan-fishing will remain strong, though specks will be moving away from the shoreline.
As for the community event calendar, festival season is all but over until Fall. There is a Watermelon Festival in Arcadia and a Blueberry Festival in Lake Placid that will be worthwhile checking out.
May is also the time of year to begin planning for when the kids are out of school. Make it an active summer for them and keep them outdoors and away from those video games and computers. There is plenty to do, such as; camping, canoeing, horseback riding, and exploring. These are great family activities and build long term memories, so get out there and enjoy the outdoors.
Lastly, Sunday May 10th is Mother’s Day and we wish all mothers and mothers-to-be a happy and safe Mother’s Day.
