The # 1
Bass Fishing
destination
in the world.

The lake water level has been steady at around ten feet above sea level for the past two weeks and looks like it may stay there for awhile. We all need to quit looking at this drawdown of Lake Okeechobee as being such a bad thing. The lake bottom has started growing some good vegetation up to two miles offshore and there are areas that the water is crystal clear that were nothing but muddy water last year. The bass are still here they just aren’t in the traditional areas that we are all so used to catching them in. Try fishing out in the open water and looking for little differences in the bottom contour. On some lakes a drop off or hump could be many feet of difference but here on Okeechobee with such shallow water a drop off could be six inches. Try looking for small rock piles or piece of wood that hurricane Wilma put in the lake. These are the things that hold bass out in the open water where most anglers don’t fish. This drawdown that Lake Okeechobee is going through is a positive thing and when the water does return to normal level our lake will be better than ever. Some of the key things that you should look for when fishing open water is where you have a color change in water color. Look for water that is clean or just stained a little, muddy dirty water is not the place to be when looking for bass on Okeechobee. Before you jump on the press bandwagon and badmouth our lake try fishing in the open water, I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

Last week I had the pleasure of guiding Lanier and Elizabeth Bryant from Adairsville Georgia and she told me when I met her at the marina that all she wanted to do was catch an eight pound bass. Now I knew this was going to be a challenge with the conditions we were faced with but as lady luck would have it she put an eight and a half pound bass in the boat on the second day. They were a wonder couple to fish with and I’m glad that I could help make Elizabeth’s dream come true. Wild shiners and artificial lures have both been working good but I think if you are looking to catch a trophy shiners are the way to go. Soft plastics are my choice for artificial lures with the shaky head jig still working the best for me and my clients. Swimming Senkos have been working in the shallow clear water along with topwater lures when the wind isn’t blowing to hard. Some of the better areas to try are the rim canal, the ship channel out from Clewiston, Bear Beach channel, the Airport Hole, and the dynamite holes south of Clewiston. Try to keep in mind that you want to fish where the water is clear to slightly stained in color.

BITE OF THE WEEK

The bass have been biting good out the ship channel from Clewiston on wild shiners and shaky head jigs with a junebug Gambler Ace on it. My next choice would be the rim canal both north and south of Clewiston, fish the rocks with a Zoom Fluke and a wacky rigged Senko. You can also catch a few on topwater and jerkbaits along these rocks. Bear Beach channel has been producing quite a few bass on Flukes, Swimming Senkos, and topwater lures. If the wind isn’t blowing to hard there have been a good number of bass in the Airport Hole that have been hitting topwater lures and swim baits like the Lake Fork “Magic Shad” that I use. The bluegill bite has been slow but a few are still being caught but most are being tight lipped about where they are catching them.

July 30th, 2007

Clewiston----- The summer rains are finally starting to put some water into Lake Okeechobee even if it is just a little at a time. The lake level is at 9.19 feet above sea level and ever so slowly creeping up. The fishing here at the south end of the lake continues to be good for both bass and bluegills, with early morning being the best time to be out on the lake. The wild shiners are still your best bet to catch bass in the two to five pound range and a few bigger ones up to ten pounds still being caught from day to day. My suggestion to catch a few bass on wild shiners would be to get a couple dozen at least and go out the Clewiston channel toward the water tank and anchor your boat just out of the channel and throw a shiner about two and a half feet under a cork float out into the channel. One of the keys to catching these bass is to be patient as they are just moving around from the flats to the channel looking for bait and they will find your shiners if you just wait for them. We have been keeping plenty of good healthy shiners at Roland Martin’s Marina along with any other fishing supplies you might need. As far as catching these bass on artificial lures it has slowed down some with the water temperature up over 85 degrees, but if you get out early there has been some schooling bass chasing bait in the Clewiston channel. My clients have enjoyed catching some of these schooling bass on topwater baits like a Heddon Torpedo and a Spro Dawg, crankbaits have also been working great on these schooling fish. As far as plastic baits that have been producing for me the last couple weeks the Magic Shad swim bait made by Lake Fork Trophy Lures in any of the natural colors and a Gambler Ace in watermelon-red color. Clients have also been catching a few bass on 8” worms like a Charlie Worm in red shad color and a Lake Fork worm in blue bruiser color, both of which are fished with an 1/8 ounce bullet sinker and a 4/0 Owner “J” hook. Be sure to fish the plastic worms as slow as you can and then slow down some more, the bite will be real subtle and most times you will just see your line moving off in a different direction slowly. Some other areas that you might want to try are the dynamite holes and the mouth of any of the cuts that go into the lake south of Clewiston. The Rim canal north of Clewiston has also been producing some bass on a regular basis, try running a crankbait like a Bomber 7A in firetiger color along the rock ledges toward Moorehaven and north of there, this is also a great place to fish a Gambler Giggy head jig with a small straight tailed worm.

The bluegill have been being caught from the dynamite holes south of Clewiston, the rim canal and out on the lake around the Bare Beach channel and on the pipe line that runs from the water tank to Clewiston. Crickets would still be your bait of choice but Beetle spins have also been working well. I would like to congratulate Jim Medlin and John Supley on there win in the Bass Busters Gold Tournament on July 22 with a winning weight of 17.20 second place went to some good friend of mine Kenny McAuther and Mark Baldel with 16.33 pounds, good job to all. Bass Busters will host a two day tournament in September on the 22nd and 23rd that will pay the winner $10,000.00 for more information contact Chris Fickey at 941-232-9539. The condition of the lake continues to improve daily with water slowly rising, the water conditions real good, vegetation growing and some of the lake being dredged to get rid of the muck that is on the bottom. As long as we keep getting some rain and the lake keeps rising I believe that Lake Okeechobee will be back at the top of the list for Best Bass Lakes in the United States soon.

Sept 17th, 2007

The fishing has been improving as the month of September flies on by, and with October just around the corner better fishing and cooler weather is on the way. The lake level has been staying steady at around 9 ? feet above sea level in spite of the rain and water that has been flowing in from the Kissimmee river. The bass have been starting to school up and the water continues to get cleaner farther out into the lake, with some areas as far out as three and four miles and you can still see the bottom. Some of the better areas to fish for bass are the Bear Beach channel, around the islands out the Clewiston channel, the Airport Hole, Norman’s channel, and the rim canal both north and south of Clewiston. The Bear Beach channel has been pretty good now for a couple weeks, the key is to go out far enough that the water is still clear and not run the trolling motor to much as to spook these fish. I have been throwing a Gambler Ace in watermelon-red and bluegrass color, rigged weightless with an Owner 4/0 wide gap hook. I have also been using a Yamamoto Swimming Senko rigged the same way, this seems to work better when there is no wind and you need to get a little more action out of your bait. If you happen to be close when these bass come up schooling in this area you need to have a swim bait, spinnerbait, or a topwater lure ready on the deck of the boat to cast to them. A Carolina rigged Ace has also caught a few good bass in this area the past week, try to use as light of weight sinker as possible. Fluorocarbon line is also a must in this shallow clear water, it is almost invisible in the water to the fish and most have good abrasion resistance that is needed fishing in these areas. Around the islands out the main channel from Clewiston the same baits have been working, but the 3 ? inch swim bait made by Lake Fork Trophy Tackle has been accounting for the most of my client’s fish. Another lure you might want to try in this area is a big worm at least 10” in length, I have been getting reports from other anglers that the bigger worms have been producing the best for them.

The Airport Hole and Norman’s channel are on the Pahokee side of the lake and you will want to be very carefully in this area as there are a lot of big rocks in some pretty shallow water. There are some big bass that hold this time of the year in this area, try fishing a crankbait or a jerkbait and if that doesn’t work than you will need to throw a worm or Senko. If you get a good map it will show these areas and it will also show you where the deeper water that is safe to be running a boat, please be careful in this area there is a lot of underwater hazards.

When fishing the rim canal I would try to fish along the rocks and would start out with a jerkbait or crankbait and if that doesn’t work try using a Giggy Head and a Big Stick worm both made by Gambler, junebug and watermelon-red would be my colors of choice. Most of the bass that I have been catching in the rim canal have been around two pounds with an occasional larger one. The bite here seems to last most of the day even on those days when it is real hot and the wind doesn’t blow.

Resent results for a Bass Busters tournament held on Lake Okeechobee out of Clewiston on Sunday September 16th netted a first place win for the team of Terry Garrels and Steve Lake of Clewiston who brought a five bass limit of 22.76 pounds to the scale with an 8.73 and 7.14 pound bass to anchor there limit. Second place went to Asa Godsey and Mark Lee both of Clewiston with a five bass limit of 17.07 pounds. Most of the bass were caught on plastic worms, spinnerbaits, and crankbaits.

BITE OF THE WEEK-Bare Beach channel would be the better place to start in the morning hoping to catch a few bass on topwater or soft plastics and this would be a good place to catch a few schooling bass. The Airport Hole and Norman’s channel would also be a great place to start in the morning and probably be able to catch bass all day long, this would be a great place to catch a big bass. The islands out the Clewiston channel and the rim canal would be my next choice with soft plastics and crankbaits.

July 10th, 2007

Clewiston-----Well were finally getting some of the desperately needed rain to the Lake Okeechobee region and the lake level is slowly going up with the level at 9.03 feet above sea level. The other great news is that with the low water level and the water clearing up so good that we are starting to see some shrimp grass growing here on the south end of the lake and hopefully the eel and pepper grass will follow. Mother nature has started the healing processes here on the Lake and hopefully it will fill back up slowly and let the habitat for the fish grow back slowly and the water quality will continue to improve. The bass fishing continues to be great with twenty to thirty fish days being the norm especially on wild shiners. With the water being so clear an early start in the morning is a must if you want to have a better chance to catch some bigger bass. Most of the guides have been using up five dozen shiners in about four hours and than you can still catch a few on artificial lures until the sun gets up overhead and then the fishing slows down fast. Most are still fishing the same areas like the main channel from the locks at Clewiston out onto the lake, the rim canal both north and south of Clewiston and the dynamite holes. The main channel has been the best area to catch some nice bass, only we are fishing farther out from Clewiston as the water continues to get clearer. Some of the lures that have been working good for me the past couple weeks are a Spro Topdog topwater lure, Gambler Super Stud in watermelon-red color, and a Gambler Ace in both watermelon-red and bluegrass color. I have been rigging the Super Stud and the Ace on 4/0 Owner “J” hook and an 1/8 ounce bullet sinker. Another lure that has been working good for me is the Lake Fork Tackle “Live” Magic Shad swimbait, just throw it up in the shallow water and reel it slowly back toward the channel and hold on. Try them in a couple different colors and I think you will see why I like them so well. The Rat-L-Trap bite has slowed down quite a bit, but I think this will change and they will start hitting them again soon. I have seen a lot of baitfish swimming around me the last couple weeks and this just reinforces what I’m saying about mother nature taking care of the lake in her own way. I have also been catching some schooling bass that have been feeding on this bait, if you see them feeding on the baitfish just throw a topwater close to them and it won’t be long before you will catch a bass. The key to fishing the main channel out to the water tank is to work your baits along the edge of the channel, once the sun gets up high in the sky most of the bass will position themselves in the deeper water right at the edge of the drop off.

I would like to congratulate Val Osinski and Byron Childers on there win in the Bass Busters Super Bucks Tournament out of Clewiston where there two day total of 38.01 pounds was good enough for a check worth $5000.00. Val is the owner of Gambler Lures and Byron is the national sales rep. It’s no surprise that they used Gamblers new Giggy Head jig with a black Sweebo worm. Till next time good luck and tight lines.

June 26th, 2007

Clewiston-----Summer and the fishing continue to heat up on the Big “O”. With temperatures in the 90’s and the water temperature almost the same, the bass fishing is heating up almost daily. On most guide trips the past two weeks the bass have been eating wild shiners as fast as you can throw them in the water, and the artificial bite has been equally as good. Most bass have been in the three to five pound range with a few big one mixed in like the 9.1 caught Saturday by Scott Gallerani from Boston Mass. With the rain that we have been getting the lake level has been staying steady around 8.91 feet above sea level, which is great to not have the lake going down more everyday. Most are still fishing out the main channel from Clewiston toward the water tank, one thing to keep in mind is with the wind not blowing as much the water is cleaning up more each day. And as you go out toward the water tank you will want to key in on water that is a little stained. Usually the farther out you go toward the middle of the lake the dirtier the water is so look for the areas where the dirty water is mixing with the clear water. The channel has been working so well because these bass can lay in the deeper water then go up on the flat to chase bait when they are hungry. My choices for artificial baits for a couple weeks now have been a Berkley 7” worm in tequila sunrise color and a Gambler Ace in bluegrass color both fished on a 4/0 Owner wide gap hook and a 3/16 ounce tungsten weight. The key to fishing these worms is to fish slow and I mean real slow. My next lure choice would be a Spro Aruka shad in blue shiner color and a Lake Fork Tackle “Live” Magic Shad swimbait, both of these lures have been producing great when the bass are up on the flats feeding. I have been very impressed and pleased with the results from the Lake Fork swimbait, it is about as real looking and swimming as you can get and the bass have been eating them up here on Okeechobee and at the Everglades. Some other areas that you might also want to try are the dynamite holes south of Clewiston, the Football Field, the Bare Beach channel and the rim canal north of Moorehaven. Some baits other than the ones I have already mentioned that you may want to try in these other areas are a crankbait, Carolina rigged worm, a shaky worm rig and a topwater like a Zara Super Spook or a Heddon Torpedo. If you decide you want to fish with wild shiners take at least five dozen and that will only last a couple hours. Whether fishing with live bait or artificial lures you will want to try and get out as early as possible because by noon the fishing slows down and the heat is more than most can bear. The bluegill fishing has still been pretty good around the Bare Beach channel and around the shoal islands along the Clewiston channel, be sure to take along lots of crickets. Remember during these hot summer months to be sure and take lots of cold water to drink and a good sunscreen like Smartshield Sunscreen to avoid that nasty sunburn. Yes the ramps in Clewiston are very usable since they dredged out the canal to the locks. Tight lines and hope to see you on the lake.

June 11th, 2007

Clewiston-----I have a lot of good news to report on the conditions of Lake Okeechobee at Clewiston, first we have been getting enough rain almost everyday that they are not pumping much water out of the lake for the surrounding agriculture. The lake level is at 8.96 feet above sea level and has been staying close to this level on a daily basis the next good news is that the city of Clewiston has dumped some stone on the ramp that is on the inside of the dike and have made it good to use for now and the South Florida Water Management District has dredged the channel from the main ramps in Clewiston out to the locks to a depth of five or six feet. Now everyone should be able to get there boats in the water to take advantage of some of the great fishing that the few of us that have been able to get our boats in the water have been enjoying. I know I have said some things in the past about South Florida Water Management but my hat is off to them for getting in here and taking care of this channel that was in desperate need of some dredging.

The wind has finally let up and the areas that we were fishing a month ago are starting to clean up great, another week of little to no wind and the water will be back to being clear again. Some areas to concentrate on are the main channel from Clewiston out to the water tank, the rim canal south to South Bay and north up to Moorehaven. When fishing the rim canal some of the key areas that I look for are rocks and where the rocks end and it turns to sand, this change in structure will usually hold bass. These areas are great areas to throw a crankbait, some of the ones that have been working for me and my clients are a Bomber 7A in firetiger color and a Spro Aruka Shad lipless crankbait in gold shiner color. A couple other places that have been good are the football field and the dynamite holes south of Clewiston, these have been great areas to get out the wind and still catch good sized bass all day long on both wild shiners and artificial lures. A few other baits that I have been using are Zoom Super Flukes in watermelon-red color and the Gambler Ace in bluegrass and watermelon-red color. I have been fishing both of these lure weightless with a 4/0 wide gap hook and the key is to fish them as slow as you can stand it. I do have another lure that I want to mention and that is a new custom crankbait by Gambler lures, I have been catching some nice bass since I received a few of these baits from Val Osinski owner of Gambler Lures and was very impressed with the fact that they are hand made and hand painted from balsa wood with a bill made from circuit board material. You need to get a couple of these crankbaits and give them a try. The bluegill fishing has been still going strong both here on the lake and down at Holiday Park in the Everglades. The Bare Beach channel and the rim canal around the cut that goes out the Bare Beach channel are the areas that I am hearing that have been pretty good and don’t forget to take lots of cricket for bait.

Bass Busters will hold it’s Silver and Gold Series team bass tournaments on June 16 and 17 with the Super Bucks tournament being held on June 30 and July 1 and this tournament has a guaranteed $5000.00 1st place. You can contact Chris Fickey for more info at (941) 232-9539.

May 15th, 2007

Clewiston----- What a great couple weeks we have had here on Lake Okeechobee. The fishing has been the best it has been for over six months, and the lake level just continues to go down. With the water level being so low it has concentrated the bass in areas that have deeper water such as channels and dynamite holes. I have been using up to ten dozen wild shiners and still coming in early on guide trips this past two weeks and the artificial bite has been just as good. Most of the bass have been good sized with three to five pound fish being the norm and quite a few seven and eight pound bass being landed all week long. Most of the bass that clients have been catching on artificial lures have been caught on chrome and blue Rat-L-Traps, Gambler Super Studs in watermelon-red color and a Gambler Ace rigged on a jig head like the ones I use from Gambler Lures called a Giggy Head. This is called a shakey head rig and has been winning tournaments all over the United States, the key to this rig is to let it settle to the bottom and move it real slow and just shake the rod ever so slightly and the bass will pick it up and swim off with it, most strikes are light and you will just see the line moving. Another key to fishing this shakey head rig is to fish it in clear water it doesn’t work real well in stained or dirty water. Some of the areas that you will want to concentrate on are the dynamite holes south of Clewiston and the main channel from Clewiston out to the water tank. Try to fish the drop offs in both the dynamite holes and the channels and if you can find any structure you will want to concentrate on these areas. The channel out to the water tank has also been the place to throw shiners, try to find a drop off along the channel and look for anything different like rocks or a small cut and these will be the best areas to set up and shiner fish for bass, try to use floater rigs if the wind allows. The water on most of the lake including the areas that I have mentioned has been clear to slightly stained when the wind blows, which is perfect for shiner fishing.

Now on to the biggest problem we have right now and that is with the water level at 9.34 feet above sea level and still dropping we are running out of places to launch our boats fast. The main ramp at Clewiston has just enough water to get your boat in and idle out to the locks, that is if the wind isn’t out of the south or they are not pulling water out of the lake through this channel at a fast rate or you may not get through this channel with your boat. The city of Clewiston started to dig this channel out two weeks ago but were told to stop by the South Florida Water Management District. We need help to try and get this channel dug out so that we can use these boat ramps, this not only effects the guides and our clients but also there will not be any tournament in town which will affect all businesses in town including gas stations, restraints, motels, marinas and tackle shops. If anyone has any suggestions on how we can get South Florida Water Management to let us fix our ramps and canals out to the lake this would be a great help to the community and everyone who enjoys beautiful Lake Okeechobee and it’s waterway. Most all of the guides including myself are still working and catching good numbers of bass almost everyday, if you want to fish the lake and are afraid to bring your boat let one of us take you out for an enjoyable day on Lake Okeechobee.

May 01, 2007

Clewiston----- The water keeps getting lower and the fishing keeps getting better here on the Big “O”. With the lake level at 9.66 feet above sea level almost every area that you can get into has pretty clean water and lots of bass. The bass seem to be getting use to the water being low and have moved to the channels and deeper water and if you can find some structure in the deeper water you will have a ball catching bass till you get tired of catching them. Some of the cuts and dynamite holes south of Clewiston are still producing some nice bass along with the Football Field. It’s easy to see now with the water low that this dynamite hole looks like a football field. I’m still catching most of the bass that I catch on artificial lures on Rat-L-Traps and Gambler Super Studs a bait that resembles a Zoom Super Fluke, chrome with a blue back color for the Rat-L-Trap and watermelon-red color for the Super Stud. Some of the better fishing this past week for me has been out the main channel from Clewiston out to the water tank. You should try to fish the drop off on either side of the channel where it drops from two feet down to deeper part of the channel. Most of the hits are right on the edge of the drop off. These areas have also been great places to throw wild shiners and if you can find some structure along this channel you can sit there and catch dozens of bass with some real nice ones being caught almost daily. Uncle Joe’s Cut is also still producing a few quality bass the only trouble up here is that the fishing pressure has been great and the bass are a little harder to come by than they were. Overall I would say the fishing the past couple weeks has been better than it has been all winter and it seems to be getting better every day. Another area that deserve some attention is the rim canal I have had reports from guides and a few local anglers that I have talked to say that they have been catching bass from Moorehaven to Southbay . I know the low water level has been scaring off a lot of folks but as long as you stay in the channels and rim canal when you are running the outboard motor you shouldn’t have any trouble. I did talk to Sam Griffin a lure maker from Moorehaven and he said that the ramp at Moorehaven has plenty of water to get your boat in and he also said that the middle ramp will be the one to use through the drought. The only thing that you really should be mindful of is the wind, if we get a strong south wind it pushes the water north and can drop the water level in the Clewiston area up to six inches. The bluegill fishing here on the south end of the lake has been good with good numbers coming in every day. Most are being caught in the rim canal on crickets.

April 23rd, 2007

Clewiston-----This week we are going to concentrate on the low water level on Lake Okeechobee, with the current level at 9.85 feet above sea level. The low water conditions are not a bad thing like I keep hearing from outside sources that are not around the lake on a daily basis. With the water low it is letting the lake bottom recover from the past high water levels and from hurricane Wilma’s damage. The water is getting clearer every day and the lake bottom will start to grow back some of the grasses that this lake so desperately needs. I have talked to some of the locals including former guide Jim Wells that were around back in 2001 when the water level was low and tried to get a little insight to pass on about how the lake was, where you could fish and how it helped the lake. Everyone I talked to said that the fishing was great and this only stands to reason that the bass will be more concentrated in deeper areas that are accessible to fish. Some of these areas will be the main channel running across the lake, the rim canal and any of the dynamite holes. I have also been told that the fishing was great in 2001 out from shoal around Turners Cove area but out in the lake at least a mile from the grass line, this will be a tricky place to get to but I have been told the rewards are well worth it. The Clewiston channel has already been giving up some big bass and the water is still pretty dirty this will only get better with the water level going down and the wind should also slow up a bit which will help this water to clean up also. I’m sure the low water level will affect the guide and tourism business in the Lake Okeechobee region and I wish there was a way to let everyone know it’s not a bad thing that is happening to the lake and the fishing will continue to be great and get even better in years to come after the water level comes back up. Some of the tournament associations will be apprehensive about having tournaments here with the low water level but give this some thought, for the last month and a half it has taken over thirty pounds to win tournaments on the Big “O” and that is a five bass limit. I can’t see anyone saying the fishing is bad with the water being low and weights like that coming in. Our biggest problem is going to be places to launch our boats, the main ramp at Clewiston has plenty of water but the canal from the ramp to the locks is getting real shallow and the ramp on the inside of the hurricane dike at Clewiston is not in very good shape. If we could get the Army Corp of Engineers to let the city try and fix some of these issues I don’t think we would have trouble fishing right through this low water time, but they don’t seem to want to cooperate and give us the break we need.

The fishing this past week has been great and getting better each day, my client had thirty and fifty fish days and some good ones from five to eight pound thrown in to make a great fishing trip even better. Both artificial lures and wild shiners are working equally well. My pick this week for artificial lures would be lipless crankbaits with my favorite being the Spro Aruka Shad but the Rat-L-Trap brand is also working well. Shaky head jigs with finesse worms are also catching some good bass, my favorite being the Gambler Giggy Head jig and the Giggy Stick worm this worm is has a hollow inside and floats upright from the jig head and really entices the bass to bite. The wild shiner bite this past week has also been great with most full day trips using six to eight dozen wild shiners, I have been catching most of my bass on floater rigs. Some of the areas you might give a try are the dynamite holes and all of the cuts onto the lake south of Clewiston, the Clewiston channel from the locks to the water tank, and Uncle Joe’s Cut out as far as the clean to stained water allows. My advice this week on running on the lake is if you are not sure about the water depth or the bottom just idle, a bass is not worth destroying a boat or motor.
 

April 16th, 2007

Clewiston-----Wow the Big “O” is back to producing good numbers of bass on almost every guide trip, Thank God. The weather has been great this past week and the fishing has really reflected on this, with bass being caught on wild shiners and artificial lures just as well. All of the areas that we have been fishing the past few weeks are the places to be like the Football Field, the 94 Hole, Uncle Joe’s Cut and the main channel from the Clewiston locks out onto the lake. Don’t leave home without a Rat-L-Trap or my favorite the Spro Aruka Shad which seems to produce better for me and my clients. Another bait that is working good is a shallow running crankbait made by local angler Sam Griffin called a Lil’ Katie, they are working great to crankbait the edges of the channels and dynamite holes. As far as plastic baits a Gambler Super Stud in watermelon-red and just plain watermelon has been working good to fish slower than the crankbaits when the bite slows down some, I have been fishing them on a 4/0 Owner Wide Gap Plus hook and Berkley 15# Big Game line. The bass have been eating up the wild shiners as fast as you can throw them in the water, with most of them being good solid three to four pound fish with an occasional one around seven pounds. Something else I would like to share with my reader is that I have started using circle hooks for shiner fishing the last couple weeks and have not deep hook but a couple bass. I would suggest anyone bass fishing with wild shiners give them a try, I have been using Owner 4/0 Mutu Light Wire hooks and love them. Just think how many bass that we have all deep hooked in the past and wondered if the would live, give these hooks a fair try I think they will work for you to.

A few words on the lake level, it is still going down but not as fast with the level at 9.99 feet above sea level as of yesterday and most of the area that I talk about are getting smaller but most are deep enough that the bass are holding in these areas. The only problem is that they are getting a lot of fishing pressure since there are so few places to fish. Please be courteous to other anglers fishing close to you, I’m sure they wouldn’t be fishing so close to you if there was somewhere else to go and if everyone can give just a little there are plenty of bass to catch. There has been a few bluegills and Oscars being caught on Okeechobee but if you really want to catch them you will want to head down to Holiday Park area of the Everglades where most are catching all they want. The bass fishing has also been good out of Holiday Park I was down with clients a couple times last week and caught over seventy five bass each time, most are small from one to three pounds but they are sure a lot of fun for kids to catch. Take lots of Gambler Super Studs and Aces both in watermelon-red color. Next week will be doing a special edition on the low lake level on Lake Okeechobee, if anyone has any info they would like to share about the last time the lake was low please e-mail me. Till next week God Bless and good fishin.

Clewiston-----What a week here on Okeechobee with the Stren Series tournament finishing up on Saturday and Glenn Browne from Ocala Florida winning on the pro side with 60-02 pounds that netted him $25,000.00 and a full rigged Ranger boat, while on the co-angler side Chuck Webb from Sarasota Florida caught 35-03 pounds to win $5,000.00 and a fully rigged Ranger boat congratulations to both. The weights from this tournament should prove to all that the Big "O" is in great shape and producing good quality bass on an everyday basis. The lake level is at 12.11 feet above sea level and has been staying at or around this level for over two weeks now. The bass fishing on wild shiners has picked up and on most days you can keep busy catching fish all day long with most of the bass weighing in from two to six pounds and a few over eight being caught. A few places to try catching bass on wild shiners would be the West Wall on the outside grass line, around Cochran's Pass on the outside grass points and also in Pelican Bay concentrating on the outside grass line. The bass were on the beds with the full moon we had last week and I did get to see a good number of big bass while practicing for the Stren tournament, the water in most areas that the bass had beds in is real clear and these bass were very spooky if you run the trolling motor to much or made shorter casts or pitches most of these fish were gone. Bass can be caught on artificial lure almost anywhere the water is clean and by clean I mean if you can see down in the water six inches to clear water that you can read the newspaper on the bottom. Some of the lures that were working for me this past week were a 10" worm in junebug color, Zoom Fluke in watermelon-red color, and a Gambler Cane Toad in junebug color. The key to most of the fish I caught was to make mega long casts and my new Abu Garcia Revo reels aloud me to make these long casts with 50# Spiderwire Ultracast and is light enough that I was able to make hundreds of casts a day and not have any hand or arm fatigue. Another trick is to let the wind push you through the grass and not run the trolling motor any more than you have to so that you do not scare these bass that are in this shallow water. The area from Uncle Joe's Cut up to Cochran's Pass is still a good place to catch bass on artificial lures as well as the area from Horse Island up to Tin House Cove, all of these areas have beds where these bass have been spawning. If you don't catch any fish in the grass or out on the grass line than you will need to move into the open water and start looking for these bass, a Rat-L-Trap is a good search bait. Another thing to keep an eye on is birds diving on bait and we all know if there is bait there is fish near by. The crappie fishing on the south end of the lake continues to improve daily with some of the locals catching limits almost everyday, Uncle Joe's Cut is the place to be and minnows are the bait of choice. The crappies seem to move in and out according to the weather when the water is warm they seem to move out in the lake and when the water cools off they move back into the canal where they are easy to catch. Till next week good luck and please practice catch and release so that our kids will have a great lake to catch fish in the future.
 

Jan 1st, 2007

Clewiston----- It has been a busy week here on the Big "O" with tournament anglers practicing for the upcoming Stren Series tournament January 3rd through the 6th with most good areas covered up with boats. The fishing is improving by the day as the bass are on the move into prime spawning areas. A good number of big bass were caught on guide trips last week with Capt. Ron Stevens out of Roland Martin's Marina weighing in a bass over ten pounds and Capt. Fred Baraks also out of Roland Martin's Marina weighing in one over ten pounds and Capt. Bryan Honnerlaw had a customer with one at eight pounds. Wild Shiners are still producing the best but some artificial baits that are working this past week were frog type baits like the Berkley Gulp Batwing frog in green pumpkin color and a 10" Gambler worm in bluegrass color and also the new Gambler Loco Lizard in june bug color both the worm and the lizard were fished on Stren 50# Super Braid line and a 3/16 ounce sinker. Some of the better areas last week were the Blue Hole area, around the mouth of Uncle Joe's Cut, the West Wall and the area north of Cochran's Pass. The water in these areas is clean with the wind pushing in just a little stained water which is good, the bass like to stay in these areas where the water is just slightly stained and mixing with the clear water the bass can wait to ambush bait in these areas. If the wind does not dirty up the area from this side of Ritta Island to the Football field you can catch bass on worms and Senkos, both need to be worked very slow. Pelican Bay is another area that has been producing a few bass but most are small with two pound being the average size for these bass, most are reporting of catching these bass on the outside grass line. From the Blue Hole up to Cochran's Pass has been giving up some fair sized bass along the grass on the outside but I have had reports of some beds back in the grass. With this water being so clear back in you will usually spook the bass off the beds if you get to close, if this happens back off a casting distance and wait a few minutes and than cast a Senko or a worm into the bed and let it sit and it shouldn't be long before a bass picks it up and moves off with it. This is a patience game but the rewards can be great if you hook into a giant bass, while I'm on the subject of giant bass and I know I've said this before PLEASE get a quick picture and release these fish back into the water so that they can still spawn and help the resources of this great fishery. The crappie fishing has also turned on with good numbers of big crappies being caught in Uncle Joe's Cut, with the cooler temperatures we had last week the crappies are starting to show up in good numbers from out on the lake and as long as the water temperature stays cooler the crappie fishing should improve daily. Minnows are still the bait of choice for crappies but I know of a few guys that are using jigs and are starting to catch just as many this way. Hope everyone had a safe and happy New Years and looking forward to seeing you all on the lake soon.

Dec 25th, 2006

Clewiston-----Hope everyone had a Happy Holidays and got to spend some time with the family. The bass fishing has really started to improve with everyday this past week my clients catching good numbers of quality bass. With the full moon approaching the week after next we caught a lot of small bass that are the buck bass making beds for the females that are starting to show up a few at a time. If the wind will give us a break everyone should be able to enjoy catching some nice sized bass the next few weeks. A quick reminder to please get a picture of these larger female bass and release them unharmed back into the lake so that they will still spawn and insure that we will have lots of bass to catch in the future. The water level is still going down and most of the areas that we have all been fishing is starting to get real shallow, please be careful this big lake has a lot of hidden surprises under the shallow water that we have been running our boats over. The better areas this past week to catch bass was from Uncle Joe's Cut up the lake to Cochran's Pass, this area has stayed clean even with the hard winds we received a few days this past week. A Gambler 10" junebug colored worm was my artificial bait of choice this week catching most a good number of bass in the three to four pound range. I fished this worm with a 1/4 ounce weight and the new Spiderwire Ultracast line ( 50# test ) attached to a Garcia Revo reel and was able to just horse these fish out of the joint grass, remember to use a superline hook or you will bend lesser hooks with this line.I did have one day that we were able to catch some of the buck bass on frog type baits I was throwing the Gambler Cane Toad and the Berkley Gulp Batwing Frog both worked equally well. I also had a great week catching bass on wild shiners in the same areas, with the grass points being the better places to fish. You will want to stay out from the grass and make long casts as this water is crystal clear up the shoal. We have been getting some great looking wild shiners in at Roland Martin's Marina and the are still $20.00 a dozen, the same price as last year. I have had reports of bass being caught in Pelican Bay but the bass have been few and far between and most are small, the south end of the lake just doesn't seem to be recovering very well from the hurricane Wilma that went through our area last year. I have also heard that a few guys are catching some bass in the rim canal but most said they are here today and gone tomorrow. Another place you might want to give a try is the dynamite holes south of Clewiston, they are also holding a few crappies. The crappie fishing is still about the same with most not catching limits but catching a few everyday. The area around Uncle Joe's Cut and Harnie Pond Canal have been good and minnows seem to be the bait of choice. I want to wish everyone a happy and prosperous New Year.

Dec 11th, 2006

Clewiston-----The bass bite has been improving by the day as we start into the winter season, and if we could get the wind to blow a little less everything would be great here on the Big "O". The bass were really eating good the beginning of the week and than as the weekend approached and another front came though the area the fishing got tough again. The East Wall and the West Wall both have been producing a fair amount of bass for both the guides and other anglers. Both of these areas are contingent on the wind direction and how hard it blows, as the dirty water from out on the lake will push into both the West Wall and the East Wall if we get a hard northeast or east wind. Capt. Ed Steady who guides out of Roland Martin's Marina and Resort reported catching a number of bass over eight pounds and a couple ten pound bass last week from these areas. These areas are getting shallow so you will need to idle or use your trolling motor to access these areas and wild shiners are the bait of choice but Senkos will also catch a few of these bass. The area from Uncle Joe's Cut up to Cochran's Pass has been good this past week with most of the points of grass holding fish that could be caught on wild shiners and on artificial lures. This area of the lake has been staying relatively clean even with the wind blowing on it for three or four days at a time, the problem is it with the wind blowing from the east at ten miles an hour and above it makes it had to fish this area and hold the boat so that you can fish it properly. Senkos and Gambler 10" worms in junebug color have been my artificial lure of choice this week to catch these bass on this outside grass line and on the trails that lead back into this area. With the lake level at 12.07 feet above sea level a lot of the areas that I have been referring to in my fishing reports are getting real shallow, what this will do to the bass is make them back out to deeper water usually closer to the outside grass line. Another area that I fished last week was the Harnie Pond Canal, we caught a few bass on Spro Aruka Shad lipless crankbaits and Bomber 7A crankbaits cast parallel to the bank in about seven to ten foot depth range, most of these bass are around two to three pound range. You can fish in this canal if the wind gets to blowing real hard and it is hard to fish out on the lake, just use caution if you are running in here from out on the lake because it can be tricky if you don't know where you are going there is a lot of shallow water in this area. I have had reports of a few bass being caught around Horse Island but most of this area has been dirty from the wind blowing on it from the passing fronts. I still haven't gone down to Pelican Bay to check this area out but I have had a few reports that the bass are trying to move into this area from out on the lake hopefully to spawn, this area was hit real hard from the hurricane last year and is just now starting to signs of improvement. The crappie report is about the same as last week with a few being caught around Uncle Joe's Cut, Harnie Pond Canal and the Kissimmee river, but I have not heard of anyone catching very many at any one time.
 

Dec 4th, 2006

12-4-06 Okeechobee fishing report

Lake Level 12.24

Clewiston-----The condition of the lake and the fishing continues to improve everyday, with reports of big bass being caught on wild shiners and artificial lures alike. The water level is dropping rapidly and the water in most of the areas that we are fishing is clear to slightly stained. Most all of the guides reported having a good week catching most of there bass on shiners, my clients enjoyed a great week catching bass on both wild shiners and artificial baits. The bass we caught on shiners were from two to nine pounds with the biggest one tipping the scales at nine and a half pounds, most of the bass we caught on lures were from one to three pounds. Gambler Ace’s and Senkos were the bait of choice to catch the most fish last week and green pumpkin and junebug were the colors of choice. I also caught a few fish on a Zoom Super Fluke and lizards, watermelon-red color seemed to work the best, all these artificial lures had to fished slow. The bass seem to be moving in to the shallow water to spawn with the full moon approaching and another cold front that will be passing through our area next week. The East Wall was a hot spot this week with several big bass being caught in this area during tournaments over the weekend. The Senko and the Super Fluke were the baits for this area, the key was to fish them in and around the grass and to deadstick them or fish them as slow as you can stand to fish them. The next good area was from Uncle Joe’s Cut up to Cochran’s Pass, most of the bass are being caught on the outside grass line and on some of the trails that are close to the outside of the grassline and of course you will want to fish all of the grass points. I did catch a few bass on a Rat-L-Trap on these points but they were few and far between, chrome with blue back was the color I throw this time of the year to try and imitate the shad that the bass are feeding on. Another area that you might want to check on is Pelican Bay, I have had reports that the bass are starting to move into this area to spawn and this would be great as this area has not been in the best shape since hurricane Wilma did her deed a year ago. I spent a couple days last week down at the Everglades at Sawgrass recreational park and caught a good number of bass but most were from one to two pounds with a three pound bass being our largest one. I fished the canals mostly but the water is up high enough to go out on the flats and I would guess that is where the bigger bass are at right now. The crappies are still biting well at Harnie Pond Canal and Uncle Joe’s Cut, most of the reports are that the crappies are real thick and heavy this year but seem to be harder to catch. Most of the folks I have been talking to are using minnows to catch these crappies, but a few are jigging for them. Quick update on my Garcia Revo STX reel that I have been using for six months now, still real smooth to cast and retrieve and the finish looks like it is still new, I would recommend this reel to anyone from a tournament pro to the weekend warrior it will get the job done.

November 27th, 2006

Lake Level 12.26

Clewiston-----The week started out slow with the temperatures in the 40s at night but as the week progressed the fishing has improved. Most of the bass that I have been catching on my guide trips this past week were north of Clewiston from Uncle Joe's Cut up to Horse Island. This water has remained fairly clean even with the north and east winds we had all week, but the water level is really starting to drop fast with today's reading at 12.26 feet above sea level. Most of the bass are being caught on wild shiners and most of the bass earlier in the week were small but as the weekend approached and the weather improved so did the fishing with a bigger bass being caught. Everyone will need to use caution when running the lake as the water level nears twelve feet it will be easy to hit something on the bottom if you run in the wrong places, make sure you idle way out from the grass line before you try to get up on plane. This might be a good time to hire a guide that knows where he or she is going and can get you to the fish that you might otherwise be afraid to take your boat for fear of tearing it up. The bite on artificial has picked up some with a few bass being caught on Senkos on the East Wall and up around Cochran's Pass, both areas can be affected by the wind if it is blowing hard out of the north or east. When fishing the Senko you should use a darker colors like black-blue and junebug in stained water and lighter colors like watermelon and green pumpkin in the clearer water and you will want to fish the Senko weightless and as slow as you can. The trick this week was to let the Senko sit on the bottom for up to a minute and then the bass would pick it up and move off with it. Most of the bass seem to be just on the outside edge of the grassline, I haven't caught any bass back in the grass this week with the falling water level I believe these fish are moving out from in the shallow water. Capt. Ron Stevens who guides out of Roland Martin's Marina reported catching a good number of bass one day last week at the Sawgrass Recreational area in the Everglades on worms. I also spent a day in the Everglades out on Alligator Alley fishing with Dick McConnel and his daughter Polly and we caught around 25 bass but they were all small ones, this is the second year I have fished with Dick and Polly and they are a lot of fun out on the water. The crappie bite has slowed up this past week with a few being caught in Harnie Pond Canal and Uncle Joe's Cut also producing a few, minnows will be the bait of choice to catch some of these slabs. I would also like to remind everyone that as spawning season for bass approaches to please take a quick picture of these big female bass and get them back in the water as soon as possible so that they will still spawn and you will be able to catch them again. With Christmas only four weeks away a guided bass fishing trip on Lake Okeechobee would make a great gift for a loved one this year.
 

November 20th, 2006

Lake Level 12.34

Clewiston----- The weather has been cooling off but the bass fishing is heating up on the big lake. Reports of big bass being caught on wild shiners are starting to come in daily and it's about time with the month of December approaching fast these bass should be in off the main lake and getting ready to spawn. I had a good number of four and five pound bass with my clients last week and watched as another fisherman close by caught bigger fish on almost every cast. The bait of choice for this past week was wild shiners, but we did catch a few bass on artificial lures including a couple three pound bass on Gambler Ugly Otters in bluegrass color rigged with a 1/4 ounce screw in sinker. The West Wall has started to come alive again as the bass are starting to move back in the grass from the outside grass line and some nice bass are being caught on shiners from holes in the grass and in the boat trails. I weighed a bass for a fellow that caught it close to Clewiston either Coots Bay or the West Wall that weighed in at 11 pounds, yes she was full of eggs and was release unharmed back into the lake. Most of the guides from our marina are reporting having good days with Jerry Wares and Ed Steadly having a couple real good days last week. The Football Field (if it's not to muddy from the wind), Coots Bay, the East Wall and the West Wall are all good areas to concentrate on if you want to catch a good bass or two. The area from Uncle Joe's Cut up to Cochrans Pass is really holding up good to the wind and the water clarity is staying fairly clear especially if you get back in the grass a boat length or two. I did catch a few fish on Senkos in this area but I had to make long casts so as not to spook these bass with the water being so clear. You might also catch a few bass on Rat-L-Traps in Cochrans Pass and out along the outside grass line keying in on the points, silver with blue back Rat-L-Trap would be my color choice. Another area that has started to produce bass is around Horse Island up to Tin House Cove as long as the wind doesn't have the water dirty, these bass like those on the West Wall are starting to move back into the shallows to get ready to spawn. I would throw a spinnerbait or Rat-L-Trap in the boat trails and a Senko or Ugly Otter in the sparse grass and around reed patches. The water level is still going down and is at 12.34 above sea level and the water temperature has been dropping into the lower 70's. The south end of the lake around the Belle Glade area has been slow with hardly any bass being caught at this end of the lake, I'm not real sure why there is not a few fish in this area, the bottom of the lake looks bad with lots of sediment and dead vegetation but the water has been clear in most areas. The crappie bite is still picking up with Harnie Pond Canal, Uncle Joe's Cut and the Kissimmee River being the better areas, with minnows being the bait of choice. Hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving and gets to spend it with family and friends.
 

Lake Level 12.57

November 13th, 2006

Clewiston-----It has been another slow week fishing here on the Big "O" with the bass being rather allusive for the most part. Not to say we are not catching some nice bass they are just few and far between, in my opinion it has to do with the cold fronts and the wind pushing dirty water into most areas that we have been fishing. I did catch most of the fish we did catch last week on wild shiners in about two feet of water, the West Wall and Coots Bay were the two most productive areas. The key to catching these fish was to find where the dirty water and the clear water was coming together and throw a shiner in against a grass line and be patient because the bite was real slow. The Football Field and the East Wall was dirty the first part of the week and then started to clean up toward the end but the fish just seemed to disappear, we caught a couple little bass around one pound but that was it. Uncle Joe's Cut out at the lake end was producing a few bass but this area was getting fished by a lot of anglers and by the weekend was not producing very well either. Capt. Ed Steadly out of Roland Martin's Marina reported catching sixteen bass one day and fourteen the next with the biggest one being seven and a half pounds while Capt. Ron Stevens reported having a fair day today starting out with a six pound bass but had to move around a lot to catch some smaller bass to finish the day out. It has just been tough for most of the guides and anglers this past week, the wind is suppose to lie down a little this week. Most of the areas that we have been fishing, the water should clean up quick and with the cooler nights it should trigger these bass to start feeding up for the winter months to come.
The bass that we caught this past week on artificial lures were caught mostly on Zoom Flukes (watermelon-red color) and Senkos (green pumpkin and junebug color). The fish that we did catch were really scattered out catching one here and one there, just no pattern that you could put together. The biggest key was to make long casts and fish as slow as you could, with most of the bass weighing in around one to two pounds, not your typical Lake Okeechobee bass that's for sure. I do have some good news to report about the crappie fishing, that some nice sized crappies are being caught and most are catching a good number every day. I know a few are being caught around Uncle Joe's Cut but everyone else is keeping it a secret about where they are catching them, maybe I can get someone to talk next week and I can report on where they are catching the bigger crappies. The Everglades along Alligator Alley has been good for bass fishing the past few weeks, I talked to a couple guides that had good days catching over fifty fish per day but most are two to three pound fish with only one or two over four pounds being caught per guide trip. There is a lot of bait in these canals so the bass should be here eating till they are full, it's just a matter of being here on the right day to catch the big ones. Till next week good luck and please practice catch and release these bass are our future of this great lake.

Lake Level 12.66

November 5th, 2006

Clewiston-----The wind the past week has been relentless on the big lake, with north and east winds blowing up to twenty five miles and hour the lake has become muddy on most of the south end of Okeechobee. The West Wall has remained fishable but it too has become dirty from the wind, I did ok on wild shiners in this area most of the week with the inside area being the most productive. The bass in this area are for the most part smaller with two to three pound fish being the average and five pounds being the biggest one we caught on the West Wall last week. Coots Bay was good the first part of the week before the wind moved dirty water into this area, most of the bass are still in the outside grass with spinnerbaits and frog type lures being the best bet. Try to target the grass on the outside and the boat trails, a Rat-L-Trap (chrome with blue back) also works good in these boat trails try to make long casts and reel the Rat-L-Trap as fast as you can I like to use a reel with a 7 to 1 gear ratio so that you don't have to reel so fast. Most reels have a 6.3 to 1 ratio or even slower but Shimano, Quantum , Abu Garcia and many other reel manufactures are now making a fast ratio reel and the work perfect to throw lipless crankbaits, they also work great in any situation that you need to pick up a lot of line in a hurry like worm fishing .
The East Wall still has some good bass in the area but with the water dirty they have been hard to catch this past week even on wild shiners. Some of the inside trails are not as muddy as the outside grass and trails so they will clean up the quickest as soon as this wind slows down some. The Football Field and on down to and around Ritta Island has also been dirty all week, I did catch a couple bass on a guide trip last week but they were few and far between. The lake level is down to 12.66 above sea level and still dropping and the water temperature was down to 75 degrees and with the cool nights it will continue to drop. The wind is forecasted to slow down as this week progresses and most of the areas should clean up in a couple days. Another area that is producing a few smaller bass is at the junction of the rim canal and Uncle Joe's Cut, try using junebug colored Senkos rigged wacky style with no weight or a Zoom Super Fluke in watermelon-red color, I like to rig my Flukes with an 1/8 ounce screw in bullet weight and a 4/0 extra wide gap hook.
The snowbirds are starting to come back from the northern states and they are catching a few crappies almost every day they are reporting that the crappies they are catching have white bellies from just coming in from out on the lake and that they are extremely thick so it sounds like they have been eating good. Most are being quiet about where they are catching the crappie but I do know they are catching a few around Uncle Joe's Cut and also at the Football Field and the dynamite holes. I hope that next week I will have better news to report about the bass fishing on the lake.

October 23, 2006

Clewiston-----The fishing on Okeechobee is improving by the day not to say it is great yet but we are starting to catch more and bigger bass almost everyday. The nights are starting to cool off and the water temperatures are also dropping a few degrees and all of this have the bass starting to feed much better. We are starting to see baitfish moving into most of the areas that we fish including the East and West Walls, Coots Bay and along the shoal up to Cochran's Pass. We had a thirty five boat guide trip out of Roland and Marry Ann Martin's Resort on last Friday and at least six bass over eight pounds were caught on wild shiners with every guide reporting on having a good day. We had guides from Miami to Okeechobee give us a hand with this group and it was a pleasure to see everyone come together and do a great job, thanks to everyone who participated. The bass are starting to show up everywhere and will soon be into the fall patterns and will be feeding on baitfish getting ready for winter and the spawn. My guide trips over the weekend were a little tough with the wind not blowing at all, the lake was as smooth as glass, but with our first good cold front approaching on Monday night the fishing on Monday was great with the bass eating up spinnerbaits and frog type lures most of the morning. The lake water level is still continuing to drop with the level at 12.89 feet above sea level and the lake is still very clear in most areas from the East Wall to Tin House Cove. There seems to be a good concentration of bass on the outside grass lines that can be caught on spinnerbaits and Senkos early in the morning and as the sun gets up high in the sky these fish move farther back into the grass and can be caught on frog type baits. If you can find some water that has a little color to it and is not so clear this seems to be the best areas to fish and if the wind is blowing in on it even better.
Most of the tournaments that were fished on the lake the past couple weeks have had low weights with ten pounds getting you in the money, that means all you need to catch is one good bass and four smaller ones to go with it. But this will all change in the next couple weeks I think it will start to take fifteen to twenty pounds get you in the money. I would like to say congratulations to Val Osinski of Gambler Lures on his third place finish at the BFL regional in Demopolis Alabama, Val will now move on to the BFL All-American next year. Some of the local crappie fishermen are catching a few crappies every day most are being caught in the dynamite holes and in Harney Pond Canal.

October 16th, 2006

Clewiston-----The bass fishing this past week has taken a turn for the better in spite of the cold front that came through at the end of the week. The lake level is at 13.07 above sea level and dropping slowly and the water is clean in most areas from Ritta Island to Tin House Cove. I had a great week guiding with clients catching some good sized bass from six to eight pounds on wild shiners and a good number of two to three pound bass to keep everyone's interest. The West Wall is starting to get good again as the bass seem to be moving in from the outside grass line and from out on the lake, I believe this area will only get better in the days to come. The Football Field and the East Wall are two other good areas that are starting to really turn on with guides reporting some bigger bass being caught daily along with some nice catching size bass around the three pound range. The East Wall has also been good for catching bass on artificial lures with a Senko still being my lure of choice, the color to use is green pumpkin in the clear water and junebug in the stained water. The key is still to fish the Senko weightless if you can depending on the wind and to fish it as slow as possible, the longer you can let it sit in the holes in the grass the better chance you will have catching these bass. You will want to fish from the outside grass line on in to the inside fishing any open holes in the grass that you come across, some of this grass is real heavy and will be hard to get through my Minn Kota 101# thrust trolling motor does the job with power to spare and believe me moving my twenty one foot Ranger Z boat around in this grass is no easy task but my Minn Kota never misses a beat. Some smaller bass are being caught in Coots Bay in the scattered grass on spinnerbaits and Gambler Cane Toad's being my choice with Senkos still catching their fair share of bass in this area also.
Tin House Cove to Horse Island is still producing it's share of bass with most being caught on the outside grass on worms and spinnerbaits, this area did get a little dirty with the wind from the cold front that just went through but it will clean up in a day when the wind lays down. Some schooling bass can also be seen and caught in this area with the small cuts and points on this outside grass being the best places. From Cochran's Pass to Uncle Joe's Cut has been pretty quiet for the past couple weeks but this area should start producing bass real soon, there is a good number of mats on the inside around Turners Cove and the bass should be moving into this area real soon if not already. Uncle Joe's Cut has some bass in it most of the way from the rim canal out to the lake, a Senko will be your best bet in junebug color worked along the edges on both sides you might also try a crankbait thrown parallel to the bank I like to use Bomber 5A or 7A size in firetiger color.

Ritta Island and the Buzzard Roost both have some good looking clean water and I have caught a few smaller bass in both areas but nothing over three pounds, try fishing some of the grass from the tip of Ritta around to the Buzzard Roost an 8" Gambler Ribbon Tail worm in junebug color or a spinnerbait have been working for me. From the Buzzard Roost to Bay Bottom has been muddy looking almost like chocolate milk, there doesn't seem to be much vegetation growing in this area. I have been receiving reports of crappies being caught in Harney Pond Canal but not many are being caught yet.

Oct 10th, 2006

Clewiston-----The fishing is starting to pick up as the fall season approaches and the water temperatures start to cool off. We are just coming off a full moon and the bass are finally starting to eat both wild shiners and artificial lures. We did really well toward the end of the week on wild shiners fishing the East Wall and the West Wall, both areas have really clean water and the fishing is better in the morning before the sun gets up high in the sky. I looked over a few new areas last week including Pelican Bay and around Ritta Island both look really nice with clean water and plenty of vegetation, but there seems to be a lack of bait fish and not very many bass to be caught. I think as the water cools down the bass and bait should start to move into these areas real soon. I have been catching most of my bass on Senkos this past week, the color varied from day to day one day it was junebug the next it was green pumpkin. The key to fishing the Senko the last couple weeks has been to fish it as slow as you can , the best way is to throw it into a hole in the grass and deadstick it or in other words let it sit on the bottom for up to a minute before you move it. This way of fishing will test your patience but can be really rewarding when you catch a six or seven pound bass.
The north end of the lake continues to produce some nice bass with the areas from Horse Island to Tin House Cove being your best bet. The outside grass is where the majority of the bass seem to be as they are chasing bait around in the grass. A Gambler Cane Toad, spinnerbait ( my favorite one being a Leverage in naked shad color ) and worm worked in and around this outside grass should produce some bass from two to three pounds. Some of the bigger bass are coming from isolated reed patches by pitching something like a Gambler Ugly Otter or a Zoom Brush Hog with a small 1/8 ounce screw in weight. There is some great looking hyacinth mats in this area but they don't seem to be holding any fish but they soon will with cooler temperatures on the way. From Cochran's Pass to Observation Island has been slow for the past few weeks but I have had a few reports of bass being caught on the outside grass when there is wind blowing in on this area and moving some bait into the grass. I haven't seen any schooling bass yet and this is something we should start seeing any day, when we do start seeing them be sure to keep a spinnerbait, Rat-L-Trap and a topwater plug ready because this can be the most fun you can have catching bass on almost every cast.
I just want to say that the lake is looking great from the north end all the way down to Pelican Bay, the water is clean the hydrilla is starting to grow in areas, the bottom looks good for the bass to spawn this year and with the water level at 13.20 above sea level the lake should stay nice and clean through the winter even with the north winds. We want to thank God for no hurricanes this year I don't think this lake could have withstood another year like last and still been the great fishery that it has always been. If the water managers will slow down with the spraying for weed control and they will leave the water levels at or around fourteen feet above sea level this lake will be back to the great lake that our ancestors enjoyed.
I want to tell you about a new item I have started using on my reel handles called Reel Grip, these rubber covers that go over your reel handles offer all day comfort and control and are non slip even when it's raining. The come in a thirteen different colors and one size fits most reels. I will have these on all my reels for customers to use and other tournament anglers to try, these grips rate an A+. You can contact them at www.reelgrip.com and let them know that you want to try a set for yourself.

Oct 2nd, 2006

Clewiston-----It has been another fickle week here on the Big "O" with the bass fishing being great one day and ok the next. We had a couple cold front move in and than a high pressure system moved in over the weekend and made the fishing a little tougher. The bass on the East Wall are eating wild shiners good one day and then they just won't eat the next day. The water level is dropping a little each day and is at 13.37 above sea level, and with most of the rainy season done for this year we will go into the winter with the water level under 14 foot.The area around Observation Island is looking real good with the water clear and some nice mats to flip in to and reeds to pitch worms and craws, I believe this area will start producing some good bass. The water continues to remain clear in most areas like the West Wall, the East Wall and up on the shoal but with the north and east wind that we had last week the Football Field and around Ritta Island did dirty up some. The bass on the East and West Wall are still being caught on Senkos with a technique we call dead sticking where you throw a Senko into a good looking spot like around some reeds or on the outside grass line and just let it sit for up to a minute before you move your bait. A white spinnerbait with silver blades and a Gambler Cane Toad in white are also working good back on the inside of the East Wall and in the Hog Pen areas. The North Shore is another area that has a few nice bass hanging around as long as the wind doesn't have the water muddied up when you are in here fishing. A Gambler Ugly Otter in blue shadow color pitched to the reeds with a 3/16 ounce sinker will get these bass to bite, be sure to make multiple casts to each patch of reeds to get these bass to bite.
I spent a few days this past week practicing for the upcoming BFL tournament on the north end of the lake and there seems to be a good number of bass from Horse Island up to Tin House Cove. They seem to be on the outside grass line on in to the first trail, the key to this is to watch for the bait fish and the bass will be close by. Most of the bass I caught were small from one to two pounds but there was bigger bass being caught in this area all week. Some of the key baits were Gambler Ugly Otters, Johnson Silver spoons and Cane Toads, but I'm sure that these bass got to see about every lure there is this past week with about a hundred boats all fishing this same area. The water around King's Bar was muddy from the wind but most of the areas south were clean even with the wind blowing over 15 miles an hour most of the weekend. The winner on the boater side of the BFL tournament was Joseph Kremer from Osteen Florida with a two day winning weight of 42 pounds and 8 ounces that netted him $5,460.00 he caught his bass on a Johnson Silver Spoon and the winner on the co-angler side was Gene Elliott of Palm Springs Florida with a two day winning weight of 19 pounds and 11 ounces for a check totaling $2,730.00. Over all the weights were down for most of the fisherman with most just catching a limit of small bass. With the nights starting to cool off the bigger bass should be moving in off the main part of the lake into the shallows as they start there winter spawning migration.

Sept 25th, 2006

Clewiston----- The bass this week on Okeechobee seem to be in one of those moods if they feel like eating you can have a great day and if they don't they feel like eating it can be a long day. Most of the bass that we caught this week on guide trips were under five pounds and it didn't matter if you were using wild shiners or artificial lures. Coots Bay and the East Wall have some bass moving in but most are around two pounds or less, they can be caught on a Berkley Bat Wing frog thrown around in the scattered grass and if that isn't working go to a Senko and fish it slow in the same areas and you should catch a good number of fish. The lure color doesn't seem to matter as much as the speed that you fish the key is to fish slow. The West Wall has been producing a few bass this week mostly back in the grass using Senkos and Bat Wing frogs. The water in area is real clear so you will want to make long casts so that you don't spook these fish. The bass up on the shoal this past week have been just cruising around and are hard to catch at times it seems like it is better the harder the wind is blows, the wind is moving the bait around and this seems to be the only time these bass want to eat. A spinnerbait worked in the grass will get you a few good fish, I like to throw a Leverage spinnerbait in naked shad color with silver blades or a Gambler Flappin Shad in white color. There is same nice looking mats to flip craws into in this area but there just doesn't seem to be any bass up under them yet, it will take a cold front or two to make this technique good. Turners Cove is another area that is looking great and you can catch a few bass in here if the wind is blowing and the bait is moving around a Gambler Cane Toad in ghost shad color and a green pumpkin Senko seem to be the baits of choice.
Horse Island up to the Indian Prairie has had a fair number of bass that can be caught on the outside grass line with the points of grass being the best areas to fish . A spinnerbait and a Gambler Flappin Shad work good to fish this grass and if you see the bass busting shad in the thicker grass try a Cane Toad worked over top of this grass. If the wind is pushing the shad around in this grass the fishing can be great and you can stay in one area and catch a lot of bass before the baitfish move on down the grass line and you can usually follow them all day.Try to make long casts so that you don't spook the bass or the bait, on calm days you should be able to catch a few of these bass on a Senkos. I have not had any reports of anyone catching bluegills, either they are keeping it a secret or no one is catching any. The Super Buck Bass Tournament this past weekend was a success with over one hundred boats participating, everyone had a good time and it took over twenty two pounds to win the $10,000.00 first place, so the fishing isn't to bad.

September 19th, 2006

Clewiston-----The bass fishing this past week on the Big "O" has been great for some and slow for others. The fish are chasing the shad around the lake if you can find baitfish the bass are close by, but these bass are hard to pattern they will be in an area for a day or two and then they are just gone. The rising water has slowed down some and it has been around 13.40 feet above sea level for the past week with more and more area being accessible. The East Wall has been getting some attention now that you can get into this area but the bass are still holding on the outside grass line, I did real well on a couple guide trips this past week fishing with wild shiners in this area. The West Wall and Hog Pen areas has slowed down some you can still go in here and catch some smaller bass on Senkos in green pumpkin color and on Gambler Cane Toads in the new key lime color but most of these bass are under two pounds. The mouth of Uncle Joe's Cut has been a good area to catch a few good bass during the week but as the weekend approaches this area has been getting to much fishing pressure, a Senko in junebug color and a Bomber 7A crankbait in firetiger color has been working for my clients on guide trips last week.
Cochran's Pass has a good number of smaller bass and there should be a few good ones hanging around this area, this is another area that has been getting a lot of fishing pressure. I would try using Senkos, worms and a lipless crankbait like a Spro Aruka Shad especially if you see any schooling bass in this area and you should start to see them. From Cochran's Pass up to Tin House Cove has been getting a lot of wind on it the past week and the water has dirtied up some, if the wind slows down for a couple days this would be a good area to catch some quality bass. A Gambler Cane Toad thrown in the sparse grass and an Ugly Otter flipped in the mats should work good all day long.

The south end of the lake around Pelican Bay and Bay Bottom has clean up real well and a few bass are starting to be caught in these areas. I would start on the tip of Kramer Island and work back in to Pelican Bay. The bass should still be holding on the outside grass and if you can find any baitfish this is where these bass will be, if not look for the color break where the stained water meets the clear water and you should find some fish. Ritta Island is another area that has been good one day and nothing the next, start in the grass on the tip and work around to the inside and you should find a few bass. Senkos, worms and frog type baits would be my choice. I had the privilege of trying out the new Garcia Revo STX this past week and I think Garcia has a winner with this eleven bearing low profile reel. I used it on my frog rod with fifty pound Stren Super Braid and could make super long casts and the reel is extra smooth, in my opinion I think Garcia has stepped up to the plate and produced a low profile reel that is in the top of the class.

Sept 14th,2006

Clewiston-----The lake level is at 13.42 above sea level and still rising, and the lake is changing daily. The bass are moving back in the grass and areas that were to shallow to fish a week ago are starting to produce some good bass. The area around the mouth of Uncle Joe's Cut where it meets the lake has been good for numbers of bass the size has been kind of small with an average fish weighing two pounds, this area is best with a north or northeast wind to create current down the cut. Crankbaits and Senkos have been working best with junebug color working the best for the Senkos and firetiger color for the crankbaits. With the water rising you are able to get back into Cochran's Pass now and I watch some nice bass being caught last weekend in the area but there was a lot of boats fishing around the mouth of Cochran's and this seems to be where the bass are and if this water continues to rise we should be able to get back in toward Moonshine Bay and there should be some bass in here. For the most part no one has been in Moonshine since after Easter and if the water gets up around fourteen foot above sea level we should be able to get back in this area without a problem and these fish haven't seen a lure or a boat for four to five months. The area from Cochran's Pass south to the shoal has been slow but we have caught a few nice bass up to six pounds on the outside grass line using a Senko and letting it just lay on the bottom a technique that is called dead sticking, it takes a lot of patients but the quality of the fish is worth it. Again a Senko is the bait to use in this area with green pumpkin color working best as the water here is very clear, and don't forget to put a little Mega Strike fish attractant on your Senkos to get these bass to hold on just a little longer so that you can get a good hookset.
The West Wall continues to be good but the bass are moving to the inside of the grass and I have been catching these bass on 10" Berkley Power Worm in junebug color, green pumpkin Senkos and Gambler Cane Toads in Ghost Shad color. The Cane Toad seems to work best in the afternoon around the sparse grass patches and the worms has been working all day long. The area around the Hogpen is looking good but all that I can catch are small bass but there is a lot of them. The Football Field south of Clewiston has been good one day and the next day you go in here you might only catch a couple fish, not sure what is going on in here except the water in here can get dirty if the wind blows off the lake strong for more than one day. Be sure to watch for logs in the rim canal south of Clewiston, with the water rising some of the logs that were sticking out of the water last week are now just under the surface.
For you tournament bass angler don't forget the Super Bucks Bass Tournament out of Clewiston is coming up on September 24th and the Grand Prize is $10,000 guaranteed, to register stop in at Scott Martin's Anglers Marina and pick up an entry form or call 1-800-413-9899 for more details.

September 5th, 2006

Lake Level 12.89

Clewiston-----After tropical storm Ernesto went through our area and did little damage except for the rain that has the lake level rising and the fishing really starting to pick up. The water is really flowing in from all intakes and the Kissimmee River and most of the water is clean so it is not making the water dirty at all. On guide trips this past week I started to catch good numbers of bass with most of them in the two to three pound range, most were caught on Gambler Cane Toads ( ghost shad color ) and Senkos (watermelon-red color). Most all of the area that I usually fish and talk about from Cochran's Pass down to the West Wall have been producing good and getting better as the water continues to rise. The water around Cochran's Pass and south down to Observation Island is crystal clear out at least a hundred yards from the outside grass line, most of the bass I have been catching in this area are just inside the grass line about one to two feet but you want to stay out as far as you can and still make a good cast into the grass so you don't spook these fish. Most of the fishermen in this area are staying in to close to the edge of the grass and are spooking these bass before they can even cast to them. There are also a few hyacinth mats starting to show up back in the grass, I have been able to catch a few bass flipping in these mats with a Berkley Gulp 3" Craw ( junebug color), the trick to this is to use Berkley Vanish Fluorocarbon Line because this water is so clear, I like to use 30 pound test and you want to make multiple flips to the same spots to get these bass to take your bait. As you are moving from one mat to the next pick up a Gambler Cane Toad and throw it to any sparse grass and you will catch a few smaller bass as you move through the area.
The area around Ritta has also been giving up a few good fish this past week and the water is getting cleaner in this area, the Football Field is producing some nice bass on a daily basis, but this area depends a lot on the wind.Robert Avery from Bob's Machine Shop ( aka Bob's Jackplates that we all use around here ) reported catching a couple bigger bass on the West Wall over the Labor Day weekend. With the water level rising we will be able to get into a lot of areas that we were not able to get into last week, and the fish seem to be following the rising water back into the areas that were to shallow to be in last week. I'm not sure if the Army Corp of Engineers will leave the water level up a little or if they will draw it back down, but I do know with as much water that is flowing into the lake it will take a while to get it back out. I have had some reports that the Pelican Bay area and Kramer Island water is also clearing up, so these areas should start producing some good bass, they have been left alone most of the summer and should be ready to start eating. I have been seeing a good number of bluegills from Cochran's Pass down to Uncle Joe's Cut, there shouldn't be any trouble catching enough to eat using crickets. This week I want to talk about a product that has made my life as a guide and tournament angler a whole lot easier and that is a Power-Pole shallow water anchor, I have the XL model that allows me to anchor in water up to eight foot deep with a touch of a button. It works great for staying in one place to fish with wild shiners and also works great to fish for spawning and schooling bass during tournaments. I highly recommend this product to anyone who anchors or wants to fish in one spot without throwing anchors and dragging up all that muck off the bottom , check them out at www.Power-Pole.com

August 29th, 2006

Clewiston------As hurricane Ernesto is headed our way most everyone is installing storm shutters and lashing down everything that can blow around and saying a little prayer that it leaves the lake alone. The fishing this past week has still been good, I had clients out on the West Wall catching some nice bass on wild shiners that weighed up to seven pounds. Most of the bass that I have been catching on guide trips on the West Wall have been around three pounds with a couple good ones on every trip. The water level is up a little at 12.13 feet above sea level and I have been fishing in about two feet of water. This area has some of the clearest water on the lake, so you will want to make long cast with your shiners and try to get out in the morning as early as possible. I can't seem to catch these bass in this area on artificial lures at least not with any consistantancy. I have had a few on a Gambler Cane Toad ( ghost shad color ) and a Senko ( watermelon-red color ), but these fish are real finicky and seem to be hard to catch.
There are some bass being caught out the cut of Uncle Joe's in the grass, try throwing a Gambler Ugly Otter ( blue shadow color ) on a 3/16 ounce sinker. From this area up the shoal to Cochran's Pass has also been producing some good bass this week, I would throw the Ugly Otter and the Cane Toad back in the grass and along the edge of the grass line. It seems to help if the wind is blowing in on this area and if you find an area that has a little color to the water the fish will be stacked up. You should be looking for schooling bass in this area, if you see some bass chasing and eating shad be sure to cast a topwater bait or a lipless crankbait like a Spro Aruka Shad to them. I have been seeing some bluegills in these areas, the beds are easy to spot in this clean water.
I spent a couple days last week at the north end of the lake and most areas look real good, the water has a little stain to it and most of the grass edges have two to three feet of water on them. I caught a good number of bass on a Berkley Bat Wing Frog ( junebug color ) and on a Gambler Ugly Otter ( blue lagoon color ). King's Bar looked good as did most of the areas south of there, they are spraying and killing a fair amount of the grass in this area but there is still plenty of areas to fish. Most of the north end of the lake has good water color and you should be able to catch some good fish on wild shiners, I would start on the outside grass line at King's Bar and work my way south. I have been using a product by Sure-Life Laboratories called Finer-Shiner that will keep my wild shiners as lively after six hours in my livewell as they were when I put them in the livewell, this product is phenomenal and all it takes is a tablespoon per livewell. Be sure to drink lots of water and use plenty of sunscreen as the sun has been brutal this past few weeks. I will report on any damage to the lake from the hurricane next week, let's cross our fingers and pray we don't get any.

August 21st, 2006

Clewiston-----With the heat of summer upon us and the lake level staying low, the fishing hasn't slow down much. You will want to try and get an early start so you can be in before the afternoon thunderstorms,as they can be real bad ones this time of the year. The bass fishing on the West Wall with wild shiners has slowed down some but we are still catching from fifteen to twenty on half day guide trips as long as we get an early start. The bass are also being caught on wild shiners around Rita Island, the Football Field and off the shoal around Observation Island. All of these areas depend on a little wind blowing on them to make the fishing good. While I'm on the subject of summer heat, you need to drink "lots" of cool water while you are out on the lake and if you start to get real hot take a towel and soak it with water and put it around your neck and it will keep you cool. Something else worth mentioning is that you shouldn't try to crowd to many shiners into your livewell at one time and you need to keep a bubble pump going all the time.

The artificial lure bite has been a little better this week then it was last week, with some good bass being caught from north of Cochran's Pass to Uncle Joe's cut. The bass in these areas are being caught on topwater including Zara Super Spooks and frog type baits like a Berkley Batwing frog or Gambler Cane Toad, you will want to work these lures on the edge of the grass line and in any holes in the grass that you can cast to, I have also been catching a few bass pitching a Gambler Ugly Otter ( blue shadow color) with a 3/16 weight into the grass. Crankbaits and carolina rigs are working good in the open water out from the grass line, don't be afraid to go out as far as a half mile from the grass as these fish are moving out as the water continues to get cleaner. If you can find an area that is maybe six inches to a foot deeper than the surrounding water this would be a good area to start to fish. These types of areas are great places to try a Rat-L-Trap or medium diving crankbait like a Bomber 7A or Bandit 200 series, I like to use firetiger and natural colored crankbaits. I have had good success with a carolina rigged 10" worm in junebug color, the bass this time of the year seem to like bigger worms. Some other areas I have had reports of bass being caught are Ritta Island, the Football Field, and Uncle Joe's Cut. There has been a lot of Jack Dempsey's being caught around the mouth of Uncle Joe's Cut with a few bluegills mixed in, I haven't heard of many bluegills being caught on the south end of the lake.

August 14th, 2006

Clewiston-----It's been another beautiful week here in sunny south Florida and the fishing has been good all week long. I'm still catching some good sized bass on the West Wall using wild shiners, you still need to get out early in the morning because the bass slow down biting about eleven o'clock. I had a great day with a couple boys named Austin and Xavier Pearson who fished with their Uncle Dave and Aunt Beth Dion from Sunderland Massachusetts, they caught some nice bass and I enjoyed the day teaching them how to shiner fish for bass. The bass I'm catching on the West Wall are still on the outside grass line and are between three and five pounds with a least one over seven pounds on almost every trip. I have also been catching a few bass in this area on artificial lures, I have been fishing out in the open water about twenty five to fifty yards off the grass line throwing a carolina rigged Senko or Zoom Centipede. As you work this area you will be able to feel the rocks on the bottom and this is what you want to target. My carolina rig consist of twenty five pound Berkley Big Game main line with a 3/4 ounce egg sinker, a glass bead, swivel and a two foot piece of twenty pound Berkley Vanish with a 4/0 wide gap hook. You should fish this rig with rod tip low and drag it across the bottom, if you fish it with the rod tip high you lose contact with the bottom as the sinker comes up off the bottom. You might also try a Rat-L-Trap in this same area, I would select a chrome or a gold colored 1/2 ounce.

The tip of Ritta Island is still giving up a few bass on shiners and also on the tip of Kramer Island has been doing ok, both of these areas haven't been great but there are a few bass to be had. From the cut at Uncle Joe's to the end of Observation Island has had a number of bass on the outside of the grass and on other days these bass seem to move to the inside of the grass, this water is very clear so you will need to make long casts. I would start the morning out with Gambler Cane Toads ( the new ghost shad color is working good ) in the grass, you need to make casts back in the grass as far as you can and you need to make multiple casts to the same area to get these bass to eat your lures. As the sun starts to get up high in the sky you should try a 10" worms on the edge of the grass, try to fish with as light a sinker as you can I use an 1/8 ounce is what I use. This also a great place to throw a carolina rig out from the grass line, this area has a lot of rock out in the open water and this water is a little deeper as you move out away from the grass line. The water around the mouth of Cochran's Pass is still producing some smaller bass but the bigger ones have moved out to open water or back in the grass, I can't seem to find them, but I have had reports of a couple over seven pounds being caught in this area. The bluegill bite is still hit and miss, one day you catch a few and the next day you don't. But the Oscar bite has been good around Uncle Joe's Cut with reports of all you want to catch coming from this area.

August 7, 2006

Clewiston-----This past week has been a little challenging to catch bass, the water is continuing to clear up and the getting very warm as the sun gets high in the sky. Bass are still eating wild shiners on the West Wall, off the point of Ritta Island and around the shoal at Cochran's Pass. The point of Ritta Island has been good for fishing with shiners for the past week, this area has started to clear up and the fishing has been good in the morning till the sun gets up high in the sky and then the fishing slows down to about nothing. The West Wall is still producing some good bass up to eight pounds on shiners, we haven't been catching the bigger numbers of smaller fish but still been catching from fifteen to twenty five bass on most half day guide trips. The water level is 12.19 above sea level which has been pretty steady for the last couple weeks, this water level is permitting the lake to clean up and it is in most areas. The shoal area from Cochran's Pass down to Observation Island has been hit and miss this past week for catching bass on artificial lures. You may go out one day and catch good quality bass all day and then the next day you are lucky if you catch a couple small bass. Most of the bass clients have been catching are being caught on Gambler Cane Toads on days when the wind isn't blowing real hard, you need to try the new ghost shad color and also junebug color, we are carrying all the new colors of Gambler Cane Toads at Scott Martin's Anglers Marina. Some other lures I've been using 10" worms and a Gambler Ugly Otters rigged texas style with an 1/8 ounce sinker and 17 pound test Berkley Vanish line, this line is invisible underwater and won't spook the fish in the clear water. You should try to fish these lures along the grass line and you need to fish them slow, take your time and slow down you will catch more fish this time of the year.

I have had reports that you can still catch some nice bass in the Harney Pond Canal on crankbaits and Senkos. I would start out throwing a Berkley Frenzy medium diver crankbait in firetiger color in the cuts that go from the Canal out to the lake and then I would follow that up with a watermelon-red Senko rigged wacky style ( with the hook through the middle of the worm ). This area is has been ok during the week when there isn't much fishing pressure but as the weekend comes around you will want to fish this early before to many fisherman get out. One other area that I have receive some information on is in Pelican Bay, I am not sure how it looks but if this area cleans up it should be good because this area has not been fished for quite some time. The bluegill fishing has been slow this past week and I haven't heard of anyone doing to good. But I will tell you about a real neat deal, there has been a school of tarpon hanging around the Clewiston area and if you see them tailing and the day is right you can throw a Zara Spook at these fish and have the battle of a lifetime on your hands. Local resident Bob Frigg reported catch four one day last week, these fish are real spooky so try to stay as far away from them as you can and still cast to them.

July 31st, 2006

Clewiston-----The Lake Okeechobee bass fishing has been good this past week with a good number of three to four pound bass being caught on every guide trip. The better fish are still being caught on wild shiners and the West Wall is still producing the best for me. The water on the West Wall is real clear so the best fishing is from around 6:00 in the morning till about 11:00 when the sun gets up real high in the sky. We are catching at least one or two good sized bass over six pounds on almost every guide trip, but most of the bass are smaller. There is a good amount of baitfish roaming around off the West Wall in the open water, the bass are out chasing these balls of bait around and can be caught when the start feeding on them. I would throw a Rat-L-Trap or crankbait at these schooling bass when they start feeding, a spinnerbait or small swimbait might also work good. I have also been catching some good bass on a Gambler Cane Toad in the grass, most of these fish are around three pounds or smaller I can't seem to catch anything any bigger in this area. From the West Wall up to Uncle Joe's Cut has been good worm fishing, you need to throw back in the grass at least two to three feet and work the worm out toward open water, a Gambler 10" worm in blue shadow or junebug color with an 1/8 ounce sinker. With this water being so clear you might need to go to monofilament or fluorocarbon line, I have switched from braided line to Berkley Vanish and I have been getting more bites with the Vanish line then I was with the braided line.

The bass fishing from Observation Island up to Cochran's Pass has slowed down this past week, I think the fishing pressure in this area has moved these fish in the grass more or out to open water. I have been catching a few out in the open water on Rat-L-Traps and crankbaits, but most of the fish I have been catching in the open water has been on a Carolina rig . I have had the most success with a Senko or a Gambler Flappin Shad on my Carolina rigs, I use a 3/4 ounce weight to keep in contact with the bottom. As you drag this rig across the bottom of the lake you will feel all the rocks in this area and that is where these bass will be hanging out. The area around Ritta Island is looking real good and the water is clearing up daily, some bass are being caught on wild shiners around the tip of Ritta and the artificial bite has also picked up with worms and Senkos being the best choice. Another area starting to get some attention is around Kramer Island, the area around the tip is starting to get clean, but Pelican Bay is still pretty muddy. I have not heard to much this week about the bluegill bite, I have heard about a few still being caught around Uncle Joe's Cut and at the dynamite hole south of Clewiston.

July 25th, 2006

Clewiston-----It's been a hot one this week on the Big "O" , both the temperature and the fishing. The lake is clearing up and the water temperature is on the rise, fishing has been great early in the morning and as the sun gets up high in the sky it slow down some. The West Wall is still producing some nice bass on wild shiners early in the morning, they are still along the outside grass line but there are some nicer bass just out roaming around twenty to thirty yards off the grass line. These bass are up to eight pounds and can be caught till about ten o' clock and then they move back in the grass and the two to three pound bass are all you can catch. So you want to get an early start if you want to catch these larger fish. With the temperatures being so hot please get a quick picture of your catch and get your fish back in the water as quick as possible, a bass is quick to get stressed out and die during the summer months.
Topwater frogs are still working good in the grass, I have been using a Berkley Batwing Frog in junebug color and catching a good number of bass in the three pound range and an occasional one up to five pounds. This water is crystal clear back in the grass and you need to make long casts to not spook these fish. The areas I've been fishing are from Cochran's Pass to the West Wall, these fish scattered in this grass. Try to fish small points and areas of thicker grass. On cloudy and overcast days some of these bass are out off the grass and can be caught with a Rat-L-Trap or shallow running crankbait, try fishing from the edge of the grass out to twenty or thirty yards. If you see bass schooling in these areas, throw a topwater lure at them I like to use a LIL' RICHARD made locally here in Moorehaven by Sam Griffin, these bass on the Big "O" really love them worked slow. As the sun gets up and these bass move back into the grass a 10" worm in junebug color and a Gambler Ugly Otter in blue shadow color have been accounting for most of the bass that my clients have been catching. I have been fishing both texas rigged with a 3/16 ounce sinker and braided line but with water getting so clear I think I will have to switch to Berkley Vanish Fluorocarbon line that is almost invisible in the water, I'll let you know next week if this line makes a difference. On calm days when the wind doesn't blow try using a Senko rigged weightless along the grass line, watermelon-red would be my color choice. The bluegill bite has been slower this week with a few being caught around Uncle Joe's Cut and a few south of Clewiston at the Football Field and the Deep Hole, cricket are still working the best. I have been getting some reports that the water around Ritta Island is clearing up and also around the tip of Kramer Island is starting to look good. I'll try to get out to these areas and get a look and report on them next week. Remember to drink lots of water when you are out on the water in the summer heat and use plenty of sunscreen.

July 18th, 2006

Clewiston-----Lake Okeechobee's bass fishing continues to be hot this week from Harney Pond Canal to Clewiston. The lake level is up a little to 12.24 above sea level and the water continues to clear up the fishing has been great again last week. The area from Observation Island to Cochran's Pass is producing some good sized bass on wild shiners, target the outside grass especially the points. These bass seem to eat good until the sun gets up high in the sky and then they move back into the grass to find some shade. The West Wall is still giving up some good bass on wild shiners, same as up north you want to get an early start and fish till the sun gets up high in the sky. Target the outside grass line, especially points or pockets in the grass and try to stay as far away from the grass as you can and still be able to cast a shiner in to the edge. These bass are getting a little spooky with the water being so clear. I'm still using about four dozen shiners for most half day guide trips, you can still get some good healthy shiners at Roland Martin's Marina for $20.00 a dozen.

Artificial lure fishing for bass this week has been good with most fishermen concentrating on the area from Uncle Joe's Cut up to Cochran's Pass. These bass have been moving in and out of the grass, with topwater being good one day and pitching 10" worms good the next. The Gambler Cane Toad in pepper grass color produced the most topwater fish for me this week, the bite was real slow. I did catch so real good bass on a 10" Charlie Worm in junebug color and Gambler Ugly Otter in blue shadow color from Observation Island up to Cochran's Pass. Try fishing both of these baits with as light of a sinker as you can I have been trying to stick with an 1/8 ounce tungsten weight as long as the wind doesn't blow to hard. I also caught bass this week on a Johnston Silver Minnow Spoon in gold color with a twin tail trailer, work this bait through the joint grass and the bass will hit it so hard they almost tear the rod out of your hands. They have been spraying weed killer in these areas for two weeks now so you will need to fish where there is green joint grass not the dead brown grass. If they continue to spray this area I'm not sure where we will be able to fish in the weeks to come.

The Harney Pond Canal has been producing some good two to four pound bass on crankbaits the past couple weeks. We filmed a TV show with Southwest Florida Outdoors this past week and caught a good number of bass on a Berkley Frenzy deep diving crankbait in firetiger color.

You want to target the cuts that go out into the lake from Harney Pond Canal, throw your crankbait as far as you can in the cuts and crank them back toward the canal and these bass are hanging right on the edge of drop off along the canal. We also have been catching a few fish on a Senko in watermelon-red color by working these cuts after the crankbait bite slows down, you will need to fish the Senko weightless and real slow.

The bluegill bite this week is about the same as last week, Observation shoal seems to be the best bet. The water is real clear in this area and crickets are the bait of choice, one day you can catch a limit and the next day you might only catch a few.</