Big fish are floating on Okeechobee

[Hez]

Their were net boats seen in the area around the same time so theres a real good chance that was from it. If you've ever met those guys they laugh at how many 8-11 pounders they get in those nets in the summer. All those fish floating have bright white bellies

What is the significance of the bright white bellies?

[ScottOz]

What are they netting? And how if this is the results can it be legal. I saw about a 6 pounder floating Sunday. It was still alive just was upside down almost like a swim bladder issue that needed to fizzed.

[hogzilla]

Netboats in the area.lake is great,sat.Fastbreak tour n in okeechobee had a lot of big sacks/fish

Yeah a friend of mine finished 5th with 26.19.

[blade1970]

What is the significance of the bright white bellies?

Offshore fish......

[Hez]

Offshore fish......

got ya...thanks

[ScottOz]

FWC response to an e-mail I wrote them.

Thank you for your email, we received reports of fish kills this past weekend involving several species of fish and yesterday biologists were in the area to investigate. They didn’t see any fish kills, but it is possible that winds blew fish around the lake since the event was first observed. We are continuing to investigate reports and are monitoring the lake.


We currently have four commercial haul seine fishermen that operate on the lake and most often they fish on the south of the lake, however it is possible that some could have fished the north end of the lake. We monitor the harvest and by-catch of the commercial haul seiners and although they do catch some bass in their nets they are required to release any bass and crappie back into the lake. The haul seiners are required to stay at least 1 mile from the edge of the marsh and follow the GPS boundaries around the lake that have been established to limit encroachment into vegetated or sensitive marsh areas. These boundaries also limit the probability of catching larger bass since those fish tend to stay within the marsh among denser vegetation. When lake levels are lower than 11 ft the haul seiners are required to move lakeward and follow a second boundary to mitigate for lower water levels. We believe the fisheries in the lake are healthy and resilient so they do not suffer detriments from haul seine harvests. This is also why harvest by haul seine of largemouth bass and black crappie is prohibited, to protect these sport fisheries from excessive culling.

I hope this provides more information about haul seine fishing on the lake and I’d be happy to talk with you if you have any further questions or comments.

Thank you again for your concern and vigilance about the ecology of the lake.

[hogzilla]

I thought the dead fish were around Clewiston? That's not the north end.

[blade1970]

I thought the dead fish were around Clewiston? That's not the north end.

The dead fish were filmed in the north end, offshore......It was posted by Kail Stevens just before the Fast Break tourney which was launching out of the north end.

[ScottOz]

I thought the dead fish were around Clewiston? That's not the north end.

kail said about 3 miles of dead around third 3rd point area

[hogzilla]

Thanks, I thought someone had said around Clewiston.

[ScottOz]

Thanks, I thought someone had said around Clewiston.

I found one about 6 pounds struggling upside down on Sunday near Cochran's was still alive.

[Casslaw]

My neighbor was down in Clewiston this week; he said the bait shops were blaming the netters. Love that email from the FWC, we all know in 97 degree weather bass never go deep. And with the low water level on Lake O right now...are the seiners following the right lines?

We all know the FWC doesn’t police them nearly enough!

I took the white bellies to mean these bass had died, fell to the bottom, then floated due to the gas build up during the decomposition process. Personally I’ve never heard of having to fizz a bass in Lake O, but I could be wrong.

[myron]

many years ago someone put a spy on one of the seiners boat, he witnessed what they do to the fish they are not allowed to keep, they slit there gills and throw them back. they should not be allowed on the lake at all. Most of the big fish on the big O are offshore in the summertime more so know with low water.

[ScottOz]

My neighbor was down in Clewiston this week; he said the bait shops were blaming the netters. Love that email from the FWC, we all know in 97 degree weather bass never go deep. And with the low water level on Lake O right now...are the seiners following the right lines?

We all know the FWC doesn’t police them nearly enough!

I took the white bellies to mean these bass had died, fell to the bottom, then floated due to the gas build up during the decomposition process. Personally I’ve never heard of having to fizz a bass in Lake O, but I could be wrong.

I wrote them asking to look at maybe doing a moratorium on the netters, seeing how the water is low, Rainy season, and they have nuked all the aquatic veg. That is the reply they sent. I guess the white bellies most people think they are deeper offshore fish, Makes sense if they were from the netters. The one I saw alive and floating had like a bend in it's side. I agree with never seen a fish in the O needed to be fizzed just reminded me of that. When I got close it swam to the bottom but then came back upside down.

[bassfish1]

https://lakeokeechobeenews.com/lake-...sed-fish-kill/

[Bill2e]

many years ago someone put a spy on one of the seiners boat, he witnessed what they do to the fish they are not allowed to keep, they slit there gills and throw them back. they should not be allowed on the lake at all. Most of the big fish on the big O are offshore in the summertime more so know with low water.

Are you kidding me.

If if there was proof of that the should have had the permit revoked. Get rid of the net boats.

[Bill2e]

https://www.facebook.com/Istokpoga/ on this page

[ScottOz]

Agree
Or at least put a hold on them until the lake is healthy.