The dirty water is pouring into Lake Okeechobee and raising the water level to over 10.45 feet above sea level. Water in the lake is a great thing but the dirty agricultural water that we are receiving is not. This red or tea stained water has no oxygen and is full of nutrients that are not good for the lake and the fish. For now if you want to catch fish you need to find clean water on the lake and there is still plenty out there. The rim canal and some of the channels like Uncle Joe’s cut and the Clewiston channel have this tea colored water in them and the bass have left the area. The other challenge has been to find bait, if you want to catch more than one bass here or there you need to find the bait fish.
Some of the areas that have been good to fish the last couple weeks are Norman’s channel, the area out from Bear Beach channel, the pipe line that runs from the water tank to the area between Coots Bay and the East Wall. The pipe line has a tint to the water but the bass are still there for now. One of the other areas that have some fish is the shoal north of Uncle Joe’s cut, the reason I waited to mention this area is that it is still very shallow and dangerous to run a boat in this area. If you venture up to the shoal take it easy and idle or run your trolling motor till you see how deep it is. Another point to mention about this area is the fact that we have been getting some bad storms in the afternoon and this can be a hard area to get out of quick. The safe bet is Norman’s channel and the area surrounding it along with the pipe line even though there are a lot of boats fishing these areas.
For bait selection this past month swim baits and shakey head rigs have been the best choice for me and my clients. I have been using both soft and hard plastic swim baits and have been trying a lot of different ones. For soft plastic swim baits the D.O.A. BFL is a great lure if the bass are eating bigger bait because it is 8” long, but when you do catch a bass it is a bigger one. This is a great lure to use around schooling bass and when you have a limit of bass and you need that kicker fish to win that tournament. The other soft plastic swim bait that I use on a daily basis is the “Live” Magic Shad made by Lake Fork Tackle, it has great action and I use the 4.5” and the 5.5” sizes. You will need the hook that Lake Fork makes especial for the “Live” Magic Shad to be able to fish these baits the right way. For hard plastic swim baits the King Shad by Strike King is hard to beat. My shakey head rig is still the same as it has been for the last few months with a 1/4 ounce Gambler Giggy Head jig, but this past couple weeks I have been trying different soft plastic worms. I have been using 10” worms, tube baits, and Zoom Flukes with good success. The top water bite has been slow but I still keep one rigged and ready on the deck of the boat and will throw it at a fish feeding on the top.
The bluegill fishing has slowed down some but if you can find active beds you can catch your limit quick. One of the best areas that I have found is on the shoal north of Uncle Joe’s cut, just idle around till you find some beds that have bluegill on them. A cricket fished under a cork has been working best but that’s not to say that a Bettle Spin won’t catch you a limit also. Go to http://www.markkingfishing.com for more information.
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That was some nasty stuff rolling-boiling out of there. Hopefully it will clean up soon.
