Hope everyone has a wonderful holidays and spends time with their families during these tough times. The fishing has finally started to pick up here on the Big “O” and the weather has also started to stabilize. We have ha cold front after cold front moving through South Florida for the last month and it coupled with the fact that the bass just weren’t moving in off the main lake was making the bass fishing pretty tough. Now flash to new picture, nice sunny days, full moon, and lots of bass moving back in the grass toward their old spawning areas that they have not been to for over two years. I’m really excited about what I have seen the past week here on the lake and I think that we should have a great season catching bass like we should here on Lake Okeechobee “back in the grass”.
I have been catching bass from the Monkey Box to South Bay in certain areas. You just can’t go out and catch bass just anywhere but if you look around and cover some water you will catch some fish. Bay Bottom, Ritta Island, Blue Hole, and the Monkey box all have been good areas for my clients and me. The outside grass line is still pretty dirty from the wind blowing out on the main lake but all you have to do is move back in the grass twenty five yards and the water cleans up quick. When you do find an area that you catch a fish or two just stick around because you will catch a couple more. The water level is at 14.15 feet above sea level and slowly dropping from what they are pumping out to the farms around the lake. You can run your boat almost anywhere right now and we are starting to get a lot of trails back in the grass now.
I have been using a few select baits the past few weeks, a Senko, a Zoom Super Fluke, Gambler Cane Toad, and a Gambler Flappin Shad. There are days when the bass want a lure moving across the grass and that is when the Cane Toad and the Flappin Shad work best and on other days especial when the wind isn’t blowing much they seem to like the Fluke and the Senko best. I have been fishing the Cane Toad and the Flappin Shad on a Deep South “Frog” Rod and PowerPro braided line. The Senko and the Fluke I fish on a 7’2” medium heavy action Deep South Rod, Abu Garcia Revo reel spooled with a new fluorocarbon line that Lake Fork Trophy Lures has just come out with. This line is awesome and I’m using thirty three pound test line and it is manageable and very strong so I’m able to get the bass out of this thick vegetation I’m fishing. With the water being so clear in most areas you will almost have to use heavy fluorocarbon line to keep the bass from seeing the line and to be strong enough to get the bass to the boat.
The bluegill fishing is still going strong here on the lake and the crappie fishing is just now starting to pick up. I think the crappies are just now starting to move in off the main lake and they are just like the bass and spawn on a full moon. Try using minnows and jigs for the crappie and crickets and beetle spins for the bluegill. Good luck and hope to see you on the lake.
Captain Mark King is a full time guide and tournament angler guiding out of the world famous Roland Martin’s Marina and Resort in Clewiston Florida. Mark is an IGFA Certified Captain, active member of the Florida Guide Association and the Florida Outdoor Writers Association. Captain Mark is sponsored by Ranger Boats, Evinrude Outboards, Deep South Rods, Power-Pole, Lake Fork Trophy Lures, Minn Kota trolling motors, Gambler Lures, AFTCO clothing, Van Staal pliers, Smartshield sun protection products, Northlake Marine and Frigid Rigid coolers.
Mark can be contacted to book a guide trip, for seminars, appearances, test rides in his Evinrude powered Ranger or to fish a tournament with him at 863-983-9950 or at http://www.markkingfishing.com and don’t forget to check out his new bass fishing web site at http://www.mybassclass.com .
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