Big O Problems

[Rick H]

https://www.southcentralfloridalife...._id=222e471389

[Gamblerman65]

Good read. I hope it’s not too late.

[Rangerdeepv]

Can't believe the educated ding-a-lings would trash an amazing resource like this.

[BassCatBrad]

I’ve fished Okeechobee the last 20 years. The lake is in shit shape. I honestly fear it is doomed to be the next Lake Apopka. Apopka is on the rebound after 60 years of trash. But they are now starting to spray Apopka heavily so who knows how long that good fishing will last.

[Rick H]

Pure and simple GREED

[merc106]

A lot of truth but also a little miss leading. The water table is not near as big of a problem as the spraying is!! The spraying has killed the vegetation which has muddied or silted up the water which has killed the rest of the grasses that bass and the lake need to clean the water. The only true fix that I see is dredging the lake to clean the bottom which they will not do in our life time! It is sad to think that my son will not see the fishery that I had as a young angler and grew to love.

[Rick H]

I've been watching the downward spiral of this lake a long while.
At one time Lakeport was a mini hub for guides and entertainment,
hotels and cottages and now almost 0 guides and almost a ghost town.
Little more than a wide spot in the road.

I just don't understand the waste of this resource.

[merc106]

Yea the 80s and early 90s lake port was the spot to be.

[Gamblerman65]

I guess the building of the new BPS didn’t help?

[Bandwagon]

Yea the 80s and early 90s lake port was the spot to be.

Even will into the 2000's the lake was in good shape. I remember how good the monkey box and harney pond was around 2015 and 2016. The hurricane reset the lake and the continuous high water and spraying have never let it recover.

[BassCatBrad]

Even will into the 2000's the lake was in good shape. I remember how good the monkey box and harney pond was around 2015 and 2016. The hurricane reset the lake and the continuous high water and spraying have never let it recover.

100% correct

[cwilt]

Even will into the 2000's the lake was in good shape. I remember how good the monkey box and harney pond was around 2015 and 2016. The hurricane reset the lake and the continuous high water and spraying have never let it recover.

X2

The monkey box area used to be awesome. Now where the marker is, it's all open water.

[chatterbaitn]

it appears they are going to start draining water tomorrow

https://www.tcpalm.com/story/opinion...h/72595040007/

[L&B200M]

Even will into the 2000's the lake was in good shape. I remember how good the monkey box and harney pond was around 2015 and 2016. The hurricane reset the lake and the continuous high water and spraying have never let it recover.

this is 100% correct. The hurricane did the damage of five years of spraying in one day and they have been relentless with the spraying ever since. High water magnified the problem

[merc106]

Not even close on the hurricane damage.

[BassCatBrad]

Funny thing is I fished okeechobee 6 months after the 2004 Hurricane season. The water was high but clear and there was underwater vegetation everywhere. They weren’t spraying nearly as often in 2004/2005.

[merc106]

Hurricane didn't cause what has happened to the lake. Did it help no! But it could handle it. What it cannot handle is the spraying! Period! I don't care what Scott or any of the rest say! I see it first hand on the lake daily and have seen it for years. Does it still have good days, yes. But on a daily basis it is done. Anyone that says any different as far as the condition is probably bought like most of the people that have tried in the past to fight for the lake! Sadly it's all about money.

[Kititas]

Saw them spraying in Tin House yesterday

[Kititas]

Burning tules in tin house today

[1781ccT]

Eutrophication of a lake is natural. As plants die, they sink to the bottom where good bacteria eats the plants. In that process, the plants turn to muck, NATURALLY. The problem with spraying is that it leads to TOO MUCH dead plant matter, and the good bacteria cannot eat it fast enough before the good bacteria are also wiped out. The high water in Okeechobee is likely the result of an unnatural amount of muck from spraying is blocking the normal flow of water. The high water exacerbates the already negative effects of spraying. SOME spraying is very likely not bad. The amount of spraying that is currently being done is very clearly bad.