The water is rising here on Lake Okeechobee and the fishing continues to be good. The water level has come up over a foot in the last two weeks and is still rising. I just hope that the rains we have been getting don't stop anytime soon. The water level is at 9.94 feet above sea level and if we can keep getting rain and they will let some of this water stay in the lake the water could get back up in the grass and the fishing will really improve. The bass have been scattered out around the lake in search of bait which has made them a little harder to find on a daily basis, but when you do find them there seems to be a fair number of bass in an area. Most of the tournaments are taking twenty pounds to get in the money with a five bass limit. The bluegill fishing has also been good if you can find active beds. There are lots of beds out there but you need to target the active ones if you want to catch some bluegill.
Most all of the bass fishing is going on out on the lake as the rim canal is very dirty with the water they are pumping in out of the fields that surround Lake Okeechobee. But with the good news of US Sugar selling out and with Gods help just maybe South Florida Water Management can take care of our beautiful lake and stop polluting it, but at least it is out of Big Sugars hands. With the lake level being around ten feet it is somewhat safe to run to some areas around the lake, but it is by no means safe to just go running anywhere on the lake with your boat. Some areas that I have been fishing are Norman's channel, out Bear Beach channel, and the Clewiston channel. Just use caution going anywhere on the lake at the present water level. What all of these areas have in common is deeper water and that is needed this time of the year to hold bass in an area. The other thing that bass need is feed and if you can find the shad this time of the year you should also find the bass.
The baits that I have been using are still pretty much the same including the shakey head rig, swim bait, and some top water on the right day. My shakey head rig is still the same as it was last month and the month before, you can't go wrong with a Gambler Lures Giggy Head jig in ¼ ounce with a straight tailed worm attached. My swim bait selection has varied throughout the past couple months with a Lake Fork Tackle "Live" Magic Shad being one of the best but I have also been catching them on a D.O.A. Lures BFL (big fish lure). The BFL is a large swim bait and you won't catch a lot of bass but when you do it will be a big one. I have been throwing these big swim baits on a Kistler Custom Rod that is designed to handle big swim baits. The "Big Swim Bait Special" is eight foot long and rated for one to five ounce lures and fifteen to thirty five pound test line; this rod can handle big fish on big swim baits. Kistler (www.kistlerrods.com) makes some of the finest rods for all freshwater fish and their new inshore rods can't be beat for redfish, trout, and snook. The top water bite has been a hit and miss deal, if you are around bait and the bass are chasing bait then you can catch some nice bass on top water, but if there is no bait present you can throw a top water till your arm falls off and won't catch anything. Try throwing a Spro Salt Dawg which is a little bigger than the Dawg in Spooky Shad color when you see the bass chasing shad around. Please remember to be safe on the lake, the water level has come up but I don't advise running your boat anywhere that you are not familiar with. Contact me anytime at mark@markkingfishing.com or go to www.markkingfishing.com for more info.
