Lake Okeechobee Fishing Guide, Big Bass!
Capt. Michael Shellen
January 17, 2011
Lake Okeechobee - Freshwater Fishing Report
The recent FLW Everstart Series tournament on lake Okeechobee gave anglers a pretty good indication of how good the bass fishing is on Lake Okeechobee. Even though the weather changed drastically during the event many large five fish limits were brought to the scale each day. On day one Joey Thigpen from St. Johns Fl. brought a five fish limit to the scale that weighed over 34 pounds, nearly a 7 pound average. The winner of the three day event was Brandon Medlock from lake Placid. Medlock managed to bring over 60 pound of bass to the scales for the three days to claim the $35000 first place check. Flipping and pitching were the most productive ways that the pros targeted the spawning bass around reed clumps and matted vegetation. Heavy jigs, paca craws, sweet beavers and bb crickets were just some of the more popular baits. Skinny dippers, spinner baits and 10 inch worms were popular for those casting to the scattered cover. The North end of the lake was responsible for the majority of the large bass that were caught, with the North Shore, Horse Island, Kings Bar and the Monkey Box being popular areas with the pros.
Earlier this winter when the large spawning females moved into the shallow grass lines to spawn we caught many bass in the 7 to 11 pound range. Many of the bass spawned early this year, but this last week just prior to the full moon another wave of spawners moved shallow and we started catching female bass full of roe on the outside grass lines once again. This pattern will continue throughout the winter and as we enter spring. One of the great things about this time of year is that we have bass that have completed spawning and are looking to feed heavily after expending their energy. Then on the other hand we have another wave of females moving into the shallows to spawn, so there are fish in different stages available in the shallow water and along the grasslines. This process is what makes Lake Okeechobee the tremendous bass fishing resource that it has been for many years.
The town of Okeechobee has even more to offer than just tremendous fishing. Okeechobee is situated right on the Northern tip of the lake and is easily accessible from every point in the entire state. Okeechobee offers great new Inns and hotels for your staying pleasure. for the early morning fishermen Okeechobee has restaurants that open early and close late. Whatever you prefer in the way of food is available from steaks to barbecue or seafood you can get it all here. The town of Okeechobee is the only town around the lake that can provide full amenities and easy access from all major airports. If you have questions about where to stay and need some guidance, give us a call and we will steer you in the right direction .
Cpt Mike Shellen
863-357-0892
www.OkeechobeeBassFishing.com
Lake Okeechobee Fishing Forecast:
The first wave of big female bass has spawned and are looking to feed aftrer expending huge amounts of energy, another wave of big females just started moving shallow this week, bass fishing is getting better daily on Lake Okeechobee!
Target Species:
Okeechobee Bass
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