Okeechobee is Florida’s largest lake by far, and it turns out lots of real lunker bass as well as countless smaller fish. (Photo courtesy of Florida FWC)
October 09, 2024
By Frank Sargeant
Lake Okeechobee spans some 467,000 acres. It’s nearly 30 miles across at the widest point, and almost all of the shoreline looks fishy.
So where do you start? It’s sort of like eating that fabled elephant, go after it a bite at a time. If you spend all your time running from one remote spot to another, you’re not likely to have a good experience. If you settle into one area of the lake and focus on the fishiest parts of that stretch, you’ll nearly always find fish. However, it’s true that there are nomadic schools of bass in the lake, and at times a wad of these fish will move into a given stretch of cover for a few weeks, maybe because of water flow, rains or an abundance of bait, and if you get on that section, you’ll catch amazing numbers of fish.
If you’re making your first trip to the lake, it’s naturally smart to hire a guide at least for the first day; he’ll know where there are active fish, and will probably share some other spots with you as well as what lures have been working best. Or check out Internet chatter—a lot of anglers fish Okeechobee, and many of them are willing to give a few online hints as to what’s working where.
Weedless frogs are among the top producers over the thick vegetation that covers thousands of acres of the lakes shoreline. (Photo by Frank Sargeant) Offshore Bass Not all the fish in Okeechobee are on the grassy cover. There are rocky areas well offshore where fish sometimes gather, particularly in the fall when edible size shad are roaming the open water, and if you get on one of these spots and probe with live sonar, you may pick out some impressive bass.
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Bass on shad usually eat a Rat-L-Trap about as good as anything—chrome with a pale green or blue back is hard to beat, in the ½ ounce size. Fish it with a pump and drop motion over rocks and deep grass, or if you actually see breaking fish, just cast and reel hard enough to make it vibrate and buzz. The new Berkley “Jack” rattlebait is another good one, as is the Strike King Redeye Shad .
Moving Water Rainy weather or strong winds sustained from one direction can cause a lot of water movement on this big lake—there are actually moderate tides caused by the wind at times. Anywhere there’s a cut through the dike surrounding the lake, a creek outflow or a feeder river like the Kissimmee or Fisheating Creek flowing strongly, bass are likely to gather. They might be in the rim ditch, if water is flowing from the lake to the ditch, or just inside, on those rare occasions when it goes the other way.
You’re never far from bass cover on this lake. A set of Power-Poles makes staying on the fishy spots a lot easier. (Photo courtesy of Power-Pole) Throw a jerkbait , topwater , crankbait or rattle bait up into the strongest part of the flow and bring it back fast enough to bring out the action and you’ll often connect. Alternatively, a soft plastic worm wacky rigged and allowed to drift with the flow often gets bit.
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Flippin’ the Grass Lines Flipping a jig or other fast sinking lure into potholes in weedbeds and around pads is a very popular and productive Okeechobee tactic. It works right through the summer as well as spring and fall. You can do well at times just fishing the edges of the boat trails that cut through many of the vast weed fields, or head out to the edge of the main weed masses and look for clear water—you’ll soon find a productive spot.
As with bass everywhere, the fish often go on a feed at sunrise and sunset here. (Photo courtesy of Nitro Boats) Best Baits and Lures As with just about anywhere in Florida, if you want to catch a trophy bass and only a trophy bass, 8 pounds or more, your odds will go way up if you put the artificials aside and buy several dozen wild shiners at area bait shops. These big (and expensive) minnows are typically 5 to 8 inches long, and they are bass candy.
They’re typically fished on 8-foot heavy action rods with baitcasters loaded with 65-pound test braid. The hook is usually a 6/0 Kahle style in the nose or behind the dorsal, and the bait is allowed to swim around likely bass territory—the outside of a maidencane field, lily pads, bulrushes and the like. This is full combat fishing, and when you set the hook on a lunker the fight may not last 60 seconds—you’ll either haul the fish to the boat or it will break off deep in the weeds. It lacks finesse but is deadly effective.
Reeds and bulrushes are also prime cover, usually marking firm bottom where fish will spawn in early spring. (Photo courtesy of Daiwa) Artificials often catch more fish, but not so often the giants. Among artificials, it’s hard to beat a Texas-rigged soft plastic worm 8 inches long, with a ¼-ounce slip sinker ahead of it. This lure will catch a lot of yearlings and 2- and 3-year-old fish, but it will occasionally catch a lunker, too. Where the weeds are not too thick, a topwater like the Zara Spook will do the job, and around duckweed and moss, weedless lures like the SPRO Bronze Eye Frog or the Z-Man GOAT ToadZ rigged on a 5/0 to 6/0 dogleg wide-gap are winners. The Z-Man Jackhammer Chatterbait also makes some legendary catches here, fished over hydrilla and other submerged weeds.
Clear water and aquatic vegetation often are likely spots to start searching for fish. Best Time to Go January through March is prime time for big fish as the larger females bed in the shallows and sight fishing opportunities present themselves. April and May are also prime with the fish gradually moving out to the edges of cover but still feeding strongly. June through early October is hot and muggy in south Florida, but you can catch plenty of fish if you’re good with a forward facing sonar or if you like flippin’ thick weed mats. Late October into December is schooling time, with good action throwing topwaters and lipless crankbaits around breaking fish. There’s also a good weedless frog bite until the first cold front or two—look for moss mats or duckweed and fish weedless baits like the Snagproof Frog and Spro Bronzeye.
Places to Stay Roland Martin’s Marina and Condos in Clewiston, Fla. Roland Martin’s Marina and Condos at Clewiston is a favorite of many anglers thanks to upscale lodging and easy access to local restaurants. There are multiple good fish camps around the lake including Slim’s Fish Camp in South Bay, one of the oldest camps on the lake and in prime fishing territory. Uncle Joe’s Fish Camp is located between Clewiston and Moore Haven with quick access to Myakka Cut and the lake.
