Lake Okeechobee Bass Reports Nov. 2009
The bass fishing has taken off…. The bass are moving in fast with the moon. The lure fishing has been pretty good and the shiner fishing is off the chart right now.
This week I took some clients out from Vermont and they caught 22 bass over 5lbs in 3 days with there biggest 2 over 7 lbs. The top water frog bite has been off and on, but when it is on, it is awesome. The north shore and the east wall to Rite Island are hot right now. The Lake is looking the best I have seen it in over 15 years and the number of yearling bass on Okeechobee is very high. We are starting to see the fruit of our labor with the lake and its rehabilitation since the drought and few years ago.
There is grass and cover all over the lake this year and this will be the best spawn that we have seen in many years…..The Lake is back and looks awesome, if you want a great Lake Okeechobee Florida guide trip or charter, contact Scott Martin
Oct. 2009
The live bait bite here on Lake Okeechobee has been very good, while the lure fishing for me has not been spectacular. The bass are starting to move in to spawn and the trails and outside point are producing very well for shiners. The lure fishing is getting of to a slower start because of the weather….still 90 degrees every day and zero cold fronts. The bass are a little confused along with the fisherman. I did have two super good days with some clients from Canada. Day 1 - Best 5 =26lbs lures
Day 2 - Best 5 = 34 lbs shiners….. Pretty fun!!!
If you would like to experience some great Lake Okeechobee bass fishing with a professional guide, contact Scott Martin
Lake Okeechobee Bass Fishing Report May 2009
The big bass are back for a while…… the bluegill and shell crackers are spawning right now on the big bass big on Okeechobee is awesome right now. Look for the bluegill beds on the edge of the marsh and the fish it with swim bait or a 7” senko and hang on. Many of the bass you will see before you catch them, you need to have a quite trolling motor and sneak around and sight fishes them.
If you have a power pole on your boat, this is a perfect time to use them. You will want to power-pole down in an up wind position and make long cast to the light spots (beds).
Lake Okeechobee Bass Fishing Report April 2009
Top water action and senko’s is the best bite right now. The bass have mostly finished up spawning and the last wave or two will spawn on the outside grass lines on the west side of Lake Okeechobee. We have been averaging around 50 bass per day with the chance of a big bass still very high. Watermelon flukes and senko’s are the best lure right now. The top water action is pretty consistent in the morning hours for bass.
The shiner fishing is very good right now, but there is no need….lure bite is too hot on Okeechobee right now. If you are down on vacation and looking to go on a Florida bass fishing trip that is a blast, contact Scott Martin.
Lake Okeechobee Bass Fishing Report March 2009
The fishing has been very good all over the lake with the bass still spawning hard in the marsh. The water levels are falling and the bass are staging up on the out side grass lines. The best area on the lake is the shoal, most of the bass are on the out side and the lip-less crankbait bite is very good for some quality Lake Okeechobee large mouth. If you are looking to go on a Lake Okeechobee guide trip or charter while in Florida, contact Scott Martin and we will set it up.
Lake Okeechobee Bass Fishing Report Feb 2009
The month of Feb. has proven to be one wonderful month of bass fishing here on the big “O”. The Bass have been smashing the top water frogs and swim baits. The shiner fishing has been producing some great action as well with the big fish still biting just about everyday.
The east wall and Observation shoal has been the hot spot this month and with the water levels falling a bit, the offshore bit should pick up soon.
Worm fishing basics; Part four: Color selections and spring lizards
In Florida, I like to keep worm colors pretty simple. I try to throw purples, junebug (basically a deep purple), and I’ll try some variations of those colors with different colored flakes. Some days the fish like a red color flake, some days they like a green flake.
I like the red flake around the full moon whenever
Worm fishing basics; Part two: The wacky rig
Here’s how I fish soft plastics--the most commonly used freshwater lures
Another way I like to rig my soft plastics is called the Wacky rig. It’s a very simple way of fishing soft plastic baits, and the essential need here is to use the right kind of worm. You want to utilize a very straight worm like a Gulp! Sinking Minnow, or some type of long finesse worm that doesn’t have any kind of a tail to it. You basically want a very straight, do-nothing worm.
What I’ll do with that worm is hook it right in the middle in the egg sac. On most worms, there will be a spot in the middle of the worm that looks like an egg sac, and most manufacturers build that into the
Worm fishing basics; Part three: The Carolina rig
Worm fishing basics; Part three: The Carolina rig
Here’s how I fish soft plastics--the most commonly used freshwater lures
The last common way to rig soft plastics is called the Carolina rig. I’m sure this rig is named for where it originated somewhere in North or South Carolina. A lot of people think a Carolina rig is something you use in deep reservoirs or deepwater situations, but I’ve caught a lot of fish on a Carolina rig in the shallow lakes throughout Florida. In most scenarios, I’m dragging
How to successfully fish tidal rivers:
I’m on the Potomac River in Washington, D.C, and there are keys to fishing this type of water
This week I’m on the road and fishing the fifth tournament of the FLW season on the world famous Potomac River in Washington, D.C., and what a bass factory this is. When you think of rivers around big cities you think about the pollution and a lack of fish, but this river has a lot of bass in it and a lot of good fish. It takes 20 to 22 pounds to win a tournament here, and there will be a lot of 15 pound bag limits caught. The average fish here is 2.5 pounds.
Fishing the Swimming Jig:
Swimming jigs imitate fish and are worked in a similar style as a spinnerbait
This week we want to talk about a fishing technique that’s fairly new in Florida. It got it start in the upper Mississippi River, Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota, and it’s a technique called swimming a jig.
It’s exactly what it sounds like. You get a jig, and instead of dragging it on the bottom, you swim it through the water column like a baitfish. This technique does have some idiosyncrasies, so let’s talk about them.
Swimbait strategies:
Swimbait strategies:
Swim baits come in three styles and the California trend is making its way to the east coast
This week, I’d like to talk about swim baits, which started out on the prairie lakes in California, and over the last few years have become a popular lure style on the East Coast. Some of the anglers on the FLW Tour and Bassmasters Tour have started catching a lot of fish on these baits in Texas, South Carolina, Florida and Georgia, and they’re starting to gain popularity.
There are a few different kinds of swim baits, so let’s look at them individually. The first type of swim bait is the soft body shad tail bait with the open hook on top and lead in the head. Some of the more popular ones on the tour are the Berkley 4-inch Freshwater Pogy, the Storm Wildeye Shad and the L.A. Slider.
Old school worm fishing
Coming into June, water temperatures are starting to rise, and the key to catching fish in the summer months is to go back to the old school worm fishing. A lot of people who live in Florida know what I’m talking about—1/ 8- to 3/ 16-ounce bullet weights and the old standard 6- to 8-inch ribbontail worm.
Berkley has a Gulp! Turtle Back ribbontail worm that works really well, Charlie’s Worms makes a great ribbontail, as does Culprit. Those three worms I like a lot, but I like the Gulp! worm the best because of the scent trail it leaves in the water. This time of the year you want to fish slowly, and when you fish slow, you want to fish a worm that has a lot of scent and a lot of action.
Lipless crankbait tactics
Line size, lure color and retrieval speed determine the catch
By Scott Martin-On The Pro Trail
Last week, we opened the discussion on lipless crankbaits by describing the conditions you want to look for while fishing this style. You want shallow (3 to 5 feet) water, over flat bottom with little submerged vegetation or hydrilla.
You want to use heavier line – SpiderWire Ultracast 50-pound, if the grass is thick – or lighter line like Berkley Sensation, if you want to fish deeper in the water column.
Fishing the jig and pig in Florida
Contrary to popular believe, it works very well in Florida from November through the end of April
The old famous jig and pig is a term fishermen have heard over the years, but the standard jig and pig is not a typical bait in Florida. Contrary to popular belief, it works very well, and especially over the last three of four years, the jig and pig has been producing some nice fish in Florida tournaments.
For years, Florida anglers have been throwing the soft plastic crawdads and creatures baits, which work very well. But the jig really
How to find big bass in the heat of the day
On the pro trail
How to find big bass in the heat of the day
Look for isolated cover, drop-offs or thick vegetation in open water or along the edge of the grass lines
Obviously, during the summer months the fish are more active in the early morning and in the evening time, when the temperatures are cooler. But, in the middle of the day, anglers are kind of scratching
Expect fishing pressure during tournaments
Expect fishing pressure during tournaments and then adapt to it by watching what the other boats are doing. Afterwards, make sure to stay outside their drift pattern
Scott Martin
On The Pro Trail
Last week we left-off with my plan for the second day of fishing for the FLW Pro Tour event on Lake Okeechobee. During the first day of fishing, I caught a good number of fish by swimming a jig in Moonshine Bay. It was really windy the first day, as a mild cold front pushed through the area
Deep diving : Part 2
Utilizing the proper line, rod and reel combination will make the baits swim deeper
Any time you’re fishing crankbaits, the line, rod and reel are going to determine how deep the bait swims and how effectively it catches fish. Under most situations, I’m throwing crankbaits on 15-pound monofilament or fluorocarbon lines. Heavier line will get more fish out of the structure, but
Deep Diving Crankbaits Part 1
The last few weeks we talked about lipless crankbaits, which are one of my favorite lures to throw in Florida, but another bait I like to fish in Florida--especially this year because the water in most of the lakes is fairly low and the fish are moving to the deeper channels—is the standard or lipped crankbait. This lure comes in a lot of different shapes and sizes, and there’s a lot to learn about the different types of crankbaits, when to throw them, what colors to throw and the tackle to use.
One of the old standards in Florida for bass is the standard 6A or 7A model Bomber lure. This is a plastic round-bodied bait with rattles in
A good map and fine-tuned depth finder go a long way towards finding sweet spots
Today I want to talk about how to find fish out deep in rivers and reservoirs. I’m in Kentucky right now filming episodes for the Scott Martin Challenge and it’s summertime up here, just like it is everywhere, and the water is hot.
Right now the water temperatures are 85 to 87 degrees. Any time you get water temperatures up close to 90 degrees, the majority of the bigger fish
Jan 10th 2009
Wow...what a deference a month makes for bass fishing here on the Lake Okeechobee, The bass are spawning all over the place and the weather has been great. The bass are moving in hard this week and the males are on the beds. The bigger females are starting to move up and do the deal. The past few local tournament have been taking 23-26 lbs to win and the majority of the field are catching good solid 14-20 lbs bag....good stuff. Now that being said the bite on Okeechobee is still not up to its normal standards with quantity of bass being caught each day but the quality is great. There are big fish being caught each day and the lake should be great this year with all the exciting new cover we have now. The lure fishing is a bit more consistent right now with the bass spawning in the grass, but the live bait bite is still producing the big boys.
The Rim canal bit is starting to heat up with most of the fish coming off the ledges and grass beds along the shore. The whole lake right now is pretty good simply because the weather has been awesome 70-80 every day with light winds. On the news tonight I am watching all the crazy cold weather most of the country is being slammed by and all I have to say is "pack your bags and come enjoy the good fishing and great weather"..
Bass Wishes,
Scott Martin
Bass Fishing Reports Nov. 2008
The water levels are around 14.8 and the fishing is starting to get much better, the lake is still running a little behind its normal schedule for great bass fishing. The lure fishing is the best way to catch the most fish right now as the bass are still spread out in all the new grass we have in the lake now. Moving baits and big worms are the most productive lure to throw. The rim canal bite is also getting better every day with the ledges and rock piles heating up.
Bass Wishes,
Scott Martin
October. 2008
This month has been for a lack of better words very strange, one day you catch them good and then the next day you are scratching your head? Lake Okeechobee is back to its normal level and I have never been so excited in my life seeing as much great cover as we have now....Lake Okeechobee is back!!! We are just now getting our first cool snap and this will make the
Feb. 2008
We have been in heat wave down here in South Florida with the temp staying in the upper 70's. If you are reading this and it is very cold were you are, sorry..... The fishing has been very good and we had a major spawn during the full moon. The rim canal has been still producing very well and the flats around Clewiston are on fire with spawning activity. the shiner fishing has been great with most days going thru 7-10 dozen....that is a lot of bites....crazy action.
The lure fishing has been really good with top water baits and buzzbaits along the rocks in the rim canal and the shallow crankbaits are great in the lake. The flat out in front of uncle Joe's is good and the Clewiston channel is hot as well.
So plan your trip to the Big ‘O’ as soon as you can. And please feel free to call or e-mail any time if you have any questions about fishing on Lake Okeechobee.
Bass Wishes,
Scott R. Martin
January 2007
This old lake really amazes me, the fishing has been still very good even with the FLW Series pros in town for the tournament. Okeechobee has been producing great numbers with the average day catching 25-30 on lures and even more with live bait. The Rim canal
Dec. 2007
The fishing has been very consistent with a lot of schooling activity in the main lake and there was a pretty good spawn as well. I fished the annual "Toys For Tots" Bass Tournament held in Clewiston and I caught 25.51 with five bass to take second place, first place weight was 26.01 and
Nov. 28th 2007
Lake Okeechobee been showing off a bit for me over the last few days and the action today was awesome. The bass are starting to look for the spawning areas and the big fish are staging up good. I fished today with my friend Doug practicing for a small tournament this week-end and it was a day to remember.( not a guide trip) My best five bass weighed a total of
Nov. 2007
The Bass fishing has been very good on lake Okeechobee when the wind has is not blowing hard, the rim canal that surrounds the lake has been getting really good. The weather for the last month has been a little chilly and the water temps have been around 62-68 in the lake and the water levels are holding around 10.3 ft.. The south end of the lake have been producing some nice bass but has been staying a little muddy
Sept 17th, 2007
The fishing has been improving as the month of September flies on by, and with October just around the corner better fishing and cooler weather is on the way. The lake level has been staying steady at around 9.5 feet above sea level in spite of the rain and water that has been flowing in from the Kissimmee river. The bass have been starting to school up and the water continues to get cleaner farther out into the lake, with some areas as far out
Sept 2nd, 2007
Clewiston-----As we head into September we could sure use some water in the big Lake Okeechobee. The water level is staying steady at around nine and a half feet above sea level and only goes up or down a very little on a daily basis with the little amount of rain we are getting. The bass are still biting it has just not been all that easy to go out and catch a boat load of
August 7th, 2007
Clewiston-----Finally the water is starting to flow into Lake Okeechobee and the water level has rose to 9.45 above sea level and still rising. With the water coming up and the water temperature at near 90 degrees everyday the fishing has gotten a little tough. Even though the water has only come up about six inches it has the fish swimming for areas that they previously could not get to. Some of my clients are still catching them good on wild shiners in the main channel out from the locks at Clewiston but the fish have been a little smaller with two to three pound bass being the norm. There is
July 30th, 2007
Clewiston----- The summer rains are finally starting to put some water into Lake Okeechobee even if it is just a little at a time. The lake level is at 9.19 feet above sea level and ever so slowly creeping up. The fishing here at the south end of the lake continues to be good for both bass and bluegills, with early morning being the best time to be out on the lake. The wild shiners are still your best bet to catch bass in the two to five pound range and a few bigger ones up to ten pounds still being caught from day to day. My suggestion to catch a few bass on wild shiners would be to get a couple dozen at least and go out the Clewiston channel toward the water tank and
July 10th, 2007
Clewiston-----Well were finally getting some of the desperately needed rain to the Lake Okeechobee region and the lake level is slowly going up with the level at 9.03 feet above sea level. The other great news is that with the low water level and the water clearing up so good that we are starting to see some shrimp grass growing here on the south end of the lake and hopefully the eel and pepper grass will follow. Mother nature has started the healing processes here on the Lake and hopefully it will fill back up slowly and let the habitat for the fish grow back slowly and the water quality will continue
June 26th, 2007
Clewiston-----Summer and the fishing continue to heat up on the Big “O”. With temperatures in the 90’s and the water temperature almost the same, the bass fishing is heating up almost daily. On most guide trips the past two weeks the bass have been eating wild shiners as fast as you can throw them in the water, and the artificial bite has been equally as good. Most bass have been in the three to five pound range with a few big one mixed in like the 9.1 caught Saturday by Scott Gallerani from Boston Mass. With the rain that we have been getting the lake level has been staying steady around 8.91
June 11th, 2007
Clewiston-----I have a lot of good news to report on the conditions of Lake Okeechobee at Clewiston, first we have been getting enough rain almost everyday that they are not pumping much water out of the lake for the surrounding agriculture. The lake level is at 8.96 feet above sea level and
May 15th, 2007
Clewiston----- What a great couple weeks we have had here on Lake Okeechobee. The fishing has been the best it has been for over six months, and the lake level just continues to go down. With the water level being so low it has concentrated the bass in areas that have deeper water such as channels and dynamite holes. We have been using up to ten dozen wild
May 2007
Clewiston----- The water keeps getting lower and the fishing keeps getting better here on the Big “O”. With the lake level at 9.66 feet above sea level almost every area that you can get into has pretty clean water and lots of bass. The bass seem to be getting use to the water being low and have moved to the channels and deeper water and if you can find some structure in the deeper water you will have a ball catching bass till you get tired of
April 28 2007
Clewiston-----Wow the Big “O” is back to producing good numbers of bass on almost every guide trip, Thank God. The weather has been great this past week and the fishing has really reflected on this, with bass being caught on wild shiners and artificial lures just as well. All of the areas that we have been fishing the past few weeks are the places to be like the Football Field
April 9th, 2007
Clewiston-----It’s been a good week on the Big Lake with the bass hitting both artificial lures and wild shiners. I know I’ve been reporting about the lake not being all that good but it has changed a lot in the past week, the water is cleaning up as the wind has calmed down some and with the lake level dropping the bass are really starting to move into the areas with deeper.......
April 2nd, 2007
Clewiston-----The lake has continued to improve this past week even though the water level is still dropping to a level of 10.39 feet above sea level. The wind has given us a little reprieve and the water is cleaning up in most areas if you can get to them. The great South Florida weather has been showing itself this past week with warm temperatures and no rain, I have had numerous families the past couple weeks enjoying spring break and the
Lake Okeechobee Bass Fishing Reports March 26th, 2007
Clewiston-----The bass fishing this week has finally started to improve with good catches being reported by both guides and tournament anglers. The wind has been blowing pretty hard most of this past week but the lake has been staying fairly clean in most areas. Most of the same spots are producing for the guides that are out using wild shiners daily they include the Football Field, the 94 hole, Uncle Joe’s Cut and the Clewiston Channel. I have also heard that there are some bass to be caught in the Rim canal south of Clewiston but I have not heard where yet. The Bass Buster
Lake Okeechobee Fishing Report February 19th, 2007
Clewiston-----Wow has it been cold the past week here on the big lake, but the fishing is still hot. Most of the guides have been reporting having a couple good days and then a slow day and then back to good days. I guess these cold fronts have these Florida bass guessing if they really are in Florida or in one of the cold northern states. The water level has really
January 15th, 2007
Clewiston-----It was another one of those weeks last week with a cold front coming through and making the bass fishing a little slower for a couple days, but now it is back to normal and we are catching good numbers of fish on every guide trip. Wild shiners have been the bait of my choice with these cold fronts moving through, if the bass are going to eat anything it will be shiners before artificial lures on most days. The West Wall has been pretty
Jan 8th, 2007
Clewiston-----What a week here on Okeechobee with the Stren Series tournament finishing up on Saturday and Glenn Browne from Ocala Florida winning on the pro side with 60-02 pounds that netted him $25,000.00 and a full rigged Ranger boat, while on the co-angler side Chuck Webb from Sarasota Florida caught 35-03 pounds to win $5,000.00 and a fully rigged
Lake Okeechobee Fishing Reports Dec 25th, 2006
Clewiston-----Hope everyone had a Happy Holidays and got to spend some time with the family. The bass fishing has really started to improve with everyday this past week my clients catching good numbers of quality bass. With the full moon approaching the week after next we caught a lot of small bass that are the buck bass making beds for the females that are starting to show up a few at a time. If the wind will give us a break everyone should be able to enjoy catching some nice sized bass the next few weeks. A quick
Lake Okeechobee Fishing Reports Dec. 2006
Clewiston-----The condition of the lake and the fishing continues to improve everyday, with reports of big bass being caught on wild shiners and artificial lures alike. The water level is dropping rapidly and the water in most of the areas that we are fishing is clear to slightly stained. Most all of the guides reported having a good week catching most of there bass on shiners, my
Lake Okeechobee Fishing Report Nov. 26 2006
Clewiston-----The week started out slow with the temperatures in the 40s at night but as the week progressed the fishing has improved. Most of the bass that I have been catching on my guide trips this past week were north of Clewiston from Uncle Joe's Cut up to Horse Island. This water has remained fairly clean even with the north and east winds we had all week, but the water level is really starting to drop fast with today's reading at 12.26 feet
Nov. 2006
Lake Okeechobee Fishing Reports
Clewiston----- The weather has been cooling off but the bass fishing is heating up on the big lake. Reports of big bass being caught on wild shiners are starting to come in daily and it's about time with the month of December approaching fast these bass should be in off the main lake and getting ready to spawn. I had a good number of four and five pound bass with my clients
sept. 14 2006
Clewiston-----The lake level is at 13.42 above sea level and still rising, and the lake is changing daily. The bass are moving back in the grass and areas that were to shallow to fish a week ago are starting to produce some good bass. The area around the mouth of Uncle Joe's Cut where it meets the lake has been good for numbers of bass the size has been kind of small with an average fish weighing two pounds, this area is
sept. 2006
Clewiston-----After tropical storm Ernesto went through our area and did little damage except for the rain that has the lake level rising and the fishing really starting to pick up. The water is really flowing in from all intakes and the Kissimmee River and most of the water is clean so it is not making the water dirty at all. On guide trips this past week I started to catch good numbers of bass with most of them in the two to three pound range, most
August 21st, 2006
Clewiston-----With the heat of summer upon us and the lake level staying low, the fishing hasn't slow down much. You will want to try and get an early start so you can be in before the afternoon thunderstorms,as they can be real bad ones this time of the year. The bass fishing on the West Wall with
July 2006
Clewiston-----The Lake Okeechobee bass fishing has been good this past week with a good number of three to four pound bass being caught on every guide trip. The better fish are still being caught on wild shiners and the West Wall is still producing the best for me. The water on the West Wall is real clear so the best fishing is from around 6:00 in the morning till about 11:00 when the sun gets up real high in the sky. We are catching at least one or
june 2006
June Fishing has been wonderful, the lake is Low but the fish are biting Great !
Lake Okeechobee Bass Fishing at it's Best!!!!
WOW what a trip. From start to finish it was just great really a dream come
true for any angler. Our first eight fish were between 6lbs and 8lbs. Then
it got better! Scott showed me how to use a bait caster. That's where the
fun began. We must of had 40 fish on playing in the weeds, and let me tell
you it was a fight. It was also nice to be able to sleep in the condo right
April 25 2006
The Everglades have been very good with average catches of 80 fish per day with over half of the fish over 3lbs. The real big fish have not shown themselves this week, But that could change any day. The Big fish in the Everglades now are ranging in the 5-7 lbs range.
The bait of choice is a "Chug Bug" top-water lure ( FUN STUFF ) and a jerk-bait. We are also catching a ton of fish on a Berkley jerk shad
Noticing the little subtleties like how the fish react to the wind and sky will really improve your catch.
Attention to detail improves the bite
Noticing the little subtleties like how the fish react to the wind and sky will really improve your catch.
I’m in-between the last FLW Tour event at Beaver Lake, Arkansas and licking my wounds from that trip. Right now, I’m driving back from a day of fishing in the Everglades. I’ve been home for two weeks, and am getting ready for the next event on Kentucky Lake.
It’s getting to the time of the year I really
April 15 2006
The lake level is at 14.12 and is falling everyday with the lack of rain. Extra care needs to be taken wherever you go. When you can get into the places, the fishing is still as hot as ever. Capt. Ron Stevens (one of our guides) caught a 10 lb 4 oz monster today in Moonshine Bay. I am still fishing the
Stable Weather Makes Fishing Good
Stable weather really makes the fishing good
After several weeks of really cold weather, a week or so of stable weather has the bass on Lake Okeechobee moving into the shallows to spawn, even without the full moon
February produced a lengthy spell of cold weather here in South Florida, but going into the first week of March, we’ve had eight days of really stable weather. Lake Okeechobee is clearing up now that we don’t have the wind blowing every day.
Braided line the key to Stren win on Okeechobee
Scott Martin January
On The Pro Trail
Braided line the key to Stren win
Bryan Thrift won the Everstart Series opener on Lake Okeechobee, partly because he had the right line to get his baits deep.
This week I’ve been practicing for the upcoming FLW Tour opener on Lake Okeechobee. I spent time fishing around the FLW Stren Everstart crew last week, so I could find some for fish that were getting a lot of pressure.
Right now, I’m catching most of my fish away from the cattails. The first five
Drop Shot your shiners in the cold !
By Scott Martin
This specialized rig holds shiners tight to cover to inspire feeding from lethargic bass
Tournament season is just around the corner, so prior to my long run on the road I’ve been fishing some guided trips on Lake Okeechobee out of my marina in Clewiston (Scott Martin’s Angler’s Marina). With the onset of cooler temperatures, we’ve been fishing live shiners using a set-up I like to call the Drop Shot Shiner Rig.
Bass Fishing in the Cold on Lake Okeechobee
On The Pro Trail With Scott Martin - January 1th 2006
I’m on the road half the year, so as a father of three, I make it a point to spend the Christmas Holiday with my family. That doesn’t mean I can slack off, since to be competitive on the professional level, you have to fish every chance you get. Lately I’ve been guiding a few trips on my home waters of Lake Okeechobee, where we operate our family business, Roland Martin Marina.
Over the Holidays, our area of Florida experienced a period of prolonged cool weather, with a drop in air temperature that reached into the high 30’s just after Christmas.
June/July 2005
This summer has been real good for the big fish compared to the typical past years.
The water is high and still a little stained, But I think this is helping us some this year because the big fish are staying up in the grass.
March 2005
March has been a great month and the fish are eating the lures real good.
Hot lures are:
Feb. 2005
The weather has been wonderful and the fishing has been pretty good to. We have been catching some real big fish but it has not been a every day thing for me. Every day the fishing is a little different and I am going all over the lake to fishing other areas to stay on the clear water. Shiners are
Dec. 22nd 2004
Cold.....Cold...........Well probably not as cold as the rest of the country...We have had 2 cold fronts that have brought the water temps down in the 50's and that is pretty cold for Lake Okeechobee. But more importantly the wind blew pretty hard and muddy up some good
Nov. 26 ,2004
The Bass fishing here on lake Okeechobee is getting better every day. Our Lake Okeechobee fishing guides have been catching around 40-70 bass a day on shiners with the common 8 to 9lbs large mouth bass. Our fishing guides are also catching tons of bass on artificial lures, but the size of the bass on lures are more in the 1.5 to 3.5 pound range...While the bass biting on the shiners are still in that range we
Oct / Nov. 2003
The lake levels are down to around 16 feet which is a good level for the spawn.
The fishing in Oct. was good especially with senko and flukes and the big fish where caught flipping a crawdad in the heavy cover. All of the tournaments took 25 lbs for 5 fish to win! The shiner fishing was good but there was not as many big fish caught as last year in Oct.
July/August 2003
The rain has really hit us hard over the last few months and the lake is at its highest level in a few years 17 ft. The lake usually is around 15.5 feet this time of the year. The fishing has been pretty constant with the rising water
April 2003
The water levels are starting to go to there summer pool and the fish are finishing up there major spawn. We have been catching a lot of fish on the outside grass lines early in the morning on spinner baits and rattle baits. Also the worm fishing has been very consistent in the
Feb 2003
The fishing in January was pretty good but it would have been better if the water temperature would have been a little warmer. The temp. on the lake never got out of the 50's and that is cold for Florida. The big fish bite was still very good it was just the numbers where off.
The flipping pattern was the dominating way to catch big fish in January
Dec. 10th 2002
I hate to sound repetitive but the fishing has been Awesome!!!! Spawning and schooling has been the pattern. The fish are now biting all over the lake.
West side has had some great schooling action on rattle traps and
Nov.26th 2002
Awesome!! The fishing has been very good for the last two weeks.
The big females have now moved in to spawn and we are catching many big fish off the beds.
The west side of the lake has been producing a lot of fish with
Nov. 12th 2002
The fishing over the past two weeks has been pretty good. We have caught many in the 5-7 lbs range, but the real big ones have not moved up good yet. The one great thing is that the water temperature has finally got in the 70's over the last few days. Now, all the fish will start to make there move to the spawning flats and also start feeding heavily. The bass will start
Oct.29th 2002
The Spawn is here!! last week was a good week for the big females, they have moved up and started spawning on the flats. The ell grass holes and scattered bull rush clumps have produced the best bite. There is still a lot of fish feeding in the morning on shad, so always be looking for bait and fish feeding on them.
This week has produced some big fish on artificial lure such as a 6" lizard and 8" ribbon tail worm....more....
Oct. 15 2002
The fishing this week was good, but the size was off just a little. We caught a lot of fish in the 1-2 pound range and not many over 6lbs. The Water temps. are still in the mid 80's and I believe that the fish are in a great transitions stage now. Last week during the new moon we where catching allot of 3 to 8 lbs fish with very
Oct. 3rd 2002
The lake is doing great now and the fish are getting ready to start there spawn season. Here on Lake Okeechobee we have the longest spawn in the country, our bass will start there spawn in October and will end in May. That is a seven to eight month spawn period.
The last couple of weeks it has been taking BIG weights to win
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