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Lake Okeechobee, best well known to most of the world as the largest
producer of Trophy Bass. This reputation has continued for many years as
not only producing trophy size largemouth bass, but also providing notable
bluegill, shell cracker and speck (crappie) fishing.
We
are not claiming Lake Okeechobee is the world’s best producer of all these
species, but I don’t know of another lake that produces or has access to
more species of fish like it. A commonality on most lakes is that 90% of
the fish are caught by 10% of the fishermen. On Okeechobee, because of the
quantity of fish every angler has the opportunity to target, quantity and be
one cast away from a QUALITY lunker!
Lake Okeechobee has another unique feature, in that it produces sizable
fish all year round. Although November through April are the major spawning
months, the rest of the year also produces big numbers; and what’s wrong
with catching 3 to 6 lb. bass?
Historically, I believe June brings on good changes; the bass go into a
post-spawn pattern and there’s a distinct change of bait for the trophy
largemouth on Okeechobee, said Todd Kersey. The wild shiners, which are the chosen bait for
many anglers during the spawn, tend to thin out and migrate to the open
water, where the bass will follow. This is a good thing, because the lake
has also a great supply of shad. The migration of the bass to the open water
forces the shad to start seeking cover in the shallower grass beds. We now
we have schooling action, as the shad school, so do the bass. It is not
uncommon this time of the year to find a school of bass and catch 50 to 80
fish, or to find a school and boat 6 to 8 pounders on top water baits. Now
does everyone do this? Absolutely not! Bass Online.com is very fortunate to
have some of the most experienced guides on Okeechobee, which allows us to
easily keep up with the movement of the schools of fish. So while others
are searching we’re catching!
I
know what your thinking, “Wow,
June
has to be hot at this time of the year in
Florida”, and you are
somewhat right. However, because of where Okeechobee is located, with either
the east or west coast of Florida being only 1 to 2 hours away, there is
often a nice breeze, which helps to keep the lake comfortable, though
strangely enough, there’s always something about fishing, when we’re
catching them we never seem to notice the temperature!
Utilizing the natural food chain as bait that Mother Nature provided, wild
shiners or shad are the most productive and easiest way of catching the
numbers and size of fish. Catching bass with wild shiners or shad can be
very action-packed if done right. The knowledgeable and skilled, wild shiner
angler has a variety of techniques upon which to rely on. There are several
key steps in making this work for you: anchoring in the appropriate
direction, proper handling of the bait, utilizing the correct fishing rods,
reels and terminal tackle, and knowing how to hook the live bait and
presenting it can be key. Although, setting the hook may be the most
important of all!
If
you’re an angler who particularly likes to fish with artificial lures, when
in a schooling situation, and you catch a bass or two in specific small
area, try anchoring. The bass will most likely be more plentiful than just
one or two, they are an inhabitant, and travel in groups.
Be
sure to pick your lure of choice. What is this, you ask? Well, it’s
normally the bait that’s working you for at that moment, right? Wrong!
Once the school is located you have several choices, which will lead to
different results. For example, if you want to catch lots of numbers from
the school, use a Senko-style bait or a Texas-rigged worm. This approach
allows you to pick one fish at a time out of the school without disturbing
or spooking the majority of the group. On the other hand, one of my
favorites, the full-size Zara Spook, while it definitely will not catch the
same amount of fish, it provokes the largest fish in the school to attack.
The sudden explosion of each bass striking and jumping will cause the school
to move, but you have to decide. Do you want numbers, or the heart crushing
sound of your topwater lure disappearing? Either way, the action on Lake
Okeechobee can provide great results.
To
contact us go to
www.bassonline.com or call 888 629-BASS and email
fishing@bassonline.com |
