Thread: any reports on okeechobee

Hey Roy,

Thanks for the tips. I'm going to give it a shot - maybe I can figure it out.

I'm still kicking, just haven't been down to your neck of the woods lately. I crossed Stickmarsh off my favorites list after about six times of striking out. It's amazing how one of the best spots in FL can fizzle like the Pond did.

Load the boat - let's go to Okeechobee!

Rusty

When i go night fishin i go to the area i wanna fish and ease around watchin my depth finder lookin for a nice dropoff or some holes ect ect..Anochor over the structure and send them minners to the bottom then bring em up a few cranks.As far as lights go i use lanterns,plenty of light and quiet unlike a generator.My uncle went to okeetanie yesterday,fished all day and caught ten and only on was a keeper.The boys at the bait shop said the last three days they have been tearin em up in the river.Uncle told me when he pulled up to the ramp(just before dark)there wasnt an empty spot to be found,boats launchin 4 at a time....Sunday evening and a full parking lot tells me they must be bitin good at night.

Originally Posted by sliknquik

When i go night fishin i go to the area i wanna fish and ease around watchin my depth finder lookin for a nice dropoff or some holes ect ect..Anochor over the structure and send them minners to the bottom then bring em up a few cranks.As far as lights go i use lanterns,plenty of light and quiet unlike a generator.My uncle went to okeetanie yesterday,fished all day and caught ten and only on was a keeper.The boys at the bait shop said the last three days they have been tearin em up in the river.Uncle told me when he pulled up to the ramp(just before dark)there wasnt an empty spot to be found,boats launchin 4 at a time....Sunday evening and a full parking lot tells me they must be bitin good at night.

I have heard mention of the 'river' when talking about chobee. Is that the canals that run around the lake, or the river / canal coming down from Kissimmee or yes to both? One of the dilemmas that has been presented to me is that if you lock through into the lake for night fishing you are on the lake until the next morning because the locks close around dark. If we could fish the river just as effectively and not be locked out of the ramps that would be better. We are looking at putting in on the north side of the lake.

Where are you putting your boats in at? Where is the River? Can you get on and off the Lake in the middle of the night anywhere on the North side of the lake?

Ben, there are ramps on the north and south side of hwy 78 under the Kissimmee River Bridge. The folks at Garrard’s told us that the locks are eight miles up the river so it shouldn’t be an issue if you plan to fish out of Okietanie. We put in about daylight Monday and tried to fish the river but the wind was kicking. Did manage to catch two nice shellcrackers and a few undersized specs. It was my first time there and I really didn’t like it. It’s just a long straight river with very little structure and no place to get out of the wind. I guess if I fished it regularly I’d learn to like it. Talked to a guy that fished the night before and he said he caught 10, then went home and took a nap and came back and had 8 more in the boat. Saw several boats fishing the middle of the river but not a lot of action except wave action. Left there about noon headed for Roland Martin’s. Wind still kicking but managed to find a place out of the wind (Dynamite hole) and caught 15 real nice specs. Tuesday morning was beautiful but the specs would not bite. Ended up shellcracker fishing and caught 15 along with a few bluegills. Looks to me like the crackers and bluegills are bunching up better than the specs. Specs not biting, cold front and wind expected, so we packed up at noon and headed home. Roy and Slik, thanks for the night fishing info. I’ll use it here in my home 20 soon. (FYI, an FLW Bass tournament is this weekend and the big boys are pre-fishing all over the lake. Saw some beautiful and fast boats. Not an empty space in the parking lot. Shoot, even the trailers were pretty. It was fun sitting in the rim canal watching the boats come by at 70-80 MPH. Everybody we talked to said the bass fishing was awful).

Ben.
The "river" definetly refers to the Kissimmee river....you do not have to lock through if you launch from okeetantee....you can also launch at Indian Prarrie canal, & Harney Pond Canal without locking thru to acess Lake O.....

Rusty.
Sounds like you've been doing some driving..........The river & canals are definetly boring, but if you're interested in going back, I've got a couple thing you can try.......From okeetantee go to kings bar & fish the edges of the kissimmee grass.....wind permitting of course......the spawners get in there thick about this time. On the other end...if you launch from slims in belle glade, go north in the rim canal.....this eventually leads right into the lake, but before you get to the lake there are islands of pads in the middle of the rim canal......Its been many years but I've had awsome days in those pads, & if I remember right, there are some patches of bullrushes in that area too....I'm looking to get out to some new waters & old favorites before the summer hits, I just need this pesky wind to settle down. You've seen my boat, so you know what I mean!!!!