Hudson McLean Posted August 6, 2020 Posted August 6, 2020 I'm going to be fishing lake okeechobee this coming Wednesday (August 12). This will be my first time fishing the lake and we are going to be renting a boat near roland martin marina. Would anyone have any tips on how and where to fish out there? Much obliged Quote
Global Moderator Mike L Posted August 6, 2020 Global Moderator Posted August 6, 2020 This time of year and from that side of the lake I would fish East of the lock. When you go through it, go past the rim canal turn right and fish Coots Bay. There are acres of reeds and isolated clumps all through there for 1/2 mile. Pitch your favorite worm in and around the clumps and use a paddle tail swim bait through the fields. From there go back into the canal and go East. Fish in and around Ritta Island working your way into Pelican Bay at the far end. (I got a 5 and a 8 out of there) Depending on time you can go west from the lock and fish Uncle Joes Cut all the way into the lake itself. From there turn NW and hit the Monkey Box, but be aware of the water level in there. The last few weeks there was an algae bloom in some areas but it shouldn’t be a big problem. Good Luck and be Careful. One thing.. If you can see a storm building anywhere on the Lake, GO!!! Mike 1 Quote
Super User geo g Posted August 6, 2020 Super User Posted August 6, 2020 Good point Mike. If you see a storm starting to build pack up and get out, don't wait too long. One thing about the lake it changes frequently. A strong wind will blow water out of one side and into another. Because of this, levels can change as much as a foot in 24 hours. Very shallow and because of this, wave action can get dangerous quickly. In places like the Monkey Box, and Moonshine Bay it is easy to get disoriented, so take precautions on Fixed markers like towers and navigation markers. I once got turned around in the M/B and was headed the wrong way for 10 minutes. Great body of water, but often hard to fish for the occasional fisherman. 1 Quote
Captain Phil Posted August 6, 2020 Posted August 6, 2020 Some of the worst summer afternoon storms I have ever been out in were on Lake Okeechobee. Some of them had dangerous waterspouts. It's best to avoid being on the water during one of these storms. They start around 2-3 PM and can last for a few hours. If you run into a canal for protection, you risk being trapped by a wild blown dam of water hyacinths. These storms are normally over by 6 PM and the temperature drops significantly. The fishing after one of these storms can be outrageous. Be careful. The key to finding fish on Lake Okeechobee has always been in finding good water quality. 1 1 Quote
Hudson McLean Posted August 6, 2020 Author Posted August 6, 2020 Thank you all so much for all of this feedback. You have no idea how much this helps, I had no clue where to even start. Ill keep you posted next week on how it goes. Tight lines! Quote
Captain Phil Posted August 7, 2020 Posted August 7, 2020 Don't be afraid to fish the rim canal. It's especially good around Uncle Joe's. 1 Quote
Captain Phil Posted August 7, 2020 Posted August 7, 2020 Many years ago, I nearly won a major national tournament fishing around Uncle Joes. It was back in the seventies and I was just starting to fish tournaments seriously. The tournament was out of Taylor Creek in March. I made the run to Uncle Joes every day of the tournament. It was a very windy tournament and I had to run down the west side of the lake until I could get to the top of the rim ditch at Moore Haven. I beat my fish up in practice or I would have won easily. I ended up getting a nice check. As I remember Johnny Adams won fishing out of the J&S canal. Lots of people ignore the rim ditch and the canals around Okeechobee. This is a mistake. The bottom contains all types of structure, drop offs and ledges. When the wind blows, the water flows in and out of the cuts turning on the fish. Back then, few people fished there. I'm pretty sure the secret is out by now. 1 Quote
Super User geo g Posted August 10, 2020 Super User Posted August 10, 2020 On 8/7/2020 at 9:41 AM, Captain Phil said: Many years ago, I nearly won a major national tournament fishing around Uncle Joes. It was back in the seventies and I was just starting to fish tournaments seriously. The tournament was out of Taylor Creek in March. I made the run to Uncle Joes every day of the tournament. It was a very windy tournament and I had to run down the west side of the lake until I could get to the top of the rim ditch at Moore Haven. I beat my fish up in practice or I would have won easily. I ended up getting a nice check. As I remember Johnny Adams won fishing out of the J&S canal. Lots of people ignore the rim ditch and the canals around Okeechobee. This is a mistake. The bottom contains all types of structure, drop offs and ledges. When the wind blows, the water flows in and out of the cuts turning on the fish. Back then, few people fished there. I'm pretty sure the secret is out by now. I too know of a tournament that was won by someone fishing only the canals in the development of Buckhead. They went through the lock and fished the entire tournament in the shallow canals around the docks. Everyone else was out in the lake. Quote
eyern1 Posted August 31, 2020 Posted August 31, 2020 On 8/6/2020 at 4:06 PM, Hudson McLean said: Thank you all so much for all of this feedback. You have no idea how much this helps, I had no clue where to even start. Ill keep you posted next week on how it goes. Tight lines! So, how did it go? Quote
Hudson McLean Posted September 2, 2020 Author Posted September 2, 2020 On 8/31/2020 at 2:05 PM, eyern1 said: So, how did it go? It was a tough day of fishing. Ended up catching 7 bass using chatterbaits and swimjigs. All the bass were between 1 and 2 pounds. heading back in october and january though so hoping for better luck then Quote
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