Florida giants

[Zcoker]

1 minute ago, Captain Phil said:

 

So glad to hear the Everglades is still producing great bass fishing.  I fished there as a youth before Holiday Park and Sawgrass Camps were built.  Moved to Central Florida in 1997 and would love to go back to fish some day.  Back then, we fished musky jitterbugs at night.  Six to eight pound bass were plentiful.  I never caught one over ten until I came to Central Florida.  You are right about giants at night if you can stand the mosquitoes.  ☺️

 

Everglades looking good. Maybe better management from SFWMD? Some areas are so so, some areas better than others. Still gotta put in the time, pick and choose the right canal systems and so forth. Or catch the water flowing. It's no cake walk. There's a LOT to contend with out there, not only mosquitoes but just about everything else that lurks at night!

 

 

[Captain Phil]

2 hours ago, Zcoker said:

Some areas are so so, some areas better than others. Still gotta put in the time, pick and choose the right canal systems and so forth. Or catch the water flowing. It's no cake walk. 

 

It's never been easy to catch big bass.  Tons of small fish.  Some of the most remarkable bass fishing I have ever seen was in the Glades during low water.  One time years ago the Game Commission removed the limits on Everglades bass to save those that could make it through the drought.  We held a night bass tournament and it took over 100 pounds to win. 

[N Florida Mike]

On 11/3/2022 at 9:08 AM, Captain Phil said:

Catching an 8 pound plus bass in Florida is a number's game.  If you want the best chance, use large wild shiners.  Your best chance fishing artificial bait is flipping heavy cover.  I have caught double digit bass on everything from 4" worms to 3/4 oz. Rattle Traps. It wasn't until I started flipping that I had any consistency.   Flipping is tedious, but it produces what you are looking for. I know good fishermen who have never caught a double digit bass, so consider that.

 

Get a guide.  Your chances of catching a giant bass on your own is minimal.  If I had one Florida lake to fish and my goal was a giant, I would shiner fish Rodman in February or March. 

 This ^^^

[Koz]

I'm thinking of going to Toho for a few days later this month. Some of the big 4 and 5 star hotels in the area have steep discounts and I'll take that savings and hire a guide. I haven't had a vacation in a few years so I figure I'll go spoil myself.

[Mike L]

Have a great time and give a full report !’

You’re going at almost the perfect time, as they are starting to bed especially on the southern end but I’m sure your guide will know that. 

 

 

 

 

Mike

[geo g]

On 11/7/2022 at 11:24 AM, Zcoker said:

Right now Headwaters Lake is about the best bet for a Florida Giant. And it's a zoo because of this very reason. You can fish it yourself or you can hire a guide, up to you. Those guides on that lake are pretty reasonable and always seem to put their clients on nice fish. They are busy as all can be but do list vacancies all the time. 

 

Only drawback is that most guides on that lake use wild shiners. They know what the big bass want and they also know what their clients want, which is the same thing....big fish. Yet they do offer artifical services for those who ask. There's a kinda of showdown on that lake with the local guides between shiners and artificals. 

 

As far a anywhere else, I've been catching nice ones out in the Everglades very consistently on artificals. I usually fish there at night. That's when the big girls roam. The smaller fish run and hide lol. It's quite rare to hook a fish under 6lbs out there at night. They run on average 7-11bs

 

Happy hunting! 

 

i have never fished okeechobee at night, but have fished it many times.  I find it a difficult lake to fish since everything changes with wind direction, fronts, water levels, abondent spraying, pumping, and time of the year.  I have caught fish in the 8 pound range but no DD.   I always use artificials, to me shiners isn’t fishing.  To me the guys that do well fish it often and know the subtle changes.  Almost everywhere looks good most of the time, except when they spray.  I know that there are thousands of DD in the lake, just like Poga.

[Mike L]

1 hour ago, geo g said:

 

i have never fished okeechobee at night, but have fished it many times.  I find it a difficult lake to fish since everything changes with wind direction, fronts, water levels, abondent spraying, pumping, and time of the year.  I have caught fish in the 8 pound range but no DD.   I always use artificials, to me shiners isn’t fishing.  To me the guys that do well fish it often and know the subtle changes.  Almost everywhere looks good most of the time, except when they spray.  I know that there are thousands of DD in the lake, just like Poga.

Absolutely is

I keep saying it’s demise is extremely exaggerated. 
Glad someone agrees 

 

 

 

 

 

Mike

[Zcoker]

18 hours ago, geo g said:

 

i have never fished okeechobee at night, but have fished it many times.  I find it a difficult lake to fish since everything changes with wind direction, fronts, water levels, abondent spraying, pumping, and time of the year.  I have caught fish in the 8 pound range but no DD.   I always use artificials, to me shiners isn’t fishing.  To me the guys that do well fish it often and know the subtle changes.  Almost everywhere looks good most of the time, except when they spray.  I know that there are thousands of DD in the lake, just like Poga.

 

I've never fished Lake Okeechobee at night, either. About the biggest body of open water that I fish at night is Lake Blue Cypress....and that's still pushing it! Large open places like that can turn into the likes of an ocean. A little bit of wind can get the white caps churning. And I don't wanna be out there at night jumping white caps in a kayak lol.

 

Aside from the natural events, manmade events can change lots of things. Manmade in the sense of water level control, weed control, pumping, stuff like that. All of which impacts fishing significantly here in south Florida. Sometimes its for the better and sometimes its for the absolute worst! 

 

[geo g]

On 12/5/2022 at 9:58 AM, Zcoker said:

 

I've never fished Lake Okeechobee at night, either. About the biggest body of open water that I fish at night is Lake Blue Cypress....and that's still pushing it! Large open places like that can turn into the likes of an ocean. A little bit of wind can get the white caps churning. And I don't wanna be out there at night jumping white caps in a kayak lol.

 

Aside from the natural events, manmade events can change lots of things. Manmade in the sense of water level control, weed control, pumping, stuff like that. All of which impacts fishing significantly here in south Florida. Sometimes its for the better and sometimes its for the absolute worst! 

 

 

 

 

I agree with you on night fishing big bodies of water in Florida.   I do know Okeechobee can be a dangerous place to run if your not 100% sure of where your at.  Many rock shelves, and rock piles especially in the Clewiston area and the east side of the lake.  I once lost a half of my skeg on a shell bed while running in the monkey box.  Lucky for my there was no breach of the skeg and fluids.  I would never do it at night, ever.