Be carefull Boys, Okeechobees dropping.

[gar-tracker]

Like a led weight. 13.32 as of this morning.

Time to start being a little careful, not real bad yet but its getting there.

Under 13 my 4 blade goes on for quicker hole shots.

[GLADES]

My club is having a T next week out of Clewiston. Any suggestions on areas to fish or areas where lower water could be a concern? I have not been to the lake in several months. I am looking forward to the trip.

[bocabasser]

i will be there tomorrow. going out of clewiston. when the water starts dropping, gar is 100% right, BE CAREFUL.

[evrgladesbasser]

thanks for the heads up

[Shane Procell]

I don't understand how the SFWM can have the flood gates up on Hwy 41 with water droping in Okeechobee. That is just plain ignorant.

[piscicidal]

I haven't fished Big O when the lake was less than 13.7ft.  Coming out of Clewiston, is it still OK to run north thru the spoil islands (thru the "goal posts")?  Is there anywhere in particular that a guy should watch out for (esp on SW end)?

[gar-tracker]

13.2

[South FLA]

like clock work for this time of year, good think we have a duck boat at our disposal

[GLADES]

I got another T out of Moore haven next month. Should be 12.5 by then.

Any of you guys going to fish the Gambler T?

[etommy28]

i got a buddy who is fishing it but I will be back a home hunting till after christmas.

[Shane J]

There's a couple lakes that I fish regularly, and the winter draw down is a great time to get out there (cautiously), and learn the lake. There are coves that I catch tons of fish at, that now you can just walk out there, because there's no water at all. Gives you a pretty neat perspective on the water body, and some of the spots that hold fish the rest of the year.

[SoFlaBassAddict]

I'm not sure I'd be willing to do much walking around Okeechobee.  Theres critters out there that will literally eat you.

[Shane J]

Yeah, we don't have many alligators around New Hampshire. I was just saying, that it's cool to see the layout of the lake bottom without any water.

[Bassn Blvd]

Okeechobee has a BIG ARS bottom though.  ;D

[SoFlaBassAddict]

I'm not sure I'd want to see the bottom of Okeechobee anyway.  Lord only knows how much junk (or how many bodies) are stuck in the muck on the bottom of the lake.

[gar-tracker]

I'm not sure I'd want to see the bottom of Okeechobee anyway. Lord only knows how much junk (or how many bodies) are stuck in the muck on the bottom of the lake.

You know this is actually a common misnomer, that the bottom of Big O is mucky, stick your rod down there and 9 out of 10 times you'll hit gravel or sand with a nice hard bottom. Now a lot of the shallows way way back have some dead vegetation or muck, but you'll be surprised.

Shane J when the lake went to record lows exposing areas that hadn't been seen in our lifetime, your right I learned a lot about the lake, but with the usual winter drought its just a giant dish pan with miles of shallow flats that don't reveal much, its not a structure like your used to up north with drop offs and such, just miles of grassy flats with millions of HOGS swimming around. In fact a problem to new comers is being overwhelmed at the cover, like most South and Central Florida lakes.

Signed..My 2 cents.

[SoFlaBassAddict]

You know this is actually a common misnomer, that the bottom of Big O is mucky, stick your rod down there and 9 out of 10 times you'll hit gravel or sand with a nice hard bottom. Now a lot of the shallows way way back have some dead vegetation or muck, but you'll be surprised.

Well, I was being a bit facetious.    In most of the shallower areas I've been in, I've mostly seen sand.  It is actually kind of surprising.

[gar-tracker]

I hear ya.

Its just that Im always reading about this muck full of pollutants covering the bottom, I spend a lot of time all over that lake, and I use the Old Florida Dept Finder and have been for years, the tip of the rod, I guess I'm missing it.

[GLADES]

13.08 ft and falling as of 11/26/10. The SFWMD is still lowering the lake for the environmental health of the rivers downstream.

[Bassn Blvd]

13.08 ft and falling as of 11/26/10. The SFWMD is still lowering the lake for the environmental health of the rivers downstream.

Does that mean they're pumping all that crud and run off into the Indian River Lagoon?

[GLADES]

The Sun-Sentinel article I read mentioned the Caloosahatchee river and bay that runs west from the lake and past Cape Coral out to the gulf of Mexico. I assume the fresh water releases help the estuaries in the bay.

[gar-tracker]

The Sun-Sentinel article I read mentioned the Caloosahatchee river and bay that runs west from the lake and past Cape Coral out to the gulf of Mexico. I assume the fresh water releases help the estuaries in the bay.

As long as its not let in at too fast of a rate. The majority of the water being released right now is going into the farms to help irrigate the crops. I don't have a problem with low water, it will help clean up that back, it grew back nasty this time.