Happy New Year to All! This is the final fishing report for 2018 and what an amazing end of the year it was on Lake Okeechobee. The last three weeks have brought some cooler weather and we actually has a significant cold front come through around the 22nd with lots of rain and strong storm winds. The cold didn’t last very long and the bass just kept on biting! I saw record numbers and weights in December that I haven’t seen in a while.
Water temperature dipped slightly, but the warm weather brought it back up to the mid to high 70’s and the clarity around the lake is still good. The winds have been from the Northeast 5 to 15mph. The water level is now at 12.57 feet. It has dropped about 4 inches from my last report. The new moon just passed and so far I have had some beauties caught out there.
What I have been doing lately is fishing a swimbait in the morning on the spawning flats. I will switch up to throwing a Senko on the beds. The live shiner is always a go-to bait. Good areas to fish have been Kissimmee River, the Pass and Northwest corner of the lake.
2019 is looking promising and should be a good year with the water lower. As long as we can keep the lake at the levels, it will be refreshing to see the Hydrilla plants and Kissimmee grass grow back strong.
If you have any questions or concerns about Lake Okeechobee bass fishing, please call me. I will be more than happy to share the latest information, photos and catch details with you.
Bass Wishes,
Captain Scott Kerslake
