Episode Details
Back to Episodes
Okeechobee Early Winter Fishing Report: Bass, Crappie, and More in the Big O
Published 4 months, 2 weeks ago
Description
This is Artificial Lure with your Lake Okeechobee fishing report.
We’ve got that classic early-winter pattern on the Big O: cool, stable mornings, light northeast breeze, and highs pushing into the upper 70s by afternoon, with a mix of sun and passing clouds per the National Weather Service out of Clewiston. Light winds mean cleaner water on the outside grass and easier boat control in the reeds. Sunrise came just after 7 and you’ll have light to fish ’til about 5:30, according to Timeanddate’s local tables, so you’ve got a tight but very workable window.
Even though Okeechobee itself isn’t tidal, anglers running connected canals toward the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee are seeing slight current swings tied to intracoastal tides, and the NOAA tide tables show mid‑morning highs on the east side and early afternoon pushes toward the Gulf. That little bit of pull has been enough to fire up bass and crappie in the cuts.
According to the recent “Lake Okeechobee Florida Fishing Report Today” podcast on Spreaker, bass fishing has been steady with a mix of post‑spawn and roaming fish. Folks are boating numbers of 1–3 pounders with a handful of 5–7s each day, and a few reports of bigger girls in the 8‑plus range coming from the south end grass lines. Crappie guys are putting together good limits in the early morning, especially when the breeze lays down.
Best producers for bass have been **live wild shiners** under a float along outside reed and cattail edges, and classic Okeechobee plastics. Local guides and the recent Toyota Series coverage on Major League Fishing say **Gambler Fat Ace**, **Bruiser Bullet worms**, **Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver**, and **Gambler Burner Craw** in black‑blue, Hematoma, Christmas, and Backatya have all been money, flipped into cattails, buggy whips, and joint grass. When the wind kicks or the sun gets up, a **Z‑Man JackHammer ChatterBait**, **swim jig**, or **lipless crank** in shad or gold patterns has been the deal over shell beds and sparse grass.
Crappie are chewing on **live minnows** and **small jigs**—white, chartreuse, or monkey‑milk colors—slow‑trolled in 5–8 feet along the rim ditch and outside grass lines. Bluegill and shellcracker catches are picking up around reed clumps using red worms and crickets tight to the bottom.
A couple of hot spots to circle on your map:
- **South Bay and Pelican Bay**: Local sticks and the MLF reports both point to these as consistent, with fish sliding in and out of slightly deeper depressions. Flip reeds and grass mix, or slow‑roll a swim jig on the edges.
- **West Wall and Clewiston area canals**: Hard bottom with scattered grass and some current. Great place to drag a worm or Carolina rig and slow‑roll a ChatterBait on shell beds.
If you’re headed out tomorrow, start with shiners or a weightless stick worm at first light on the outside edge, then shift to flipping heavier cover once the sun gets up. Midday, back off to shell or rock in the river and crank or drag plastics.
Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss a Big O update.
This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.
Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
We’ve got that classic early-winter pattern on the Big O: cool, stable mornings, light northeast breeze, and highs pushing into the upper 70s by afternoon, with a mix of sun and passing clouds per the National Weather Service out of Clewiston. Light winds mean cleaner water on the outside grass and easier boat control in the reeds. Sunrise came just after 7 and you’ll have light to fish ’til about 5:30, according to Timeanddate’s local tables, so you’ve got a tight but very workable window.
Even though Okeechobee itself isn’t tidal, anglers running connected canals toward the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee are seeing slight current swings tied to intracoastal tides, and the NOAA tide tables show mid‑morning highs on the east side and early afternoon pushes toward the Gulf. That little bit of pull has been enough to fire up bass and crappie in the cuts.
According to the recent “Lake Okeechobee Florida Fishing Report Today” podcast on Spreaker, bass fishing has been steady with a mix of post‑spawn and roaming fish. Folks are boating numbers of 1–3 pounders with a handful of 5–7s each day, and a few reports of bigger girls in the 8‑plus range coming from the south end grass lines. Crappie guys are putting together good limits in the early morning, especially when the breeze lays down.
Best producers for bass have been **live wild shiners** under a float along outside reed and cattail edges, and classic Okeechobee plastics. Local guides and the recent Toyota Series coverage on Major League Fishing say **Gambler Fat Ace**, **Bruiser Bullet worms**, **Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver**, and **Gambler Burner Craw** in black‑blue, Hematoma, Christmas, and Backatya have all been money, flipped into cattails, buggy whips, and joint grass. When the wind kicks or the sun gets up, a **Z‑Man JackHammer ChatterBait**, **swim jig**, or **lipless crank** in shad or gold patterns has been the deal over shell beds and sparse grass.
Crappie are chewing on **live minnows** and **small jigs**—white, chartreuse, or monkey‑milk colors—slow‑trolled in 5–8 feet along the rim ditch and outside grass lines. Bluegill and shellcracker catches are picking up around reed clumps using red worms and crickets tight to the bottom.
A couple of hot spots to circle on your map:
- **South Bay and Pelican Bay**: Local sticks and the MLF reports both point to these as consistent, with fish sliding in and out of slightly deeper depressions. Flip reeds and grass mix, or slow‑roll a swim jig on the edges.
- **West Wall and Clewiston area canals**: Hard bottom with scattered grass and some current. Great place to drag a worm or Carolina rig and slow‑roll a ChatterBait on shell beds.
If you’re headed out tomorrow, start with shiners or a weightless stick worm at first light on the outside edge, then shift to flipping heavier cover once the sun gets up. Midday, back off to shell or rock in the river and crank or drag plastics.
Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss a Big O update.
This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.
Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI