Okeechobee 2019

Another trip to Okeechobee, totally different than last year, lake down almost 4’ and the places I ran over and fished last year, is all dry land now, what bulrush and pads we have marked on electronics, are not accessible by boat, fishing is slow on Okeechobee this year, best day on crappie was 9 fish, no big bass wanted to play, but the smaller [ATTACH=CONFIG]18124[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]18125[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]18122[/ATTACH] bass bite was fair around the outside of pads and bulrush, but really couldn’t get in it far enough to fish it good, because of the water level, caught the bass on jigs, tried using live shiners in the river, but the little gators liked them, more than the bass, had beautiful weather, fun trip overall, but fishing was tough. Loving retirement more each day...

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Glad to hear that you had a fun trip even though the bite was slow. I sure do miss all of that sunshine! My dad has a place on Okeechobee and goes down every winter. The bite for him has been really slow this year, though boats in his little club tournaments have been bringing in over 20 pounds recently.

On your way down or back home don’t pass up an opportunity to fish Rodman or any of the lakes in Ocala NF for that matter. The Ocwalaha River, which forms Rodman, is fantastic as well.

[QUOTE=ON3 3Y3D WILLI3;572490]On your way down or back home don’t pass up an opportunity to fish Rodman or any of the lakes in Ocala NF for that matter. The Ocwalaha River, which forms Rodman, is fantastic as well.[/QUOTE]

actully I stopped the first day in Fl. and fished Woodruff lake on the way down, then the second day fished lake Marian, fished three days on Okeechobee and one day on Istokpoga lake, had some success on three out of the four lakes, didn’t get a single hit on Marian, on Istokpoga lake I was fishing with a jig in some pads and bulrush mixed, picked up a few small bass and caught a bowfin fish, the water was almost black, very dark and thought I had a big bass on, that thing was tearing through those pads, I was so excited, just new I had a trophy bass by the way it was fighting
, never once thought it was another species of fish, when it did wear down and surfaced, it was a fish I had never seen before, looked like a catfish without whiskers, had a solid flat tail like a beaver, not forked like other fish, my friend said he thought it was a bowfin fish.

[url]https://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/profiles/freshwater/bowfin/[/url]

They are also called mudfish and they are killed upon sight by the locals because, like Pickerel, they eat baby bass.

Sounds like a interesting trip, I too have been tricked by mudfish into thinking I had a double digit big mouth on. Those things pull like a redfish.

[QUOTE=JBake502;572502]Sounds like a interesting trip, I too have been tricked by mudfish into thinking I had a double digit big mouth on. Those things pull like a redfish.[/QUOTE]

Me too I was on Eufaula last day of our trip I had an 8 and a 7 on this trip wanted a double digit. Fishing worm in some pads and set the hook yelled at my buddy to get the net I had him on. He ran back got the net was waiting for me to get him to the boat when he dropped the net and went to the back of the boat I screamed at him to get the net and net my fish. He said its a bowfin you don't want him in the net about that time a saw this ugly face looking at me and I was devastated. I will never forget it.

[QUOTE=waterdog101;572484]Another trip to Okeechobee, totally different than last year, lake down almost 4’ and the places I ran over and fished last year, is all dry land now, what bulrush and pads we have marked on electronics, are not accessible by boat, fishing is slow on Okeechobee this year, best day on crappie was 9 fish, no big bass wanted to play, but the smaller [ATTACH=CONFIG]18124[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]18125[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]18122[/ATTACH] bass bite was fair around the outside of pads and bulrush, but really couldn’t get in it far enough to fish it good, because of the water level, caught the bass on jigs, tried using live shiners in the river, but the little gators liked them, more than the bass, had beautiful weather, fun trip overall, but fishing was tough. Loving retirement more each day...

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Did you see the movie Waterboy. Baby gators make good eating Gator Fritters

[QUOTE=wags;572592]Did you see the movie Waterboy. Baby gators make good eating Gator Fritters[/QUOTE]

No, I never saw the movie, never eaten gator either, actually ate dinner at a seafood restaurant in Okeechobee, that had fried gator on the menu, I’m sure some folks take the small gators and process them with the fish they catch, but I try and follow the rules, the ones we have caught have been set free.