December is here, and so is its cold weather…for Florida anyhow. Fortunately, with the way the lake is setup right now, the cold will act more as a positive rather than a negative. The lake is currently sitting just under 16ft, which means there is plenty of water back in the spawning areas. These cold temperatures are bringing waves of fish into the grass and is putting them “where they need to be.” For the most part, anywhere you find on Lake Okeechobee right now where you think fish should be, they are. Clean water and clean bottom are the biggest things to look for right now being that these fish are coming in to spawn. Keep your eyes open when going through the grass and chances are, you will see beds if you can see the bottom. Some easy ways to find good areas are to target needle grass and look for arrowheads. This is because these only grow on hard bottom which the Bass need to spawn on. Finding clean water in and around a good grass field with some type of matted grass nearby is your best scenario. On warmer days, look to get bit in the grass on moving baits: swim jigs, skinny dippers and speed worms – these have been producing a lot of fish. On the colder days, flip the mats in the same area using a 1-1/4 to a 1-1/2 oz weight and whatever flipping bait you have confidence in. Both presentations have been resulting in both numbers and quality!
Tight Lines,
Capt. Cody Davis with Tight Splice Charters