Okeechobee Bass Fishing
Lake Okeechobee is known for its excellent trophy bass fishing. In fact, it is the most famous lake for large-mouth bass in the country. With millions of large-mouth bass living below its surface, no wonder Florida is known as the fishing capital of the world and Lake Okeechobee is known as the black bass capital. Florida even named the largemouth bass as its official freshwater fish. Visitors often come to Lake Okeechobee just for the excellent trophy bass fishing it presents.
Even though Lake Okeechobee is known specifically for its large-mouth bass, the lake is also a popular location for catching catfish, bluegill, redear sunfish, and crappie. Fishermen of every kind can find a successful fishing trip on Lake Okeechobee.
The Perfect Home
As the second largest freshwater lake in the continental United States, with Lake Michigan being the largest, Lake Okeechobee is an ideal habitat for bass and perfect for freshwater fishing. With its variety plant life and near ideal weather conditions year-round, Lake Okeechobee has everything large-mouth bass needs to survive and reproduce. Although, it’s size alone makes the lake a great home for the fish that inhabit it. Lake Okeechobee takes up 730 square miles of central Florida’s landscape, just north of the Everglades, and is half the size of Rhode Island. In fact, Lake Okeechobee literally means “Big Water” since it was named from the Seminole Indian words “oki,” meaning big, and “chubi,” meaning water.
Bass fishing is great year-round on Lake Okeechobee but during the winter, the bass are in their spawning season and the fish are plentiful. During this time of year, the further south you go, the better fishing will be. The average depth of Lake Okeechobee is rather shallow at 9 feet and, in the winter, the water level is at its lowest. During the summer, the season is known for being very wet and the lake is known to rapidly fill. Water must be released annually to avoid local flooding. Our guides know Lake Okeechobee like the back of their hands! They know exactly where to go for the best fishing excursion and love helping guests experience the joy of bass fishing on this great lake.
Where to Find the Bass
There are several popular fishing areas across the lake that are famous for being plentiful with bass. These areas include Monkey Box, Moonshine Bay, Fisheating Creek, Hay Fields, and Cow Pasture. It is also well known that the west side of Lake Okeechobee, near the Clewiston area, has the most diverse habitat and selection of fish. No matter where you go on Lake Okeechobee, the best place to find bass are in narrow waterways and in spots overgrown with vegetation or brushy areas. To save yourself the time and trouble of wandering around the lake to find these great spots yourself, consider hiring one of our guides to help you out. Our guides know all of the hotspots and they’d be happy to take you right to them!
Bass Fishing Regulations and Tips
When going fishing on Lake Okeechobee, it is important to remember and follow the fishing regulations in effect so that everyone can continue to enjoy the fun of bass fishing for many years to come. Catch and release is frequently practiced and encouraged on this lake, but you are still allowed to keep a certain amount of your daily catches. Specifically, you may keep up to five bass a day that are 18-22 inches long. You may only keep one bass a day that measures over 22 inches. The average bass caught in Lake Okeechobee weigh 7-10 pounds. The bass rarely exceed 12 pounds, but it is not impossible to catch a larger one! In fact, the lake record for biggest bass caught on Lake Okeechobee is 15 pounds and 5 ounces and the world record for largest largemouth bass caught is 22 pounds and 4 ounces.
If you want the fish to be biting all day, it is important to pick the right spot to cast off. The best area would be one with good water clarity where you can see a foot or two into the water. As your trophy bass fishing guide, we keep up with all the best areas and times to see good water clarity for catching large-mouth bass and can recommend the perfect spot for a successful fishing trip. Our tips and guidance come from over 40 years of experience leading guided fishing trips on Lake Okeechobee.
Through our experience, we have come to learn some of the biggest and best fishing tips for catching large-mouth bass on Lake Okeechobee. Our biggest tip is to use wild shiners for bait to catch trophy bass. Wild Shiners are the food that the bass eat naturally on a daily basis. Since bass will already be looking for them, this is your best option for bait. We have also seen anglers have success with artificial lures and floating frogs, as well. The equipment needed for bass fishing varies from light spinning tackle to the heavy duty flipping rods. We would be happy to help you choose the perfect equipment, tackle, and bait to have a fun, successful fishing trip with one of our guides.
Experience of a Lifetime
A day of large-mouth bass fishing on Lake Okeechobee is something you will never forget. Not only is Lake Okeechobee home to millions of bass and other fish, but it is also home to several other species of animals on shore. Visitors can spot the beautiful nature from the boat as we travel across the lake and are often amazed at the incredible wildlife that surrounds them.
Bass Fishing on Lake Okeechobee is sure to provide you with wonderful memories and an unforgettable experience. We love helping people experience the joy of large-mouth bass fishing and being a part of these special moments. A guided trophy bass fishing excursion on Lake Okeechobee is truly an experience of a lifetime and something we recommend everyone doing at least once.
