Lake Okeechobee’s water level is at 12.52 feet above sea level on Friday. That is over one foot higher than it was before Tropical Storm Fay crossed the lake.

The South Florida Water Management District said at least 6 inches fell on the lake. And it will continue to rise as stormwater run-off from the Kissimmee River flows into the lake.

The SFWMD Web site, www.sfwmd.gov, indicated Okeechobee could rise to 12.80 feet in the next two weeks. That would be a total of about 1.76 feet as a result of Fay.

The lake was 2 1/2 feet below normal even after the 6 inches of rain fell, but a really good level for the lake.

Enjoying a last day off before school starts, kids used dip nets to scoop up catfish that swam into roadside drainage ditches during the storm, said Phillip Black of the Pioneer Estates neighborhood, off County Road 15A. Not far off, Bobby Hays, 11, Dakota Bond, 11, and Danny Hays, 7, rode skim boards in puddles left by Fay. Lake Okeechobee’s water level has risen half a foot, to 11.8 feet above sea level, and is expected to rise as water flows into the lake from the north.“We all are pretty excited,” about the lake level and the forecast for this winters fishing on Lake Okeechobee, said Lake Okeechobee fishing guide Mark Shepard of Clewiston, Florida. “We’ve had not seen the lake look this good in a couple of seasons. We need this, it is exciting.”

Around Lake Okeechobee, residents cleaned up some fallen tree limbs, fired up generators and patched roofs, after Fay walloped the north and west sides of the big lake as it crossed Florida. Among the highest damage estimates around the lake was on the east side, in Pahokee, where roof damage to city hall and sewer system damage clocked in at $1.5 million.

Flooding forced the closing of State Road 29 between Palmdale and LaBelle. A detour routed motorists around flooded lanes Wednesday along a short section of U.S. 27 south of Palmdale.

Even though water has been flowing hard through the Kissimmee River, weirs and other water-control structures in the river were not damaged by Fay, said Randy Smith, spokesman for the South Florida Water Management District.

No problems with the Herbert Hoover Dike, with flood-control structures around the lake or with lake navigation were found following inspections Wednesday, said Steve Dunham, chief of the South Florida office for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Clewiston.

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Today I fished with David Williams and Daniel Bradley from Plano, TX .

The lake level has come up and the fish have seem to follow. We had about 30 largemouth bass on Okeechobee today and lost quite a few also. With the sun up, high bright and clear skies it was important to be sneaky. The lake clarity is very clear and in most places the grass is growing few well again.

Lake Okeechobee is as pretty as I have seen in a along time. A lot of great fishing to come don’t miss out on the great new adventures.

To go fishin with Capt Mark Shepard

Capt Mark Shepard
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By Andy Reid |South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Doubling the budget for South Florida water managers and potentially shelving some Everglades restoration projects are among the ways proposed to pay for the state’s bid to buyout U.S. Sugar.

The South Florida Water Management District on Thursday revealed a plan for a $2.9 billion agency budget — up from the $1.3 billion expected — that includes paying for U.S. Sugar’s 187,000 acres, mill, offices and other holdings.

The budget boost comes from adding in costs for the $1.75 billion deal proposed to move the sugar giant out of the way in a plan to reconnect Lake Okeechobee to the Everglades.

“These are hard numbers to swallow, by us and the public,” district board member Charles Dauray said.

The district proposes taking on more debt to pay for the U.S. Sugar deal without increasing taxes.

The district’s governing board on Wednesday gave an initial endorsement to keeping property taxes about 62 cents per $1,000 of taxable value for most of its 16-county region. For a $150,000 home, factoring in a $50,000 homestead exemption, that would cost residents in Broward and Palm Beach counties $62.40 a year.

“We did it within our means,” district Executive Director Carol Ann Wehle said about the U.S. Sugar deal’s budget repercussions.

Doing so required “difficult decisions,” Wehle said. The preliminary budget proposal includes:

Continuing to suspend construction of a massive reservoir in western Palm Beach County. Since June, the district has been paying contractors $1.9 million a month to stand by while water managers decide whether to proceed. Taxpayers already have invested about $250 million in the 16,700-acre reservoir that was being built along U.S. 27.

Shrinking a much-anticipated reservoir and water treatment area east of Lake Okeechobee, planned to hold water that now gets drained to the coast with damaging environmental effects. What once was a 12,000-acre project would shrink to 8,000 acres.

Holding off on building a similar reservoir on the west side of the lake, calling on the federal government to take over construction.

As negotiations with U.S. Sugar continue, the district plans to spend the summer looking for ways to prioritize construction projects before giving final approval to a spending plan in September.

One of the biggest ticket items with a future that remains in doubt is the Everglades Agricultural Area reservoir in western Palm Beach County. The district in June stopped construction on it, citing a lingering legal challenge over how the water would be used. The agency must decide whether the reservoir — with a price tag projected to hit $800 million — is needed in the new plan to use U.S. Sugar land to store, treat and move water to the Everglades.

The Natural Resources Defense Council filed the legal challenge over the reservoir, seeking guarantees that the water would be used for Everglades restoration. On Thursday, the district’s governing board passed a resolution stating that whatever happens with the U.S. Sugar deal, the agency “remains committed to restoring the Everglades” and that “the District will ensure that water will be identified for the natural system.”

The U.S. Sugar deal calls for closing on the purchase by Nov. 30.

The district’s proposed budget comes up for a vote again on Sept. 10, with a final decision scheduled for Sept. 23.

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Years from now, historians may look back upon the month recently concluded as the pivotal moment in the preservation and restoration of the Everglades.

Gov. Charlie Crist rocked the environmental world in late June when he announced a tentative deal with U.S. Sugar to purchase 187,000 acres south of Lake Okeechobee.

The deal, at a potential cost of $1.75 billion, has rekindled hopes of re-establishing the natural flow of water from Lake O to the River of Grass — a process everyone agrees is vital to restoring the Everglades.

The state’s deal with U.S. Sugar has garnered much of the attention — and rightfully so.

However, another event — less publicized but highly important — also occurred in June that bodes extremely well for Everglades restoration. Moreover, it provides keen insight into the new thinking required to preserve and reinvigorate the state’s fragile ecosystem.

Shortly before the deal was announced with U.S. Sugar, the South Florida Water Management District launched a new initiative: to reserve water for environmental needs — in particular, for fish and wildlife in the Kissimmee River north of Lake O.

Because water in the Kissimmee flows into the lake — and then is distributed throughout the region for a variety of uses — the district’s decision has significant implications for all of South Florida.

District officials have taken the precedent-setting step of establishing guidelines governing the allocation of water in the Kissimmee. As Chip Merriam, deputy executive director of water resources for SFWMD, wrote in a memo to board members:

“The district … is identifying river water for consumptive use and water for the protection of fish and wildlife. The water identified for the natural system may be protected through a water reservation as contemplated and authorized under state law.”

What does this mean? The river’s environmental needs may soon take precedence over agricultural and developmental needs. Additionally, the latter groups would be allowed to tap into this source only after the natural ecosystem has received an adequate supply of water.

This is a groundbreaking approach to water management. But this is how it should be.

Contrast this important policy change with the approach by the St. Johns River Water Management District — which has allowed water-intensive developments to imperil the St. Johns River — and you begin to grasp the far-reaching implications for the environment.

South Florida water managers are to be applauded for moving boldly in this direction. St. Johns managers need to get on board.

Stricter water-reservation rules are needed — in water districts throughout the state — to ensure this valuable resource is used first for environmental needs.

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Today Mike Sr & Jr decided to try there luck on world famous Lake Okeechobee. Day 2 brought on heavy winds, which on Okeechobee can be not so good. Lake Okeechobee is dealing with low water, but the fishing has been just short of fabulous. If you take the simple fact that the same number of fish living in half the amount of water…it’s a slug fest when you find them.

Today would be no different, although with the wind change it took us most of the morning to locate this group of bass. Once we did, the boys started putt’in a Louisiana spanking on them bass. Nothing giant in size today, although Dad did have one on late in the day that could have been in the 6 to 7 lb range that lead him all over the boat. Started at the front then headed to the rear of the boat before it went and wrapped around the outboard and got off. All I could say was…next time, maybe next time…

Most of the fish caught today were in the 3 to 4lb class and were caught in shallow water with a slow retrieve. Because of the clear water, extra long cast were really important. We ended the day with just under 30 fish!

Day two for the Juneau family was done, with one day to go as they headed for the Everglades!

If you are interested in experiencing Lake Okeechobee with a fun day of fishing, give me a call.

Tight Lines,
Capt Donny Biggs (561) 573-4914
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