Lake Okeechobee Fishing
Complete Guide to Lake Okeechobee Fishing
Lake Okeechobee is the most “famous big bass body of water” in the fishing capital of the world Florida, well-known for the quantity and quality of bass the lake produces. This fishing reputation on Lake Okeechobee fishery has continued for many years as it creates the biggest and best largemouth bass fishing in Florida and, by some standards, the world.
Important info about Lake Okeechobee
Below are some of the reasons Lake Okeechobee Florida is so well-regarded by bass fishermen everywhere, but you need to experience the “Big O” first hand. Lake Okeechobee is the largest lake in Florida, and the priority is controlling water levels for flood control. Most of the flow incomes from the Kissimmee River and out down the Caloosahatchee River because the Herbert Hoover Dike surrounds the entire water body.
FAVORITE SPOTS TO FISH FROM
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Okeechobee City

Belle Glade

Clewiston

Pahokee
Lake Okeechobee is one of the United States’ most esteemed largemouth bass fisheries. Lake Okeechobee’s vastness also means that it has various species you can catch, but it also makes knowing where to fish a pretty daunting task. Knowing where to cast your hook and line would make fishing more fun and a lot easier.
Below are some favorite tips on spots you can easily fish.
OKEECHOBEE CITY
The city of Okeechobee is the biggest city on Lake Okeechobee, located on the north end. It provides excellent access to the largemouth bass-filled waters and also the ever-popular black crappie. If you’re a newbie or going fishing with your family for the first time in Florida lakes, Okeechobee might be an excellent spot to start.
BAY BOTTOM
Belle Glade, an incredible Okeechobee lake access point, bay bottom spans between Grassy Island and Torry Island. Lake Okeechobee is one great Black Crappie fishery; the most admire spots are in Belle Glade. Its waters are comparatively calm, and it is the perfect spot to get your fish from the shoreline.
CLEWISTON
Another fantastic area you can effortlessly fish from shore or by boat in Clewiston. Well-positioned on the Southwest shore of Okeechobee directly between the East Coast and West Coast of Florida. You’ll enjoy fishing with a boat in the monkey box area. It’s a notorious largemouth bass location, so this might be the spot for you if you’re looking to get hooked up.
Top Targeted Okeechobee Fish Species
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How to Fish Lake Okeechobee Largemouth Bass
When Lake Okeechobee fishing, the two primary ways to fish are artificial baits or wild shiners, also known as live bait. Bass fishing on the “Big O” with wild shiners is the preferred bait, or at least let’s say the most popular for many anglers for trophy bass. It just happens that it’s the natural food that the local largemouth bass, and what they feed on daily in the fishery.
Quick look into Live bait fishing
Lake Okeechobee fishing experience with wild shiners became very popular many years ago when anglers fishing for largemouth bass would see the largemouth bass naturally feeding in the habitat.
It has become an increasingly popular choice because once you’ve experienced this style of fishing, you’ll quickly recognize that it’s much more than just sitting and watching bobbers.
Like all fishing techniques, the time of year is essential, and there are particular kinds of tackle and secret ways of hooking and rigging shiners to be more productive. We’re not telling you how at this time, you will have to keep reading.
Lake Okeechobee Fishing with Artificial Lures
Like many of you, the preferred method of largemouth bass Okeechobee fishing is with artificial lures as much as possible. When freshwater fishing with artificials, you have the choice of spinning, baitcasting, or Lake Okeechobee is excellent for fly fishing as well.
Flipping and pitching on Okeechobee is always really popular. Based on local fishing reports, Lake Okeechobee still an excellent lake for topwater plugs due to its shallow depths and weedy bottom for big bass.
Local Tackle Guide Recommendations
We talked with our partners and good friends at Jolly Roger Marina to get a local Lake Okeechobee fishing perspective of what selling. “Depending on the date of the year, you have options.” Plastics baits continue to be number one for Lake Okeechobee bass fishing; they also report, more specifically, Zoom products, the fluke, the speed worm, and Brush hog. In Bass Assassin, look at using the Die Dapper and Shad Assassin. A local favorite WOW Factor shallow crankbaits, rattle traps, Zara Spook for Topwater, or something similar.
Pitching baits into Lake Okeechobee grass is the most productive technique for trophy largemouth bass. You can stock up on all your needs locally at Walmart, Marinas, and local tackle shops around most Florida lakes.
Local Lake Okeechobee Bass Fishing Guides
Once visiting Lake Okeechobee, you will notice that there are guides everywhere, and it is trendy on Lake Okeechobee. You will discover the best fishing guides for Lake Okeechobee bass fishing at BassOnline.com; the selection and the useability are fantastic. Since its inception, our Lake Okeechobee bass fishing guides have been the highest-rated and most prestigious Lake Okeechobee bass fishing guides written up in Forbes as “Florida’s #1 Rated Urban Anglers” and now accredited as the official fishing guide organization of NASCAR. Featured in over 60 TV shows on NBCSN, FS1, North American Fisherman, ESPN, WFN, Youtube.TV, etc.
We have built our business on years of customer satisfaction, and we continue to meet the highest standard in the Florida freshwater fishing industry. No other guide service has the number of 5-star reviews; our proof is in the pictures, over 20 years, and 10K customer pictures, not counting our Lake Okeechobee fishing report from a past fishing trip.
What Separates Us From the Rest
Our Lake Okeechobee fishing team has over 500 years of combined experience in catching trophy largemouth bass on Lake Okeechobee. We pride ourselves and are determined that you get the fishing trip and fishing charters YOU want and deserve.
When you hire our fishing guide, you don’t just get a guy with a boat; you get a whole hand-picked team of experienced professionals for your fishing trip. Our group of top pro anglers works together as a team to make sure you have the best opportunity for success on your fishing charters. Coordination and sharing of information and resources are why our guides are so useful. It’s a tremendous advantage that most services do not give their customers.
Every Trip is the Customers Decision
We are open to any techniques you’re interested in learning about; just let us know. At your request, our fishing guide will suggest what the best form of fishing would be at the time of your booking. But whichever option you choose is entirely up to you. At times we suggest that you try a little of everything.
Honesty and Reliably is Key
Ultimately, we want you happy with the overall experience, and that’s starts with your convenience. That’s why BassOnline is the only Lake Okeechobee bass fishing guides to fish the entire 730 square miles and offers five meeting locations lake-wide for your convenience.
The destination and experience are essential because, as we all know, the weather and the fish don’t always cooperate with our schedule, so we as anglers need to be flexible and fish the entire Lake Okeechobee.
We are also the only Lake Okeechobee fishing guides to offer a 100% No Fish, No Pay Policy because we want to ensure you that if fishing is going to be that bad, we will let you know ahead of time, not say you should have been here yesterday!
Convenient Location to Fishing
Whether you’re traveling like a local or out-of-state, particularly to Fort Lauderdale, Ft Myers, West Palm Beach, Fort Pierce, Sarasota, or Orlando, providing you a central meeting point to conveniently get you to any one of our suggested fishing locations. No fishing equipment or fishing rods are needed, although a fishing license in Florida is required.
We also welcome all our military active and retired and offer them a discount, as well as women, children, wheelchairs, company groups, and large families alike, are all welcome.
Fishing Lake Okeechobee Reviews
Capt. Rob Alfano
We were fishing
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Okeechobee Fishing Reports
March Florida Okeechobee Fishing for Largemouth Bass
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March Lake Okeechobee Fishing Forecast for Florida Freshwater Species
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Current February Okeechobee Report for Florida Largemouth Bass
Current February Okeechobee Report Lake Okeechobee is one of the most infamous lakes to explore when it comes to bass fishing. Being the largest lake in Florida, you never...
More Okeechobee lake fishing reports than any other website. Consider making a bass fishing reservation after reading our Lake Okeechobee Fishing Report and Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Be prepared for the right time of year for your next Florida fishing Charters by consuming our fishing reports.
Exploring Lake Okeechobee By Foot
You must consider that if you are exploring a fishing trip to Lake Okeechobee, Florida, for the first time, traveling on foot is concerning. However, if you have naturalized all parties with the terrain, fishing on foot from the shoreline can be a way of identifying the extent of the lake’s serenity.
There are infinite alternative areas for bank fishing, and these are the grassy banks, concrete walkways, fishing piers, and so on, which can be found by searching fishing reports online. Favorably for you, these points are fishable and walkable. You should also be aware that fish aren’t the only things that inhabit Okeechobee waters.
Build a Travel Guide for your Trip
One of the State of Florida deadly things found here is the famous Florida gator, and this is why it is advisable to find a destination to fish from piers or local boat ramps that have docks. It should be safety first before your next Lake Okeechobee fishing experience. Given that Lake Okeechobee is home to numerous game fish freshwater species. Most bluegill, crappie, and largemouth bass can be caught while bank fishing. Bank fishing from anywhere in freshwater requires a Florida fishing license.
About Lake Okeechobee
The Seminole Indian name Lake Okeechobee means “Big Water.” A proper name for the largest freshwater reservoir in the United States, occurring entirely in one state. The Florida Game and Freshwater Fish Commission state, “there is no place that can compare with Lake Okeechobee, not only for lunker largemouth bass, history, and wildlife but its size.”
Lake Okeechobee History
Lake Okeechobee is about 37 miles long by 30 miles wide, totaling over 730 square miles with an average depth of only 10 feet. To fishermen nationwide, it’s renowned for the number of largemouth bass it has per acre. Lake Okeechobee fishing produces more largemouth bass over 7 pounds than any lakes in Florida and arguably the entire United States.
Lake Okeechobee is positioned in central southern Florida, north of the Everglades and south of Orlando. It links the Atlantic and Gulf sides of Florida via the Port Mayaca Lock on Okeechobee’s east side and the Moore Haven Lock on the Lake Okeechobee’s western side. Drainage canals lower the lake and drain adjacent lands for farming. Agricultural activities Central Florida Okeechobee area include cattle ranching, dairy farming, and crop production of sugarcane, winter vegetables, citrus, sod, sweet corn, and rice.
Desaster Strikes Lake Okeechobee
In 1926 and 1928, hurricane waters destroyed the dikes on the lake’s southern edge, which resulted in thousands of deaths. The Okeechobee waterway was developed with canals, and levees were built and as a reservoir. Today, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the South Florida Water Management District direct the waters via dikes, canals, and floodgates to protect against flooding, to prevent navigation of saltwater intrusion, and to give water for agricultural irrigation and drinking water supplies to large urban areas in the State of Florida. These water management activities have much encumbered the water flow from Okeechobee to the Everglades. Instead of alternating wet and dry seasons, which provided steady sheets of water, the Everglades now receive times of drought or powerful discharges of water.
This body of water sports all types of waterway structures to fish – from open water to narrow canals surrounded by hundreds of different vegetation and grasses.
What are you waiting for?
OKEECHOBEE FISHING FAQS
Can you fish in Lake Okeechobee?
Where in Florida is Lake Okeechobee?
What is the best time of year to go fishing?
What can you do at Lake Okeechobee?
- Learn how to fish
- Bike along Okeechobee Scenic Trail
- Enjoy a sunset stroll in the many parks
- Camp out at Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park
- Visit Arnold’s Wildlife Rehabilitation Center
Are there alligators in Lake Okeechobee?
There are roughly 28,000 Alligators in the massive 730 square mile lake. On your fishing adventure, you may get the chance to see one but most of these gators stay away from humans, boats, and fishing traffic.
Why is Lake Okeechobee important to Florida?
Okeechobee provides natural habitat for fish, wading birds, and other wildlife. It is also an essential water source for people, farms, and the environment. This lake also provides flood protection and boosts the local economies by attracting boating and recreational enthusiasts from around the world……Read More!
Is it safe to eat and fish out of Lake Okeechobee?
Yes, it is safe to eat and fish out of Lake Okeechobee. Reports have cleared all fish safe. In this report and article, you can read more about information pertaining to if it is safe to eat Okeechobee dwelling fish…Read More!
How much does a fishing guide cost?
Freshwater fishing guide prices vary depending on how long you want to fish and with how many anglers. The starting price for a 4-hour fishing charter is $274.99.
All trips include:
- Fishing guide
- Fishing vessel
- Fuel
- Equipment
- Ice & Water
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