Chitika

Friday, July 27, 2012

Information About Lake Okeechobee Fishing

By Chloe Gib


Lake Okeechobee is the largest freshwater lake in the state of Florida, and covers about 730 square miles. On average the depth is only 9 feet, quite shallow for a mass of water this size, and is a great place to do some Lake Okeechobee fishing. Okeechobee comes from the Seminole tribal dialect, Hitchiti, with Oki, meaning water, and Chubi, meaning big.

There a many Lake Okeechobee resorts and they are easily reachable from most popular tourist destinations throughout Florida. A popular venue for freshwater angling, the Big O is also one of the best sites anywhere for the Largemouth Bass. Other species of fish that can be found are Crappies, Bluegills, Shell-crackers and Pickerels.

Boasting top class Florida fishing resorts for the Largemouth Bass, it is a popular competition venue, pulling in the big names, trophy specimens are frequently caught. It is advisable to hire a local guide, as they are conscious of the conditions, and will be able to determine where to locate the best fish. This will assist with guaranteeing your trip is going to be a memorable one.

For the greater part people come to fish for bass and these can be caught using either man made lures or live baits. Largemouth Bass are relatively simple to identify, mainly olive green in color, there are dark splotches which form a stripe along either side. The top jaw line extends past the eye socket area, as a general rule the females are larger than the males.

Crappies are also known as the Speckled Perch, or Specks. They make for good eating when they are pan fried. They can be caught throughout the year, but the best time is probably late fall to early spring. There are daily catch limits in force, so always check with your guide. Crappies will take either live bait or lures and jigs.

Bluegills will give you plenty to pit your wits against, as they put up plenty of fight for their size. They are an entertaining species to catch, and if hooked in the breeding season have some amazing colors. Maybe that is the reason for the males to be known as Copper Heads.

March till the end of September is an ideal time for Lake Okeechobee fishing, and often Red Ear Sunfish, or Shell-cracker will be found at the end of your line. They grow quite large and can put up a fight. It is not surprising that they make a popular freshwater sport fish, and once again are very popular to eat. It is feasible to hook Pickerels, but they seem to getting rarer.




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