Being coy

Low water, half-moon, clouds keeping big bass at bay on Big O

CLEWISTON, Fla. – “Where are the big ones?” were the first words on everyone’s lips as they hit the holding tanks on day one of the Wal-Mart FLW Series BP Eastern Division event on Lake Okeechobee Wednesday afternoon.

As dozens of pros, clutching bags of small limits, waited to weigh in on day one, the hot topic of conversation was big fish, or lack thereof.

Much like the Stren Series Southeast Division event here two weeks ago, the FLW Series Eastern has seen a ton of limits, but few of the giant catches Okeechobee is famous for.

Some of Okeechobee’s best anglers, however, say the big ones are still out there, “they’re just not up.”

The Big O’s big girls are being coy, and many feel the low water is the culprit. The lake is now 6 or 7 inches below what it was during the Stren event.

“The big bite may be off right now, but they’re doing exactly what they need to save this lake,” said well-known Okeechobee expert Mike Surman of those in charge of Okeechobee’s low water level. “This lake was headed for disaster. But by lowering the water and letting the vegetation grow back to filter the water, it will be really awesome again in a couple of years – it’s an investment in the future.”

Surman, who hails from Boca Raton, Fla., believes Okeechobee still has plenty of big fish in it, they just have nowhere to hide in the shallows and hence are remaining out in the main lake.

“Normally, those big girls come in by the droves to spawn because there is plenty of flooded vegetation for them to seek out security,” he added. “They just don’t have that protection now, so they stay out.”

And what grass is in the lake is in less than a foot of water.

“There are still plenty of big ones out there, you just can’t get anywhere close to them in that shallow water,” noted Bobby Lane of Lakeland, Fla. “When you get within 50 yards of a big one, you can see it spook off and push a wake as it runs away in that shallow water – and they don’t come back.”

Andy Morgan of Dayton, Tenn., who has won a Stren Series event on Okeechobee, says the big ones really have no reason to come to the bank now anyway.

“A large majority of the Stren and FLW events we’ve had on this lake have happened on full or new moons when those big females are trying to spawn,” he said. “We’re right on a half-moon right now, plus it’s been cloudy and drizzly with very little sun – not exactly great spawning conditions.”

In sum, Jonathan Newton of Rogersville, Ala., currently in fourth place, says Okeechobee still has plenty of big fish, “but they are not setting up good for the anglers right now.”

“Just getting around eats into your fishing time,” Newton added. “You can’t run and gun from one place to the next. Each time you move, it takes 15 or 20 minutes to idle out to deep water. So once you run into an area and set down to fish, you’re committed to it.”

Thursday’s conditions

Sunrise: 7:12 a.m.

Temperature at takeoff: 62 degrees

Expected high temperature: 63 degrees

Water temperature: 68-73 degrees

Forecasted winds: NNW at 10 to 20 mph

Day’s outlook: cloudy with a 60-percent chance of thundershowers