Okeechobee 8-20-12

[bassindude]

This story starts on Sunday 8/19  I went out on the Saint Lucie river in the evening to do a little boat shake down after working on my trailer and the linkage on my motor.  First time on the river so I had no idea what to expect.  Throwing mostly lipless cranks, and a few swim baits.  Water temp was 88 and the Barometer was steady.  No bass to report but I did catch a fish, although I have no idea what it is.  It hit my Aruku Shad hard, and had the bottom trebble completely in its mouth with all three hooks exiting 1 in the top and 2 in the bottom, efectivly locking his mouth shut.  Would have let him go but by the time I got his mouth pried open and got the hooks out I figured there was no way he'd make it. 
 
I did find out that I had no reverse on my motor, though so Monday morning I went back to work fixing that.  Got that working, and was rooting around in the back end of the vehicle, and when I stepped out, i had forgotten that I had hitched up the boat, and proceded to trip over the tongue, and go head first over it.  Now Ive banged my shins on the tongue a few times bit never this, and let me tell you at 53 falling down is about the last thing you want to do lol.  So i pick myseelf up, and look around to make sure no one had seen this spectecle, and check for damages.  Right hamd hurts, left wrist hurts, both shins hurt, and neck feels like something is pinched from spinning my head so fast to see what I was giong to hit when I went down.  Nothing seemed to serious.  Not serious enough to keep me from going fishing anyway.  So I finish getting ready, and head off to Okeechobee.  Keep in mind this is either my 2nd or 3rd trip there ever, and it is now going to be 2:30 before I hit the water. I get to the water, launch the boat at the Harney Pond ramp.  There are closer ramps to me but Im wanting to go to the famed "Monkey Box" for the first time, so I have to go all the way around the lake.  I head down the canal, and sine up to run to a ditch that runs from the Harney area to the monkey box.  About 10 minutes after hitting the water i see a few rain drops, but it doesnt look like its going to get bad at all.  I wish I had spent the next 2 minutes putting on my rain gear, because about 13 after hitting the water I was soaking wet while trying to put on my rain gear.  Storms on the big O come at you fast, a lesson I wont soon forget.  However they go away as quick as they come, so on I go toward the ditch, soaking wet, and the sun shining bright.  I enter the ditch which isnt much more than and area where the lilly pads are less dense.  I believe I heard the water is down, and after trying to go about a hundred yards I abandond that Idea and headed back out to open water.  I did try a little punching, and frogging while in there with no luck.  There were a lot of fry in the area, so something had recently hatched out in the area, and when the water comes back up may hold some fish.  I decided to do an end around of this massive weedy area, because I still wanted to get to the monkey box.  After about a 20 minute boat ride, at 25mph, I make it around to another cut that leads where I want to go but it looks like Ill have the same problem if I keep going, so I abandon my search for this mythical box of monkeys, and start fishing the moment.  The water depth was good, about 4-5ft. where I was in this little cut, with heavy matted grass on the edges, with lilly pads mixed in, and also grass.  In other words it looks like all the rest of Okeechobee.  I do some punching, now that the sun is beeming down again, and a little frogging, but there doesnt seem to be very much stirring in the thick stuff, and my heavist weight is 1oz and it isnt getting through very well, so i was mostly throwing a Lipless in the open water in the cut, and ripping it out of the sparce grass patches.  After another blast of rain things changed a little.  Im not sure if they started letting water out of the lake or if the wind was doing it, but there was now clearly current in my little cut.  I was still throwing the Aruku Shad in a gold color that I had on from the previous day, and I feels like it has good action.  I usually use Yourzi rattlin vibes, but I decided to stay with this one today.  I hooked my first bass probably around 4:30 nice 2.75 chunk
a couple casts later a short fish.  Then another decent fish. This went on and on and I caught a lot of 13" fish.  I did hang into one really big girl, and watched her roll a couple times, then came unbuttoned, only to be grabbed by another dink before I could get the lure back in.  This probably went on till about 6:00 and I decided I'd better make the run back toward the ramp.  I remembered several little cuts off the main channel and I wanted to see if there was water moving there as well. I got to the enterance to the main ditch, and on the first cast hooked up with one that was probably 2.5 but she did the jump and spit thing.  Went on down to the first small cut and noticed water was really pushing out flowing into the main ditch.  Cast right to the middle and had a solid hookup.
Caught a few more dinks there then moved to the next cut and got my 2nd double ever All in all I ended up catching over 15 bass total, and the best 5 went right at 15.5   Being only my second time there and only getting to fish about 4 hours, I was pretty happy with the outcome.  What I'd really like to know however is how in the hell do I get to the Monkey Box lol. Hope you enjoyed hearing about my trip as much as I did taking it.  Jim

[copnjax]

Jim....if you'll put it at Moore Haven, go through the Moore-Haven cut into the main lake, the Monkey Box is very close by.  I've done some of my best fishing by flipping the edges of the Moore-Haven cut....especially right after another boat blasts by and disturbs the reeds!

[ehilburn11]

Great trip! I want to fish there so bad!

[bassindude]

Jim....if you'll put it at Moore Haven, go through the Moore-Haven cut into the main lake, the Monkey Box is very close by.  I've done some of my best fishing by flipping the edges of the Moore-Haven cut....especially right after another boat blasts by and disturbs the reeds!

thanks John.  I think Morehaven is just a short drive down from Harney.  Jim

[bassindude]

Great trip! I want to fish there so bad!

Come on down.  Last year between Christmas and Newyears I caught an 8.5. It'll be cold up in GA around that time anyway. Jim

[Swede]

Thanks for the great report Jim!!  Wondering if the top fish pictured is a cichlid.  See link here for more.

http://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/profiles/fish/freshwater/nonnatives/midas-cichlid/

[bassindude]

Thanks for the great report Jim!!  Wondering if the top fish pictured is a cichlid.  See link here for more.

http://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/profiles/fish/freshwater/nonnatives/midas-cichlid/

That looks a lot like it Kevin.  It had some very sharp teeth, and I dont see anywhere in the description that says anything about teeth.    Todays report not so hot lol.  Jim

[ehilburn11]

Come on down.  Last year between Christmas and Newyears I caught an 8.5. It'll be cold up in GA around that time anyway. Jim

Sounds good to me! Might pm you for some tips!

[culprit63]

Jim,
Nice day at the lake.Not sure where you were in the river,but that sure looks like a snapper.Which is usually found in saltwater.

[bassindude]

Jim,
Nice day at the lake.Not sure where you were in the river,but that sure looks like a snapper.Which is usually found in saltwater.

Only a few miles from where the river enters the Indian River ( intercoastal ) So it is pretty salty im guessing.  Ill have to look up snapper.  Being from Indiana, I have zero experience with Salt water species.  Jim

[culprit63]

Yeah,check Mangrove Snapper.Hard hitting good eating.