Okeechobee Post-Spawn Bass Are On the Feed

Conditions

May has settled into a classic late-spring pattern on Lake Okeechobee. Water temperatures have climbed into the comfortable range, and most of the spawning fish have finished their business and pulled off the beds. The lake level has been in good shape, water clarity along the south shore has been solid, and the bait — shad and bluegill — is thick in the grass. The big story this month is post-spawn fish feeding up to recover, and that means hungry bass.

The Bite

Post-spawn timing can make for a few tougher, transitional days, but overall the bite has been good and at times outstanding, especially first thing in the morning.

• Early topwater has been the highlight. Frogs worked over the pads and walking baits along the outside grass edges have drawn explosive blowups in that first hour of light.
• As the sun gets up, fish are sliding to deeper grass lines and outside reed edges. Flipping and pitching soft plastics into the cover has produced steady bites and some quality fish.
• Wild shiners have continued to shine for clients after numbers and bigger fish — drifting them along grass edges and pad fields keeps the action going through the middle of the day when artificials slow.

What Worked

The best days came from starting early on topwater, then transitioning to a flipping bite and shiners as the sun climbed. Soft plastics in natural shad and bluegill colors matched the forage well. We caught a good mix of recovering females and aggressive smaller males, with several solid fish in the bunch.

Looking Ahead

As we move deeper into the warm season, expect the early topwater and frog bite to stay strong, the bream beds to start firing on the full moons, and the midday action to lean more on shiners and shaded heavy cover. Morning trips are the move right now — let’s get on the water before the heat and the afternoon storms.