Okeechobee Bass Fishing

February 2012, Great Fishing!

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February 2, 2012

Today was day 2 with Tim, Wendy & Jada Appell from Wisconsin. We had big bass on shiners and artificial baits today, another banner day of fishing on Lake Okeechobee.

February 1, 2012

I fished with Tim Appell and his 14 year old daughter Jada today, The big bite continues!

January 31, 2012

Today was day 2 with Earl Trotter. This was one of, if not the best January for big Bass I have ever seen on Lake Okeechobee. February holds a lot of promise for even more big bass adventures with Shellen Guide Sevices.

January 30, 2012

I fished with Earl Trotter from Ill. and his friend Charlie from NY today. It was a very windy day, we were barely able to keep anchored this morning, but the fish were biting so we toughed it out. As the morning went on it got too rough and we called it a day.

January 29, 2012

I fished with Bill Zaffino and his brother Pete from Ill. today, the bass are biting better each day. We are averaging 30 to 40 fish per morning trip

January 28, 2012

I fished with Bud Riestenberg and his friend Kansas Bruce today. We had another great day the water and the air are both warm and the bass are biting.

January 27, 2012

I fished with Ken York & Doug McKay from Alabama today, two great guys. When we left the tackle shop this morning we new there was a front coming through so we did not really know what to expect. The wind was howling and the bass were biting. We caught fish for a couple of hours before it started pouring rain and the wind turned it up a notch. all in all it turned out to be a great day, although it was a wet one.

January 26, 2012

Don Harris, a long time client from Pa. was my client on the boat today, we got on the water early and caught fish from the very start. The water has warmed to 73 degrees and the fish are really starting to get revved up.

January 23, 2012

I fished with longtime client Tom Zensen today, he introduced me to 2 of his friends from Ft Myers John & Gregg. We had a good day catching bass on shiners, the water is nearing 70 and the bite is getting really good.

January 22, 2012

I fished with Joseph Semmler and Steve & Kyle Cooper from Indiana today, the morning started out fast, the first bass Steve caught was 8 1/2 pounds, the bass kept biting right on throughout the morning. The water is warming up and the bite is getting a little better each day.

January 20, 2012

I fished with Bob Ouelette from Wyoming today, we had a great day catching bass, we had to move to several spots to get it done but it was a great day.

January 19, 2011

I fished with Ron Ocean and his son-in-law David from NY today. We had a great day catching bass.

January 18, 2011

I fished with Robert Mueller from Ga. and his friend Mike from Ky today. The water is warming up nicely and the fish are biting again as you can see. We had a great day.

January 16, 2012

I fished with Gray Galleon & his friend Mark today, as you can tel from Gary's clothing it was cold again today, we did man age to catch them better today though it is getting better each day as the water warms.

January 15, 2011

Today was day two with Ron, John& Jim. We woke to 30 degreee temperatures this morning which lowered the water temps to 59 degrees, it slowed the bite way down, Jim did manage to catch a big Bass but overall it was much slowere than it has been. The weather this week is going to be warm and the great catching will will resume quickly.

January 14, 2012

I fished with Ron & John Bridges and their cousin Jim today,it has been fifteen years since the guys had fished Okeechobee, and the weather this morning was cold and very windy. We managed t0o pound out a lot of good fish once again though, in spite of the conditions.

January 13, 2012

I fished with Dave Holhouse and his grandson Garrett from nebraska today. The big fish bite continued, Garrett caught two over 8 pounds. The smaller bass however did not bite as well as they have beenm perhaps in response to the high pressure front coming in.

January 12, 2012

I fished with PJ & Brett Kinsella from Chicago today. The incredible bite continues, I really don't have any more words to explain how good Okeechobee is right now. Three more bass over 8 pounds and 2 over 7, Wow!

January 10, 2012

Day 2 with John & Alexandra Bechy, today these two folks caught two bass over 7 pounds, an 8 1/2 pound bass and a 10 pound 2 oz bass. In two days these two folks caught 2 bass over 7 pounds, 4 bass over 8 pounds , a 9 pound bass and a 10 pound 2 oz bass. We caught lots of other bass too!

January 9, 2011

The water has warmed back up and the Okeechobee bass are biting! I fished with John & Alexandra Bechy from NY today, it was their first trip to Okeechobee and it was a fishing trip they will never forget. John caught a bass that weighed 9lb 1oz oz, then he caught a bass that weighed 8 1/2 lb then Alexandra caught a bass that weighed 8 1/4 lbs. It was an incredible morning, and should continue to get better as the season progresses.

January 8, 2011

After quite a few days idle due to cold weather/water we got back to work catching bass today. I fished with Harold Finkelstein and his grandsons from NY today. We caught bass. but not like we were before the cold front. The water warmed up 6 degrees today so tomorrow will be even better. Look Out Okeechobee's Back

January 2, 2012

I fished with David & Brien McComas from West Virginia today. The bite started off fast then dwindled as the morning went on, we just kept picking and the bass and had a good morning.

January 1, 2012

The New Year started just exactly where last year left off, with Big bass and a lot of bass too. I fished with Al Dykes and his son Josh today, also Josh brought along Sarah his girlfriend and it was her first fishing trip. We caught fish from the moment we arrived until we ran out of bait. This lake is unbeleivable right now! I don't no what else to say about it! Happy New Year! Come to Okeechobee and fish with us and see what I and everyone is talking about.

December 2011, Great Bass Fishing!

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December 31, 2011

The final day of 2011 and it was an incredible year on Lake Okeechobee! I fished with Jim Glazebrook & his grandson Riley from Ill, today. We had a great time catching bass to close out my final trip for the year.

December 29, 2011

We fished with the Kite family from Vero Beach today. Keith & Kyle fished in my boat and Kollin & Kay fished with Butch. It was extremely cold this morning and the water temperatures dropped about 6 degrees in the last couple of days, so we did not have great expectations. The fish did bite pretty well though as you can see from the pictures, it was a pleasant surprise, we hope the great fishing will continue and we expect that it will.

December 28, 2011

I fished with Billy & Becky Brinck from Ohio and Becky's sister Anna today. The fish bit right from the start this morning, our five largest bass weighed 32 pounds. We took pictures of those great looking Okeechobee Bass and released them alive & well to fight another day.

December 27, 2011

, I fished with Brian, Alex and Eric Baumann today, we caught bass as fast as I could bait their hooks. It is going to be a great winter!

December 23, 2011

I fished with my long time client and good friend Jim Pickett and my son Jordan today. It was a beautiful day with very light winds and warm water. The bass bit just like they have been biting, fast & furious. As you can see Jim caught a big bass, the bass Jordan is holding pulled the rod out of his hand and we thought we had lost it. Later we saw the cork floating way back in the marsh, we motored back there only to find the bass still on the hook and the rod still attached!

December 20, 2011

I fished with Lenny Spitz from Delray Bch today and his son Mark. It was another windy day and the fish bit from sunup until we were out of bait. We had a couple of big fish on again today but did not get them to the boat this time. We had a lot of laughs together and it was a great morning.

December 18, 2011

I could not get my page to accept all of the pictures at once so I had to put the picture of the 9 pound 1 oz and the 10 pounder together afterwards. Charles was struggling from holding the two giant bass up, but it was worth it. What a great day!

December 18, 2011

Today was day 2 with Charles Rosen, his partner of yesterday Cpt Jim had to get home so he could not fish with us today. We go on the water very early, because the forecast was for high winds building during the morning. The morning started off well we were catching some quality bass and getting a lot of bites. After about an hour of catching the bite sort of slowed a little bit. We lost 2 shiners in a row to the same fish that was just picking at the bait. The next shiner we cast toward the cover disappeared quickly, and Charles looked at me and said its a big fish. It turned out to be a 9 pound 1 ounce giant, a huge fish! After Charles and I settled down we baited up again and cast another shiner in the same spot toward the heavy cover, immediately the cork disappeared and Charles again said it's a big fish and told me to get the net, we landed her after a great fight and she weighed 10 pounds! Another huge Bass! We were both sort of flabbergasted by the two giant bass but got back to fishing after a few minutes. We caught quite a few more nice fish in the 3 to 5 pound range and then Charles finished the day with a bass that weighed 7 pounds 2 ounces. What an incrediblwe Day of Bass fishing on Lake Okeechobee! The top picture is the 10 pounder, the 2 picture down is the 9 pound 1 oz bass and the bottom picture is the 7 pound 2 ounce fish.

December 17, 2011

I fished with Charles Rosen from Miami and his friend Cpt Jim today. Both guys are avid saltwater anglers and wanted to try freshwater fishing in Lake Okeechobee. We started the day catching bass on wild shiners and then when we ran out of live bait we switched to artificial baits and continued catching.

December 16, 2011

I fished with Jeff Rose and his two sons Jared & Hayden today. The boys live in Ga. and love to bass fish, it was a perfect day light winds and nice and warm. We caught bass from sunup until noon and then called it a day.

December 15, 2011

I fi9shed with Beryl Anthony from Arkansas today, Beryl is an avid golfer and fishermen and had never fished the Big "O", before today. We had a greast time, Beryl caught a big Bass, and among the many other fish we caught there were at least 12 fish over 4 pounds.

December 14, 2011

I fished with Bob & Ann Steele from Kokomo In. today. It was there first trip to Okeechobee and it turned out to be a great one. It was very windy, but the fishing was incredible once again.

December 13, 2011

I fished with Richard & Joe Ford from NY today, it was windier than heck, but we got the fish biting and had a great day.

December 7, 2011

Another perfect December day, 80 degrees air temps with 70 degreee water temps. Many of the bass are full of roe and will probably spawn on this next full moon, while others are nowhere near ready to spawn. The bass are biting as if there is no tomorrow. I fished with Ken Means & Jim glazebrook from Ill today, the pictures tell most of the story.

December 6, 2011

I fished with Brian Graves from Virginia today, it has warmed up since last week and the water is 70 degrees. The bass are biting and the lake is in incredible shape. The upcoming full moon will bring some big fish to very shallow water, Brian caught one big Bass and lost another in the thick cover.

December 3, 2011

Today was day 2 with Russell and Chris, it was a good deal windier today but we still managed to catch a lot of fish. We caught them on shiners and artificials, Russell used a shiner pattern sinking fly on his fly-rod.

December 2, 2011

I fished with Russell Grant from NY and his friend Chris Senna from Utah today.
It was a great day of bass fishing, we wacked em!, more 5 and 6 pound bass than we have caught in a while.

December 1, 2011

December started right where November left off, big bass and big numbers of bass are biting daily, we are catching fish like crazy. I fished with Tom & terry Mowatt from Indiana today on their first trip to Okeechobee. We caught some great fish as you can see and had a great time together!

November, Big Bass of Lake Okeechobee!

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November 30, 2011

What a great November, it closed out just like it started, with bass eating whatever bait you are using. Shiners or artificials are working, obviously shiners are responsible for most of our big bass and we caught a lot of them in November! I fished with Dennis Smith from Indiana and we caught bass from start to finish, another great day. Here comes December, stay tuned!

November 29, 2011

I fished with Bob Reszel Sr & Jr today, the guys are from Joliet Ill and it was there first trip to Lake Okeechobee. The day was perfect light winds and warm temperatures. We had a wonderful day catching bass.

November 27, 2011

I fished with Jose Ortega and his son Julien & Sebastian again today, the last time we fished together it was windy and cold. this time we caught a good day and the fishing was on fire. We caught bass from sunrise until 11am on shiners and artificial baits.

November 25, 2011

I fished with Ben Stafford from Michigan today, Ben is relatively new to Fl. and had never bass fished before, and had never been on Lake Okeechobee before either. When we arrived near our first fishing spot we found that the wind was howling on the lake creating some pretty big rollers. We tried several spots before we found an area where our anchors would hold, once we got setup we started catching small bass one after the other.

November 23, 2011

I was joined in my boat today by Len Ciulla and his grandsons Nick & Eric from NC. It has been an incredible run of catching on Lake Okeechobee, with some of the best fishing I have ever seen. As you can see from the picture Nick is a member of the Clemson Tigers bass fishing team.

November 21, 2011

I fished with Cheryl Wilson from Guntersville Alabama again today, last year her brother joined us, but work got in the way this year. I have caught a lot of bass over the years but have never been on such a great bite as there is going on right now. The catching is one bass after another and there are more quality sized bass than ever before. It is a great time to fish Lake okeechobee!

November 20, 2011

I fished with three generations of the Reynolds family from Buffalo NY, the catching was fast today, every cast resulting in a bite, numerous times as soon as it hit the water. It was hard to keep up with baiting the rods and landing bass. What a terrfific day!

November 18, 2011

I fished with 2 Alberto's today, the guys were part of the Cornerstone group fishing day. The beautiful sunrise started our day off right, and then a few hours later the wind started blowing 25-30mph making fishing very tough. We caught over 20 bass for the morning with a big fish of just under 5 pounds.

November 17, 2011

I fished with Ken Hagens and his brother Eugene today, the guys are from Ky and are hardcore fishermen. We fished artificial baits and caught bass on topwater, spinnerbait, fluke, sluggo andskinny dipper.

November 16, 2011 Afternoon

This afternoon I fished with Newlyweds Mark & Alyssa Lewandowski from Pa. They have been honeymooning in Fla. for the last week and decided they wanted to see if the bass were really as big in Lake Okeechobee as they had heard. The lake did not disappoint them, if anything the fish bit better than this morning. We had a great afternoon of catching and laughing, thats hard to beat!

November 16, 2011

I had fished with two different groups of anglers today, my morning trip was with Kevin Applegate and his uncle Sam from NC. We caught bass as fast as we could get the bait in the water. We did n0ot get any big fish into the boat this morning however, although it was terrific fishing.

November 15, 2011

I fished with Eric Wesel and his 17 year old daughter Bianca today. It was Biancas first bass fishing trip and she had a ball catching Okeechobee Bass. It was incredibly foggy this morning so it took us longer than usual to get to our spot, but once we did the bite was steady. Eric caught a bass that weighed 9 pounds, the fish are healthy and fat, it should be another terrific spawn.

November 13, 2011

We continued a family tradition today, each year around my birthday the boys and now the grandkids and I go shiner fishing. They were pretty excited knowing that this year we have been on some very large bass. Jordan and Emma both caught their largest bass ever today, so there were a lot of smiles on the boat. Ethan caught the most and also ate the most candy, it was a great day!

November 12, 2011

Day 2 with Tom and Courtney and it was just as good, maybe better. The quality and the number of bass on Lake Okeechobee right now is unbelievable. The fishing is \the best I have ever seen, day after day. How long will this incredible bite last? who knows, but we are going to enjoy the heck out of it while it last.

November 11, 2011

I fished with Tom Allgood and his daughter Courtney again today, we fished last spring and they decided to return for the great November bite. High Winds, 52 degrees, full moon and a cold front moving through. I was a little apprehensive this morning about the bite, the Power Pole proved it's worth today though holding us in place in very rough water. The morning started very slow, we caught 5 fish in the first couple of hours and then they just turned on and started chewing. Just to put everything in perspective the smallest fish in the pictures weighed five pounds. It was an awesome day of fishing we caught numbers and big Bass as you can see. Courtney caught the biggest bass of her life four times today, a five, then a six, then a seven and finally and 8 1/2 pounder, that really made her smile!

November 9, 2011

I fished with George Burttram from S.C. today. It was a perfect overcast morningnand the bass were on fire. George was very thrilled when one of the first fish we caught was a 7 pound Bass, we stuck her in the livewell for pictures later and then release. The way it worked that 7 pound bass didn't make the cut, George caught 2 more bass both over 8 pounds. The action was non-stop. I won't even mention the one that got away!

November 6, 2011

A beautiful day on Lake Okeechobee today and I spent it with the Davis family from Palm Beach. Lee, Dolly and their five year old twins Evaline & Wade joined me for a morning of fishing fun. We caught lots of bass, but aside from that we had drinks & snacks, both very important elements on a fishing trip. It was a wonderful day of fishing, full of laughs and giggles.

Novbember 5, 2011

Today was a very blustery chilly day on Lake Okeechobee and I was joined by long time friends and clients Danny and Al Scott and Al's 8 year old grandson Michael. I have told anglers many times that some of the worst weather days on the lake have provided some of the best fishing and today followed that pattern. We caught numbers of bass as well as catching big fish. Young Michael Scott is all smiles and won't soon forget his first shiner trip with grandpa on Lake Okeechobee.

November 4, 2011

I fished with Dave Gluyaf and his wife Lauri today. It was a beautiful morning with light winds and slightly overcast, the bass on Lake Okeechobee are chewing, we caught bass on shiners, topwater and a spinnerbait.

November 3, 2011

I fished with Charlie Bolton from Ft. Pierce and his friend Alan Casom from Va. today. Alan is an avid angler and was jazzed up to get to catching this morning. We had non-stop action from dawn until we ran out of bait. Another great day on Lake Okeechobee, November has always been one of the best months for numbers, and big fish on Okeechobee and this year is no different.

November 2, 2011

Today was the Office Depot Foundation Tournament, 60 boats, 150 anglers, we had a great day catching over 50 bass, we never really had a big fish on, although we did catch 6 or 7 bass around 5 pounds. I fished with Heather, Dolly & Mike, great people supporting the charity. The five winning bass weighed 24 pounds and we were in the top five with 19 1/2 pounds.

ake okeechobee today

October, Cooler Water, Bigger Bass!

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October 27, 2011

I fished with Jim & Christy Bradley from Colorado today, they are avid anglers and have fished all over the U.S., but had never fished Okeechobee until today, we had a banner day catching bass after bass, new friends and a great day of fishing, I love my job!

October 26, 2011

This week fall fishing finally got started on Lake Okeechobee, the lake has risen to 13 feet which a great level for superb fishing. Today I fished with George & Rob Minix from Indiana, we have fished together many times and always have a lot of laughs. We caught 43 bass today with a big fish of 8 1/2 lbs. Okeechobee is on!

October 22, 2011

I fished with Jose Ortega and his sons Julian and Sebastian today. The guys have fished with us several times and are a lot of fun to be with. The fishing was not up to par today, the water has come up 18 inches in the last month and is still rising. Better days are coming!

October 14, 2011

I fished with Ron Waller and his friend Gene today. The lake has risen 6 inches this week and the bass are biting, we caught bass non-stop until our bait was gone.

Oct 5, 2011

The water temps have dropped 10 degrees in the last week, which shocked the fish a bit, but today they started biting again. As the water cools the big Bass will go on the prowl to feed! I fished with Russ Luce, Ed Beebe and their Friend Fran today. The guys are from Mass. and were in awe of the Big "O". We caught Bass on shiners and rattle traps.

September, Okeechobee Bassin!

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September 24, 2011

Today I fished with Kevin and Ann Erdelyn from Bradenton. As you can see in the background of the photos, we are fishing in the lake and it is dead calm still. As all savvy fishermen know dead calm ultra clear water makes for tough fishing and today was no different. We kept pecking away and managed to catch some nice fish in spite of the conditions.

September 23, 2011

I fished with Chip Whitney from Indiana today. We started the morning with a decent topwater bite and then switched over to plastics ranging from Carolina rigged worms to flukes.

September 22, 2011

I fished with Chris and Wendy Wenger from Washington today, it was a first time visit to Lake Okeechobee and they fell in love with the beautiful sights and of course the terrific bass fishing!

September 13, 2011

I fished with Rex Criswell today. Rex is in Fla with his wife and couldn't pass up the chance to fish Lake Okeechobee, We covered a lot of ground today. we started the morning with a great top water catching 16 bass in the first hour before the sun got up in the sky. Wwe then changed to plastics and moved around the lake 6 or 7 times and caught bass everyhwhere we stopped. We fished from the Monkey Box to Uncle Joe's. Another great day on Lake Okeechobee

September 11, 2011

I fished with Don Swann, his son Sean and their friend Brian. The guys are from Ft. Myers and normally fish saltwater. We go on the water at 6:30am and caught 15 bass in the first hour on topwater. Once the sun got higher into the sky we moved and poked around picking up a fish here and there. We made a move to where water was coming into the lake and really started catching. We ended the day catching around 50 bass on topwatrer, worms, senko's and flukes.

Sept. 4, 2011

I fished with Nate, Emma and Ethan today, we caught some nice fish, ate goldfish and drank applejuice, a pretty good day!

September 1, 2011

Today we shot the second half of the Rich Osceola Outdoor's Tv Show with SMP, Seminole Media Productions. The guys are all great and we always have a lot of laughs together. The bass bit very well today and we caught a lot of fish. Keep your eyes peeled for a few clips from the show on our site.

August 24, 2011

I fished with Adrie Theuns from Leesburg and his nephew Robert Passage from Chicago today, these two fish all over the place and we have fished together before, so I knew it was going to be a fun day. We started the morning with a good topwater bite and then moved to a spot where I had not fished shiners before, there was a ton of fish there and we caught bass after bass. When we ran out of live bait we caught them on dead shiners, then switched to plastics and continued catching. We caught bass from 6:30am until noon non-stop, it was a great morning!

August 22, 2011

I fished with Sue Cocking, outdoor writer for the Miami Herald today. Sue is a great outdoorswoman and angler. We started the morning with a good top water bite and then switched over to senko's and flukes. We didn't catch any big bass today, but did catch good numbers. All is well on Okeechobee.

August 18, 2011

I fished with Dave & Paula Andreozzi and their 13 year old grandson Raymond today. We had a great top water bite to start the morning, then switched to senko's and flukes. At 9 am we had caught 25 bass so we made a move, as we were moving to another spot I spotted some fish chasing shad, so we stopped and caught another 29 bass in about and hour and a half. We ended the morning catching 54 bass, a pretty good day.

August 16, 2011

I fished with Leon Ross and Anthony Daley from Clarksville Tn today. Both guys are great fishermen and could really catch fish. We had a great early morning topwater bite and then followed up with plastics after that.

August 14, 2011

I fished with Joe & Kim Merlino from West Palm Beach today. They are planning on buying a place around the lake and wanted some insight on where and how to navigate when it is low. Joe & Kim both showed up with bait casters so I knew from the start they were serious bass fishermen. We had a great morning, catching fish on topwater, several colors of flukes anbd also a senko. Welcome to Okeechobee Merlino's!

August 13, 2011

I fished with the Morey family today, Todd & his two sons Gage & Hunter. We started the morning with a decent top water bite and then changed over to plastics, we caught a lot of quality bass today.

August 12, 2011

I fished with a couple of Indiana Boy's today, Adam Smith and his friend Derrick both grew up in Plainfield Indiana. The morning started with a great topwater bite and then slowed down after that, but we kep picking at them all morning.

August 10, 2011

I fished with Burt & Caleb Krebs from Pigeon Forge Tn today. The guys had anever fished Okeechobee before and they were surprised by the vast amount of vegetative cover on the lake. We had a great day catching bass on topwater and plastics.

August 8, 2011

My wife Belinda and I just returned from vacation. We visited friends and family in Indiana and Michigan. We always take our boat with us so we can spend some time bass fishing as we go. The weather was very hot up North as you all know but we did manage to catch some very nice Smallmouth, Belinda caught the big Smallie of the trip, as you can see in the picture. Now its time to go back to work on Okeechobee where the fishing just keeps getting better!

July 19, 2011

I fished with Rob Hauler and his son Zac and Ryan today, bass fishing was fast and furious, top water flukes, senkos and worms all worked for us.

July 17, 2011

I fished with John Doumar and his son Andrew today, John was born and raised in Ft Lauderdale but had never been on the lake before. We started with topwater and had very few strikes, so we quickly switched to flukes and senkos on the bottom and had a hey day catching some very nice bass. Another great day!

July 14, 2011

I fished with Mike Williams, his son Skeet and his friend Lane today. Mike and his family have become regulars to Okeechobee, they are from Oklahoma and love to catch Bass. We started the morning with a great topwater bite and then followed that up by catching them on flukes, senkos and trick worms. It was another wonderful summer day.

July 12, 2011

I fished with Scott Adcox from Sarasota and his father Preston from Texas today. We had a terrific topwater bite today that lasted over 2 hours. We finally put together a good moving water pattern and caught fish on numerous baits after that. We could have caught as many bass today as we wanted, we left them biting at noon though. I love Lake Okeechobee and it's bad attitude Bass.

July 10, 2011

Another good day on the lake, I fished with Kevin & Lauri Russel from Punta Gorda. It was hot and there was no wind and we caught some very nice fish. Topwater, flukes and shakey head worms worked for us today.

July 9, 2011

I fished with the Tefano boy's today, Chris Dick and Alec. We had a great day of catching bass on Lake Okeechobee. The bass fishing is still terrific.

June 29. 2011

Just returned home from a fishing and golfing vacation to the Michigan and Indiana area. We had three days planned for smallmouth fishing around the great lakes but inclement weather did not permit us to make it on the lake, it rained and the winds blew like crazy for all three days,making it unsafe to venture onto the big water. Lake Okeechobee is now rising due to summer rains and the fishing is still second to none, daily catch rates are around 50 to 100 bass depending on the bite. If you like catching bass and lots of them, call us and we will go fishing together.

Cpt Mike Shellen
www.OkeechobeeBassFishing.com
8763-357-0892

June 15, 2011

I fished with Larry Johnson and his 10 year old son Matt today. Larry is inn the outdoor business and has always wanted to fish the Big "O" and today was his day. We caught 76 Bass this mornin g on topwater, flukes, trick worms and skinny dippers. The weird looking fish Larry is holding is a Tilapia that hit a rubber worm. 10 year old Matt is a good little fishermen and caught his share all the while having a great time.

June 14, 2011

I fished with Dale Steger from Ill. his 13 year old son Jacob and his 11 year old daughter Lee Ann today. The kids were catching bass like crazy, laughing and having a great time. We caught 81 fish for our trip and had a great day together.

June 12, 2011

I fished with Robert Morales from Chicago today, he is an experienced fishermen and had always dreamed of fishing Okeechobee. His dreams were more than realized today with catching bass and the incredible birdlife and alligators. We have averaged 90 fish per trip for the last five days.

June 11, 2011

We had a two boat trip today with Doug Kerr and his brother and two uncles from Kansas. Doug and his uncle Steve Ross fished with me and we had a terrific day. We caught big bass and big numbers of bass. Between the two boats we boated 192 bass in 6 hours of fishing.

June 10, 2011

I fished with Dean and Carmen Baker again today, we had a great topwater bite to start the morning then switched over to Zoom flukes and just wacked them! We caught 125 Bass in 6 hours, left the ramp at 6am and returned at noon. What a fishery!

June 9, 2011

I fished with Dean & Carmen Baker from Va. today, we started out with a great topwater bite due in part to it being an overcast morning. After they quite biting topwater we switched over to skinny dippers, flukes and trick worms and kept on catching!

June 7, 2011

I fished with Ray Allen from Russkin today and his friend Mark from Okla. We got on the water early and caught some nice bass. The bite was on fire until about 10 am, of course by then the boys had caught so many fish they were ready to go. Another great fishing day!

June 6, 2011

Bass fishing rarely gets any better than catching fish on a topwater bait as the sun comes over the horizon as another day dawns. I fished with Brian & Charmagne Thometz from Tampa today we caught fish on Top water, senkos, trick worms and flukes it was a great morning of catching!

June 3, 2011

June is off to a great start! I fished with Victor Sages and his friend Dennis from La. today. We started with live wild shiners and the bite was on fire. We ran out of bait after a couple of hours and then switched over to artificial baits and kept on catching!

May 2011 Lake Okeechobee, Wow!

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May 30, 2011

I fished with Don & Barbara Sedivy from Pt St. Lucie today, both of them are chef's and they brought some great food along with them. The great food on the water made it a great day, but the tremendous bass bite was the icing on the cake.

May 29, 2011

Day two with Mike and Chris, we got on the water a little earlier this morning and had a decent topwater bite for about an hour, then we changed over to trick worms, flukes and ribbon tail worms. Big fish of the day honors went to Chris with this dandy she caught on a trick worm using 8 pound test.

May 28, 2011

I fished with Mike & Chris Wenzlaff from Ft Myers today, it was a foggy morning so we had a good top water bite for the first hour or more. We hit three or four key spots and caught fish every where we went. Senko's, speed worms, trick worms and flukes all worked well for us. Mike & Chris are experienced fishermen and love the outdoors so we had a great day together, We caught just short of 90 bass and we were back at the ramp by noon.

May 27, 2011

I fished with Ed Killer the Outdoor Writer for the Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers today, we hit the water at 10am and did some bird watching then fished for a couple hours, long enough to catch 35 to 40 bass.

May 24, 2011

I fished with Jim Thompson and his sons Kevin & Tim today, Jim just moved here from Ohio and the boys came to visit. One of my friends from Avon Park suggested they go Bass fishing on Okeechobee and gave them my card, so we set up their first fishing trip on Lake Okeechobee. They were in awe of the wildlife and the birds we saw, gators, pelicans, storks, roseate spoonbills, ducks and much more. To top the day off the bass bit better than any day recently. We were on the water at 6am and caught 108 bass on artificial baits, finishing by 12 noon. Topwater, flukes, senkos, worms, lipless crankbaits all performed well for us today. I'm sure the guys will never forget their trip to Lake Okeechobee and the magnificent Bass fishing!

May 22, 2011

I fished with Rich Kunz and his son Rick from Maryland today. We started out with topwater and as you can see from the picture they were eating it. Once the topwater bite slowed we switched over to flukes, worms, senko's swim baits.

May 21, 2011

I fished with Mike & Jordan Scher again today, we got a late start so we fished from 11am until 5 pm. In spite of the late start we caught over 50 bass on artificial baits, top water, senkos, worms, skinny dippers another great day!

May 20, 2011

I fished with Mike & Jordan Scher from Chicago today. We have fished together for years and always have a great time together, we started the morning catching bass on topwater baits, and followed up with flukes skinny dippers, horny toads, senko and 10 inch worms. It was a beautiful day!

May 14, 2011

I fished with John & Kathleen Pirtlow from Punta Gorda and their friend Vinny today, we started the morning with a good top water bite and then switched over to flukes, senkos and trick worms. Another great day on the Big "O"

May 13, 2011

I fished with Chris & Kirk Gustman today. Their father, Jim was one of my 0oldest customers and died a few months ago, so we decided to honor him by fishing Lake Okeechobee a place he loved. We caught over 60 Bass and had a great day together,God bless you Jim!

May 10, 2011

Today was day 2 with the Walker boys, Pat and his son John. We got on the water just as it was getting light and the wind was calm so we decided to throw topwater baits, it was on fire! By 9am we had caught over 40 bass, and had twice that many blowups on our baits. We then switched to skinny dippers, flukes and senkos and continued catching at a rapid pace. We caught over 150 bass in 2 days, fishing from sunup until noon. We had a great time together laughing and catching fish!

May 9, 2011

I fished with Pat Walker from Las Vegas and his son John today. We decided to fish with only artificial baits and obviously made the right decision. We caught bass from the first cast to the last, catching over 70 bass, no giants today though. I had a great time with Pat & John great guys and good fishermen, we did a lot of laughing while catching fish.

May 8, 2011

I fished with Billy & Joselyn Johnson from Boynton Bch today. We left the ramp in very heavy fog and went straight to our shiner hole. The first Bass of the day was the huge bass Joselyn is proudly holding. She did a great job landing that big fish! After we ran out of shiners we caught fish on top water baits, lipless crank baits, senko's and flukes, it was a terrific day of fishing!

May 5, 2011

I fished with Bob King from my home town Sweetser Indiana today and for OHHS coach Terry Lichtenber from Ohio. We started out catching bass on shiners and then switched to artificial baits and wore them out. We never moved the boat for almost two hours and caught bass after bass on artificial baits.

May 1, 2011

I fished with Willie Weiss & his brother in law Rich Christofek today, the trip was a birthday gift for Rich. We started the morning with shiners and sort of struggled, the bass bit very strangely. When we switched over to artificial baits we really got going and had a great day. May on Okeechobee is underway and the great fishing continues!

April 30, 2011

I fished with Charlie McLure and his friends Jim and Skip from Maryland today. It was quite windy, but the bass bit very well on shiners. We had a great morning together.

April 29, 2011

I fished with Tom Matlosz and his son Chris today, the guys are experienced fishermen and have fished the big lake numerous times. We started out catching fish on topwater and then switched to plastics. We caught fish on lipless crankbaits, flukes magic shad swimbaits, senkos and speed worms. It was a terrific morning of catching. At this time you don't have to wait long between bites.

April 25, 2011

I fished with Bob Manuel from Virginia today, we were going to fish for pan fish but bass fishing is so good Bob could not resist. I turned out to be a good decision, it was an overcast cloudy morning and the fish were on a feeding tear. We caught them on top water, flukes, speed worms and senko's. We averaged about 20 fish per hour, it was an incredible bite!

April 24, 2011

I fished with Tim Snyder and Jeremy from Michigan today, it was the boys first time to see Okeechobee and they were in awe of its size, beauty, birdlife and of course the incredible fishing. We caught em again today, started with shiners and then went to artificial baits to catch big numbers. We have been catching huge numbers of fish each trip, I'm not going to put the numbers here if you want to know call me. Cpt Mike Shellen 863-357-0892

April 23, 2011

I fished with David Harmon and his son Rhett today, the guys are from Nevada and have fished all over the World. We had a terrific day fishing all artificial baits and caught bass from start to finish.

April 22, 2011

I fished with Todd Rathner from Arizona today, Todd is an experienced fisherman and took to catching Okeechobee Bass quite easily. We started the morning with shiners and then switched over to artificial baits and caught big numbers again. The "other" fish in the pictures is a Snook that hit a Zoom fluke like a freight train and jumped several times before coming to the boat. Okeechobee is full of surprises.

April 21, 2011

I fished with Mike Rigginio and Lenny from NY today. This is the third year the guys have fished with us and we always have a great time together. We started with shiners this morning and caught bass about as fast as we could get bait in the water for the first couple hours, we then changed over to artificial baits, senkos, flukes and top water baits catching bass after bass until we had brought over 80 bass to the boat. Another great day on the big lake, Lake Okeechobee!

April 20, 2011

We had a two boat trip today with the Howe family from Ca. Patrick and his threee boys all love to bass fish and were pumped up to fish Lake Okeechobee. We started the morning with shiners and then switched over to artificial baits, we caught over 100 bass between the two boats. Patrick & his youngest son Alec spent the morning with me, and Alec caught the biggest bass of the day.

April 19, 2011

Today was day two with Bill & Kenny Bingham, after slaying the pan fish yesterday we decided to bass fish today. As the pictures show you we had a great day of bass fishing, we started the day with shiners and then switched to artificials and really caught big numbers, we ended up catching 65 bass and we were back at the ramp by just after noon.

April 18, 2011

I fished with Kenny Bingham and his father Bill today. We have fished together before so I already knew how much these guys love to catch blue gill and shell cracker. We hit it just right the fish were in shallow water and we could see nearly every fish we caught. We kept a cooler full of fish for the boys to take home to S.C. for a family fish fry. It was a great day of catching!

April 17, 2011

I fished with Bruce & Elizabeth Saunders from NJ today. Once again we caught more bass on artificial baits, but as is usually the case we caught the larger bass on shiners. Fishing of any kind is red hot on Lake Okeechobee right now.

April 16, 2011

I fished with Tom & Terri Zensen today, Tom and I have fished together many times over the years, today was Terri's first trip with us. We started the morning with shiners and found it a little slow so we switched to artificial baits and started catching fish right away. I have no idea why we were able to catch more bass on artificial baits as opposed to live bait but that's the way it worked best today.

April 15, 2011

I fished with Roy & Doreen Castro from Cape Coral today, we started the day with shiners and went through five dozen pretty quickly, we then changed over to artificial baits and continued catching them. another great day with new friends on Lake Okeechobee

April 12, 2011

I fished with Steve & Andy Gruner from Sandusky Ohio today, living near Lake Erie the guys naturally fish for Smallmouth and were anxious to catch some Okeechobee Bass. We had a great day togehter starting with shiners early and then switching to artificial baits. Once the guys got used to wrestling the bass out of the grass they had a ball catching them. Lake Okeechobee is the premier fishery in the US and continues to prove it day after day.

April 11, 2011

I fished with Doug & Trevor Topken again today, we caught them even better than yesterday, the shiner bite was incredible, we caught 50 bass on shiners in the first 3 hours, then we added more fish with artificial baits.

April 10 2011

I fished with Doug Topken and his "almost" 12 year old son Trevor today, the boys are from NJ so they are not used to catching big bass like we have in Lake Okeechobee. We started our morning with shiners and Trevor went wild on the bass, catching them on nearly every shiner. After our shiners were eaten we fished artificial baits and worked on catching big numbers of bass. Every day is a great day when you are fishing Lake Okeechobee!

April 9, 2011

Today I fished with Van Kent and Dean Breitler, Van has fished with us before and knew what he could expect but Dean didn't. We had a terrific day together catching big fish on shiners early and then switching over to artificial and catching big numbers. Every spot where we stopped to fish today produced bass for us, another great day on the fabulous Lake Okeechobee!

April 8, 2011

I fished with Sherry & Sue Lawson from Ohio today. They grew up fishing and definitely have great skills! We started the morning with shiners and ran out of bait at 8:30 am, we then changed over to artificial baits and absolutely slayed em. After we had landed our 70th bass of the Morning Sherry asked me how many bass we had caught on our most productive day this year, I told her we had caught 119 bass in 6 hours a couple of weeks ago, so that became our goal from that moment on, I was not sure we could do it but we really got into a nice school of fish and at shortly after 12 noon we caught our 120th bass of the day. We had a lot of fun and laughs together, I can't wait to fish with the ladies again.

April 7, 2011

Today we had a two boat trip with the Wooten family from Lookout Mt Georgia. Nathan and his son Dexter, his Father Claude and nephew Eric all had a great day. We caught our fish on both shiners and artificial baits. Flukes, senko's and trick worms all got bites for us. It was another day when we caught more fish on artificial baits than live bait.

April 6, 2011

I fished with Travis & Nadine Coomer from Ky again today, it was sort of chilly this morning and the water cooled off 4 degrees , but the bass still bit for us. We used shiners early and then we caught blue gill, shell cracker and specks on grass shrimp. Travis & Nadine are the kind of folks that make me love my job, they love to catch fish and have fun, my kind of people !

April 5, 2011

I fished with Travis & Nadine Coomer from Ky. today. We new it was going to storm late this morning, but not exactly when, I also new the bass were going to bite like crazy in front of the storm. We caught bass the first two hours of the day on shiners and then we used artificial until about noon when the front moved in. We had a great day and caught a lot of bass and didn't get wet doing it!

April 4, 2011

I fished with Mike Cramer from Illinois and his father Lee from Neb. today. The bite was very steady although we had to move several times to keep getting bit.

April 3, 2011

I was a little worried about whether our fish had left us after yesterday, but again today we got right on them and they bit for us. I fished with Tim & Matt Porch from Mo. today, we caught some very nice fish, we started with artificial baits catching bass on top water, flukes and senkos and then switched over to our live bait, and then returned to fishing with artificial baits again. We had a great day catching bass everywhere we went on what ever bait we used.

April 2, 2011

I fished with Don Harris this morning, the fish we have been on did not bite too well, although we did catch a lot of small bass. We struggled for the first time in quite a while, I guess we were due.

April 1, 2011

The smiling young man in the picture is 14 year old Luke Speck, he's smiling because he learned how to catch bass on a senko today, and caught this one all on his own. Luke and his dad Dale are from Indianapolis In. and have fished with me before. We always have fun and the guys are very competitive so there is some smack talk that goes on. We had a great day catching bass on artificial baits, top water, flukes and senkos all worked for us today, it was another wonderful day, what a way to start April!

March 31, 2011

I fished with Robert & Maryann Truman from Mo. today, we caught our bass on artificial baits. We used top water, senkos and flukes. The wind made it very difficult to position the boat, so we used our Power Pole to hold in the wind to fish more effectively. We caught a lot of fish and had a great morning.

March 31, 2011

March 30, 2011

Another great fishing day although it was extremely windy, we caught big numbers of bass on artificial baits early again using top water baits, senkos, flukes and worms. I fished with Al & Matt McInerney from Midland Michigan today we had a great day together, yesterday the guys fished saltwater, today it was Lake okeechobee. Right now the lake is impressing even people have have fished it for a long time, the numbers of bass are impressive.

March 29, 2011

Another great day of fishing on the North end of Lake Okeechobee, I fished with Tom & Jerry Goebel and his son Andrew today, the guys are seasoned fishermen and can catch em. We started the morning with artificial baits and caught over 50 by 10 am, we then used our shiners looking for a big bite. Andrew, who is a senior in high school caught his biggest bass ever, you can tell by his smile in the picture he was pretty happy about it. The North end of Lake Okeechobee is the place to be if you want to catch both numbers of bass and big bass!

March 27, 2011

If this wasn't the best fishing day of the year it's running a close second. I fished with Ronald Coker from Tenn. and his 13 year old son Chase today. It was foggy again this morning so we went to our top water spot and caught bass after bass! We caught more than 75 bass by 10 am and then went shiner fishing. The shiner bite was hot too, three of the last 5 bass we caught were over 7 pounds, the biggest, caught by young Chase weighed just a shade over 8 pounds. Wow!

March 25, 2011

I fished with my friend Phil Smathers & Jordan today. We caught a few fish on top water to start the day, but had to switch to plastics to really catch em good. Top water, Senko's and Flukes accounted for 50 bass between sunup and noon.

March 24, 2011

I fished with Ken Rawlinson & John O'Connell today. We started the morning with a killer top water bite again, catching bass at a rapid rate. After a few hours we switched over to shiners and went through our bait in a couple hours. We caught over 70 bass and we were back at the ramp by a little after noon. I love it when the fishing is this good!

March 23, 2011

I fished with Roddy Kneur & Nick Ryder again today, they brought along their friend Tom this time to enjoy the great fishing. We started the morning with a great top water bite, catching bass for the first couple hours in the semi-foggy conditions. We then switched to shiners and burned through five dozen shiners in a couple of hours. Our day was incredible, we caught over 75 bass and we were back at the ramp by just after noon.

March 22, 2011

I fished with Gary Greenleaf, his wife Lisa and their daughter Eva today. They were referred by Mike Lamere another friend/client so I knew we were going to have a great time. The morning started slow but once we got on the fish the bite was fast and furious leading to another great day on Lake Okeechobee.

March 21, 2011

I fished with Dr. Bernard and his lifelong friend Jake Jacoby today, it was the guys first trip to Okeechobee and they had as great day. We caught bass on top water, senkos. worms and flukes. The water is 73 degrees and the bass are biting!

March 20, 2011

I fished with Ralph Tyree & Larry Baker from Ky again today, we got on a school of shell cracker and caught a lot of them, we kept 30 of the largest ones for the table and released the rest for another day. Bass fishing and pan fishing are both terrific at this time, the lake is red hot!

March 19, 2011

I fished with the Bilski family from Minn. today Mike, Jerry, & John. We caught a lot of quality sized bass, but no big ones today. I had a great time with the boys, and a lot of laughs. My job is very easy when I get to fish with great people.

March 18, 2011

I fished with Ralph Tyree & Lary Baker again today, We caught bluegill and shell cracker on crickets and grass shrimp and kept 25 of the larger 9 to 11 inch fish for the table. Back to bass fishing tomorrow!

March 17, 2011

I fished with Ralph Tyree & Larry Baker from Ky again today, we are targeting big blue gill and shell cracker and today we found them. We caught over a 100 fish, and ended up keeping 50 of the largest ones for the table. Its all happening on Okeechobee, One day we catch bass, the next we catch big shell cracker & blue gill. what a great place to fish!~

March 16, 2011

It's blue gill and shell cracker time on Lake Okeechobee! I fished with Ralph Tyree & Larry from Ky today, we caught a lot of panfish, but could not really get on the great big ones that we wanted to catch. Tomorrow is another day.

March 15, 2011

Today was day 3 with the Northcutt boys, James (Vaden)& his 14 year old son Cole were great to fish with, wonderful, fun people that love to fish, it's what makes my job so enjoyable. We caught bass from start to stop on shiners early and then we wacked em on artificial baits. Cole caught his biggest bass ever on a Gambler Ace (black wblue fleck). Looking forward to fishing wuith them again sometime.

March 14, 2011

I fished with James & cole Northcutt again today, we had a great day catching bass on shiners and artificials. We are fishing together again tomorrow and have great expectations.

March 13, 2011

A beautiful day today, although chilly this morning the water is warming (68) Every species of fish seems to be moving in to spawn. I have seen blue gill shell cracker , bass and crappie all around beds. I fished with James & Cole Northcutt today, we had such a great day of catching were going to day it again tomorrow.

March 12, 2011

Today was day 2 with the Ky. boys Ryan and Shannon, we had another good day of fishing (catching) together and we all look forward to doing it again.

March 11, 2011

I fished with Shannon Mcafee & Ryan Kolb from Madisonville Ky., It was 43 degrees and very windy this morning but we kept at it and caught some nice bass. Today was one of the days when artificial baits actually worked better than live bait (go figure).

March 10, 2011

Today was a classic example of bass going on a feeding spree prior to a front moving through. We hit the water just after 6am and started catching bass fast and furious right out of the chute. It was a great day of fishing with James & Nelda
Calhoun from Texas. At 10 am the sky opened up and it started raining & blowing very hard. Okeechobee is a great place to bass fish!

March 9, 2011

Another beautiful but windy day, although it was from a good direction to stay on our fish. I fished with John Holz & his Pop again today and as we do about every year we caught the heck out of the fish! Although we didn't catch any Amanda sized fish today.

March 8, 2011

I fished with Pete Nicoliasson and Ron from Stuart Fl today. The The full moon is a little more than a week away and we are anticpating another wave of big bass moving to spawn. Many of the fish we caught today were full of roe and ready to spawn. The warm water and warm weather should set them off, another round of big fish?

March 6, 2011

I am sick of the high winds, its making fishing difficult. We still caught bass and a lot of them, but their were no big fish biting. I fished with Eric Erhart and his cousin Chris today. We had a great time together, caught a lot of fish and had a lot of laughs.

March 5, 2011

I fished with Matt McGuire & Jason Marcum from Ohio today, the boys are nuts about catching bass, so we had a great time together catching bass and cutting up.

March 4, 2011

Another very windy day (25 to 30 mph) The wind pretty much dictated where we could fish, which is not always a recipe for big time success. Inspite of the wind we caught good numbers of bass, the new moon phase seems to have the fish in a funky mood and the big females are in a spawning mood. I fished with tom Allgood from Augusta Ga and his daughter Courtney, We caught a lot of bass and had some laughs together, it was a good day with two new friends.

March 3, 2011

The wind blew 25 to 30 mph today making it quite tough to fish anywhere on Lake Okeechobee. i fished with 20 year old John Buwalda from Michigan, John is a student at Western Michigan University and has some great fishing skills, although nothing can prepare a guy for 25 to 30 mph winds on the Big "O" We caught bass on a skinny dipper and senko's, but did not have a bass that was worthy of a photo.

March 2, 2011

20 to 25 mph winds made it a tough day to stay on our top spots, luckily even secondary spots are producing numbers of bass and big bass too! I fished with Jim Leary and his friends Bob & Lin from the great frozen North. it was the boys first Okeechobee trip and the fish bit for them just like they have been every day. There are a lot of great bass fishing lakes in the US, but right now none of them can touch Okeechobee for sheer numbers, or big bass. I have loved this lake for many years, but right now it is just incredible!

March 1, 2011

Foggy with light winds, 74 degree water temps. I fished with Bob Lenke from Ill today, Bob is a very accomplished fishermen and was able to catch bass as well as anyone I have fished with. We had a great morning catching over 50 fish.

February 28, 2011

86 degrees, partly cloudy and windy. A great day of fishing with long time client Harold Finkelstein from NY and his cousin Melvin. The bite just continues to impress me and everyone that we fish with. There just aren't enough superlatives to describe Lake Okeechobee right now. February was incredible and March is usually better! could it be?

February 27, 2011

Hot & Sunny with light winds, the water temps are climbing daily (74 degrees).
I fished with long time client and friend Roger Schroeder from St. Louis and his 17 year old granddaughter Shelby. We had a great day of catching bass and only moved one time. Shelby caught the big bass of the day, the girls got skills! Her hook set is second to none.

February 25, 2011

The wind finally blew today, from a direction that made it hard to stay on our fish. We stuck with it though and had a great day of catching. I fished with good friends Roscoe Dann and Tom Gillis from Michigan. Roscoe is down for the winter playing golf at Meadow Wood GC and Tom Gillis is an up and coming star on the PGA Tour. We had a lot of laughs and caught some nice fish, we had one big fish bite, but she eluded us at the boat.

February 24, 2011

We were on the water as it was getting light this morning, 64 degrees, light winds, as the sun came up the heavy fog moved in. The bass bit just as they have been every day. Now instead of wondering if the bass are going to bite, I find myself wondering when it will slow down. The bite shows no signs of slowing we are catching a lot of bass and big bass every day. I fished with Steve Berguetski and Gina Shepard from Minn. and we had a great time.

February 23, 2011

The weather has been beautiful, warm nights, warmer days and light winds. The water temps are around 72 degrees and the bass are biting whether you are using live bait or artificials. I fished with Ken Dorony, his 14 year old son Jake and Uncle Greg today, the guys are from Michigan so it was their first trip to Okeechobee. We had a great day of catching, as usual the youngster of the bunch (Jake) caught the biggest fish, nice job buddy!

February 22, 2011

The weather has been incredible for the last week, warm days and light winds. Today it was very foggy until 10am, so the fish were tearing it up. I fished with Chris Cheverfils, his girlfriend Erin and their good friend Steve. They are all from New Hampshire and enjoyed being on Lake Okeechobee and catching a lot of big Bass.Fishing is incredible right now, we went through five dozen shiners in 2 1/2 hours and then used artificial baits until noon and just kept on catching fish.

February 21, 2011

80 degrees, light winds with 71 degree water temperatures,the bass are biting, everyone is catching fish! I fished with Ron & Pat Curry from Lexington Ky again today, we have fished together numerous times before and always have some laughs, and catch a lot of fish. The amount of quality bass we are catching at this time is amazing.

February 20, 2011

Another warm day, the water is 69 degrees and the bass are on a feed. I don't see many fish on beds in the marsh but there are a few. I fished with Dave and Jeff Althoff from Vero Beach today, we caught bass about as fast as is possible for the first couple hours this morning. After we used all of our wild shiners we caught fish on artificials, lizards, flukes, senkos and lipless crank baits.

February 19, 2010

I fished with Tony Colello and his son-in-law Ryan Frankenberry today. Another great weather day, warm water and light winds. We started the morning with shiners, the second bass we caught was the big girl Ryan is holding proudly in the picture. After we went through our shiners we fished artificial baits, catching bass on lipless crank baits, flukes, lizards and senko's. It's a great time to be fishing Lake Okeechobee.

February 18, 2011

Another great day, warm and stable weather, the water temps are up to 68 degrees and the fish are biting! I fished with Willie Stephens from Mo. and his daughter Stephanie today, we caught a lot of bass, the topper to the day though was the big 9 pound 1oz bass that Stephanie caught on a 10 inch long wild shiner.

February 17, 2011

I fished with the Caldwell "boys" again today, just like yesterday 7 year old Drew caught the biggest bass. The boy has skills, watch out KVD! It was a great 2 days with Dean, Paul and Drew, good weather great bass fishing, and the company of a good friend, and we caught over 100 bass. Thanks guys!

A beautiful warm day today, water temps are 66 to 68 degrees and the fish responded by biting like crazy. I fished with three generations of the Caldwell family from Indiana. Dean and I went all the way from grade 1 thru 12 together and I was very happy when he brought his son Paul and 7 year old grand-son Drew to fish with me for a couple of days. Drew caught the largest bass of the day on a shiner. We used both live bait and artificial bait to catch over 50 bass today.

Cold & Windy again today, water temps this morning 59 degrees, good news is warm weather for the next week and a full moon, its gonna get good again! I fished with Steve Johnson from Ill today, slow bite , but steady.

Cold as heck, and windy! We still caught em though, many of them were females that were full of roe, when it warms up this week the females are going to the spawning beds again. I fished with Steve Whitten from Debary Fl. a good fisherman and a nice guy, we had a great time together.

It was a very cloudy, windy day, and was threatening rain from the onset. My fishing partners for today were Jim Vogel Sr. and his son Jimmy from Pennsylvania. The boys had to be in Florida for some business so they decided to fish Lake Okeechobee. It was a very strange day, we started out catching some very nice largemouth for the first couple hours and then we started catching some pretty big Sunshine Bass, which are a cross between a White bass and a Striper. They ate our shiners like crazy, they are not supposed to be able to spawn in the lake, but the largest one we caught was full of roe as you can see from the picture. In all of my years on the lake we have only caught one other Sunshine Bass and it was in the Kissimmee River. There was a large school of these fish and they were from different year classes so I am curious to learn if they are indeed spawning in the lake.

66 Degrees and windy as heck this morning. The water has warmed up nicely again,almost 69 degrees and the bass are biting again. I fished with Mike Kennedy from Michigan, it was his first time on the big lake. We caught good numbers of bass and Mike caught a spawned out female that weighed 8 3/4 pounds, 25 inches long. Another productive day on Lake Okeechboee.

I fished with Doug & Coreena Hauert from Canada today. It was chilly this morning (42 degrees) and the water temps dropped 6 degrees, which slowed the bite early. As the morning went on we had a nice steady bite. Still biting!

The bite goes on! Fished with Trey Cockrell and his cousin Mike from SC today. The guys were in Fla. on business and decided to get in a day of fishing on Okeechobee, which was a very good choice on their part. We left the ramp with 7 dozen shiners and caught bass after bass. Some big, some not so big, we had so many bites we ran out of live wild shiners at 10 am and had to go to artificial baits to continue catching. I love this lake!

The incredible bass bite on Lake Okeechobee continues. Today I fished with John Wason, Dick Slansky and Roy Kok from Ma. We fished together last year and had a great day, this year topped that easily. We started fishing around 6:30am with 6 dozen shiners, at 9am we were out of live bait, having caught over 50 bass. I have fished Okeechobee many years and the fishing at this time is as good or better than ever before. The North end of the lake is producing bass at a tremendous rate.

What a fishery! I fished with Andy, Jim & Jerry Kyle from Pa. today. We had a tremendous day of catching on both shiners and artificial bait. The Lake is so good right now it is making my job a lot easier, I love my job!

I fished with Jim & Mary Hegle from Port Huron Michigan today. This is their first time they have visited Okeechobee and they were quite pleased to say the least. Lake Okeechobee is churning out big bass like no other lake in the US. We had a great day catching over 50 bass, and we were back at the ramp in time for lunch!

I fished with John Strawser again today, Saturday John caught a lot of bass on shiners, today we caught bass on artificial baits. John is relatively new to bass fishing so it was a perfect day for him to get initiated. There are a lot of bass in the shallow marsh areas and they bit! We caught fish on topwater, flukes and skinny dippers. Today was one of those days when you could have caught as many bass as you had time for, when we quit they were still biting.

I fished with Bob Scheefer, Dan Joliceur & Bill? (sorry) today. I have fished withg Bob & dan numerous times and always go away from it with a smile. They love to pick at me and catch bass too. Today was a great day, we had 7 dozen shiners and we caught bass until we ran out of bait at 11am. The water is warm and the fish are active!

Busy Day today, I have two different guide trips,one in the am and one pm. This morning I fished with long time customer Don Harris. Don brought his 84 year old mother Eleanor today and as luck would have it Eleanor caught the biggest bass of the day! We had a great morning together, it was a pleasure to take Don & Eleanor fishing.

This afternoon I fished with Dean & Bobby McMillan from In. We left the ramp around 1pm and we were catching bass by 1:15pm The water temps are up to 67 degrees and with a new moon upcoming the bass are moving up to spawn. It could get better, if thats possible!

I fished with John Strawser from Pa. today. It was 44 degrees this morning and the water temepratures have dropped down to around 59, but the bass are still eating! We caught fish all morning and had a great day together. The weather outlook for the next week is calling for warm days and warm nights, it will only get better!

Today was supposed to be day 2 with Justin & Stacey Sing, Stacey was not feeling well this morning so Justin had to catch every bass that bit today, poor guy! We had a great 2 days together and caught a lot of bass. The water has cooled down to 60 degrees and the bass are still biting. More and more bass seem to be moving onto the outside cover lines to feed.

I fished with Justin & Stacey Sing from Minnesota today. It was 37 degrees when we left the ramp this morning, but the water temperatures are still in the low 60's so the fish were still biting. We probably had 40 bites in the first 3 hours catching a lot of very nice fish. We caught all of our fish on small to medium shiners, we just could not get them to eat the great big one's.

I fished with Phil Jackson from Anderson In. today. Phils son fished with me last year and got his dad fired up about fishing Lake Okeechobee. The big lake proved to be everything he had heard about it, providing him with more quality bass than he had ever seen before. Phil caught 3 big bass today in a very short time on a wild shiner. The bass that have already spawned have moved toward the outside edges of the cover and are feeding heavily. It got very windy today and muddied our prime fishing area, shutting down our bite. We moved deeper into the marsh where we caught them on beds last week and caught some small bass, all of the beds are empty and the bass are on the move.

I fished with Joe Mattingly from Zanesville Ohio today. Joe was in Florida to see a new grand daughter and decided to fish Lake Okeechobee. In spite of the cooler water temperatures the bass bite was very good. We caught one big fish and a lot of other quality bass as well. It turned out to be a great day of catching.

I fished with Lawrence Beckett, Al Dubler and their friend Ken again today. The water temp is 70 degrees and many of the bass are done spawning. The next full moon will see another wave of females move shallow again to spawn, but many of the bass have spawned already. If the weather stays warm and stable the fishing should get better and better as the big bass that have already spawned will be very hungry and go on a feeding binge. We caught bass once again until we ran out of bait (shiners). We just beat the rain showers today, we weren't at the ramp 5 minutes before it started raining.

I fished with Doug Jones from WV today, we have fished together numerous times and always have a great time together. We started the morning using shiners and caught bass until we ran out of bait. We then switched to artificial baits and proceeded to catch a lot of small buck bass and a few females that were around the beds.

I fished with William Beckett from Canada and his friend Al today. The weather is warm and the water temp is up to 67 degrees. Many of the large females are still interested in spawning, but that should change in the next day or so. We caught bass from the very start this morning and continued to catch them until it rained on us. Yes, we got pounded, the boys were ready to call it a day and are going to go fishing with me again soon.

I fished with Doug Gifford and his friend Dan O'Shea, although the boys are fishermen and have fished in a lot of different places they had never been to Okeechobee. The Lake did not disappoint them we caught 37 bass to 6 pounds and was back at the ramp by 1pm. It was a great day of fishing, the water is getting warm and the fish are biting.

I fished with Dennis Martin from Illinois today. Dennis was in Okeechobee visiting for the first time and decided to test out the fishing, he was delighted by the results! The water was 67 degrees and the bass were active and eating. We had a great day together.

Today was day 2 with Ron & Thom, we got on the water earlier and had great success. The water is warming and many of the bass are finished spawning, as they move toward the outside edges of the cover the bite should be terrific!

I fished with Ron Slyder and Thom Austadt from Pa today, it was the guys first Okeechobee trip, and it was a cold and windy one. fishing was slow but we did catch fish. As the water warms each day the bite will get better.

I fished with JD Sells and his friend Catherine today. We targeted Specks but did not have much succes, so we switched over to blue gill and caught some fish. Cold water, windy conditions make for tough times everywhere on Lake Okeechobee.

I fished with Bill Pyper from Stuart and his son-in-law from NJ today. The water has warmed up and the bass are biting. we had a great day of fishing on Lake Okeechobee.

I fished with Robert Forsberg from Tampa today, along with his two sons, 12 year old Ari and 10 year old Noah. There was a lot of entertainment in the boat today with two very sharp kids aboard, The whole family fishes a lot so their fishing skills were first class. The day started out slow early, but as the water warmed the bass turned on and we had a great day. I look forward to fishing with the guys again.

arry from ky

December Big Bass!

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December 31, 2010

I fished with long time customer and good friend Jim Pickett from Ky today. The weather has gotten very warm the last few days, so the water in the lake has warmed up nicely (62 degrees). As always we had a great time together and caught some nice bass.

December 30, 2010

I fished with Dan and Katie Clark from Michigan today. It was a little chilly but as the morning went on it warmed up and the bass started to bite! It was their first trip to Okeechobee so they were both excited to see the size of bass Okeechobee holds. The third bass of the morning was a 9 1/2 pound bass that got Dan so excited he was literally shaking. We had a great time together, and they promised they would be back to fish with me again.

December 29,2010

I fished with the Szecepek family today, Al his son-in-law Dean and his son Deano. It was 28 degrees this morning and the ride to our fishing hole was frigid! We had to be patient today, the bass were not very enthusiastic and bit very funny. We caught some great bass and had a lot of laughs together. Nothing can ruin a great day of fishing!

December 27, 2010

A cold front rolled through Florida yesterday afternoon and dropped the air temperature down to 27 degrees last night, it is supposed to be cold again tonight and then start warming up. The long range forecast is for high to mid 70's for a week to ten days. Bass fishing is going to get real good again as the water warms up. There a lot of Bass in the shallows, cruising around looking for a place to spawn just waiting for the time to get right. It will happen fast when the water warms and fishing will be terrific. The North end of the lake is prime for a great season, big bass and big numbers of bass are holding all along the North Shore. From Lock 7 all the way to the Monkey Box there are great schools of bass of all sizes. The water is very clear and as the fish move to spawn they will be completely visible to sharp eyed anglers looking to catch the fish of a lifetime. Of course shiner fishing will just get better and better as the bass cycle in and move to spawn. Some bass will spawn this month if the conditions are right, others will spawn in Feb and or March with a few spawning in April. The fact that not all of our Bass spawn at the same time is what makes Lake Okeechobee the place to be in the winter for tremendous Bass fishing, where else can you go when the rest of the US is covered with snow and is freezing cold and catch large numbers of Bass with bass to 11 pounds possible at anytime? As the weather and the water warms this week Bass fishing is going to get better daily. Warm weather, stable water temps, and bass looking to spawn are a great combination for success!

December 17, 2010

Great fishing is not limited to one area of Lake Okeechobee right now, with every area of the lake holding large numbers of bass. From Lock 7 on the Northern tip of the lake, traveling West all the way to Observation Shoal, bass are being located and caught. We are approaching the time of year when cold fronts can effect fishing, if a front moves through and drops the water temps in the lake it can get tough to catch these Okeechobee Bass. The Okeechobee strain of largemouth is not fond of cold water and becomes inactive when its environment changes drastically. Metabolically a bass is driven by hunger to feed, the warmer the water gets the faster they metabolize the food they intake. When the water cools their body is not metabolizing the food they intake as quickly, thus the urge to feed is far less frequent. That in itself takes a great number of fish out of the equation. When the water is warm bass will be active and feeding. It is just fishing and if you don't go, you could miss the catch of a lifetime. Many times we have caught big bass and had great fishing when the weather was horrible, and there were no other anglers fishing. December 11, 2010 Chris Peterson from NC fished with us when the weather was foul and was rewarded with an 11lb 1oz bass.

Our Fall/Winter season started with a bang this year. We had mild weather and warm water temps and the bass responded by going on a feeding frenzy. The water level is below 13 feet, which urges the bass to slowly migrate toward the outer edges where the water is slightly deeper. With abundant hydrilla and eel grass beds around the lake, finding bass has not been a problem. Anglers from all over the U.S. have been hearing about the great bass bite on Okeechobee and are returning to find themselves enjoying bass fishing that is not possible in many other spots in the world. Artificial bait aficionados are having a heyday catching large numbers of bass on many different types and styles of baits.

Any mention of great artificial baits for catching fish on Lake Okeechobee would be incomplete without the mention of the skinny dipper. Aside from being responsible for numerous tournament wins, everyday anglers can use it effectively and catch big fish and large numbers of fish, when the conditions are right. It comes in many colors and several sizes, but the original size in Houdini, California 420 or watermelon are tough to beat. A large 10 to 12 inch worm will work nicely as will a spinner bait. Top water walking style baits will draw strikes early morning over submerged grasses or among standing cover areas.

The full moon periods are pulling big bass into the shallow water areas where they are vulnerable to anglers. Our clients have experienced what they have called unbelievable fishing this season already. During a particularly productive stretch of days our clients were catching as many bass as they wanted to take time to catch. More than once our best five fish exceeded 30 pounds, with bass to 11lbs 1oz pounds being our best recently. The sheer number of 7 to 8 pound bass being caught on a wild shiner is even impressing me. I find myself very proud of our fishery right now and am eager to show it off to anglers from all over the world.

Cpt Mike Shellen
www.OkeechobeeBassFishing.com
863-357-0892

December 11, 2010

I fished with Chris Peterson from Charlotte NC and his friend Matt Niccolai today. It was so foggy this morning that we could barely see the bank from 100 feet away. Once we got to our fishing spot we had a good morning. Chris caught an 11 pound 1 ounce Okeechobee Bass this m orning on a huge wild shiner. It was a day he nor I will ever forget

December 8, 2010

I fished with Sharon & Glen Hill again today, not quite as cold or windy today. We had two good days of fishing & fun together

December 7, 2010

I fished with Glen & Sharon Hill from Stroud Okla. today. It was 30 degrees in Okeechobee today, so we got a late start, and let it warm up a little bit. We ended up having a great day and caught some good fish.

December 2, 2010

I fished with Mike Finney and Chad Robbins from Ohio today. Overnight it got pretty cold (for Okeechobee) 42 degrees, which in turn cooled the water down about 10 degrees. We still caught a lot of great fish, it just was not as pleasant on the water as it has been.

December 1, 2010

I fished with Jessie Ayers & Mike Finney from Ohio today as part of a 10 boat trip. It was the guys first time fishing Okeechobee and they hit it just right. From the first shiner that hit the water until the last shiner in the live well, it was on, the fish were biting like crazy. We also were lucky enough to catch a couple of big bass.

The Big Bass of November!

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The Big Bass pictured below were all caught during the month of November 2010.

November, Big Bass on Lake Okeechobee!

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November 26, 2010

I fished with Phil Kellogg from Ohio and his brother-in-law Eric today. Phil is a great bass fishermen from the frozen North and was delighted to catch so many quality size bass in a relatively short amount of time. We had a lot of laughs together. It was another beautiful day on Lake Okeechobee.

Thanksgiving Day 2010

The Shellen family has many thing to be thankful for, among the most prescious are our kids. Today we had three generations in the boat catching bass. It was a beautiful morning with my family!

November 23, 2010

I fished with Don Harris again today, Don and I fish together every year a few times and always have a great time together. Don is an accomplished fisherman from Pa. and catches a lot of northern largemouth and smallies. We had a great morning catching fish.

November 22, 2010

I fished with Casey Cox and Terry Wilson from Danville Ky today. The guys have been in town fishing for a few days and had not really gotten on the fish yet. We changed their luck today catching over a 100 bass. Each of the guys had a bass over 8 pounds and Terry had another bass that weighed 7lbs 12 oz too. We caught bass on shiners early and then switched over to artificial baits and had a ball. It was a great day for all of us, one I am sure they will never forget.

November 20, 2010

I fished with brother and sister duo Cheryl Wilson & Jim Higginbotham from Alabama today. They are both experienced fishermen, so they really enjoyed the tremendous bite that Lake Okeechobee is having right now. We had a great day together catching Bass on artificial lures and shiners!

November 19, 2010

I fished with Victor Cruz and Eric Barreto from Puerto Rico today. Neither of the guys have been bass fishing before, they grew up around salt water. Their first bass trip was quite good, The first Bass Victor caught weighed 8 1/2 pounds, the fish of a lifetime! We continued catching bass throughout the day, having a great time together. Lake Okeechobee is great right now!

November 18, 2010

Today was day two with Mark & Mike Chisholm. Bass fishing continues to be impressive. As we approach the full moon I fully expect that the good fishing will continue. The Bass are close to the outside edges as the lake continues to go down. The boys caught 121 bass during two six hour days of fishing.Yesterday Mike had the big bass, today Mark caught the two biggest fish of his life, with the largest being 8 1/2 pounds. We had a great time catching fish and joking with one another, I look forward to fishing with them again.

November 17, 2010

I fished with Mark & Mike Chisholm from Sarnia, Canada today. Mark and I have had this trip planned for a long time and he was really excited about fishing Lake okeechobee. The Bass fishing has been great for quite a while now and today was another tremendous day. Okeechobee continues to impress anglers from all over the world with the quality of bass she is yielding right now. We are approaching a full moon phase and it's possible that the fishing might get even better. Nearly every day we fish with new or old customers, they are catching the largest bass of their lives, it's a great feeling to make someone that happy!

November 12, 2010

I fished with 91 year old Bill Trowell and Dale Russell today. the guys are both retired policemen and love to bass fish. We had a great day catching
a ton of bass. We had a shot at another big bass to keep our big fish string going , but she jumped and came unhooked, Oh Well!

November 7, 2010

I fished with the Jose Ortega and his twin 14 year old sons Sebastian & Julian today. It was another very cold morning and even windier than yesterday. We caught some very nice bass, just not the huge numbers we were catching before the water cooled off. I had a great time with Jose and the boys. The weather is supposed to warm up this week which will in turn warm the water temperatures, once the water warms up again the bass will start feeding like crazy again!

November 6, 2010

I fished with Roddy Kneur and his best friend Nick today, the boys are from NY and have been down here to fish with me four times. The weather was very cold this morning (43 degrees) anbd the wind was blowing like crazy. We did manage to get some great bites though and had a great day together as always.

November 4, 2010

I fished with Randel Badeaux and Kevin Labauve from Louisiana today. It was windy and rained on us most of the morning, but Okeechobee's bass seem to love nasty weather and bit for us. We caught bass after bass on wild shiners and had a lot of laughs at the same time. Both guys caught the largest bass they have ever caught today, do you see a pattern forming? The guys were steered to us by Steve & Donna Lyons who we fished with last week. Thanks you for that Steve & Donna!

November 3, 2010

I fished with Mike Lamere from Avon Park and Mick Hover from Indiana today. We have fished together before and always have a great time. Both of the guys caught their largest Bass ever today. Mike caught a giant Bass that weighed 9 1/2 pounds and was 26 1/2 inches long, and Mick caught a 7 pound fish that he was just as proud of. To say Bass fishing on Lake Okeechobee is good right now is an understatement.

November 1, 2010

I fished with Dick Hammer from NY and Jerry Walker from Indiana today. It was their first trip to Okeechobee and they had a great day. We caught Bass on shiners and artificial baits. The Bass fishing has been extraordinary and seems to be getting even better!

Great October Fishing!

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Oct 30, 2010
I fished with Steve and Donna Lyons again today, we had another great day catching big Bass on lake Okeechobee. We are catching big Bass almost daily right now. Lake Okeechobee Bass Fishing is great!

Oct 29, 2010

I fished with Steve & Donna Lyons from Lafayette La. today. It was cloudy and dreary, but the bass bit like crazy! If there is a better bass lake in the world than Okeechobee right now, I would like to see it!

Oct 27, 2010

I fished with the Owen brothers from Syracuse NY today. Rick & Rob had never been to Okeechobee before. To say that their first trip was a success would be an understatement. We caught a lot of Bass onboth shiners and artificial baits. We also caught big Bass!

Oct 26, 2010

I fished with Walter Young from Ky today. Walter had never fished Lake Okeechobee before and had no idea how big she is. He was also in awe of the size of the bass we catch on Lake Okeechobee. We caught a lot of bass and to top it all off, Walter caught this great big female! After weighing her and taking pictures we released her to be caught again, another day.

Oct 18,2010

I fished with Steve Gatzke from Vero Beach today, He has threatened to come fish the Big "O" with me for 10 years and finally did it. He was awed by the beauty and size of the Lake, not to mention the incredible bass fishing.

Oct. 2010

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Oct 9, 2010

I fished with the Jacques family from Payson Arizona today, they were in town visiting their Grandparents and wanted to fish Okeechobee for the first time. I have been saying everyday the bass we are catching are getting bigger each day. We have had several chances to catch trophy size fish in the last week but have failed to get them in the boat for various reasons. Today however Adam put a "big un" in the boat she was in prime shape and ate a huge shiner. Okeechobee is getting better each day, cool weather has the water cooled down, the bass are in the shallows and eating.

Oct 8, 2010

I fished with The Bland family from Ky today. Luke, Steph, Chase & Dylan had never been to Okeechobee before, they were in awe of the size of the lake, the beautiful naturescape and the incredible fishing. We had a great day catching bass on shiners and artificial baits, the bite is getting progressively better as the water cools.

Oct 5, 2010

I fished with Rudy & Jo Rudolph from California today. They had fished Okeechobee before on the South end, but had never caught bass like they did on the North end. We caught some great bass and had non-stop action all morning. Their last words were we will be backto see you next year. Another successful trip, with happy customers!

Oct 3, 2010

I fished with Jason Miano from Virginia and his friend Chris today. It was the guys first trip to Okeechobee and they were in awe of the size and beauty of the lake. We caught Bass on shiners early and then switched over to artificial and really started catching them quickly. The fish are getting bigger as the water cools in the lake. It's getting to mbe big bass time on the Big "O"

I fished with Steve, Bob and Rick from Ft Lauderdale today. The fishing trip was a gift from their good friend Rick and was their first. we had a great day laughing and catching fish. Great people, great bass fishing!

I fished with Jim, Delbert and Larry from Indiana. The guys were all avid fishermen and wanted to catch some bluegil to eat. We could not do very well for blue gill today so we turned to bass fishing and caught a slew of small bass on artificials.

Newspaper Fishing Report 9-13-10

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September Fishing Report, 9-13-10

The water level on famed Lake Okeechobee is 14.23 feet, just slightly lower than last year at this same time. The water levels have not fluctuated greatly this summer, varying from 13.5 to 14.5 feet. With a stable water level the multitudes of fish in the lake have taken up residence in all areas of the lake. The bass for instance can be found on the outside grass lines where they can be easily targeted by anglers using spinner baits, top water frogs, worms, senko’s and many other styles and types of artificial offerings. For the more adventuresome angler there are schools of bass that have moved well back into the marsh areas, where there are shallow water pond areas and open runs that have depths of 2 to 4 feet. The marsh areas can present more of a challenge, the cover tends to be thicker and boat navigation can be problematic if you are not experienced at dealing with the thick stuff. Modest catch rates for bass this summer are 20 to 30 fish for a half day trip, although many 50 plus fish days have occurred too. Shiner fishing is good if you are targeting only giant bass, so far this summer artificial baits are outperforming live bait daily.

The ability to land bass in the marsh areas requires the use of heavier line. Heavy mono or braid is recommended and will aid you in wrestling a big bass from the thick slop that they are known to frequent. Pitching and flipping soft plastic baits is most effective in these areas. Many of the larger bass choose to reside in the heavy cover areas.

Big fish tend to be more solitary creatures than small bass, thus the bites you get may be less frequent, but the bass you catch will be larger. Black with Blue flake or black with red flakes are both good colors when using creature baits. There are many different colors and styles of flipping and pitching baits. A paca craw, ugly otter or a sweet beaver are just a few of many.

Normally during the hottest summer months we have struggled to catch good numbers of pan fish. This summer has been much different, last weekend we fished with the Bingham family from South Carolina for two days, between the 2 boats of anglers we caught over 250 fish. We caught a mixed bag of fish, with large blue gill, shell cracker, warmouth, specks and cat fish filling our live wells. We also caught a lot of small bass on our light weight bream buster poles, which always provide a lot of excitement. For bait we used crickets, but with the numbers of shell cracker we caught I am pretty sure a worm fished very near or on the bottom would have worked just as well. Nicki & Russ Wyckstra from Stuart also fished for pan fish with us last week. The first fish Nicki caught was a giant 12 inch long shell cracker, any pan fish that has grown to that size is the fish of a lifetime.

We enjoy seeing all of the bird life and other creatures that is present on and around the lake. We have been seeing a lot of Manatees in the areas where we are fishing, and have enjoyed observing them as they eat water lettuce and other vegetation. We have been sighting Eagles almost daily as well; the return of healthy habitat has triggered a resurgence of these proud birds around the lake.

Pros tip: Too consistently catch pan fish on Okeechobee at this time look for a solid edge of hydrilla. The fish love to get in and under this cover and usually can be found in big numbers. Use a cricket for bait under a small bobber and place your bait either tight against the edge of the cover, or look for a hole in the cover where you can dangle your bait down into the same level that the fish are holding in. Remember to keep only as many fish as you can use the future of our fisheries rely on small fish that have a chance to get large enough to be harvested on another day. Practice conservation.

Captain Mike Shellen

www.OkeechobeeBassFishing.com

863-357-0892

September on Okeechobee!

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September 11, 2010

I fished with Russ & Nicki Wyckstra and there friend from Stuart today. That is Nicki showing off a 12 inch shell cracker she caught. We caught bass, blue gill, shell cracker and warmouth today, using crickets for bait.

September 8, 2010

I fished with Benny & Mary Thompson from Ohio today. It was their first trip to Okeechobee and they just had to go bass fishing, I can't blame them. Bass fishing is terrific on the Big "O" right now and will only get better as the fall season starts. We caught over 60 bass today using shiners and artificial baits. Another good day with very nice people.

Labor Day 2010

I fished with Preston McDonald and his friend Pastor Dave today. Preston has fished with us before and is a lot of fun to hang out with. We caught bass on artificial baits and shiners both today. The artificial baits outfished the live bait about two to one. We had a great day together, joking and catching bass.

Sept 5, 2010

Today was day 2 with the Bingham family, as you can see the blue gill & shell cracker are all iced down for the trip home. There is going to be a great fish fry at the Bingham home when they return. It was a great two days of catching fish, and fellowship with our new friends

Sept. 4, 2010

Today we had a 2 boat trip with the Bingham family from Columbia S.C. Bill Sr, Bill Jr, Kenny and their brother in law Thad all made the trip to fish with us. We went Blue Gill fishing and had a great time together. We caught over 150 blue gill between the 2 boats. The guys all love catching & eating pan fish.

September 3, 2010

I fished with long time client and good friend John Maiuro today. It is always a pleasure to fish with John, he knows fishing and loves to catch bass. We had a great day catching bass on artificial baits and shiners today.

Great August Bass Fishing!

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August 23, 2010

I fished with Wade Nyquist from Jupiter and his teenage sons Quinton & Trevor today. It was quite windy, which sort of dictated where we could fish. We still had a great morning of catching bass on the boys first trip to the Big "O".

August 21, 2010

Today while we were fishing we had a chance to see something really cool. Most people have never been up close to a Manatee in the wild, while we were fishing this huge Manatee followed our boat and actually nibbled on my power pole! He was incredibly curious about us, as we were of her/him. The massive prehistoric creature hung around for about a half hour just checking us out, and rubbing against my boat, it was quite a treat.

August 21, 2010

Today was day three of fishing with the Danyluks, Rich and Bob. We were joined by their friend Louis Quevedo from Ft. Lauderdale. It was another good day of fishing, we averaged over 40 bass per trip, fishing from daylight until 11 am. We fished the North end of the lake and never really had to move around to stay on the bass.

August 20, 2010

Today was day 2 with the Danyluk Boy's, once again we caught bass on shiners and artificials. The artificial bait bite was better today than live bait.

August 19, 2010

I fished with Rich Danyluk from St Louis and his brother Bob today, we have fished together numerous times before and always have a lot of fun. We caught bass on shiners and artificial baits today once again as the summ er of great bass fishing continues!

August 15, 2010

Today we fished with 6 members of the Marx family. They have been fishing together for a long time and love fishing on Lake Okeechobee. We had a great day catching over a hundred bass between the two boats. We fished shiners and artificial baits and everyone caught a lot of bass. It was another great day on Lake Okeechobee!

July, Hot Weather Bassin!

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July 17, 2010

I fished with Dennis & Vicki Horn from Kendall today, we fished the South end of the lake and caught fish until my hands were sore from unhooking them. We set on one spot for 2 1/2 hours and caught bass after bass, we finally left the spot when some other anglers got near us so we did not give up our secret spot.

July 7, 2010

I fished with Daniel Jones from West Palm and his father Fred from Alabama today. We caught bass on artificial baits today from sunup until 10 am. We caught a lot of bass, but failed to get the big bite we were looking for.

July 6th, 2010

I had the pleasure of fishing with three generations of the Etheredge family from Vero Beach today, Lee lll, Lee lV and 7 year old Eland. We had a great day catching not only numbers of bass, but some very big bass as well. Eland was the star of the show (the kids a natural), he caught bass on shiners and on artificial baits.

July, 4th, 2010

July 4th, 2010

The weather is hot, but the bass fishing on Lake Okeechobee is even hotter. John Allen and his Aunt Jackie from Ohio caught some great bass on the 4th of July. The bass were on a tear early biting at anything in the water. We were able to catch fish until noon, which made it a great day on Lake Okeechobee.

June 2010, Lake Okeechobee Fishing Report

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June 16, 2010

I visited Indiana/Michigan this week and had the pleasure of fishing with two of my best friends, Phil Smathers and John Emerson. We caught some very nice Small Mouth on Lake St. Clair, although it was windy as heck. I am looking forward to visiting again later in the summer and catching more big smallies

June 9, 2010

I fished with Leon Lewenstein and his friend Dick Niedjalik from Boca Raton today. It was another beautiful but windy day on the Big "O" and bass fishing is still very good. The bass did not bite as well today as they have been but we caught some very nice bass on shiners and artificial.

June 8, 2010

I fished with The Menendez boys from Montana today, Today and his son Alex and Jack are here on a family vacation. It was the boys first trip to Lake Okeechobee and they caught some very nice bass on artificial lures. Lake Okeechobee is offerring some of the best bass fishing you can find anywhere right now!

June 6, 2010

I fished with Tim and his son Jeff today. the guys are from Brooksville, but are in town working on the gas pipeline. We had a tremendous day fishing with artificial bait, catching well over 50 bass this morning.

June 4, 2010

I fished with Brian Mitchell from South Carolina today, his son Bailey and his friend Will. The whole trip to
fish Okeechobee was for Bailey's fourteenth birthday. We had a great time together catching bass on artificial bait. The young guys learned a lot very quickly and got pretty good at catching Okeechobee's Bass

May 30, 2010

Today was day two with the Scher boys, we had another great day together, catching bass on Shiners and artificial baits. It was two wonderful days with the guys, we have fished together many years and it will continue.

May 29, 2010

I fished with the Scher boy's today, we have been fishing together since Jordan was a little guy, he is now 20! As always we had a great day together, the bass fishing on Okeechobee is un real right now. We started the day with six dozen shiners and our bait was gone at 9am (great bite) and then we continued catching bass at a frenzied pace for the rest of the day on artificial baits. Tomorrow we fish together again.

May 27, 2010

I fished with Doug Powell today. Doug's wife April gave him this bass fishing trip for his birthday, Happy Birthday Doug! We caught bass on every artificial bait that we used today, ranging from Flukes to spinnerbaits, the bite is one, don't miss it!

May 26, 2010

I fished with Nick Messerschmitt and his friend Greg today. It was the guys first Okeechobee bass catching trip and it was a great one! We caught bass from the first shiner to the last and never had a dull moment in between. It was another great day on Okeechobee!

May 18, 2010

I fished with John & Tamara Byrd again today. We had another great day on the water. If you look closely at the picture you can see that I caught 2 bass at once on my top water bait, pretty cool. We caught bass on top water, senkos, flukes, big e'zs, rattletraps and worms. I had a great two days with John & Tamara!

May 17, 2010

I fished with John & Tamara Byrd from Louisiana today. We opted to use artificial baits only, and it was a good choice. We got on the bass early and caught them with regularity until noon. It was a great day with good fishermen and great people.

May 16, 2010

I fished with Maureen Thomas and her 4 year old grandson Denny. We caught bass and catfish on shiners. Denny had a great day checking out all of the bird life on the lake.

May 11, 2010

I had the pleasure of fishing with Tom & Pat Shannon from S.C. today. Tom & Pat are avid blue gill fishermen and just love catching them! Especially these great big Okeechobee Blue Gill and Shell Crackers! We caught 5 different species today on crickets, Shell Cracker, blue gill, cat fish. crappie and war mouth. It was a great day on the water, they kept a bunch of the pan fish for a fish fry when they
get home and released the rest to be caught another day.

May 7, 2010

I fished with brothers Brian and Tom Graham today. It was the boys first Okeechobee bass fishing trip and the Bass ate every shiner they offered them. The bass fishing is about as good as it gets right now, most of the bass have spawned are are looking to feed after expending a great amount of energy creating new life.

May 6, 2010

I fished with Umesh Persaud from Orlando today. The fishing trip was a birthday present from his sister. We had a nother great day of bass fishing on Lake Okeechobee, catching bass after bass. The water was not a safe place for a shiner to be this morning, every one of them from our livewell got eaten very quickly.

May 5, 2010

I fished with Henry Cartright from West Palm and his mother Judy from Ohio today. The fishing trip was Henry's Mothers day present to his Mom. The Bass bit like crazy today from the first shiner to the last we had bass eating our shiners. It was a great day with very nice people.

May, 2, 2010

I fished with Dwayne Sturgill from Virginia today, Dwayne is a great young guy that loves to bass fish, we caught bass on shiners and artificial baits.

May 1, 2010

Today was the annual NWTF (National Wild Turkey Federation) WITO (Women In the Outdoors) event held at Quail Creek. We have been involved in teaching the ladies to fish the last several years. This year the ladies wanter to learn about fly fishing. There were 127 ladies that attended the event and we had a great times working with them. We had a great day working with the ladies on their fly-fishing skills.

April on Okeechobee, Bass & Blue Gill

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April 30, 2010

We had a three boat trip today, we fished with the guys from Lancaster Bingo and their sons. We have fished together before and always have a great time together. I fished with Mark Sells and Dick Frazier, John Smith and his son Drew were in another boat and John's son Connor and Landon were in the third boat. We had a great day catching bass on both shiners and artificial baits.

April 29, 2010

I fished with Tom Zensen from Mo. and his friend Ed Neil from Canada again today. We have fished togehter many times before and it is always fun. Today we caught bass on shiners, Ed caught the big one in the picture. We also fishied with artificial baits and caught some nice bass too. The boys are going homke soon, so I won't see them again until next year.

April 24, 2010

I fished with Lary & Francis Heck from Cicero Indiana today. We caught bass from the first shiner to the last and had a great time together. It was very windy but we managed quite well.

April 23, 2010

I fished with Doug Williams and his friend Weaver Hickerson from N.C. today, once again we caught some very nice bass. The bass are moving alot, but they are biting when you find them.

April 22, 2010

I fished with Gary Fellers & his friend Ed from Wyoming today. The shiner fishing bite was great today! We also caught bass on artificial lures.

April 20, 2010

I fished with Freddie Lalama and brothers Lou and Mike Forino again today. We started the day using shiners, but quickly ran out of bait and started fishing artificial baits. The boys did quite well fishing artificial bait and caught a lot of very nice bass!

April 19, 2010

I fished with Rick Colebeck from Wisconsin today, we caught bass on shiners and artificial baits. Rick had a great time catching Okeechobee Bass!

April 18, 2010

I fished with Freddie Lalama and his two buddies, brothers Mike & Lou today. We had a great day fishing getting rained on at the very end of our morning. The boys are coming back in a few days for round two.

April 17, 2010

I fished with Dr. Bob Marx and his son Rob today, the guys have fished all over the U.S., but had not fished Okeechobee before. We had a great day, catching bass on shiners and artificial baits both.

April 14, 2010

I fished with Wes Jeffries from Plant City today. Wes showed me a picture
of he and his mom fishing mon Lake Okeechobee in 1960, it was great to see. We had a great day together.

April 13, 2010

I fished with three generations of the Holz family again today. John Sr., John and Amanda. We had a good day catching some very nice bass. Amanda is one of the luckiest anglers I have ever fished with, she always catches big Bass.

April 12, 2010

I fished with Ed Poskarbiewicz today, Eddie and I have fished together many times before and always have a good time. We caught bass on topwater, senkos and flukes today.

April 9, 2010

I fished with Tom Chase and Scott Hutchinson from Ft Myers today. We caught as many bass on artificial baits as we wanted to today.

April 8, 2010

I fished with Matt Thornberry and his father Dan today. The boys were on their first trip to Okeechobee today and it was a good one, we caught bass on shiners and artificial baits.

April 7, 2010

I fished with Phil and Eric Henderson from Grand Rapids Michigan today, it was an incredible bite, we caught bass after bass until our bait was gone. It is a day they will both remember. me too!

April 6, 2006

I fished with three generations of the Bathrick family today. Ken, Randy and 8 year old Landon. As you can see from the pictures 8 year old Landon caught the bigest fish of the day. It was a good day for all!

April 5, 2010

I fished with Mike Lamere from NY and Mick Hover from Elwood In. today. We caught quite a few bass on artificial baits. It is always great to meet someone from the area where I grew up and talk about people and places from the past.

April 4, 2010 ( Happy Easter!)

I( fished with Larry Milligan and Max Taylor from Ga. today. It was a great day of fishing we caught bass on shiners and artificial lures. We caught more bass today than we have caught all season, great fishing on Okeechobee!

April 3, 2010

I fished with Tim & Terri Godfrey today, they bought a place in Okeechobee and are learning the lake and how to fish it. We had a great morning together!

April 2, 2010

I fished with Kevin Sieben from Minnesota and his son Cody today. We started the day catching bass on shiners, Cody had a giant on and got her near the boat before she broke the line, he was heartbroken and so was I. We finished our day fishing artificial baits and caught a lot of very nice bass, it was a great day with two very good fishermen.

April 1, 2010,

I fished with Jim Gustman from Appleton Wisconsin and his grandson Tom today. The bass bit continually for the first three hours of the morning and then quit, but by then we had caught a slew of them! A great way to start April

March 31, 2010

I fished with Randy Jackson from Indiana today, we had a lot of laughs, catching bass on artificial baits and shiners. Randy is a great young fishermen and a fun guy to fish with.

March 30, 2010

I fished with Stan Teitelbaum again today, Stan visited Okeechobee last summer and caught so many bass he decied he had to come back and try it again. We had a great day the fish bit like crazy for Stan again today.

March 29, 2010

I fished with Cliff Matson and his friend Paul Rahme today. It was an overcast rainy day and the bass were biting! I hope the guys had as good a time as I did.

March 28, 2010

I fished with Dale & Luke Speckman from Indianapolis In. today. It was their first Okeechobee experience and they said they would be back again next year. We had a good day together catching fish and joking around, Luke is a good young fishermen.

March 27, 2010

Today I fished with Scott Flick and his friends Casey Kelly and Chuck James, the boys are in town working on the new Belle Glade Corection facility. We had a great day olf bass fishing catching not one, but two! big Okeechobee bass! After we ran out of shiners we went shell cracker fishing and caught a buch of big ones. As days on Okeechobee go this one was a great one!

March 26, PM Shell Cracker Trip

I took my wife Belinda out to catch the shell cracker off of the beds I marked while bass fishing this morning. We used red worms on a jiog pole, I baited the first pole and by the times I had the second one baited Belinda had a shell cracker in the boat, it went on that way for 40o min utes or so until Belinda caught 24 big shell cracker, she finally let me catch one after she got tired.

March 26, 2010

I fished with Scott Benson from Chicago today, we used artificial baits and caught some very nice bass. The fish are looking to spawn on this full moon and are in very shallow water. While we were fishing for bass this morning I marked 3 shell cracker beds to be fished later.

March 23, 2010

Today was day 2 with Kenny and Dave, we caught more bass today than yesterday, but did not get the real big bite like yesterday. It was a good two days with the guys from Kentucky.

March 22, 2010

I fished with Kenny Goodpastor and his friend Dave today, both of the guys are from Lexington Ky. Dave caught the big bass of the day, a female full of roe. We had a great day.

March 21, 2010

I fished with Roger Schroeder and his friend Mike Lay from Mo. We had a great day catching the most bass we have caught in a morning session of fishing since the New Year. Bass fishing is getting better each day as some fish are spawning while others are already done, it makes for a great bite.

March 19, 2010

I fished with Dave Luzader and his 14 year old son Caleb today,the boys are from Cleveland Tenn. and love to Bass fish, it was their first Okeechobee Bass Fishing trip and it was a good one. We caught Bass on shiners and artificial baits, (see the topwater bait sticking out of the bass mouth) We had a great day together catching fish.

March 18, 2010

I fished with Jim Stamm from Ft Wayne Indiana and his friends Bill and Tom. We had another great day of fishing , lets hope it keeps going! We lost another Okeechobee giant bass today, we are fishing heavy cover and the bass have all of the advantages going for them. We got a good look at the giant bass as Tom hooked and fought her, she jumped clearing the water and dove under the boat nicking the line on the motor, and she was gone, what a heartbreaker.

March 17, 2010

I fished with Daniel Young and his son Rory today. They are from Calgary Alberta and had never bass fished before, Lake Okeechobee was very good to them though giving them a lot of very nice bass to catch. The bass bit better today than they have in weeks!

March 16, 2010

I fished with Mike Merrimac from Arizona today. Okeechobee bass fishing was tough early, but got better as the day went on and the water warmed up. Another great day on the water!

March 15, 2010

I fished with 95 year old Lon Kight and his friend Milton from Pittsburgh.
We had a great day as you can see, catching a lot of very nice bass. Many of the bass were full of roe looking to spawn on this new moon. It could be big fish time?

March 13, 2010

I fished with Tom Zensen and his son Tom Jr. and their friend Rich today. Tom and I have fished together many times before and I know he can catch them. We had a great day of catching fish.

March 11, 2010

I fished with Doug Williams and his friend Chris Voehl today, it was Doug's birthday and it was Chris's first Okeechobee fishing trip. The wind and waves were brutal, we managed to catch some nice bass before it started raining. The forecast looks like the next few days could be rainy and windy.

March 10 , 2010

Today was day 2 with the boys from Indiana, Brett & Jerry. We had another good day laughing and catching bass. Fishing was tougher today, that's fishing!

March 9, 2010

I fished with Brett Baker and his friend Jerry today. The boys are in Okeechobee with a group of farmer/Ag salesmen for a group fishing trip, it was their first Okeechobee experience. We caught fish from start to finish today, its getting real good!

March 8, 2010

I fished with Roddy Neur and his friend Nick again today. we have fished together numerous times and always have a great time together. The boys love to give me a hard time and are very competitive. We caught bass on shiners and artificials today another good day of fishing.

March 7, 2010

I fished with Terry Garner and his son-in-law Andy, and old friend Bob Ford today, We caught fish and swapped stories, it was a great day!

March 5, 2010

I fished with Sharon Klump and her friend Mark from St Louis. It was another cold and windy day but the fish bit pretty well. We had a great day together.

March 1, 2010

I fished with Barry Levy and his friends Elliott and Bobby today. The morning started out chilly but the bass were still biting. I had a great day with the guys catching Okeechobee Bass.

February 2010, Big Bass!

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February 27, 2010

It has gotten cold again, so we had a couple of days off the water, just like the last few cold spells after two or three cold nights and days the bass finally start eating again. I fished with Kyle Clevenger and his friends Jonah & Todd. We caught bass on shiners and artificial baits and had a great day together.

February 24, 2010

I fished with Mike & Rosemary Moses from Cleveland Tenn. today. We had a great day of fishing and beautiful weather. It was their first Okeechobee fishing and can't wait to come back again!

February 23, 2010

I fished with Bill Parrish and his life long friend Joe, the boys are from Gallatin Tenn. and love to catch bass. They have been fishing Okeechobee since 1965 together, and have caught a lot of fish.

February 22, 2010

I fished with Renee & Christina Trevino from California today. It was their first bass fishing trip and they had a blast! We caught some great bass and had a lot of fun fishing together.

February 21, 2010

I fished with Andrew Bowers and his friend Curt Stoever from Pa. today. We caught some very nice bass and had a lot of laughs.

February 20, 2010

I fished with Terry Garner & John Sullivan from South Bend again today. We caught a lot of bass and had a great day together.

February 19, 2010

Today I fished with Gordon Thomas and his son-in-law Paul from Canada and their friend Bill from Wisconson. The water has been cold for four days now so the bass are starting to feed again. As you can tell from the pictures we had a great day. Gordon caught this big catfish on wild shiner in addition to a lot of bass. We had a lot of laughs and a great day together.

February 18, 2010

Today I fished with Terry Gramer and his friend John, both guys are from South Bend Indiana. It was another very tough fishing day with water temperatures in the 50's. Fishing has been tough this week with cold weather ,wind and cold water temperatures.

February 17, 2010

I fished with Ron Cramer and his friend Rod today. It was another very windy and cold day and fishing was very tough!

February 15, 2010

I fished with Abram & Josh Kirschenbaum from NJ today. The water was very cold this morning (56 degrees) and the bass fishing reflected that, we caught a few fish very early at first light, and then had a long lull before the water warmed up and the bass started biting again. We did catch some very nice quality sized bass, and had fun together.

February 12, 2010

Today Don Harris and I fished together again, Don and I fished previously in November and had a great day. We had another great day today but the weather was not near as nice cold, and very windy! Don is a great guy to fish with.

February 10, 2010

Today I fished with Wayne Melton and his childhood friend Rick, these guys are something very rare in Florida these days (Florida Natives)
These guys are great outdoorsmen and love to fish. The weather was abhorrent, cold and extremely windy with winds of 30 mph creating 3 foot waves on the lake. The fishing was toug, but we caught bass anyway, and had lots of laughs together.

February 9, 2010

Today I fished with Roger Shroeder from St Louis, Roger and I have fished together before and always have a good time together. It was another windy, rough day, but the bass still bit for us.

February 8, 2010

Today I fished with Adrie Theuns from Chicago and his friend Franz Passage from Belgium. We had a terrific day catching big Bass and laughing. It's always fun when the fish are biting, and they have been biting a lot lately! I love my job when I get to spend my days catching Bass and having a great time with good people.

February 7, 2010

Today I fished with John Wason, Bill Krah and Dick Slansky. The guys are in Florida for a business conference and are staying in Orlando. They had fished Lake Okeechobee previously only this year they visited with us. We had a great day on the water catching bass on shiners like crazy. The boys caught some pretty big Bass as the picture will show you. They had three other guys from there company that fished with us also from another boat. We had a great day catching big bass!

February 6, 2010

Today I fished with Tom Vigil from Chicago and his friend Maureen from Delray Beach. Tom and I have fished together before, so it was good to see him back again. It was a very windy day, and we caught some very nice bass.

February 5, 2010

Today I fished with Steve Farley from Vermont. Steve is an avid fishermen and has fished many different venues. We had a great day on the water together catching Bass and laughing it it up.

February 3, 2010

Today I fished with Gary Ross from NY and Don Stover from Penn. As you can see from the pictures it was another great day for catching big Bass on Lake Okeechobee. I know this big bite will not last forever, but I hope it does!

February 2, 2010

Today I fished with Odell Allbritten from Illinois, Odell is recently retired so his son Kyle decided to give him a guided fishing trip for a retirement gift. As you can see the Okeechobee bass were very good to Odell today, It was another day of catching as opposed to fishing. Just the way I like it!
If you have never fished the Big "O" before you don't know what your missing.

February 1, 2010

February started off with a bang!
Dan Joliceur & Bob Scheefer from NY came to Okeechobee to fish with us again. It has been a couple of years since I fished with the guys and a lot of good things have happened around the lake since then. We had a great day catching bass after bass on wild shiners, for about two hours we could not keep a bait in the water without a bass blasting it! It was incredible! Dan caught two big fish today, as you can see he is all smiles.

January 2010, Big Bass, New Year

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January 30, 2010

Today I fished with Stan Zinton from Memphis and his son Jeff from Atlanta. It was an extremely windy day with winds of 25 to 30 miles per hour blasting the lake. It made fishing very tough, but we did manage to catch some very nice bass as you can see. I had a great day with these two nice people.

January 29, 2010

I fished with Jerry Cook & his lifelong friend Ken Wiggins today. The guys are from Divison Michigan and both are retired school teachers, turned part time golfers and fishermen. We had a great day together laughing and catching bass. We did not have a big bite today, the bass seemed more interested in spawning.

January 28, 2010

Today was day 2 with Jay and Jack, these guys have been friends for many years and are great fun to fish with. The bass did not bite as well today as they did yesterday, but that's just fishing. We had a great day and caught some nice bass.

January 27, 2010

Today I fished with Jay Molyneaux & his friend Jack Strouts from Texas. We had a great day catching Bass on shiners. These guys are great company and know how to catch bass. Another great day on the lake!

January 23, 2010

I fished with Bo Wallace and Kendra Bare from N.C. today. As you can see fishing was very good today, Bo caught this big one on a wild shiner. It was Kendra's first bass fishing trip, and she caught her first bass too. We had a great day together catching fish on Lake Okeechobee

January 20, 2010

This is Steve Cole a fishing guide from Maine, and yes this is what we were catching today, sometimes the truth is not all big fish and glory, its little bass and long days. Oh Well! Fishing always gets better on Lake Okeechobee after a day like today, and tomorrow is another day.

January 19,2010

I fished with Tom Zensen from Missouri and his friend Ed from Canada. We have fished together several times before and always have plenty to talk about. Both guys love fishing & golf, my kind of people! We caught some very nice fish as you can see from the pictures, it was another day in paradise!

Captain Mike Shellen
863-357-0892

January 16, 2010

Today is day 3 of the great adventure with the Malvestuto boys + Dave. We had a great time the past three days and caught a lot of big Bass each day. I love yto fish with these guys, not only are they all good fishermen their great people as well.
Its a lucky person that gets to do something he loves every day!

January 15, 2010

Today is day 2 with the Malvestuto boys + Dave. We switched it up and today Joe & Bob are fishing with me. We had another great day of fun & fishing, catching big Bass.

January 14, 2010

Today I fished with Sal Malvestuto and his friend Dave, We have fished with Sal and his Brother Joe before, this time they brought along their brother Bob and friend Dave. The boys are all from Philly and obviously love to fish and catch big bass.
Today was day one and Sal and Dave were in my boat the the other boys were in the other boat. We had a great time laughing and picking on each other.

January 6, 2009

We received a great honor recently. Okeechobee the Magazine featured us on the cover of the winter edition. If you are interested in reading the article you can access the complete story by going to www.OkeechobeeThe Magazine.com
It is a great way to start the New Year and we are very honored and thankful to those that made the article happen. We are looking forward to 2010. Meeting new people and developing new friendships is why we are here. We love the look on your face when you catch the biggest Bass of your life! The Ranger is gassed up and ready to go. Lets Go Fishing!

Captain Michael Shellen
www.OkeechobeeBassFishing.com
863-357-0892

New Years Day, January 1, 2010

Lake Okeechobee welcomed in 2010 with a resounding bang. Wendy Kmuchka from Carbondale Illinois had the fishing experience of her lifetime, catching more big fish in one day than most people will catch in their life. The big Bass in the bottom picture look like bookends and the huge bass in the top picture was the very first bass of the day. The only bad thing that happened all day was that Wendy had a Bass that was quite a bit larger on the very next cast that got off right at the boat. 2010 is going to be a great year for Okeechobee Bass Fishing!

Captain Michael Shellen
www.OkeechobeeBassFishing.com
863-357-0892

December 2009, Big Christmas Bass!

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December 31, 2009

I fished with Bruce Saunders from Philly today. Bruce and I fished with both shiners and artificial baits and had success with both, it was a great day. Good fishing and good company, a great way to end the year.

December 29, 2009
I fished with Mark Newton and Skip Shears
from Lawrence Kansas today. Originally the boys were scheduled to fish with me yesterday but due to a big snowstorm they were not able to get out of Kansas so we changed our schedules to fish today. The guys drove 27 hours to get to Okeechobee for their first fishing trip on the Big "O", arriving at the same time as a huge 2 day cold front. The air temperature was 38 degrees this morning and the water in the lake was 57 degrees, about 15 degrees colder than 10 days ago when it was 72. The fishing was a little slow we only had 12 bites in a half day of fishing. The bass we caught were all very fat and full of roe, ready to spawn, they had moved into the shallows in response to the approaching full moon to spawn. The good news is that this wave of fish will not spawn until the water warms considerably when we can get back out and catch them. The highlight of the day was this big 7 pound Bass that Mark caught on a shiner, it was his largest bass ever and he was very happy, as was I. I have many pictures in my archives of big Bass and in a large percentage of the photos the fishermen holding the fish are dressed in cold weather gear, it seems that the really big bass will still eat when the weather is dreadful.

December 28, 2009

I fished with John Ester and his 17 year old son Chris today. The guys are staying in Port Charlotte with their families for the holidays, but live in Wisconson. We had a good day of fishing with a terrific morning bite. It was a great day with nice people.

December 27, 2009

I fished with Edgar Needham, his daughter Daniele and her husband Rob today, all three are from Canada. It was a chilly and windy day that turned out to be a lot fun, catching bass and trading stories.

December 22, 2009

I fished with Jay Dean and his 9 year old son Nick today along with Jay's college buddy Tom. Jay and Nick are from Vero Beach and Tom is from Richmond Va. It was another cold and windy day on Lake Okeechobee, the day started rather slow and we had to move numerous times before we finally found some warmer water where the fish were willing to bite. Nine year old Nick is quite a sportsmen and it was fun to fish with him to watch his young enthusiasm for the sport, we had a great day and a lot of fun.

December 21, 2009

I fished with Van Frankel from NY NY today and his son Dan. It was a very cold and windy day, but the fish still bit for us. The water temps have dropped around 10 degrees the last two day, should be interesting to see how things go tomorrow? We had a lot of laughs and a great time together!

December 20. 2009

I fished with Joe and Laura Rigdon from Otsego Minnesota today. It was their first trip to Lake Okeechobee, the weather was cold (48 degrees) and very windy, but the bass did not seem to care. the first spot we hit we caught bass after bass until the waves got too big and forced us to leave the area. We moved a couple of times after that and caught fish in every spot we hit. It was another great day of fishing on Lake Okeechobee. Laura caught her biggest Bass ever and Joe had a bass on that he will remember for the rest of his life, he got her half way to the boat and she came unhooked, it even hurt me when that big Bass came off!

December 15, 2009

Today I fished with three generations from the Forgan family. Jim Forgan and his 10 year old son are from West Palm, and grandfather Ted is from Pennsylvania. We had a great day catching Bass on lake Okeechobee with wild shiners.

December 12, 2009
Today I fished with Jay Molyneaux from Denver NC and his good friend Bobby Dalby from Texas. The Bass are still biting as you can see from the pictures. We fished one particular area where we caught fish after fish. We caught a lot of bass and had a lot of laughs it was another great day on Lake Okeechobee.

December 11, 2009

I fished with Mike Huck from Kentucky today and his friend Tahsin Mert from Ankurra Turkey. We had a wonderful day of bass fishing, catching bass after bass on wild shiners. We caught a lot of fish as well as some big Bass. The first picture with just one bass that Mike is holding is a Bass that was only 16 inches long but was shaped like a football as you can see. We had a great day laughing and catching fish.

December 7, 2009

I fished with Jim & Bonnie Pickett from Kentucky today, they are former cleints that have become very good friends. They now own there own Ranger a very sweet Z22 that we went fishing in. I got to catch Bass myself today which was a real treat. We had a great day, caught a bunch of Bass and had lots of laughs at the same time. Life is good!

December 5, 2009

I fished with Pat & Dan Hofmann from Syracuse NY today. Bass fishing was a little slower than it has been, cold weather and 4 inches of rain put the bass off a little. We still caught a lot of Bass and had a great day of fishing together.

December 4, 2009

Today I fished with Sab Delango and his friend Dan. the guys are police officers from NY and love to fish. Neither one of them had ever caught big Florida Bass like they caught today. I was rainy and windy again today but we had a wonderful day. We laughed a lot and caught lot of Bass it doesn't get much better for me.

December 3, 2009

I fished with Don Kurtz from Canton Ohio and Ken McGuffey from Indianapolis In. today. It was day 2 of our 10 boat trip and it was windy and rainy. We had a great day anyway although we got rained on for a good portion of the day. We caught a lot of Bass and had some laughs along the way. The Bass are spawning hard, when they come off the beds it should be an incredible bite.

December 2, 2009

I fished with Dan Sevcik from Ft Wayne In. and Jim Chapman from Macon Georgia today. We were part of a 10 boat guide trip that was sponsored by Prince Agri Products, 20 guys went fishing in 10 guide boats for a day of catching Okeechobee Bass. We had a great day catching a lot of very nice Bass. The large females seem to be spawning and are difficult to get to bite right now, the full moon is tonight so fishing will be getting better and better as the week progresses. We are all fishing together again tomorrow, so stay tuned for more pictures of Okeechobee Bass action!

December 1, 2009

I fished with Don Harris from Pennsylvania today. It was just Don and I today so Don got to handle every bite himself. We caught 35 Bass in a morning of fishing with live wild shiners. The air temperatures are in the 80's and the water has warmed back up after the cold front. Throw in the fact we are looking at a full moon tomorrow and the catching picture gets better and better. We had a great day together.