Day one of the Costa FLW Series on Lake Okeechobee has been a test to the mental toughness of the massive 250-boat field. Cool temperatures along with water temps hovering in the low 60s have made fishing a little on the slow side.
While the usual haunts on Okeechobee harbored large crowds of boats, many anglers still found ways to seclude themselves back in the jungle of vegetation. Reports from either camp sounded much the same – the bite is slow and steady with size being hard to come by.
Most of the dock talk this morning hinted at a flipping bite being the deal, yet a surprising number of pros were opting to cover water with moving baits. The pros our staff observed flipping definitely were on the quality over quantity pattern compared to the guys chucking moving baits. There were even reports of some bed fishing activity, though, only small males were to be found.
On a weather note, clouds have lingered through much of the morning. As our photographers were pulling off the water the sun started breaking through and the wind has subsided. This could give a solid edge to those with later check-in times.
Stay tuned for the weigh-in at 3 p.m. ET to see who will overcome the conditions and haul in the monster bags that Okeechobee is known for.