Gator Division will wrap up the season on Okeechobee
Lake Okeechobee will host the Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine Gator Division Super Tournament on Sept. 28-29. Anglers fishing the Super Tournament have a chance for giant stringers on the famed fishery at a time when water temperatures have finally started to cool after a long and hot Florida summer.
Tournament details
Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine Gator Division Super Tournament
Sept. 28-29
Clewiston, Fla.
About the fishery
Lake Okeechobee, or “the Big O,” needs no introduction in the bass fishing world. It’s a staple for tournaments, big and small, and the main thing to consider for any trip is the water level and the state of the vegetation.
The lake levels, measured as the feet above sea level, have been atypically high in recent years, and they’ve stayed that way, according to Robert Crosnoe, five-time Gator Division Fishing Clash Angler of the Year. Two of his nine MLF wins came on Okeechobee, and he will be in attendance again at this Super Tournament.
“With all the rain we’ve been getting, the water is around 14 1/2 feet,” he said. “The fishing has been pretty good. Plenty of fish are on the outside grass line, in the Kissimmee Grass, and buggy whips. The underwater grass is almost nonexistent, except for a little bit of eelgrass around Tinhouse Cove.”
Okeechobee has a way of grouping anglers into tight corridors. Crosnoe said that is likely to happen again for this event, with a handful of areas getting a thorough workout.
“It’s always the same three or four community holes that get the most attention,” he said. “I try to avoid the crowd and do my own thing, but it seems like every event is won in one of those places.”
These are the same spots that have historically produced.
“There’s still fish in South Bay, but more towards the outside, and the locals that fish there all the time stay on that bite,” he said. “Other than that, Tinhouse and the area around Horse Island will also be popular.”
What to expect
Crosnoe is not a true local as he lives a few hours away in Inverness, but he’s fished Okeechobee many times and watches the weights from local events. He expects the lake to kick out good bags for this one.
“There was a high school tournament, and it took mid-20s to win for those boys, so I think we’ll have a good tournament with some mid to high 20-pound bags,” he said. “There should be several in that 20-pound range the first day. Around 43 pounds should win; it always seems about that for the Super.”
While it may sound absurd to someone who’s not from Florida, Crosnoe said the prespawn bite should be a factor.
“They start spawning on Okeechobee in October when the water just barely starts to cool down,” he said. “It’s not like anywhere else in the country, and they should be starting to move in to spawn. Most of the good bags will be on that outside line of reeds, buggy whips, cattails, and Kissimmee grass.”
For techniques, Crosnoe expects typical Florida staples to produce but shared that the early morning bite can kickstart someone’s day.
“Moving baits like lipless crankbaits will be good in the first hour since the bass are schooled up big time in late September,” he said. “You might catch them nonstop for an hour, but only one or two will be the ones you need, those 4-plus-pounders.”
That will be part of his plan, but he primarily plans to pitch emergent vegetation after the initial flurry. “I’ll be flipping with a lighter weight, something ¾-ounce or less,” he said. “The other thing that will probably play is a popping frog. It seems like it wins almost every tournament, especially for the guys who live and die by them and throw it all day.”