CLEWISTON, Fla. – A historic fishery by any measure, Lake Okeechobee has been the kickoff for many tournament seasons, including the first FLW Tour season back in 1996. Now, for the first time ever, the Tackle Warehouse Invitationals season is underway.
Under breezy but warm conditions this morning, 150 pros launched at Clewiston to get Power-Pole Stop 1 Presented by Phoenix Boats rolling.
Okeechobee has changed quite a bit this year. With high water from a busy hurricane season in the fall, the vegetation is tamped down and many pros have old waypoints of reed lines that are simply open water now. There are also places that are accessible for almost the first time in a major tournament, with some pros planning to go truly off the beaten path.
That being said, if you look at almost any Top 10 Baits article from Okeechobee, you see the same stuff, and that’ll likely be the case this time. Even though the lake is constantly changing, there are only so many ways to catch a Florida bass. Still, there’s plenty to keep an eye on this week – from rookies to veterans, the field is fascinating. And, there are some true Okeechobee experts fishing this week, which will make the three days of MLFNOW! almost a guaranteed learning experience.
It’s been a long off-season, but bass fishing is back!
Christian Greico is no stranger to Lake Okeechobee, having amassed five Phoenix Bass Fishing League Top 10s on the body of water since 2018, including a victory in 2021. This time around, the second-year pro from Tampa, Florida, finds himself at a familiar lake, but with conditions unlike any that he has seen before.
“I think it’s going to be a tougher experience, I’ve hit it on some tough times when there have been some cold fronts,” Greico said. “I’m glad we don’t have that this week, but with the high water and lack of clean water, it’s going to be a bit tougher than your usual Okeechobee tournament. There’s a whole bunch of areas that I had to take right off the list.”
The high, dirty water is a byproduct of two hurricanes sweeping through the area earlier this winter. That will certainly have a pointed impact on fish movement and angler congestion, as both search for cleaner water to operate in.
“It seems like they’re just picking a few spots to move into, and that’s where you’ll find all the boats,” Greico said. “I’m kind of OK with it. I’ve found a few spots out, away from the crowd that hopefully, nobody else found. But I don’t have a problem hopping right in with the crowd if I have to.”
With stable weather in the forecast, Greico thinks that good things could be in store, despite suboptimal conditions.
“I think the first day, I wouldn’t be surprised if you saw some bags over 25 pounds,” he predicted. “Once you get into an area where you are around them, you’ll be able to get quite a few bites. For three days you’ll be shooting right for that 60-pound mark. They’re coming, some are done, but basically, from September through May we have small waves (of spawners) moving up.”
The 2022 Angler of the Year in the Toyota Series Plains Division, Michael Harlin, had never laid eyes on Okeechobee before practice. With the lake not really fishing wide open, the Missouri angler is in the midst of a learning experience.
“I knew it was going to be tough, at least for me, trying to break down a lake like this,” Harlin said. “For a Missouri guy, we don’t really have grass, it all looks the same, it’s kind of hard to break down where you’re going to fish and what you’re going to throw at. I just tried to search for clean water and a good mix of vegetation and stuff.”
Harlin didn’t have a gangbusters practice and didn’t have any 6-pounders to report. But he knows what he’s going to go do.
“I caught fish, but never got dialed in on exactly what they’re doing,” he said. “I think I have a couple decent areas to settle down into and go from there. I think both ends of the lake play. The north end definitely has cleaner water, there’s more hydrilla and eelgrass growing on the north end. The south end is more just reeds and lily pads. I looked on both ends of the lake, but I’m going to settle into the north end, probably.”
As for a winning weight, he figures about 60 pounds will do the trick, with 12 or 13 pounds a day getting a check.
Like many of his competitors, Harlin is optimistic about the weather.
“It should be fishy,” he said. “We were dealt terrible practice conditions – blows 30 the first day and rains all day the second day. I think every day it’s getting better, it’s definitely a warming trend. It’s fishy conditions, I think that’s good news.”