The second largest body of freshwater in the United States is Lake Okeechobee Florida. The word “Oki” origin comes from Seminole Indians and means water. The word Okeechobee is derived from the word “Oki”.Lake Okeechobee is a shallow lake that averages only 9ft. Okeechobee lake a vast region of spectacular freshwater fishing for a variety of species of fish. The Lake is a renowned superb fishing lake, that has both commercial and sport fishing.~The lake supports commercial and sport fishing and is worldly renowned as a excellent fishing lake.

Lake Okeechobee is nationally recognized for its large mouth bass and black crappie fishing. If your looking to catfishing this lake is also the place to go.If you are fishing for large mouth bass try flipping jigs and plastic worms in heavy cover, and spoons and spinner baits in the grass flats.When your fishing the rim canals for large mouth bass use Golden shiners.

If you are fishing for specs, or crappie fish the pilings under the highway 78 bridge, and fish the near the edges of the canal shoreline in deeper water. Only fish the Kissimmee river when the river is flowing steady. in any of these areas fish live shiners or jigs near vegetation. Fishing late in the day or early in the morning are the best times to fish. Standard jigging techniques work well , but to locate schools suspend minnows at various depths to locate the schools.Lake Okeechobee crappie or specs are constantly on the move feeding so you will have to move often to find the schools.

The best areas for bream is the rim of the canals around lake Okeechobee that lead to the Kissimmee river. The best baits to use for lake Okeechobee Bluegill or Bream are Beetle spins, and crickets for live bait.

The following 12 areas around Lake Okeechobee are know to hold good populations of largemouth Bass, black crappie, or specs, and other panfish and catfish.You can also visit the Florida Fish and wildlife conservation commission web page and click on Interactive maps to get more detail information.

Area #1 South Henry Creek Flats The flats from the boat lock at Henry Creek south to Chancey Bay holds an excellent bass population located in the plentiful vegetation. Vegetation growth of hydrilla,grass,and bulrush grow on a shoal surrounded by sand 3/4 miles southwest of the levee.The largemouth bass spawn where the shoal tapers to a small reef. Fish the outside edges of vegetation with live shiners, topwater plugs and plastic worms. Toss weedless spoons behind the weedline. During summer, cast vibrating plugs and shallow-running crankbaits over the reef for schooling bass.

Nubbin Slough Area #2Bass are caught year-round at Nubblin Slough. Look for the small rock piles and islands surrounded by maidencane at the mouth of the slough,this is where the bass will be. Toss a spinnerbait, Jerkin’ Sam or Rat-L-Trap around these structures during fall. In spring, position the boat on the inside of the vegetation along the boat run that has a sand/shell bottom. Cast a plastic worm, Lunker Lure or spinnerbait. During summer, fish plastic worms in the bulrushes and pencil reeds.

Area #3 Behind Eagle Bay IslandThis area behind Eagle Bay Island near the Government Cut provides great action for all species of panfish. Tannic stained water makes it difficult to see bluegill beds, so drift until fish are located.

Area #4 Eagle Bay Eagle Bay is a prime largemouth area from January through April when the lake is at its fullest. It’s good year-round because the water is about two feet deeper than the surrounding area. Summer bass hold here because of the depth and vast hydrilla growth. Try plastic worms and lizards in spring, and switch to topwater plugs, buzzbaits and spoons in summer. Bass move to the outside edge in fall, and topwater lures, vibrating plugs and spinnerbaits are effective.

Area #5 Cast topwater plugs early and late in the day during summer.For spring large mouth bass holding on the peppergrass in this shallow areas, cast plastic worms and spinnerbaits.

Area #6 North Of North Lake Shoal (Kings Bar)The rocky area north of North Lake Shoal (Kings Bar) provides excellent bluegill fishing in the bulrushes and cattails. The panfish bed on scattered rocky patches within the vegetation and are easily caught on worms and crickets. Move east about one mile and drift the open water for winter crappie.

Lake Shoal (Kings Bar) Area #7 North Lake Shoal (Kings Bar) is a large weedy island with a variety of vegetation, including lily pads, hydrilla, eel grass, maidencane and bulrush. Bass are caught year-round on spinnerbaits and plastic worms. This is a great area for flippin’. Trophy bass often lurk in the maidencane growing inside scattered bulrushes.

Lake Okeechobee Tin House Cove Area #8 Plastic worms and lizards take spawning spring bass in Tin House Cove. In summer, the largemouth move out to deeper water. The peppergrass holds bass year-round, and schooling largemouth also chase threadfin shad on the outside weed edge. Cast vibrating plugs, spinnerbaits and topwater lures for these active fish.

From Indian Prairie Canal North To The South End Of Tin House Co. For Lake Okeechobee Area #9 {{{From Indian Prairie Canal north to the south end of Tin House Cove there is some emergent vegetation that yields numerous largemouth bass.|The wide area on the backside of the emergent vegetation, from Indian Prairie Canal north to the south end of Tin House Cove, yields numerous bass.}]} During spawning season, if water is high, a secondary area behind the cattails in the grassy flats offers good fishing all the way to the levee.

Indian Prairie Canal South To Horse Island Area #10You can catch largemouth bass fishing with live shiners on points of heavy vegetation along the area where there is a mixture of peppergrass and reeds that extends from Indian Prairie Canal south to Horse Island. Toss surface plugs and weedless spoons in the sparser cover. The bottom is about three feet deep, and consists of sand and scattered flat-top rock. Behind this area, throw spoons and top water lures for spring bass in the mixture of maidencane and bulrushes. A boat trail behind it can be worked in windy conditions. Horse Island and Worm Cove are also good places to fish plastic worms.

From Dyess Ditch To The Southern Point Of Horse Island For Lake Okeechobee Area #11This area know as North shore is a good spring bass spot a long as you fish along the 1/2 mile wide peppergrass flat. Trophy bass hold along the outside edge of grass on the west side of the bay. Live bait, plastic worms, surface lures, vibrating plugs and spoons produce year-round. Sparse hydrilla patches mixed with maidencane, reeds and pads are used by spawning bass between December and March. This protected area is particularly good when the lake is rough. In summer, bass stay near open water and will move into the shallows as the water cools.

Dyess Ditch to the Harney Pond Canal For Lake Okeechobee Area #12 The sandy bottom from Dyess Ditch to the Harney Pond Canal between the two beacon lights holds largemouth year-round. The stained water from Fisheating Creek is filtered by dense vegetation, resulting in relatively clear water. Spring bass will spawn where there are holes in the hydrilla. Spinnerbaits, topwater plugs and weedless spoons take bass around the hydrilla and peppergrass beds.

Well I hope the 12 areas identified in this Florida lake Okeechobee Fishing Report will help on you plan your next freshwater fishing trip to Florida. Lets Go Fish’in!

Mark Fleagle is a serious fishing webmaster. Mark Is a dedicated fisherman with 30+ years of experience and has published numerous articles on fishing. He offers free fishing information and “how to articles at his websites. Okeechobee Lake FloridaVisit my website oldfishinghole.com and download a free copy of his “78 fishing discoveries unleashed”

Crappie fishing hole Catch your limit everyday!

A crappie hole can be anywhere, even in shallow water where you would never think crappie would be hiding. A crappie hole is actually a “hole” in the ground located in shallow water areas. You will find crappie in some of the strangest places. Gators holes are often great crappie holes. The average gator will dig a hole 12ft by 12ft . They will also mound up dirt walls entangled with Lilly pad roots, which are excellent hiding places for crappie.

In the Midwest and other areas of the county it may be a spot where a tree was removed,or died and rooted away, or a dip or pocket in the surface bottom, especially in muddy or muck bottoms.

To any Crappie fisherman any of these crappie “holes” are the next thing to paradise. Now you are probably wondering what is this guy talking about? why would any crappie want to hide in these so called “crappie holes”?, well this answer to your question is one word, “protection”, but definitely not from you!, please follow the following steps to fish these crappie holes dry.

Step#1 You must get out on the water early before 7:ooam is perfect. Scout the shore line no farther then 15-20ft from shore to find your hole. Look directly in Lilly pads and in extremely shallow water.

Step#2 rig your bait at 6 inches, and flip your line to the center of the crappie hole. Flip your line with your wrist so the boober makes a popping noise, but pop to hard you will loose your bait. The popping sound simulates a A fallen prey and drives any holding crappie nuts and into a feeding frenzy. They will hit your bait if they are there.

Step#3 Very easily move your wrist in a flicking motion to keep to boober moving.

Step#4 If you aren’t getting any bites, raise the bobber a few inches out of the water and drop it harder. This will create a different and louder noise that will attract the crappie.

Step#5 And if you still don’t get anything get your bait down 12 inches .. then pop the bobber a few times. Keep moving your bait down the line until you reach 2 feet under the surface, and keep popping the bobber.

Mark Fleagle Webmaster. 30+ Years Of Fishing Experience Expert Author At Ezinearticles.com. Click This Link To Find Out More About hole for Crappie Fishing

Gear To Catch Crappie Amazing results!

If you are familiar with crappie, you know they are cunning and crafty creatures with a high degree of intelligence. Indeed, If you lived the life of a southern crappie (especially south Florida!); you would be dodging alligators half of the day and cottonmouths the other half.

This means crappie are survivors they are not dumb. So not every tom dick and harry that comes down the pike with a fishing license pinned to to his hat is going home with something on his stringer.

If you want to out smart crappie it is important that you have the correct crappie fishing gear. Now it is your turn to come home with your limit of crappie. You gotta have the right stuff, and the Oldfishinghole Has got a quick list thats been tested through decades of fishing. if you use the crappie fishing gear suggestions shown on this list you will increase your crappie fishing success.

The Oldfishinghole Quick list of Crappie Catching Gear

Use a cane pole (or bamboo pole) or fiberglass. We recommend one that is 10 to 16ft in length.( the best thing about the cane pole or of the bamboo pole is that it allows you to “feel the slightest movement and your reaction to set the hook can be much quicker)

Tie a number 4, gold Aberdeen hook

Put a small, 2inch bobber about 2 feet above the hook

Put a piece of spit shot (lead weight) the size of a BB on the line right beneath the bobber.

At Least 6 dozen of “Missouri Minnows” (the smallest you can find)

Well, that does it for the oldfishinghole’s recommendation of recommended crappie fishing gear.

Mark Fleagle Webmaster. 30+ Years Of Fishing Experience Expert Author At Ezinearticles.com. Click This Link To Find Out More About Crappie Catching Gear:

Fred from Mystic Waters Fly Fishing Weblog fished in the Kenai River and posted great pictures of his catches.

A little bit on the Kenai River- The Kenai is the most popular sport fishing destination in Alaska, each year there are two runs each of king salmon, silver salmon, red salmon, plus a run of pink salmon every other year. It is also the home of trophy size rainbow trout and Dolly Varden.

The Kenai River is a river in the Kenai Peninsula of south central Alaska. It runs 132 km westward from Kenai Lake in the Kenai Mountains.

Ice fishing is the activity of catching fish with lines and fish hooks or spears through an opening in the ice on a frozen body of water. Ice anglers may sit on the stool in the open on a frozen lake, or in a heated cabin on the ice, some with bunks and amenities.

Ice fishing methods have changed drastically over the past 20 years. The name of the game is mobility, for today’s modern ice fishermen. The days of drilling one hole and hoping a fish will swim by, are starting to fade. With sonar and fast augers many fisherman will drill upwards of 110 holes in a single day, in the search for fish. When the fish stop biting fishermen will move to the next hole check it with their sonar, and if there are no fish they keep moving till more fish are found. Mobility increases the catch of any ice fishermen because you move to where the fish are. This is the same concept practiced by summer fishermen.

Tom from The Ultimate Fishing Blog writes his valuable tips for choosing an ice fishing fishfinder:

There are two types of ice fishing fish finders. One is the traditional flasher and the other is the more modern fish finder you will find in most boating situations.