Shiner Fishing on Lake Okeechobee

by Herb Allen

Nine bass scaling between three and seven pounds in four hours of fishing is certainly enough activity to keep most anglers on their toes.

That was the score here recently when R. G. (Dick) Schmidt of Live Oak and I ventured onto Florida's Lake Okeechobee in search of giant largemouth that, through the years, have made this lake world famous.

Instead of our usual artificial lures, however, we opted for large, live shiners at the suggestions of ace guide Red Altman who has been plying these waters since he was a youngster of six.

It had been years since we'd used wild shiners as a bass bait and, frankly, our hook-setting techniques had eroded during that time.

Seems that when we had a strike--and they were numerous during the afternoon--we failed to set the hook with sufficient force and the quarry simply spit the hook without ever feeling the barb.

Though we probably missed three fish for every one landed, it turned into a banner day in that we were able to concentrate in a relatively confined area between Little Grassy and Eagle Bay which saved scouting time.

Altman's rig consisted of a medium-action baitcasting rod, a Daiwa reel, and 12-pound-test monofilament line He uses a 4/0 weedless hook about 18 inches below a small cork.

When a bass strikes, the guide allows it to run from 5-10 seconds before taking up slack and setting the hook with a strong overhead motion.

Although he guides from 175-200 days per year for bass, ducks, and crappie, Altman is also a competitive angler who frequently pits his talents against others in tournaments from May to November.

When fishing artificials, Altman suggests that we toss Rattletraps, Mighty Minnows, Fire Tigers, Limberneck Spinners, Zara Spooks, Rippin' Shads, the Reel Magic, and Charlie's Bass Assassin worms, along with buzzbaits in the early morning hours.

As the temperatures rise from June through September, Altman can usually be found working the deeper holes, drop-offs, and rocky reefs around Government Cut, J & S, the Dynamite Holes, and Norman Channel off Pahoke.

A rule-of-thumb when fishing Okeechobee (and other lakes) is a slow retrieve during the cooler months and a faster retrieve in warm weather.

Although Altman's favorite time of day to fish is during the early morning hours, he is quick to point out that most of his big fish are caught from 11:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.

"This happens because the smaller fish are more active in the early hours while the big ones conserve their energy and feed later when they have less competition."

So far, Altman's biggest bass scaled an impressive 11-1/2 pounds.

Those in the Okeechobee City area with a hankering to match their skills against some of these lunkers can contact Altman through Girard's Tackle Shop, across the road from the big KOA Kampground.


Copyright (c) 1997 Herb Allen. All rights reserved.

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