05 September 2025
Okeechobee's Post-Storm Bounty: Bass, Panfish, and More on the Big O
Lake Okeechobee Florida Daily Fishing Report
About
September 5th, 2025. This is Artificial Lure, sliding in just after sunrise here at Lake Okeechobee, Florida, with your boots-on-the-dock local fishing report. The sun popped up at 7:05 this morning and she’ll dip back out at 7:41 tonight—plenty of daylight for a marathon session on the Big O.
We’re waking up to a post-storm calm: light northeast winds, temps climbing from the low 70s into the upper 80s, mostly clear skies with just a touch of humidity that reminds you—you’re fishing Okeechobee, not Wisconsin. Barometric pressure’s steady, meaning fish aren’t getting spooked by weather swings, and the near-new moon gives us some subtle tidal influence through the lake’s connected systems, pushing baitfish in and out of the grass lines. Water temps are holding around the mid-80s, but clarity remains solid in the main basins, especially on the north end by Harney Pond and down at Clewiston.
According to the latest Okeechobee Fishing Report, bass action is heating up with the big schools digging into hydrilla beds and eelgrass flats. Folks are reporting nice catches—plenty in the 2-5 pound range and a handful of trophy bass breaking the 8-pound class. Yesterday, one of Dave Miller’s charters stuck a 9.1 off Indian Prairie just after breakfast, confirming the fish are still in heavy pre-fall feed mode. The shad pods are thick and the bluegill bite is solid, especially as the sun edges higher.
On tackle, locals are winning with two standouts:
- For artificial, Texas-rigged worms in Junebug and Watermelon Red are producing, as is slow-rolled white spinnerbaits.
- Flipping jigs with black and blue skirts deep into the vegetation is catching the big mamas late morning to early afternoon.
If you’re a live-bait diehard, nothing beats a wild shiner this week. The big girls are smashing them under popping corks or left to drift along the outer grass walls. Crappie are starting to show, too—thickest out near the mouth of the Kissimmee River. Small minnows or white hair jigs under a slip cork are your best bet.
The panfish action is lively along the rim canal and around Tin House Cove. Bluegill and shellcracker are hitting crickets and red worms just off the bottom. Kids and dock anglers are hauling buckets full around the boat ramps and pier pilings—family fun at its best.
As for hotspots, keep your eyes on:
- Harney Pond Canal outflow, where the mix of moving water and fresh grass is stacking both baitfish and hungry bass.
- Second, the South Bay bulrush lines into Pelican Bay. Lots of reported action on surface frogs early, transitioning to creature baits as the sun gets higher.
- And don’t sleep on the edge of Monkey Box—flipping heavy cover there is giving up some real surprises.
Pressure is still light after the storms earlier in the week, but don’t expect it to last—come Saturday, every aluminum boat in three counties will be out.
That’s your boots-on-the-bank, no-fluff, local’s word from Artificial Lure. Thanks for tuning in—make sure to subscribe so you never miss the next bite window. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.
Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn
We’re waking up to a post-storm calm: light northeast winds, temps climbing from the low 70s into the upper 80s, mostly clear skies with just a touch of humidity that reminds you—you’re fishing Okeechobee, not Wisconsin. Barometric pressure’s steady, meaning fish aren’t getting spooked by weather swings, and the near-new moon gives us some subtle tidal influence through the lake’s connected systems, pushing baitfish in and out of the grass lines. Water temps are holding around the mid-80s, but clarity remains solid in the main basins, especially on the north end by Harney Pond and down at Clewiston.
According to the latest Okeechobee Fishing Report, bass action is heating up with the big schools digging into hydrilla beds and eelgrass flats. Folks are reporting nice catches—plenty in the 2-5 pound range and a handful of trophy bass breaking the 8-pound class. Yesterday, one of Dave Miller’s charters stuck a 9.1 off Indian Prairie just after breakfast, confirming the fish are still in heavy pre-fall feed mode. The shad pods are thick and the bluegill bite is solid, especially as the sun edges higher.
On tackle, locals are winning with two standouts:
- For artificial, Texas-rigged worms in Junebug and Watermelon Red are producing, as is slow-rolled white spinnerbaits.
- Flipping jigs with black and blue skirts deep into the vegetation is catching the big mamas late morning to early afternoon.
If you’re a live-bait diehard, nothing beats a wild shiner this week. The big girls are smashing them under popping corks or left to drift along the outer grass walls. Crappie are starting to show, too—thickest out near the mouth of the Kissimmee River. Small minnows or white hair jigs under a slip cork are your best bet.
The panfish action is lively along the rim canal and around Tin House Cove. Bluegill and shellcracker are hitting crickets and red worms just off the bottom. Kids and dock anglers are hauling buckets full around the boat ramps and pier pilings—family fun at its best.
As for hotspots, keep your eyes on:
- Harney Pond Canal outflow, where the mix of moving water and fresh grass is stacking both baitfish and hungry bass.
- Second, the South Bay bulrush lines into Pelican Bay. Lots of reported action on surface frogs early, transitioning to creature baits as the sun gets higher.
- And don’t sleep on the edge of Monkey Box—flipping heavy cover there is giving up some real surprises.
Pressure is still light after the storms earlier in the week, but don’t expect it to last—come Saturday, every aluminum boat in three counties will be out.
That’s your boots-on-the-bank, no-fluff, local’s word from Artificial Lure. Thanks for tuning in—make sure to subscribe so you never miss the next bite window. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.
Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn