Big Zero at the Big "O"!

We had are 2 day end-of-the-year classic tournament for Xtreme Bass Series on Lake Okeechobee out of Roland Martin Marina in Clewiston this past weekend and the fishing was as tough as I have ever faced! My partner Kevin and I couldn't manage a single bite in 3 days of fishing! Thank you Roland Martin for putting a Tiki bar in your resort! The conditions were not particularly bad so I am not sure if we just couldn't find the fish or they just didn't want what we had to offer. We did fish a multitude of different baits in every color of the rainbow in every presentation we could think of in countless number of spots so it couldn't be us right? Had to be those moody Okee-bass! Actually only 75 teams out of 126 weighed in fish on day one. The rumor was that the high water (15 feet) had the fish really spread out and it took some work to find them. Some of the spots we fished included Coot Bay, East Wall, West Wall, Rita Island, Dynamite Holes, Uncle Joes Cut, Uncle Joes Trail, and all up and down the Rim Canal. The guys that did well all seemed to have had fished the north end of the lake. We heard that it took anywhere from an hour to an hour and a half to make the run from Clewiston and for us to make that run would probably be closer to 2 hours if even possible in the windy conditions and my 17 foot bass boat. The winners had somewhere around 35 pounds and won a new Ranger 198 VX with an 200 Evinrude for their efforts! All in all, we had a great time, got to meet lots of new people from different trails, and it was great to finally fish Okeechobee even though it got the best of us this time!

http://www.rolandmartinmarina.com/

Over an hour wait at registration went by a little quicker with a few cold ones. Here's Kev trying to decide which one to start with!

Grass beds as far as the eye can see! Where do we start??

We're Going to Okeechobee!!

The site for The Xtreme Fishing Series Classic Championship was finally announced yesterday and it will take place on Lake Okeechobee October 11 and 12th. It will be out of Roland Martin Marina in Clewiston http://www.rolandmartinmarina.com. I have mixed feelings about it being on The Big "O", I have never fished Okeechobee and was hoping for a lake or chain of lakes that I am familiar with but with that said, I am very excited to finally get out there to fish! The water level is about up to par at 14' above sea level, up from about 12' before Tropical Storm Fay. This opens up a lot of new area to fish that was either dried up or too shallow before the rains. The Army Corps of Engineers is looking to drain some of the water back out in anticipation of another storm as the max or danger level would be about 17'. Hopefully, they will keep it near 14'!
See article:http://www.miamiherald.com/news/top-stories/story/661805.html
Last years Classic on The Kissimmee Chain saw 150 teams battle it out with the winners taking home a $40,000 Ranger and the top 25 overall finishers getting a check. My partner Kevin and I managed 66th place with just over 13 pounds for 2 days of fishing. Engine trouble restricted us to only a few areas near Camp Mack but we were able to find some fish and make a respectable finish! Hopefully this year we will bring home a check or even a new Ranger!