Brad Gibson, 46, of Florida’s G3 Outfitters has guided on Lake Okeechobee for 20 years. He targets bass and even alligators. But he says winter is choice for crappie catching on the “Big O.” And the best fishing of the year is still to come.
“Crappies are just now starting to move into the weeds and rivers from the open lake,” Gibson tells Wired2fish. “The day before this Thanksgiving a buddy and I got our legal limits of 50 crappies [25 each, 10-inch length minimum] in about 90 minutes of fishing. But a couple days later, we only got 27.”
Gibson says the upcoming new moon and full moon phases should be prime on Okeechobee, depending on weather conditions.
“I hope this year is as good as last year for big crappies,” says the guide from the lakeside town of Okeechobee. “We had some huge fish last winter.”
He says the “Kings Bar” and “Bird Island” areas are good now. And the shoal areas along the west side of the lake from Harney Pond to Clewiston should be great when more fish move toward shore.
Gibson fishes out of a 22-foot Shearwater flats boat. When working weed edges he vertically “dab fishes” with a long 10- to 13-foot spinning rod. It’s fitted with a spinning reel loaded with 15-pound test braided line because of the heavy cover crappies hold near.
“I use locally-made G3 jigs weighing 1/16th ounce,” says Gibson, who’s won seven straight Okeechobee crappie tournaments over the last two years. “I like darker colors now because of the cleaner lake water. Gold, purple, and black-and-gold G3 jigs work well. The G3 ‘Slab Slayer’ pink color is good in stained water.”
Trolling also is a popular productive way of catching Okeechobee crappies. The mouth of the Kissimmee River near where it enters the “Big O” is a traditionally prime winter spot, especially at night. Fish there will be found in 10 to 18 feet of water, and Gibson says to use boat electronics to locate schools of fish.
Trolling with minnows, jigs and corks is productive, and fishing should be excellent using this method from mid-January until late March, says the veteran guide.
“Trolling and catching lots of crappies is fun family sport, and a lot of my charters are moms and dads with kids,” Gibson says. “Probably 80 percent of my crappie charters are done trolling because anyone can do it and they catch plenty of good-eating fish.”
