12-13-2015, 11:47 PM
While ya'll back home are hunkering down for the big storm, I thought I would just stir the pot a bit with a heavy helping of jealousy from Lake Okeechobee. Yesterday, having perfectly timed a two-week business trip to Tampa, I thought this would be a great time to do a little checking off on the bucket list.
Having received a tip from our Protect The Harvest sponsored pro John Murray, who suggested fishing out of Roland Martins place in Clewiston, FL, I booked my motel and secured a guide for all day. I really didn't push for a particular guide and got Fred Baraks. Fred has been guiding since 1983. Half the year he guides on Lake Truman in MO, then heads South and guides on Okeechobee the other half. Fishing out of Roland Martins place for 30+ years, he has gotten to know quite a few of the Pro Anglers you and I grew up with. His story's fishing, filming and hanging with the likes of Roland, Jimmy Houston and Bill Dance kept my in awe all day long.
Fred talked me out of going all artificial and talked me into using Shiners. Guess my Utah conditioning made me uncomfortable to use live bait, but I quickly got over that once the catching started. The boat ride out was classic Okeechobee and I just imagined to myself how many other fishing icons traveled those cutouts through the glades.
We arrived at the first spot before sun-up, Fred anchored the boat with the power pole and we were fishing. Within the first three or four minutes it was fish-on and soon there after the first 5lb'er was in the boat. I landed 7 or 8 3lb+ in the first half hour and Fred wondered where the big ones were. Just about that time I hooked a pretty descent fish and as I brought it to the boat Fred grabbed the line to swing it in the boat and right there about 1-2' from the boat, in his best Jaws v. Capt. Brody "you're gonna need a bigger boat" moment a 12' Gator came out of the water with jaws wide open trying to get my fish for breakfast. We both jumped back and almost had to go back in to change pants. I looked at Fred and he looked at me and this guy who has been guiding on that lake for 30 years said "I've never seen one do that before". The first we saw of him was his teeth and gullet coming out of the water 2 feet away from the boat. Suprised he didn't hit his chin on the boat on the way down. His surfaced about 15' away where I was able to snap a picture.
From there to the end of the day, I landed more 5lb LMB then I have my whole life, with a bunch of smaller mixed in. My time on the boat was coming to an end and with about a half hour left, Fred suggested a move. As we arrived to the spot I went ahead and put a shiner on a pole and when the boat was stable. I pitch the rig about 15' from the boat against a line of grass and as I sat the pole down to grab the other I looked back up and the bobber was gone. I reached down, clicked the reel and set the hook. Immediately I knew this was the fish I had come to Okeechobee for. I told Fred this was the big one. Just about that time it surfaces and her mouth looked as big as the gators. After an exciting under the boat run, Fred reached down and got her for me and I had landed my personal best LMB, 8.2lb's High Fives and rattled nerves were abound. After pics and more fist pumps I re-baited and tossed back out only to reel them in and call it early to end the day on a high note. Since I was a boy watching Bassmasters, I have dreamed of catching an Okeechobee Bigun. Bucket list checked.
See pictures attached. P.S. The problem with being 6'4" 300lb's is that I make a 5lb fish look like a 2.5 in comparison.
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Having received a tip from our Protect The Harvest sponsored pro John Murray, who suggested fishing out of Roland Martins place in Clewiston, FL, I booked my motel and secured a guide for all day. I really didn't push for a particular guide and got Fred Baraks. Fred has been guiding since 1983. Half the year he guides on Lake Truman in MO, then heads South and guides on Okeechobee the other half. Fishing out of Roland Martins place for 30+ years, he has gotten to know quite a few of the Pro Anglers you and I grew up with. His story's fishing, filming and hanging with the likes of Roland, Jimmy Houston and Bill Dance kept my in awe all day long.
Fred talked me out of going all artificial and talked me into using Shiners. Guess my Utah conditioning made me uncomfortable to use live bait, but I quickly got over that once the catching started. The boat ride out was classic Okeechobee and I just imagined to myself how many other fishing icons traveled those cutouts through the glades.
We arrived at the first spot before sun-up, Fred anchored the boat with the power pole and we were fishing. Within the first three or four minutes it was fish-on and soon there after the first 5lb'er was in the boat. I landed 7 or 8 3lb+ in the first half hour and Fred wondered where the big ones were. Just about that time I hooked a pretty descent fish and as I brought it to the boat Fred grabbed the line to swing it in the boat and right there about 1-2' from the boat, in his best Jaws v. Capt. Brody "you're gonna need a bigger boat" moment a 12' Gator came out of the water with jaws wide open trying to get my fish for breakfast. We both jumped back and almost had to go back in to change pants. I looked at Fred and he looked at me and this guy who has been guiding on that lake for 30 years said "I've never seen one do that before". The first we saw of him was his teeth and gullet coming out of the water 2 feet away from the boat. Suprised he didn't hit his chin on the boat on the way down. His surfaced about 15' away where I was able to snap a picture.
From there to the end of the day, I landed more 5lb LMB then I have my whole life, with a bunch of smaller mixed in. My time on the boat was coming to an end and with about a half hour left, Fred suggested a move. As we arrived to the spot I went ahead and put a shiner on a pole and when the boat was stable. I pitch the rig about 15' from the boat against a line of grass and as I sat the pole down to grab the other I looked back up and the bobber was gone. I reached down, clicked the reel and set the hook. Immediately I knew this was the fish I had come to Okeechobee for. I told Fred this was the big one. Just about that time it surfaces and her mouth looked as big as the gators. After an exciting under the boat run, Fred reached down and got her for me and I had landed my personal best LMB, 8.2lb's High Fives and rattled nerves were abound. After pics and more fist pumps I re-baited and tossed back out only to reel them in and call it early to end the day on a high note. Since I was a boy watching Bassmasters, I have dreamed of catching an Okeechobee Bigun. Bucket list checked.
See pictures attached. P.S. The problem with being 6'4" 300lb's is that I make a 5lb fish look like a 2.5 in comparison.
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