Okeechobee FLW

I caught a limit that weighed 8-06. I don't know why they only weighed 8-06 because I caught them flipping (laughs). I got 5 bites. I didn't lose any fish - - my partner caught 4. I had a 3-pounder and he had a 3-pounder.

The thing that got me the most about today is that the main stretch where I got most of my bites was a cut coming of a channel going into a little lake area. The wind was blowing right into it today. I waited until about 10:00 to go and fish it -- I fished a spinnerbait for a while. When I got there, a guide boat was there and was just putting down its anchor. They kung-fooed their butts on shiners. I watched them catch 10 4-7 pounders on shiners. I asked how many shiners they had, and they said, 'A bunch.' They caught them all, in what was my best stretch -- and kept 10 of them.

I shouldn't have waited to go there, but I thought the flipping bite would be better with the sun out. But when I got back, I found out that everyone caught them early.

I was flipping a 1-ounce weight with a Mann's It (creature bait, in black- blue). I was flipping cabbage and water hyacinths around flat reeds. I thought I was fishing thick-enough stuff, but most of big stringers came out of stuff a lot thicker than I was fishing.

The bites were very subtle. Yesterday I was fishing cabbage matted around standing pads. In practice, the line would jump and the pads would jar. I had 7 bites, and they were good: everything would jump. But then they dropped it and would not pick it back up. I couldn't figure out how to make them come back. I've never had that happen before and I was really frustrated. I talked to 3-4 other people and they experienced the same thing. Today they would just be there, but they were smaller fish. But I wasn't fishing anywhere I fished yesterday.

> Rest of Paul's gear: 7 1/2-foot Quantum PT flipping stick (heavy), Quantum PT 600 baitcaster, 30-pound Berkley Fireline, 4/0 Gamakatsu hook.

I had a limit by 9:00 on a Leverage spinnerbait, the same one I was using last week. It started off cloudy and windy -- 10 mph or so -- and they bit the spinnerbait well until about 10:00. Then they just got off of it. At about that time the clouds started parting and the wind picked up. It started blowing 20- 30 mph.

After that I tried 3-4 different things. I caught a couple more fish and culled up a little bit. Around 2:30 I finally figured out that flipping certain reeds in an area near where I caught the spinnerbait fish was working. I caught 3 fish and culled up another half a pound (he had nearly 10 pounds today). I wish I could have figured that pattern out yesterday. I feel like I could have caught 10-12 pounds yesterday doing that. My partner caught 3-pounder doing that and a 3-pounder on a spinnerbait. It just wasn't my tournament.

> Jig -- 1 1/4-ounce prototype jig (black/blue) with a smoke/blue flake twintail trailer; Shimano Chronarch Superfree reel; 7 1/2-foot G. Loomis IMX flipping stick; 50-pound Triple Fish Bully Braid.

> Spinnerbait -- Leverage Gold Trap spinnerbait (3/8-ounce, double Colorado blades in silver and gold, black/gold skirt); Calais reel; 7-foot Shimano V rod (medium-heavy) action; 20-pound Triple Fish Camo line.

The lesson I've learned from fishing here for 2 weeks is that whenever you have high pressure and sun, flip the heaviest, nastiest cover you can find. Whatever it is -- dead reeds, hyacinths -- flip that enough and you'll find them.

(Editor's note: As promised, here's the oddball pattern John used in last week's BASSMASTER event.) Believe it or not, I caught most of my fish out of dead reed clumps. It was weird, but the fish were in them. I was actually looking for that pattern because when I was here a month ago, on one of the practice days it was calm and I saw a bunch of 2-3 pound fish swimming in those dead reeds. I couldn't figure out how to catch them, but with the wind and overcast (on day 2 of the BASSMASTER event), it seemed like a good time to try a spinnerbait.

I had 3 fish -- about 4 pounds -- today. It wasn't that cold, but the water temperature is still pretty cold. It warmed up to around 60 or so this afternoon, but in the morning it was in the low to mid-50s.

I fished a lot of areas today -- maybe I ran a little too much. It was kind of calm and sunny all day. I went and tried to look for a few on beds. I caught 2, but they were small so I fished around a little then went to the other side of the lake and flipped where I found some fish in practice. I caught my other 1 1/4-pound fish there and had two other bites, and that was it. I had a short day since I was in the first flight.

I had 2 fish on Monday that were locked on beds, but they were gone today. People had to have caught them yesterday in practice. But one was in the middle of nowhere. I can't believe someone found it.

There were a bunch of 7-9 pound bags, but today it seemed like you either had them or you didn't. Tomorrow I'll just try to catch as much as I can, whatever that is. I'm going to fish like crazy all day, and see just how much I can catch. It's supposed to be windy tomorrow so hopefully they will bite a spinnerbait again. I feel like I can catch a decent limit.

If everyone's telling the truth, the lake seems a lot tougher. The water temperature has really taken a nose dive, though the last couple of days it's come up a little. But I think it's put these Florida fish into shock. The fish are in the same areas. I think they just went into the nearest, thickest cover they could find.

I'd like the water temperature to stay down. I had a lot of bites yesterday and today. I just hope the fish don't desert me like they did the last time. Some big stringers will be caught, but unless something changes, I think catches overall are going to be down.

Today I didn't have a bite (he caught 3 decent fish each of the prior two days). I ran around and looked at a bunch of areas, and fished really fast through some areas. I had a gentleman fishing with me -- he caught one about 2 1/2 and it was the only bite we had. I went to an area of the lake I haven't been to since I've been down here, and now I know I don't want to go back there. I was actually hoping I could get 2-3 bites today at least. I didn't get them, but I didn't fish as much as I could have or maybe should have.

Today it's in the 70s (air temperature), but I think this is the only day it's supposed to get in the 70s. It frosted on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights, and last night it was close. Tonight it's supposed to be 45, but another cold front is coming in on Saturday.

I don't think the fish are biting as good as they were last week. The water temperature has dropped 3-4 degrees since then. In the morning, the water temperature is in the low 50s -- which is extremely cold for down here -- and by afternoon it's in the upper 50s. But then in the morning it's back close to 50 because it's so cold. I think the fish are very confused.