Don't Forget the Locks Close at 6 on Weekdays

Headed back down to Okeechobee for a few days last weekend to fish with the old man and try to get on some decent beds while the gettin's good. We had a great time as always and got into some real nice fish. We started out jigging for specks at one of the bridges on his basin of the river. Caught a handful, but every one was undersized. No shortage of catfish either, unfortunately. We went through the locks and headed further south down the river. We hunted for beds along the edges and decided one spot in particular looked promising. And promising it was! We got into a real mess of fish including bluegills, myans, and some of the biggest shellcrackers I have ever seen in my life. I mean monster slabbos, boys.

We stuck around for most of the afternoon until the bite finally died down. Unfortunately for us, we were 15 minutes late to the lock and the locktender wasn't sticking around for us apparently. Long story short, with the help of a friendly neighbor and a little time wasted we got back safely. We both were having so much fun we just lost track of time. But hey, we laughed about it the whole time and made the best of it. It was a good trip nonetheless. Here's a video of the fish a bit closer since there were quite a few to fit into a picture!

Ain't no secret to the sauce on this one. 100% red wigglers paired with an ultralight rod/reel on some 4lb test. You'll have more fun than you can shake a stick at. I also just talked the old man into a newer Garmin unit for his boat. Finding beds with polarized sunglasses is alright until you get into dirty water, but once you get setup with side imaging it really makes it effortless - no matter the clarity. Looking forward to getting back down there soon!