Scheide And Surman Say Okeechobee's Fishing Small

The FLW Tour season officially kicks off this Wednesday on Florida's Lake Okeechobee. Anglers have had plenty to time to survey the lake and all reports indicate it's fishing smaller than at any other time in recent memory.

Two anglers uniquely qualified to preview what's to come on Okeechobee are Ray Scheide and Mike Surman. Scheide won last year's Okeechobee FLW as a rookie. Surman lives in Florida. He won the 1996 Okeechobee FLW and has two other Okeechobee Top 10s to his credit. He also placed 3rd at the 1990 and 1998 BASS Invitationals on Okeechobee.

In The Clear

Scheide began his practice last Wednesday. "It wasn't what I thought it would be," he said. "You try to do a little bit of research with Internet reports – and of course I saw the weights from the EverStart weigh-in – and everybody said the lake was fishing small. But I didn't realize how small."

As suspected, clear water is at a premium. "There's not a lot of clear areas," he said. "I tried the muddy water quite a bit. Actually, there's three grades of clarity. There's some clear water, then there's some stuff with 12 to 18 inches of visibility, then there's muddy water. You can actually get bit out of that 12- to 18-inch stuff, but I hadn't found any fish grouped up like normal in there – just one here, one there."

Shoulder Rub

Scheide said that, even though he won at Okeechobee last year, he doesn't feel any added pressure. "I think my main goal this year is just to fish well and concentrate on making that (FLW Tour) Championship, since it's in my home state (Ark.). I feel good about this tournament. I've actually had a pretty decent practice. I'm breaking up the lake into what I consider three fishable parts. I'll keep trying to expand on each, then pick the best one."

And he noted that a backup spot might be crucial. "I really think a backup spot could be key. I think you can make the Top 50 by staying put in one spot, but the areas where the fish are concentrated are fishing so small, you might need to run to a backup spot during the first 2 days.

"I think fishing in a crowd boils down to being prepared and picking your best starting spot. I feel good about flipping in a crowd – that's my strength, it's what I do best. I feel comfortable rotating if that's what I need to do. That said, I won't give up on finding a secret spot until Wednesday."

Worse or Worst?

Surman was a little more resolute than Scheide in his summation of Okeechobee's condition. "It's as bad as I've ever seen it," he said. "I've fished it for over 20 years and it's never been worse than where it is right now. With that said, there still could be some incredibly big stringers the first day if the weather's good. The lake's capable of a 30-pound stringer at any time.

"So that's the good thing, but the bad thing is, it's in such horrendous shape, the weights as a whole will be down. There are so few places to fish, the people are jammed on top of each other in the clear water."

Possible Advantage

Surman said the bulk of the field will spend its time in three areas. "South Bay, Monkey Box and Moonshine will hold 150 out of the 200. Can they hold them and still produce big bags? No. When people bunch up, the weights get spread out and nobody does that well. That's why I'm hoping for a cold front.

"I hope it gets nasty so it's tough on everybody. If you're fishing on top of one another, then you add a cold front, the weights will really be down and that may be an advantage to a (local) guy like myself." (Editor's note: A local angler, Daryl Deka, won the recent Okeechobee EverStart in crowded conditions.)

Applied Pressure

With so many anglers right on top of the already temperamental Florida bass, Surman said the fish tend to spread out. "They don't sit where they normally sit. They head back into the cover, but more than anything, they just don't bite. If you take that same area during the week, and not a lot of pressure – they're biting everywhere."

He also noted the beating the fish take during an FLW practice. "Part of the problem is there's a new wave of pros coming in, and they've all got to figure out where they can catch some here and there. They set the hook on X number of fish.

"Then, two local tournaments went out Saturday and Sunday. They're all good fishermen and they caught a bunch of fish. And before all this there was the EverStart. So those three areas have been pounded."

Master the Mud

Surman said he thinks the key to winning the tournament – or at least making the cut – will be in the muddier water. "I really believe, if a guy can figure out something in dirtier water, he has a chance to win. That's where I spent most of my practice time. If you can figure it out, you might have it to yourself.

"If the conditions are like they were in the EverStart, 15 pounds a day will get you into the Top 10 easy. But I believe it may only be 13 to 14 pounds to make the Top 10."

Notable

> Scheide said that, with a concentrated field, it's hard to pin down which boat draw he'd prefer. "That's a tough one, but if I had to choose, I'd hope to have a late draw. When you're fishing around people, if they see you're dialed in to something, they'll be there the next day. If I started late on day 1, I'd be one of the first ones out on day 2 and could get my spot. But it's just six of one, half-dozen of the other."

> Surman said there's not one particular wind that's bad for Okeechobee. "With wind, it depends on where you're fishing. There's no one set wind that's bad. On Okeechobee, you definitely want to find fish on both ends. If the wind gets bad on the north end, you can run to the south end of the lake in about 20 minutes. If the lake's real rough, you can run the rim canal in about 45 minutes."