Quite a few Eastern-based pros will begin their 2010 competitive campaign this month by fishing a couple of non-tour events at Florida's Lake Okeechobee. The first Bassmaster Southern Open gets under way there a week from today, followed by an Eastern FLW Series event 2 weeks later.
Bassmaster Elite Series pro Chris Lane is one of a contingent anglers who'll fish both tournaments. He's an Alabama resident now, but he was born and raised in Gator Country and has spent a great deal of time on each of that state's major tournament venues. BassFan asked him to size up the two upcoming events at the Big O and provide some insight as to how he likes to fish there at this time of year.
"The way the lake sets up, those tournaments could be won just about any way you can imagine," he said. "Guys will catch some flipping, on Rat-L-Traps, frogs, casting worms – you name it.
It's all about finding the concentration of 5-pounders because they're about to hit the banks hard.
"The biggest factor is going to be the water temperature. It's been about 55 with the steady cold air, but if it gets up to 60-63, they should be really good tournaments. That's the thing about shallow water – the temperature comes up really quick in the sunshine, but we need a couple of warm nights so it doesn't get knocked back down too hard."
Slow and Steady is Key
Like much of the country, Florida has been enduring an extended spate of cold weather. Forecasters predict that the state will start warming up over the next week, but Lane said the Okeechobee fish could still be somewhat lethargic by the time the Open rolls around.
"When that happens, the bite can be very subtle," he said. "Whether you're flipping mats or whatever you're doing, you're not going to get the big knock or the big wake from up under the mat. A 5-pounder can feel like a bream biting.
"You have to really pick your spots and fish them slower. You want to be in spots that are close to areas that have deeper water because that's where the fish are going to want to be when (the big wave of the spawn begins). There are already lots of beds down there (at Okeechobee) and quite a few fish have already spawned."
As always, tournament-day weather will play a big role, and he said that anglers should never rely on a Florida forecast to be accurate.
"I've seen times where they predicted an 80 percent chance of rain and you never see a cloud. And you can be on the north end of Okeechobee in the middle of a downpour, and at the south end there might not be a drop of rain or even any clouds."
Will Toad Shine Again?
Lane won the 2007 Southern Open by on a Gambler Cane Toad and will give that bait ample opportunity to deliver for him again. He said it's an even more effective fish-catcher since the recent introduction of the Double Trouble Toad Hook.
"Now I can capitalize on some of those misses I used to get when I only had one hook," he said.
He throws the Cane Toad on a 7-foot-2, heavy-action Team All Star Series rod equipped with an Abu Garcia Revo reel. The reel is spooled with 50-pound Stren Sonic Braid.
"I just cover a lot of water with that thing. With Okeechobee having so much grass, having a bait that's weedless is a big help. You're usually fishing scattered grass and you want to throw a little ways past where you think you might get a bite.
"Before the spawn, you'll have some fish hit it and miss it. But the bigger fish, if they want to eat it, they're going to get it. They want to get every last bit of meal they can before they go up to spawn."
He'll experiment with several different colors, but there's one that he relies on more than any other.
"I really like that white one," he said.
