Brendan Bingham, 13, shows a bass he caught on a plastic lizard worked through grass while fishing from the bank at Okeeheelee Park. It was the biggest catch of the afternoon trip.Sometimes, a relaxing day of bass fishing is just what the doctor ordered. That’s what we were looking for on the overcast afternoon of Sept. 16, when I was setting up an impromptu bass fishing trip with my 14-year-old son and his friend. We wanted to grab our bass rods and a couple of soft plastic worms, stop our car, catch a few bass and leave with not much work.
We chose Okeeheelee Park for our short fishing adventure, and it was a good choice.
The many lakes at the park hold plenty of small bass. Anglers casting either from the bank or a nonmotorized boat at Okeeheelee Park are not likely to catch a big lunker bass, but there’s good, steady bass action in lakes with parking lots and restrooms and water fountains nearby.
The lakes of Okeekeelee Park are part of a fish management area established by the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission. That means all bass caught at Okeeheelee Park must be released immediately.
The Okeeheelee lakes include a fishing pier, fish feeders and submerged fish attractors along with pleasing signs that read “Fishing allowed.”
Even though all bass must be released, anglers fishing at Okeeheelee can keep bluegill and redear sunfish (if they’re 8 inches or longer) as well as up to six channel catfish. A freshwater fishing license is required unless anglers are under 16, over 65 or otherwise exempt from the license requirement.
Joggers and cyclists use the trails that wind around the lakes, so anglers should look behind them before casting.
We fished with soft-plastic worms, about 6 inches long in the greenish “watermelon red” color. We used braided line because it makes pulling the bass through shoreline vegetation easier.
We fished with no weight, allowing the worms to sink slowly after casting. I caught five small bass by working my worm slowly up off the bottom and letting it sink again as I reeled it slowly back toward the bank. Bass love to hit them while they’re sinking. Many of my hits came just outside the edge of the grass line.
Most of the bass we caught were 1 pound or less, but they were fun to catch on light tackle, especially with braided line because the low-stretch line translates the thump of the bass hitting the worm so well.
I was amazed how hard some of the park’s tiny bass hit. They’re aggressive.
Our friend Brendan Bingham, age 13, caught the largest bass of our day, about 1.5 pounds, using a soft-plastic lizard pulled across the surface through grass.
Parent-child bass tournament Saturday: Bass Fishing Kids will hold its annual parent and child bass tournament Saturday at Quiet Waters Park near Deerfield Beach. It’s open to kids ages 5-17 with their parents. Check-in begins at 6:45 a.m. Fishing begins at 7:30 a.m. The $25 entry fee includes a barbecue lunch after the tournament and a chance at prizes. Anglers are being asked to register by Tuesday. Call Gary Waingrow at (954) 306-3441 or register online at bassfishingkids.com.
Free seminars on Thursdays: Juno Bait, a tackle shop on U.S. 1 in North Palm Beach, is hosting a series of free fishing seminars at 6 p.m. on Thursdays. This week’s seminar is about using Flair Hawk jigs, followed by pier fishing basics on Oct. 4, tackle maintenance on Oct. 11, surf fishing basics on Oct. 18 and early-season sailfish on Oct. 25. For details, call (561) 694-2797.
Tags: bass fishing, Okeeheelee Park
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