Up and at it, anglers—Artificial Lure here with your Saturday, October 18 Lake Okeechobee fishing report. The sun rises this morning at 7:24 AM, with sunset hitting at 6:51 PM, and fall’s first true cooldown has Okeechobee’s legendary bite shifting into high gear. The water’s sitting right around 72°F and air temps are cruising from a cool 78 up to 82 by midday.

Low lake levels this week mean fish are loaded up thick in grass flats, channels, and deeper pockets. Clewiston’s grass flats are easily the most productive—about 40% of all solid bass and panfish catches coming from there just yesterday, according to Big O Fishing Reports. North Shore’s holding steady with another 20% of the action, and the Kissimmee River and Ritta Island are both firing at 15% and 10% respectively. Pelican Bay and Shoal/Coots Bay each have their moments, drawing about 7–8% of this week’s best bags, especially early.

Today’s forecast is for **light east winds, 5–10 knots**, so expect easy running and minimal wave action—Lake Okeechobee waters are mostly a light chop. Tides shift slow this time of year, but with lake levels sitting low, current through the cuts and canals is kicking up extra bites, especially for catfish and speckled perch.

Bass are the big show right now—2 to 8 pounders reported, most slamming **live shiners** drifted along the outside reed edges and into scattered grass lines. If you’re working artificials, tie on a **Texas-rigged Gambler Fat Ace** or a 5-inch stick worm in green pumpkin or junebug—Roland Martin’s recent rundown says don’t mess around with anything under 50 lb braid if you’re flipping heavy grass or reeds. For that early morning bite, a **SPRO 65 frog** (the Bronzeye’s a local favorite) is drawing vicious topwater hits on outside clumps in 4 to 5 feet.

Crappie action (or “specks,” for you Okeechobee regulars) is legit—boats averaging 100–150 keepers daily, slabs running 12 to 14 inches with some schools even bigger in deeper holes off the channel. Best bet is 1/16 to 1/8 oz white or chartreuse jigs, slow-trolled, or live minnows, dropped to 8-12 foot pockets near grass points.

Channel catfish up to 12 pounds got chew-happy with cut bait near the current edges, especially late afternoons. For bluegills and panfish, wigglers and red worms under a cork have been putting steady fillets in the cooler up and down the rim ditches.

Your hotspots for today:
- **Clewiston Grass Flats**—Stacked up with bass and specks, especially sunrise to 10 AM.
- **North Shore reed clumps**—Work bladed jigs and worms along the deeper reed edges to target stubborn bass with minimal pressure.
- If winds shift or muddy up open water, duck into the **Kissimmee River channel** or ride down behind the shoal at Ritta Island.

Remember: with boat traffic picking up and storms popping early some days, fish smart—work early, keep an eye on the radar, and chase that clean water if the wind stirs things up. The bite’s hot now, and it’ll just get better running up to the November full moon.

That’s this morning’s snap shot from Artificial Lure here on the Big O. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget—subscribe for daily local fishing breakdowns and tips. This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.

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This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI